Bahrain acquits security officers of torture, sentences Shia cleric for free speech

On Monday March 7, Bahrain’s Second High Criminal Court commuted the sentence of a police officer, convicted of beating a prisoner, from two years to three months. That same day another Bahraini court upheld the August 25, 2014 verdict acquitting nine police officers charged in May 2013 with assaulting, beating, and torturing 13 prisoners. The[…]

Human Rights Watch: allegations of torture expose Bahrain’s sham reforms

Today Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report, an annual review of human rights around the globe. In it, HRW alleges that “credible and consistent allegations of torture and mistreatment of detainees in Bahrain during 2015 undermined claims of reform.” It describes a “range of torture methods, including electric shock, prolonged suspension in painful[…]

Structural flaws in Bahrain’s National Institution for Human Rights impact its report writing

Opposition group al-Wefaq expressed “deep disappointment” on the content of Bahrain’s National Institution for Human Rights’ annual report. In a statement, al-Wefaq alleged that the report’s content is “far from reality” and “has disregarded many of the blatant violations taking place” in Bahrain. The opposition group asserted that “impunity is the most significant issue missing[…]

Gunmen attack Shia center in Bahrain

According to the Ministry of Interior (MOI), “skirmishes” took place around the Al-Marzouq religious center in Sitra, Bahrain, on January 11, 2016. The MOI said that gunfire mistakenly damaged some of the center’s facilities. Eyewitnesses reported that around 3:00 a.m., a black vehicle opened fire at the Al-Marzouq center, damaging some of the center’s windows[…]

Shattering the Facade: A Report on Bahrain’s Implementation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)

16 November 2015 – Washington, DC – The Bahraini government has only fully implemented two, and has not made any progress on eight of the 26 recommendations made by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in 2011, finds a new report released today by Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the[…]