Bahrain Abruptly Reschedules Nabeel Rajab’s Twitter Case to 7 December

Following the Bahraini government’s abrupt decision to advance Nabeel Rajab’s most recent hearing from 31 December 2017 to 5 December 2017, the court has now adjourned the case to Thursday, 7 December. One of Bahrain’s most prominent human rights defenders, Rajab faces up to 15 years in prison for charges stemming from tweets in which[…]

UPDATED: Bahrain brings new charges against Al-Wefaq’s Sheikh Ali Salman amid campaign against opposition

**Update: On 29 November 2017, Bahraini authorities postponed the trial of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the now-dissolved opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, to 28 December. Sheikh Salman, who remains imprisoned on charges stemming solely from a political speeches he delivered in 2014, was not present at the first session of his new trial[…]

Bahrain Sets Final Hearing in Nabeel Rajab’s Appeal for 22 November

Today, 8 November 2017, a Bahraini court pushed the final hearing for leading human rights defender Nabeel Rajab’s appeal trial to 22 November, refusing to hear the defense’s arguments and rejecting his petition for bail. Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), has been arbitrarily detained since 13 June 2016 on charges[…]

Changes in Saudi Arabia Might Not Result in a More Open Society

Following his September announcement that Saudi Arabia’s driving ban on women will be lifted in 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week unveiled two new measures that are part of his Vision 2030 for Saudi Arabia: the country will allow women to enter sport stadiums and it will build “NEOM,” a $500 billion mega-city[…]

Omani Journalist Released From Prison

On 23 October 2017, Omani authorities released the Deputy Editor of the recently closed Azamn newspaper, Yousef Al-Haj, from prison after he spent over a year behind bars due to comments made in Azamn. As reported by the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), al-Haj was originally arrested in August 2016, along with two colleagues,[…]