Saudi’s Gulf Policies Inform Bahrain’s Techniques of Repression

As the largest country economically and the most populous state in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia’s policies significantly affect the policies of its neighbors. Since the 2011 Arab Spring popular protests around the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Saudi Arabia has used its influence to lead the counterrevolutionary charge, and worked assiduously[…]

EVENT SUMMARY – #TriedForTweets: Social Media Activism and State Surveillance in the GCC

16 November 2016 – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) held an event at American University in Washington, DC, on how state surveillance by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments has negatively affected human rights activists and other civil society members’ social media use. ADHRB’s Advocacy Fellow, Mobashra Tazamal, hosted the event. Panelists[…]

UAE-Oman porous border contributor to human trafficking

Recently, several Indian migrant workers were rescued after having spent months in Buraimi, a small border town in Oman. The women were promised jobs as beauticians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but upon arrival in Dubai, they were taken to a house and kept by their traffickers for weeks before they were transported across[…]

UAE Supreme Court Postpones the Trial of Academic Nasser Bin Ghaith

On 17 October, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government postponed the trial of academic Dr. Nasser Bin Ghaith for the seventh consecutive time. Bin Ghaith’s trial will resume on 14 November 2016 when the defense team will present before the State Security Chamber of the Supreme Court. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain[…]

India continues to act unilaterally in fight against human trafficking in the GCC

Once again, the Government of India has unilaterally taken steps to mitigate migrant labor abuses in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Indian officials have consistently enacted one-sided measures in order to ensure their citizens’ safety abroad, and GCC governments have failed to fulfill their parts. In March and April 2016, India initiated two Memoranda of[…]