**Update: On 29 November 2017, Bahraini authorities postponed the trial of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the now-dissolved opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, to 28 December. Sheikh Salman, who remains imprisoned on charges stemming solely from a political speeches he delivered in 2014, was not present at the first session of his new trial[…]
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On 17 November 2017, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) sent an open letter to the new United States (US) Ambassador to Bahrain, Justin Hicks Siberell, welcoming him to this new post after he formally presented his credentials to Bahrain’s king. ADHRB encourages Ambassador Siberell to uphold the commitments he made during[…]
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On Thursday 9 November, two journalists working for a Swiss news outlet were detained and forcibly disappeared in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Serge Enderlin and Jon Bjorgvinsson were in Abu Dhabi to cover the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and interview the museum’s architect, Jean Nouvel. The pair claims that they were accredited[…]
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As Bahrain’s economy continues to struggle amid instability and mismanagement, the government has reportedly sought renewed financial assistance from neighboring members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to stave off crisis. Bloomberg revealed on 2 November 2017 that the small kingdom is currently in talks with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to[…]
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Ahmed Merza Ismaeel was arrested without a warrant by security forces wearing civilian clothing on 11 September 2013. Since then, he has been subjected to torture, convicted in a collective judgment based on coerced confessions, denied basic necessities such as prison clothing and a blanket, and deprived of necessary medical care by the Jau Prison[…]
