President Trump Ignores Bahrain’s Abuses, Extends Military Cooperation

30 November 2017 – Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has arrived in Washington, DC for meetings with President Donald Trump and other administration officials. The prince’s trip comes amid an extreme deterioration of Bahrain’s human rights situation following an earlier meeting between King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and President Trump in May[…]

Trump Administration authorizes new arms sales to GCC states despite Congressional threat to block

On 13 and 16 October 2017, the United States Government approved the sale of weapons worth $371.6 million to Kuwait, stating that the sale “will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country.” These sales come amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis[…]

Bahrain Upholds Sentence for Fadhel Abbas Amid Attacks on Opposition

On 1 June 2017, activists reported that Bahrain’s Court of Cassation upheld a three-year prison sentence for Fadhel Abbas, the former Secretary-General of the leftist opposition group Al-Wahdawi Political Society (Unitary National Democratic Assemblage). Abbas’s sentence was reduced from five years to three in October 2016 after he was arrested in March 2015 for public[…]

Trump to Visit Saudi Despite Ongoing Rights Abuses

On 19 May, President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president. During his trip, he will also visit Israel, the Vatican, and take part in a NATO meeting in Brussels and the G7 meeting in Sicily. His trip comes amid news that the US government will[…]