UAE 94: Five Years, No Progress

This spring marks the five-year anniversary of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) prosecution of the “UAE 94” – 94 peaceful political activists who were charged in 2013 because of their dissident activities in 2011. The defendants came from all walks of life, and were on trial because they advocated for political reforms in the UAE.[…]

Amid Broader Political Crackdown, Bahrain Adjourns Case Against Al-Wefaq Leaders Until 24 April

On 22 March 2018, Bahrain’s High Criminal Court adjourned the case of imprisoned opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman along with his two in absentia codefendants, Sheikh Hassan Ali Juma Sultan and Ali Mehdi Ali Al Aswad, until 24 April. All three men are members of Bahrain’s largest political opposition group, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which[…]

Bahrain Upholds 10-Year Sentence for Photojournalist Sayed Ahmed al-Mousawi in Further Attack on Press Freedom

On 27 March 2018, a Bahraini appellate court confirmed the 10-year prison sentence and arbitrary denaturalization of photojournalist Sayed Ahmed al-Mousawi. In 2017, Bahrain’s highest court reversed the original ruling, leading to the new appeal. Though al-Mousawi has the opportunity to petition the Court of Cassation again, he remains arbitrarily detained. Bahraini authorities first arrested[…]

Bahrain’s Highest Military Court Postpones Final Appeal for Civilian Defendants

Six civilians and one soldier convicted by the Military High Court of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) in December 2017 – civilians Sayed Fadhel Abbas Hassan Radhi, Sayed Alawi Sayed Husain Alawi, Mohammed Abdulhassan al-Mutaghawi, Mohammed Abdulhussain Saleh al-Shehabi, Mohammed Abdulwahid Mohammed al-Najjar, Hussain Mohammed Ahmed Shehab, and the soldier, Mubarak Adel Mubarak Mahanna –[…]

Bahrain Intensifies Reprisals Against Activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei and Family

Amid increasing repression of domestic civil society, the Government of Bahrain has stepped up its reprisal campaign against exiled human rights activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the Director of Advocacy for the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD). In recent months, Bahraini authorities have repeatedly targeted four different members of Sayed Ahmed’s family with[…]