Bahrain: US State Department Documents Decline in Terrorism Last Year, Continued Rights Concerns

On 19 July 2017, the United States (US) Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CT) released its Country Reports on Terrorism for 2016. Although the country report on Bahrain fails to assess the full impact of the kingdom’s increasing abuse of counterterror measures to target nonviolent activism and dissent, Americans for Democracy &[…]

US Must Maintain Restrictions, Push for Reforms Following Bahrain Interior Minister Visit

14 July 2017 – Bahrain’s Minister of Interior, Lt. General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, visited Washington, DC this week to discuss security cooperation with a number of American officials, including the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense. While we encourage bilateral talks between American policymakers and the Government of Bahrain, and we acknowledge[…]

Top US Senator Announces Suspension of GCC Arms Sales

29 June 2017 – On Monday 26 June, Chairman of the United States (US) Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announcing he will provide no further clearances on arms sales to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states until the ongoing Qatar crisis is resolved.[…]