30 October 2017 – A Bahraini court today convicted 19 individuals on terror charges after an unfair mass trial, with penalties ranging from ten years to life in prison. Fifteen of the defendants were stripped of their citizenship. Among those convicted were former Al-Wasat journalist Mahmood al-Jazeeri; Husain Abdulwahab Husain, son of imprisoned opposition leader[…]
08
May
May
On 4 May 2017, Ben Emmerson, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, returned from a five-day visit of Saudi Arabia. Upon the conclusion of his trip, he released his preliminary observations. While he noted that the Saudi government was engaging in some positive steps to[…]
04
May
May
On 30 April 2017, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson, arrived in Saudi Arabia for a five-day visit—he left today, 4 May. During his visit, he sought “to provide assistance in the implementation of the country’s 2014 Penal Law for Terrorism and its[…]
17
Mar
Mar
On 15 March 2017, Ahmed Maki delivered an oral intervention at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council under the Item 4 General Debate. In his intervention, he raises two major setbacks to reform efforts in Bahrain since the beginning of 2017, including the execution of three torture victims and backsliding on its BICI[…]
06
Sep
Sep
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[…]
