November Champions for Justice: Athletes

November 2015 – Athletes and sports figures have played an active part in Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement since it began in February 2011, and the Bahraini government has punished them harshly for it. Police arrested and suspended over 150 athletes, sports personalities, and club staff in relation to the protests. Those arrested include 27 members of[…]

The Fox Guards the Henhouse: Electing the UAE to a Second HRC Term

On 28 October 2015, the United Arab Emirates won election to a second term on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). According to Lana Nusseibeh, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, the UAE’s election represents “a milestone for the UAE’s diplomacy and a testimony from the international community of the great achievements[…]

Prisoner Profile: Kamal and Mohammed al-Darat

Emirati security forces have been holding Libyan-American citizens Kamal and Mohammed al-Darat in detention for over a year without charge. Authorities detained the al-Darats in August 2014 along with eight others whom UAE authorities suspected to be tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, a designated terrorist organization in the UAE. Members of the al-Darat family state[…]

ADHRB Raises Concern over Bahrain Candidate for FIFA Presidency

October 19, 2015 Issa Hayatou Acting President International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) FIFA-Strausse 20 P.O. Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland Dear Mr. Issa Hayatou and members of the FIFA Executive Committee, In 2013, our organization wrote to FIFA President Mr. Joseph Blatter expressing our deep concern over allegations of unethical behavior conducted by FIFA committee[…]

Proven Human Rights Abusers Don’t Get to Set the Record Straight

During the 2011 uprising, Bahrain’s human rights abuses took center stage when security forces used excessive force against peaceful pro-democracy protests. Since then, evidence of human rights abuses by the government continues to mount. Although widespread documentation of the government’s use of torture, arbitrary detention, and flawed trials makes it difficult for Bahrain to cover[…]