Saudi Arabia and its Allies Support Mass Executions Despite Protests

Saudi protestors have reportedly called for the removal of the royal family following the government’s execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 other individuals convicted of terror crimes. Residents of the country’s marginalized Eastern Province publicly demonstrated against the monarchy, criticizing the mass execution and expressing support for Sheikh Nimr. According[…]

Prisoner Profile: Dr. Ahmed al-Zaabi

On 26 March 2012, Emirati security forces arrested Dr. Ahmed Yousef al-Zaabi, a former judge and law professor in the UAE. Dr. al-Zaabi is also the brother of Obaid al-Zaabi, a human rights defender detained by the authorities in July 2013. Upon his arrest, Dr. al-Zaabi was taken to Abu Dhabi’s al-Razeen Prison, where security[…]

100 Days Later: Where is Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith?

Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith is a prominent economics professor and human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates. On 18 August 2015, government forces arrested Dr. bin Ghaith without charge and detained him at an unknown location. It has been over 100 days since he was last seen or heard from. The authorities first targeted Dr.[…]

Prisoner Profile: Obaid al-Zaabi

Obaid al-Zaabi is a human rights defender from the UAE. On 2 July 2013, UAE security forces arrested al-Zaabi for tweeting critically about the trial of the 94, which included his brother. Authorities released him on bail on 4 August 2013. Later that year, on 11 December 2013, CNN interviewed al-Zaabi about the increasing arrests[…]

Saudi Appellate Courts Binging on Frivolous Lawsuits

Judging by the list of people Saudi Arabian courts sentenced in recent weeks, the kingdom seems to be struggling to determine which forms of religious expression are and are not “criminal.” Last week, a Saudi court sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death for apostasy. Saudi Arabia’s religious police arrested Fayadh at a cafe in[…]