Swiss Journalists detained in the GCC

On Thursday 9 November, two journalists working for a Swiss news outlet were detained and forcibly disappeared in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Serge Enderlin and Jon Bjorgvinsson were in Abu Dhabi to cover the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and interview the museum’s architect, Jean Nouvel. The pair claims that they were accredited[…]

Omani Journalist Released From Prison

On 23 October 2017, Omani authorities released the Deputy Editor of the recently closed Azamn newspaper, Yousef Al-Haj, from prison after he spent over a year behind bars due to comments made in Azamn. As reported by the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), al-Haj was originally arrested in August 2016, along with two colleagues,[…]

GCC Cases Raised in the HRC 36 Special Procedures Joint Communications Report

Bahrain BHR 4/2017 JUA 17 March 2017 Mandates: Arbitrary Detention, Executions, Freedom of opinion and expression, Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Human Rights Defenders, Torture Information received concerning the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention, inhumane and degrading treatment, as well as treatment amounting to torture, of Mr. Sayed Nazar Naama Baqer Ali Yusuf[…]

Omani courts issue verdicts violating free speech

In August, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) covered the initial arrest of three Azamn newspaper journalists and the paper’s suspension in Oman. The crimes were related to a report Azamn published on 26 July 2016 that criticized Oman’s judicial system. Two days after the report’s release, Omani authorities arrested the founder[…]