On Tuesday, 13 December, U.S. officials announced they would block the $350 million sale of air munitions to Saudi Arabia, citing the high civilian death toll from the kingdom’s intervention in Yemen. Media outlets were quick to cover the announcement, which followed months of increased tension between the two allies over the war. However, the[…]
16
Dec
Dec
On 22 November 2016, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was presented the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Award. The award recognizes Bahrain’s role in developing economic opportunities for empowering women and youth. The Bahrain Model for Economic Empowerment, an initiative started through UNIDO and the Bahraini government’s partnership, is reportedly being replicated in[…]
15
Dec
Dec
On Thursday 1 December, Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) increased the prison sentence of Saudi human rights defender Issa al-Hamid from nine to 11 years. Al-Hamid is a founding member the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) and the younger brother of fellow human rights activists, Abdullah al-Hamid and Abdurrahman al-Hamid, both[…]
15
Dec
Dec
**Update: On 16 May 2018, Jaffer Demistani was released from custody after the government reduced his seven-year sentence. On the night of 22 March 2014, an unmarked civilian pickup truck chased Jaffer Ebrahim Demistani. A group of officers from the Bahraini Ministry of Interior (MoI) stopped Jaffer and arrested him without presenting a warrant. The officers[…]
14
Dec
Dec
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[…]
