ABSTRACT
The structure of League of Arab States (LAS) institutions, processes and rules, especially in relation to human rights, has witnessed little development since the establishment of the organisation. This chapter begins with a short introduction to the main bodies of LAS, followed by a discussion of the development of the main human rights standards, with a reference to how these relate to international human rights law. LAS has a number of model laws that are prepared by its legal department and endorsed by its political bodies. The Arab Parliament now has a Committee on Legal and Human Rights Affairs. The Arab Human Rights Committee is the treaty-body that is entrusted with supervising the implementation of the Arab Charter on Human Rights. The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern over the impact of the legislation on restricting freedom of expression, as well as work of human rights defenders and critics of the state.
