Why Saudi Arabia Should, But Probably Won’t, Allow an Independent Investigation of Civilian Casualties in Yemen

Two weeks ago at a press conference with Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister, Adel Jubeir, spoke dispassionately about his country’s actions in the conflict in Yemen. “Yes, we do our best to minimize civilian casualties,” Jubeir claimed. “We do our best to investigate when we have reports of these, and we[…]

Bahrain Continues Targeting Human Rights Defenders by Placing Travel Ban on Activist Enas Oun

Bahraini authorities prevented Enas Oun, the head of the Monitoring and Documentation Section of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), from flying out of Bahrain International Airport on 22 August 2016.  At the airport, officials informed Oun that the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) issued a travel ban against her on 21 August[…]

In Bahrain, a sermon about oppression leads to criminal charges of “inciting hatred”

In an unsurprising move, on 28 August, a Bahraini judge postponed for the second time the trial of Sheikh Isa al-Moamen to 28 September. On 6 August, Bahraini security forces arrested the Shia cleric in regards to a sermon he had given. The following day authorities interrogated him and have since held Sheikh al-Moamen at Dry[…]

Time to End Saudi Arabia’s Shameful Position on the Human Rights Council

In 2006 the United Nations (UN) established a new Human Rights Council (HRC) to be “responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.”  The HRC replaced the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after it had been heavily criticized for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members. Now,[…]

Understanding the role of UAE women in government

Amal al-Qubaisi, President of the UAE Federal National Council   In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the government restricts men and women’s rights as voters and political candidates. In 2006, the government instituted a public voting process for the country’s 40-member parliamentary body, the Federal National Council (FNC), for the first time. However, authorities have[…]