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[…]
On 13 June 2016, Bahraini forces surrounded the house of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab and arrested him. At the time of his arrest, authorities had not yet informed Rajab, his family, or his legal team the reason for detaining him. However, the government has since issued charges against Rajab that accuse him of[…]
Despite recent efforts to curb human trafficking in the country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not accurately addressed the factors that contribute its prevalence. The Dubai Police have recently launched a new phone and computer app in order to combat human trafficking in the emirate. The app allows victims of human or sex trafficking[…]
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[…]
The Government of Saudi Arabia targets and prosecutes political and religious activists who speak out against the government. Among those it targets are dissident clerics from the kingdom’s restive Eastern Province Shia minority like Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr. Sheikh Nimr was a forceful critic of the government. Due to his speeches, Saudi security forces harassed[…]