Naji Fateel is a human rights defender on the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights. For ten years, Bahraini authorities have detained, harassed, forcibly disappeared, and tortured him repeatedly for his peaceful and lawful human rights activism. In 2007, Bahraini authorities arrested Fateel for participating in a “violent gathering.” They[…]
06
Feb
Feb
On 30 January 2017, Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he expects President Trump’s administration to approve the stalled sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Government of Bahrain. This sale was blocked by the Obama administration due to concerns over Bahrain’s record on human rights. The sale[…]
01
Feb
Feb
On Monday, 16 January 2017, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) State Security Apparatus arrested prominent political science professor Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, detaining him for ten days before his release on Thursday, 26 January 2017. It is suspected that UAE authorities arrested him over tweets he made about free expression in the UAE. At the time[…]
27
Jan
Jan
The Government of Kuwait executed seven prisoners by hanging on 25 January 2017. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah authorized the executions, which took place at the country’s central prison. Kuwait’s hangings come on the heels of recent executions in Bahrain and signal another disappointing move away from death penalty moratoria in the region. Those[…]
13
Jan
Jan
Last month, King Salman approved Saudi Arabia’s 2017 national budget, the first passed since the unveiling of the kingdom’s economic reform plan, Vision 2030. In keeping with Vision 2030’s objectives, the budget increases government spending amidst economic indicators of a decrease in the country’s deficit. However, Saudi Arabia is far from out of the woods. Experts[…]
