Event: Stifled Verse, Free Verse: An Evening of Poetry and Solidarity

Please join Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain and Split This Rock for a night of poetry in protest of restrictions on free expression in the Middle East. Featured poets include Rasha Abdulhadi, Sarah Browning, Zein El-Amine, Amin “Drew” Law, and Joseph Ross. Light snacks will be served. The event is free and open[…]

Prisoner Profile: Online Activist Osama al-Najjar

On 17 March 2014, UAE security forces violently arrested Osama al-Najjar after he tweeted a response to remarks made by the Ruler of Sharjah in a radio interview. During the interview, the ruler stated that families of the UAE 94, a group of political prisoners tried en masse in 2013, should not fill their children[…]

Prisoner Profile: Kamal and Mohammed al-Darat

Emirati security forces have been holding Libyan-American citizens Kamal and Mohammed al-Darat in detention for over a year without charge. Authorities detained the al-Darats in August 2014 along with eight others whom UAE authorities suspected to be tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, a designated terrorist organization in the UAE. Members of the al-Darat family state[…]

UN Experts Condemn Detention of Qatari Poet

20 October 2015 – Today, United Nations human rights experts called for the release of the Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami on the second anniversary of his prison sentencing. Al-Ajami is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in Doha for the contents of his poetry. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes the[…]

Labor Reforms in Qatar & UAE Require More than Rhetoric

The international community has devoted an unprecedented level of attention to migrant labor abuses in Qatar since its successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup. NGOs and governments alike have called on the Qatari government to increase protections for migrant workers amidst a slew of abuses. Qatar has not been alone in facing international[…]