Bahrain: Joint Letter on Human Rights Situation to Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council

27 human rights organizations issued a joint letter regarding the human rights situation in Bahrain, addressed to member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The letter coincides with the Council’s 59th session and the upcoming Eid al-Adha, highlighting the serious violations against activists and opposition figures held in arbitrary detention. Re:[…]

Unequal Before the Law: How Saudi Arabia Executes Foreign Nationals in Silence

In 2024, Saudi Arabia executed 345 people—the highest number recorded in recent history. This staggering figure more than doubled the executions carried out in 2023 and reflects a dramatic escalation in the Kingdom’s use of capital punishment. On average, one person was executed every 25 hours. Despite global calls to restrict the death penalty to[…]

Guilty by Association: The UAE’s Repression Now Targets Dissidents’ Families and Businesses

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) 2014 Counterterrorism Law has functioned as a weapon for political repression. With its vague definitions, the law enables authorities to equate peaceful criticism with terrorism, imposing harsh sentences, including life imprisonment and the death penalty, often without credible evidence. In recent years, this repression has expanded beyond outspoken critics to[…]

Post-Release Restrictions in Saudi Arabia: How Persecutions Continue Even After Serving the Sentence

Between December 2024 and February 2025, Saudi Arabia released about 44 prisoners. Many of these are human rights activists or people arrested in the wake of restrictions on the right to expression in the country. As much as this event may seem a step forward for Saudi Arabia, another aspect must be considered – many[…]

Saudi Arabia’s New INTERPOL Office: A Dangerous Expansion of Transnational Repression

On 30 January 2025, Saudi Arabia and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) announced an agreement to open a regional office in Saudi Arabia to support law enforcement efforts across the Middle East and North Africa. This included plans for the new office to cooperate with regional structures such as the Arab Interiors Ministers’ Council[…]