Bahrain Launches Renewed Reprisal Campaign Ahead of HRC36

6 September 2017 – The Government of Bahrain has launched a renewed campaign of reprisals against Bahraini civil society actors ahead of the 36th Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), set to begin on Monday, 11 September 2017. Over the last several days, human rights defenders Fatima al-Halwachi and Zainab al-Khamees;[…]

Saudi’s Gulf Policies Inform Bahrain’s Techniques of Repression

As the largest country economically and the most populous state in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia’s policies significantly affect the policies of its neighbors. Since the 2011 Arab Spring popular protests around the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Saudi Arabia has used its influence to lead the counterrevolutionary charge, and worked assiduously[…]

Sayed Alawi: Fears of Torture as Arbitrary Detention in CID Continues

7 December 2016 – Since 24 October, the Government of Bahrain has arbitrarily detained Sayed Alawi Hussein Alawi in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), where he remains in detention. Sayed Alawi’s family has filed multiple complaints regarding his case to Bahraini officials, and continue to fear that Alawi is subjected to torture. We, the undersigned,[…]

#Tried4Tweets: #Taiba_Ismail

On 26 June 2016, Bahraini security forces stormed Taiba Ismail’s house and arrested her. The Government of Bahrain has since charged Ismail for tweets she posted, saying that she “incited hatred against the government.” Ismail’s arrest came at the height of the government’s renewed campaign of judicial harassment against opposition leaders, political activists, and human[…]

Bahrain’s High Court of Appeals Upholds Dissolution of Al-Wefaq

22 September 2016 – Bahrain’s second High Civil Court of Appeals today upheld an earlier court decision to dissolve Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the largest political opposition group in Bahrain. The undersigned NGOs strongly condemn the court’s decision, which is representative of the Government of Bahrain’s broader efforts to silence civil society. On 14 June[…]