Bahrain NGOs Welcome High Commissioner Zeid’s Report Critical of Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain

8 March 2017 – In his report to the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council today, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, raised the “increasing levels of human rights violations” in Bahrain, and called on the government to address these violations. He reiterated his position that, “this repression will[…]

Bahrain’s Third Cycle UPR: A Record of Repression

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), in conjunction with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), is pleased to announce our new report, Bahrain’s Third Cycle UPR: A Record of Repression. See a summary of the assessment below, and click here for the full report.[…]

UN body finds Saudi Arabia arbitrarily detained Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon, and Abdullah al-Zaher

On 6 February 2017, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) released Opinion No. 61/2016. In the opinion, the WGAD determined that Saudi Arabia’s ongoing treatment of Ali al-Nimr, Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon, and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher constitutes arbitrary detention and violates a number of international legal principles. Saudi security forces arrested Ali, Dawood,[…]

Bahrain government claims “highest standards of human rights protections” at 3rd Committee

At the 37th meeting of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. Representative raised concerns regarding Bahrain’s “dissol[ution of] the Al-Wefaq political society, revo[cation of] Sheikh Isa Qassim’s citizenship, and continue[d] detention of] activist Nabeel Rajab and former Al-Wefaq Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman.” In response, the Government of Bahrain deflected the criticism by[…]

ADHRB Welcomes Appointment of UN Assistant Secretary General for the Combat of Reprisals on Human Rights Defenders

6 October 2016 – Earlier this week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed an Assistant Secretary General whose special mandate involves considering and responding to reprisals against Human Rights Defenders and civil society actors who engage with the United Nations. The first expert appointed to this mandate will be Mr. Andrew Gilmore, who previously served[…]