Bahrain Continues Targeting Human Rights Defenders by Placing Travel Ban on Activist Enas Oun

Bahraini authorities prevented Enas Oun, the head of the Monitoring and Documentation Section of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), from flying out of Bahrain International Airport on 22 August 2016.  At the airport, officials informed Oun that the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) issued a travel ban against her on 21 August[…]

NGOs call on King of Bahrain to release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab

HM Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaOffice of HM the KingP.O. Box 555, Rifa’a PalaceKingdom of Bahrain Cc. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MPSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsForeign & Commonwealth OfficeKing Charles Street, London SW1A2AH Cc. The Honorable John F. KerrySecretary of StateUnited States Department of State2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC[…]

In Bahrain, a sermon about oppression leads to criminal charges of “inciting hatred”

In an unsurprising move, on 28 August, a Bahraini judge postponed for the second time the trial of Sheikh Isa al-Moamen to 28 September. On 6 August, Bahraini security forces arrested the Shia cleric in regards to a sermon he had given. The following day authorities interrogated him and have since held Sheikh al-Moamen at Dry[…]

Time to End Saudi Arabia’s Shameful Position on the Human Rights Council

In 2006 the United Nations (UN) established a new Human Rights Council (HRC) to be “responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.”  The HRC replaced the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after it had been heavily criticized for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members. Now,[…]

Bahrain NIHR Not Accredited under Paris Principles

The Bahrain National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) failed to attain accreditation under the Paris Principles, instead earning a “B” status. The Global Alliance of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’ (GANHRI) Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) recently released its report detailing the reasoning for the status. While the SCA welcomed the[…]