About us

Our Mission:

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) fosters awareness of and support for democracy and human rights in Bahrain and the rest of the MENA region.

Our Work:

• In our communities, we raise awareness of key issues by hosting events with an emphasis on bringing speakers from the Arab-American community and from Bahrain and other MENA countries to the US to meet with lawmakers, US government officials, and other non-profit organizations.
• In the non-profit sector, we work closely with other leading human rights organizations in the US, the MENA region, and Europe to strengthen advocacy efforts.
• In Congress and the executive branch, we develop relationships with key legislative representatives and government officials to create sustainable improvements in US foreign policy that support and strengthen human rights in MENA countries.
• Internationally, we work with activists and non-governmental organizations to raise awareness of the human rights situation in Bahrain and the rest of the the MENA region among UN officials, state representatives to the UN, and European parliament leaders.
• In the media, we work to increase awareness of the human rights situation in MENA countries by promoting and distributing news and information regarding ongoing events and by serving as a source of expertise in interviews and in written publications.
• In Bahrain and the MENA region, we support the work of leaders in the democracy and human rights movement by facilitating connections between them and US policymakers, other government officials, and leading non-profit organizations in the US.
• With victims of human rights violations, we work to provide legal, medical, and educational support, as well as other forms of developmental aid, to assist their recovery and recuperation.

Our History:

ADHRB was initially formed in 2002 through the culmination of a series of six conferences that helped to unite the Bahraini-American community in the United States. ADHRB was formally incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2008, and received its IRS tax-exempt status in 2009.

ADHRB has built relationships with many pro-democracy and human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), among others. Through its advocacy, ADHRB has also developed relationships with congressional offices and executive branch agencies. Since 2009, ADHRB has been influential in securing several congressional briefings and hearings on human rights abuses in Bahrain.

ADHRB has increased the general public’s engagement on Bahrain-related issues by sponsoring delegations of pro-democracy and human rights advocates from Bahrain–including Nabeel Rajab, Dr. Nabeel Hameed, Jalila al-Salman, and Abdulkhadi al-Khawaja, among others–to allow them to share their firsthand experiences with the public, US lawmakers, and other government and NGO leaders. ADHRB also sponsored delegations of Bahraini-Americans to meet with their legislators in Washington, D.C. to encourage greater engagement on the part of Members of Congress on the human rights situation in Bahrain.

Our Memberships:

ADHRB is a member of the CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the IFEX Global Network for Defending and Promoting Free Expression, the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, and the OMCT SOS-Torture Network. We are an accredited non-governmental organization in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC).

Our Funding:

Our work is made possible through generous individual donations and the support of international institutions and NGO partners. ADHRB does not accept government funding. Our annual report details our funding situation, and can be found here.