Bahrain security forces employ excessive use of force against funeral mourners

27 March 2017 – Bahraini security forces attacked the funeral procession of Mustafa Hamdan with tear gas and shotgun bullets, injuring those gathered. We, the undersigned organizations, condemn this excessive use of force employed by security forces over the weekend during the procession. We call on the security forces to halt their excessive use of[…]

18-year-old Mustafa Hamdan dies after security forces shooting

24 March 2017 – Mustafa Hamdan, 18, died this morning at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, two months after security forces shot him in head and rendered him comatose. We, the undersigned, consider Hamdan’s death an extrajudicial killing by the Bahraini Government. We condemn state violence employed against peaceful protesters, the denial of medical care, and[…]

Item 10 HRC34 Oral Intervention: Suspension of OHCHR Cooperation with Bahrain over Rights Abuses

On 23 March 2017, Ebrahim Demestani delivered an Item 10 oral intervention during the 34th session of the Human Rights Council on behalf of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. In his intervention, he highlighted the strong message sent[…]

Item 10 HRC34 Oral Intervention: Bahrain’s refusal to cooperate with OHCHR

On 23 March 2017, Nader Almatrook delivered an oral intervention at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council on behalf of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. In his intervention, he expressed great concern over Bahrain’s refusal to[…]

Bahraini authorities sentence scholar and activist Khalil al-Halwachi to 10 years in prison

23 March 2017 – The Fifth High Criminal Court in Bahrain today sentenced scholar and activist Khalil al-Halwachi to 10 years in prison. The government arrested and charged al-Halwachi with possessing weapons in 2014; he has been in pre-trial detention since that time. In addition to weapons possession, the prosecution further charged al-Halwachi with “insulting[…]