Bahrain’s Strategic Calculations Amid Escalating Gulf Tensions

As the conflict in the Gulf enters its fourth week, regional stability has once again become a central concern in political and security discussions, as critical infrastructure across several countries continues to be targeted by missiles and drones. Over the second weekend of fighting, Bahrain suffered a particularly heavy toll. The country’s main oil refinery[…]

Luxury and Labour in the Gulf Heat

The Gulf region is notoriously known for its constantly hot, sunny weather and luxurious, modern infrastructure, providing travellers with ideal conditions for year-round beach holidays and outdoor activities. Yet few recognise that delivering such services relies heavily on human labour, with many workers compelled to perform physically demanding tasks in extreme heat for much of[…]

Why Trading With the GCC Leads to Complicity in Human Rights Abuse

In recent years, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have begun to play an increasingly prominent role in international trade. This change is mainly due to the socio-economic transformation that many of these countries are undergoing. However, this progress often serves to conceal the constant human rights abuses and repression that take place within these countries.[…]

ADHRB at #HRC60 Exposes the Kafala System as Modern Slavery

On 12 September 2025, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) delivered an intervention during the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. During the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, ADHRB drew the Council’s attention to the exploitation of migrant workers in GCC countries, which[…]

An Overview of ADHRB’s Participation in the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) participated in the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), held from 16 June to 9 July 2025. During this session, ADHRB delivered four oral interventions highlighting human rights violations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Under[…]