U.S. State Department Releases 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

On Wednesday, the United States (US) Department of State released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes these extensive reports detailing the wide range of US human rights concerns in Bahrain and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The report begins by[…]

ADHRB Submits Brief on Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to OHCHR

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) has submitted a brief for the Secretary-General of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ forthcoming report on the question of the death penalty. ADHRB’s brief details the legal parameters for capital punishment in both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as recent developments[…]

Backtracking on Women’s Rights: Discriminatory Citizenship Law in Bahrain

Although Bahraini authorities often boast about empowering women, the government has not taken any serious steps to change the laws that prohibit Bahraini women from passing on citizenship to their families. Even though Bahrain has acceded to the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) since 2002, women in Bahrain do[…]

Kuwait Raises Free Speech Restrictions to Parliamentary Level

The public prosecution in Kuwait recently issued a directive to all exit borders for the arrest of Kuwaiti Member of Parliament (MP) Abdul Hamid Dashti upon his attempted return to the country. Dashti is still abroad and said that such a measure is unprecedented, claiming it will be a “disaster for civil liberties in Kuwait.”[…]

40 NGOs call for the unconditional release of Zainab al-Khawaja

12 April 2016 HM Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa King of Bahrain Riffa Palace Manama, Bahrain   Dear King Hamad, We, the undersigned Bahraini and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), would like to unequivocally condemn your government’s arrest of human rights defender Zainab Al-Khawaja along with her infant son. The implementation of Ms. Al-Khawaja’s prison sentence for[…]