US State Department Releases Overdue Report on Human Rights Situation in Bahrain

After several months delay, the US Department of State has released its report on the Bahraini government’s implementation of the 26 recommendations made by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in 2011. The report reviews the progress made on each recommendation from 2011 through to early 2016; it fails to thoroughly examine the government’s[…]

Bahraini Government’s Claims of Having Implemented all BICI Recommendations is Mere Lip Service

On 9 May 2016, Bahrain celebrated the culmination of the work of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), announcing that the implementation of all recommendations had been completed. The King awarded Professor Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni a Bahrain Medal of the First Class, and state media reported that Bassiouni said the government of Bahrain had[…]

US Commission on International Religious Freedom Releases 2016 Annual Report

On Tuesday, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report detailing the state of religious freedom in the world. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes the extensive report describing the conditions for freedom of religion in countries of concern. The chapter on Bahrain details the ongoing[…]

Mohammed Hassan Jawad and the Unseen in Bahrain

In 2015, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei used Legos to create portraits of 176 political activists from around the world. Some of the names and faces of political exiles and prisoners of conscience were recognizable, such as Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Edward Snowden, and Chelsea Manning. Included were some lesser known names around the[…]

Bahrain says Human Rights Watch report is “inaccurate”

Bahrain criticized Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) annual report regarding the gulf kingdom. The 659-page document released by HRW in late January 2016 covers human rights in 90 countries. The report documented a number of human rights abuses in Bahrain, to which the Bahraini government responded, saying it “contains fundamental errors,” and “a number of claims[…]