Ali al-Nimr: A Childhood Denied

In 2014, a Saudi Arabian court ordered the execution of Ali al-Nimr. Despite wide-spread criticism, including from the UN, the kingdom claims it only executes the “most serious criminals.” Ali was a minor—17-years-old—when authorities arrested him in 2012 for participating in a non-violent demonstration. They kept him in pretrial detention for two years, tortured him[…]

FIFA Rewards Qatar for Abysmal Human Rights Record

In December 2010, Qatar was named the 2022 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup host. Since the announcement, Qatar’s construction industry has since grown exponentially in an effort to complete the many infrastructure projects that the tournament requires. The upcoming World Cup requires new infrastructure capable of housing the games and accommodating the[…]

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 NGOs Condemn Reprisals against HRDs for UN Engagement

2 September 2016—In the past two weeks, the Bahraini government has prevented a number of human rights defenders from travelling abroad, among them were three members of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). Nearly 30 activists have been banned from travel since June. We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the Government of Bahrain’s use of[…]

NGOs call on King of Bahrain to release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab

HM Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaOffice of HM the KingP.O. Box 555, Rifa’a PalaceKingdom of Bahrain Cc. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MPSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsForeign & Commonwealth OfficeKing Charles Street, London SW1A2AH Cc. The Honorable John F. KerrySecretary of StateUnited States Department of State2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC[…]