NGOs call for release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on 7th anniversary of his arrest

Seven years ago this month, renowned human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was dragged from his home in Bahrain, tortured, tried in a military court, and sentenced to life in prison for his peaceful role in 2011 protests. Today, 5 April, on Al-Khawaja’s 57th birthday, the undersigned human rights organisations call for his immediate release and[…]

On “Bahraini Women’s Day,” ADHRB stands with Bahrain’s WHRDs

Today, 1 December, is “Bahraini Women’s Day,” a holiday set by the government to honor women’s “contributions in accelerating the national development wheel in the various fields and levels.” Though a positive rhetorical sentiment, the authorities have continued to target Bahraini women human rights defenders (WHRDs) with arbitrary detention, travel bans, torture, exile, and other[…]

Rights Groups to F1: Cancel the Race if You Can’t Guarantee Safety

6 April 2017 – The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain should be cancelled unless it can uphold its human rights commitments, say human rights NGO’s in a letter made public today. You can read a PDF of the letter here. The Bahrain Grand Prix (GP) has been controversial since it was first cancelled in[…]

HRC34 Oral Interventions: Item 6 on Bahrain’s lack of UPR implementation

On 17 March 2017, Michael Payne, International Advocacy Officer at ADHRB, delivered an oral intervention during the 34th session of the Human Rights Council under Item 6 on behalf of ADHRB, BIRD, and BCHR. In his intervention he addressed the Bahraini government’s unwillingness to implement its second-cycle UPR recommendations, including to curb torture or protect[…]

#TriedForTweets: @angryarabiya – Zainab al-Khawaja

Using her Twitter handle, @angryarabiya, Zainab al-Khawaja amassed nearly 50,000 followers and became a prominent voice of the 2011 pro-democracy movement in Bahrain.  She, along with fellow human rights defenders, provided on-the-ground updates on protests and demonstrations via her Twitter page. Her cyberactivism helped bring greater international attention to the human rights abuses committed by the Government[…]