Profiles in Persecution: Ali Mahmood Husain Mahmood

Ali was a 15-year-old student when he was arrested for the second time on 16 January 2019. He was violently arrested by officers and beaten in front of all his neighbors. He has since been subjected to torture. Today, Ali is 16 years old and is imprisoned in the New Dry Dock Detention Centre. Ali[…]

The Cordoba Football Club: A New Tool of Sport Whitewash to Cover Human Rights Violations in Bahrain

13 May 2020 – Yesterday, the Spanish national newspaper El Mundo the second largest newspaper in the country published an article denouncing the latest Bahraini ruling family’s attempt to bolster their public image, following their purchase and control of the Cordoba Football Club. The club was acquired by the Bahraini Infinity Company last December, and[…]

Bahrain censors anti-normalisation online event

12 May 2020 – On Saturday, Bahrain’s government forced the cancellation of an online symposium featuring speakers opposed to the normalisation of diplomatic ties between the Gulf States and Israel. The online broadcast was suspended shortly after it began, following a call to event organisers by Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development with orders[…]

From 14 Countries and 22 Capitals and Cities: Voices Demand the Release of Bahraini Political Prisoners

With the hashtag #ReleasePoliticalPrisoners, students and activists all over Europe expressed their concern and demanded the immediate release of political prisoners in Bahrain. On March 17, 2020, Bahrain completed the release of 1,486 prisoners, 901 of whom received royal pardons on “humanitarian grounds.” The remaining 585 were given non-custodial sentences. While this is a positive[…]

Bahrain: A Deep Rooted Culture of Impunity

Institutional Inadequacies In July 2011, the Bahraini government established the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which was charged with investigating allegations of human rights abuses in connection with the government’s suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations that erupted in February 2011. Later that year, the BICI published a report which confirmed that government officials employed excessive[…]