Know Your Rights: Bahrain and Self-Determination

Self-determination? Self-determination is the ability of peoples to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.[1] In this way, the principle of self-determination affirms peoples’ dignity and worth as human beings. Because of this, the United Nations (UN) has recognized this principle as a universal fundamental human right.[2] The[…]

Dear Pen Pal: Letters from Bahrain’s Child Prisoners

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) have organized a traveling and interactive exhibit to raise awareness about human rights violations in Bahrain. This exhibit is focused on society’s most vulnerable members: children and adolescents. In 2011,[…]

The unjust arrest, trial, and execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr

The trial of prominent Muslim Shia cleric and political activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was marred with human rights violations. Sheikh Nimr from the Awamiyah village in the Qatif region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was a vocal critic of the Saudi government and called for peaceful political reforms. He advocated for nonviolent civil disobedience[…]

A mockery of justice: the unjust trial of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr

Almost four months ago on 2 January 2016, the Government of Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 47 individuals including prominent Muslim Shia cleric and political activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Authorities executed Sheikh Nimr based a number of charges related to his political activism. Sheikh Nimr was a political and social justice activist[…]

Champions for Justice: Victims of Arbitrary Detention

Since the Bahraini government’s violent suppression of the 2011 pro-democracy movement, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR), and the Justice Human Rights Organization (JHRO) have documented hundreds of[…]