Six UN Experts Sent Letter to Bahrain on Violence Against Women Human Rights Defenders

On 17 January 2019, six United Nations (UN) Special Procedures offices sent an Allegation Letter (AL BHR 7/2018) to the Government of Bahrain on three Bahraini women subjected to reprisals. The communication was sent by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the[…]

Bahrain UN Side Event on Religious Tolerance Omits Rampant Discrimination and Abuse

2 October 2018 – On 29 September, the Bahraini government launched a renewed effort to whitewash its abysmal record of state-sponsored religious discrimination in one of the world’s most prominent international forums. At a side event in New York City, coinciding with the 73rd Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA), Bahraini officials[…]

US State Department Cites Bahrain’s Political Repression as Major Risk Factor for Instability

The Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CT) at the United States (US) Department of State released its Country Reports on Terrorism for 2017 yesterday, 19 September 2018. While the Bahrain country report again fails to address how key tenets of the kingdom’s anti-terror framework violate international law and are used to suppress nonviolent[…]

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[…]