ADHRB at HRC36 Event Summary – Bahrain: Systematic State Abuse in the Name of Countering Terrorism

On 13 September 2017, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Amnesty International hosted an event at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council that sought to explore the means by which Bahrain’s state security agencies—particularly the National Security Agency—systematically violate human rights in the name of countering terrorism. The panel[…]

UN Human Rights Experts Communicate “Grave Concerns” over Bahrain

5 September 2017 – Today, seven Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) released two recent communications sent to the Government of Bahrain raising concerns about ongoing human rights abuses. These communications addressed allegations of widespread thematic abuses, including violations of the right to life, the right not to be subjected to[…]

ACPRA co-founder Abdulaziz al-Shubaily’s sentence upheld by Court of Appeal

On 31 July 2017, the Saudi human rights defender and lawyer Abdulaziz al-Shubaily was informed that the Court of Appeal in Riyadh had upheld his eight-year prison sentence. He is now at risk of being imprisoned at any time for speaking out against injustices and in defense of victims of human rights violations in Saudi[…]

Bahrain “Reopens” Pearl Monument but Obscures its Legacy

On 14 February 2011, thousands of Bahraini citizens joined together to peacefully call for democratic reforms and human rights protections. Two days later, on 16 February, the protesters occupied the Pearl Roundabout, a traffic circle in Manama that took its name from the 300-ft high pearl monument at its center. Demonstrators established an encampment and stayed overnight, even organizing[…]

HRC35 Item 3 Oral Intervention: The Closure of Political Space in Bahrain

On 14 June 2017, Yusuf al-Hoori delivered an intervention on behalf of ADHRB during the Human Rights Council’s 35th session under the Item 3 General Debate. In his intervention, al-Hoori raised the issue of the Bahraini government’s restrictions on political space, noting the closure of al-Wefaq and recent dissolution of Wa’ad. Please continue reading for[…]