State Department Releases 2014 Country Reports on Terrorism in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

Within its Country Report on Terrorism in Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. Department of State assesses the counterterror measures undertaken by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in 2014. Key among these measures is the implementation of anti-terrorism laws intended to better facilitate the prosecution of terror offenses. In both countries, these laws have given[…]

Upcoming Event at HRC29: Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), along with the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), Amnesty International, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), and Human Rights Watch will be co-sponsoring a side event at the 29th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The panel discussion will focus on[…]

Waiting on the King: Why Minor Reforms Don’t Signal an Advance for Saudi Women’s Rights

In a limited sign of progress for women’s rights, admittedly rare for patriarchal Saudi Arabia, the passport department within the Saudi Ministry of Interior is drafting regulations that would allow Saudi women greater freedoms to travel without the immediate consent of a male guardian. The new rules challenge current Saudi codes prohibiting women under the[…]

Executive Director Husain Abdulla: “Partial Justice: How Saudi Executions Serve the Monarchy”

Today, the Saudi government carried out its 100th execution of 2015. Last week, when the tally stood at 94, ADHRB Executive Director Husain Abdulla wrote an op-ed for Middle East Eye that linked the rising rate of capital punishment to the monarchy’s influence over the legal system. Saudi Arabia is on the verge of breaking a record for[…]

ADHRB Applauds USCIRF Letter to Saudi King on Prisoners of Conscience

15 June 2015 – Washington, D.C. – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) applauds the letter sent by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia calling on him to pardon and release activist Raif Badawi and human rights lawyer Waleed Abu[…]