HRC34 Oral Interventions: Item 6 on Bahrain’s lack of UPR implementation

On 17 March 2017, Michael Payne, International Advocacy Officer at ADHRB, delivered an oral intervention during the 34th session of the Human Rights Council under Item 6 on behalf of ADHRB, BIRD, and BCHR. In his intervention he addressed the Bahraini government’s unwillingness to implement its second-cycle UPR recommendations, including to curb torture or protect[…]

Bahraini government moves to dissolve leading secular, leftist opposition society Wa’ad

6 March 2017 – The Government of Bahrain has today launched legal proceedings to dissolve Wa’ad, the country’s leading secular, leftist opposition society. The move follows the government’s summer 2016 suspension and dissolution of the largest political society, Al-Wefaq, which rendered Wa’ad the last major opposition group in Bahrain. We, the undersigned, condemn in the[…]

Response to Bahrain’s High Level Statement at the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

We, the undersigned, in reaction to the statement made today by Bahrain’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdulla Faisal al-Doseri, during the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council (HRC), are concerned by Bahrain’s continued lack of commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. Mr. al-Doseri used the opportunity to underscore Bahrain’s legal[…]

Bahrain: Human Rights Crisis Deepened Since Protests Began Six Years Ago Today

14 February 2017 – On the anniversary of the 14 February 2011 protest movement, we, the undersigned, are deeply concerned that Bahrain’s human rights situation has now reached unprecedented lows. Bahrain’s precipitously worsening rights record is damaging not just for Bahrain, but for the stability of the entire region. The 34th Session of the UN[…]

Bahrain Restores Law Enforcement Powers to NSA, Reversing BICI Recommendation

5 January 2017 – Bahrain today restored law enforcement abilities to its National Security Agency (NSA), an institution which oversaw torture of protesters in 2011. The move reverses one of the few post-Arab Spring reforms outlined in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). The reversal comes after an escalated human rights crisis in 2016,[…]