Update: After this post was published, Bahrain’s Ministry of Information Affairs has partially suspended on 16 January 2017 Alwasat, the country’s only independent newspaper. See here for more details. On 16 January 2017, Bahrain’s prosecution will try the case of journalist Nazeeha Saeed, whom the Public Prosecution Office charged with working for international media without a[…]
10
Jan
Jan
Following yet another postponement in the final days of 2016, the trial of Bahraini scholar and activist Khalil al-Halwachi is now set to enter its twenty-third session on 22 January 2017. He is being tried along with 16 others and has been detained by Bahraini authorities for over two years without being sentenced, in clear[…]
28
Dec
Dec
On Tuesday, 13 December, U.S. officials announced they would block the $350 million sale of air munitions to Saudi Arabia, citing the high civilian death toll from the kingdom’s intervention in Yemen. Media outlets were quick to cover the announcement, which followed months of increased tension between the two allies over the war. However, the[…]
16
Dec
Dec
On 22 November 2016, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was presented the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Award. The award recognizes Bahrain’s role in developing economic opportunities for empowering women and youth. The Bahrain Model for Economic Empowerment, an initiative started through UNIDO and the Bahraini government’s partnership, is reportedly being replicated in[…]
15
Dec
Dec
On Thursday 1 December, Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) increased the prison sentence of Saudi human rights defender Issa al-Hamid from nine to 11 years. Al-Hamid is a founding member the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) and the younger brother of fellow human rights activists, Abdullah al-Hamid and Abdurrahman al-Hamid, both[…]
