Release and ensure rights of wrongfully convicted scholar-activist Khalil al-Halwachi

Today, a coalition of five human rights organizations expressed grave concern over the lack of due process rights and inhumane treatment of Khalil Al-Halwachi, a Bahraini scholar of engineering and an activist, who has been convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison on charges that apparently stem from peaceful expressive and associative activity. See[…]

HRC35 Item 3 Oral Intervention: the Health of Nabeel Rajab and Dr. Abduljalil al-Singace

On 6 June 2017, ADHRB’s international advocacy officer Michael Payne delivered an oral intervention on behalf of ADHRB and BIRD during the 35th session of the Human Rights Council during the Item 3 Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the Rapporteur on health and Independent Expert on international solidarity. In his intervention, Payne discussed the impact of[…]

HRD Nabeel Rajab’s Free Expression Trials Postponed in Bahrain

17 May 2017 – Bahraini courts this week have again postponed two separate trials of prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab. Both trials are based on charges that violate Rajab’s right to free expression. The Bahraini authorities have detained Rajab since June 2016 and are prosecuting him in connection with television interviews and tweets[…]

Khaled Al-Omair and Saudi Arabia’s Abusive Prison Practices

On 12 April 2017, the Saudi Arabian government released human rights defender Khaled Al-Omair from prison, more than six months after the completion of his eight-year sentence. He had been imprisoned on charges including “breaking obedience with the ruler” and “embarking on a protest.” These charges related to his attempts to hold demonstrations protesting Israeli[…]

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[…]