22 June 2017 – Human rights campaigners have told Formula 1 to “reconsider its plans for a 2018 race in Bahrain”, citing a crackdown on press freedoms and police brutality ahead of this weekend’s Baku Grand Prix. The Bahrain race has been controversial since its cancellation in 2011 and contentious return in 2012, during which[…]
Today marks the fifth anniversary of activist and blogger Raif Badawi’s imprisonment in Saudi Arabia on charges of apostasy and allegedly insulting Islam in his blog “Free Saudi Liberals.” Americans for Democracy (ADHRB) strongly condemns his continued imprisonment and the Saudi government’s suppression of free expression and targeting of critics. Saudi authorities detained Badawi on[…]
On June 8, Saudi women’s rights activist Manal al Sharif gave an interview with NPR and the next day she wrote an op-ed for the New York Times. In both pieces, she discusses how women cannot drive in the kingdom, the guardianship system that underpins such restrictions, and her activism challenging the societal norm. She[…]
**Update 15 June 2017 – Bahraini media reports confirm that the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Cybercrime Directorate arrested Isa Faraj Al Bou Rashid for “posting contents that amounted to inciting hatred against the Bahrain government and for other violations punishable under the law” after he discussed his legal challenge against the blockade of Qatar on social media[…]