The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invested deeply into portraying itself as a progressive, tolerant and human rights-compliant state. This strategy, however, as in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, clashes with a reality in which activists and dissidents are detained and tried for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. The recent[…]
07
May
May
Last week, the EU announced a relaxation of Schengen visa rules for the citizens of Saudi Arabia. No human rights compromises were made in exchange. Since democracy constitutes the best umbrella under which human rights can thrive, the next question follows: What is the current state of democracy in Saudi Arabia? In its new report[…]
29
Apr
Apr
The undersigned organizations express their grave concern for the lives of minor defendants particularly the two young men, Yousif Al-Manasif and Ali Al-Mubaiouq, who are at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia following confirmed information that the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal (SCCA) has upheld their death sentences. Their cases were therefore referred to[…]
29
Apr
Apr
On April 4, 2024, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and 27 other human rights organizations reiterated the urge to release human rights defender Dr. Abdujalil Al-Singace immediately. The organizations wrote a letter to King Hamad bin Isa al- Khalifa and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, underlining the human rights defender’s[…]
26
Apr
Apr
On Monday, April 8, 2024, Bahrain’s King issued a royal decree pardoning 1,584 prisoners convicted of criminal and riot charges, making it the largest pardon since the Arab Spring in 2011. This pardon was announced ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a time when Muslims are encouraged to seek forgiveness and thus also a time when many[…]
