UAE Prison Fails to Meet International Standards as Detainees are Denied Retirement Pension

Late last month, the International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR) was made aware that retirement pension payments to detainees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prison, al-Razeen, have been suspended. The decision to deny retirement pensions to detainees is just another aspect of the broader systematic abuse within the Emirati prison system. Following[…]

UN HRC Adopts Resolution Highlighting Role of Environmental Human Rights Activists

On 21 March 2019, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) unanimously brought to attention the important role of environmental human rights defenders by adopting a strong consensus resolution which legitimized the work of these activists. The HRC reaffirmed the need for states to protect the international rights of its citizens, including the protection[…]

Italy’s Role in Whitewashing Religious Intolerance in Bahrain

Read the Italian translation of this blog here. On 5 November 2018, Italian public university Università di Roma La Sapienza inaugurated a new professorship in honor of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa – the King Hamad Chair for inter-religious dialogue and peaceful co-existence. The professorship, likely starting in September 2019 according to sources, was[…]

Support for Re-election of Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman as President of the AFC Signals a Step Backwards for Human Rights

With the vast support that emerged for the formerly imprisoned Bahrain-born footballer Hakeem AlAraibi, Australia and the broader football community demonstrated how influence and pressure could promote human rights – including the release of AlAraibi. Unfortunately, these efforts are now being undermined by the backing of Sheikh Salman’s attempt to get re-elected as president of[…]

Medical Negligence in Bahraini Prisons

Since the 2011 protests and intensified crackdown on civil society, Bahraini authorities continue to use elements of torture, abuse, threats, and unjust treatment against political prisoners as reprisals for their activism. Pressing concerns in the kingdom’s prisons, ran by the corrupt Ministry of Interior, range from poor living conditions to medical neglect and blatant disregard[…]