On 8 February 2016, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it would be forming new ministries of “happiness” and “tolerance.” While the UAE is not the first country to establish such positions—commentators note that the move is reminiscent of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index, installed in 1972, as well as other more recent trends—it remains[…]
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Saudi Arabia has some of the harshest penalties for drug use in the world, and drug trafficking is punishable by death. Last week, the authorities beheaded one Saudi and two Yemenis for allegedly smuggling hashish and amphetamines into the country. In addition to drug crime, the kingdom’s legal code warrants death sentences for murder, apostasy,[…]
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Mosaab Abd al-Aziz, the son of a former advisor to Egypt’s deposed president Muhammad Morsi, has sent a taped message to his family alleging that UAE authorities tortured him in order to coerce him into confessing membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. UAE police arrested Abd al-Aziz in October 2014 and they have held him in[…]
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On February 20, the Vienna-based Peace Promotion Association granted Bahrain’s Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the Flame of Peace Award. In receiving this award, Prince Salman becomes the first Arab premier to receive the prize. The prize was conferred in tribute for his “outstanding humanitarian role to promote global peace and boost relations between[…]
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Voices from the Ground: February 14th As part of ADHRB’s Voices from the Ground interview series, we spoke with Bahraini human rights activists about their experiences during the country’s peaceful uprising and the historical significance of the protests at the Pearl Roundabout. According to one activist, the protests represented “a quantum leap for Bahrain. Following 14[…]
