US organizations send letter to Bahrain king ahead of Sheikh Qassim trial

Last month, a group of US-based organizations that work on religious freedom signed a letter to Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, to raise concern about the case of Bahrain’s most prominent Shia cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), Center for Inquiry, Shia Rights Watch,[…]

Sheikh Isa Qassim: NGOs call on US, UK, UN and EU for Public Action Before 7 May Trial

Ahead of the trial of Sheikh Isa Qassim on Sunday 7 May 2017, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and five other NGOs wrote today to the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations calling for urgent public action. The politically motivated trial of Sheikh Isa Qassim constitutes a violation of[…]

Government Reprisals for Civil Society-UN Human Rights Engagement: Int’l Community Must Hold Bahrain Accountable

On 1 May 2017, the United Nations Human Rights Council conducted Bahrain’s third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In this most recent iteration of Bahrain’s review, dozens of states issued 217 recommendations to the Government of Bahrain, outlining numerous ways to improve the country’s human rights record. These recommendations covered a wide range of important thematic[…]

NGOs Call on Bahrain to End Degrading Treatment of Imprisoned Activists

On 30 April 2017, ten human rights NGOs, including ADHRB, called on Bahraini authorities to put an end to their degrading treatment of wrongfully imprisoned activists in the country. The full text of the statement is below. Bahraini authorities’ treatment of wrongfully imprisoned detainees violates international standards on prisoner treatment and in some cases may constitute[…]

Trial of Sheikh Isa Qassim to reconvene early next week

On Sunday, 7 May 2017, Bahraini courts will reconvene for another hearing in the trial of Sheikh Isa Qassim. Sheikh Qassim is one of the most prominent spiritual leaders in Bahrain, and he has been targeted by government authorities for traditional Shia practices. In June 2016, amidst a wave of harsh civil and political repression[…]