Bahrain Again Postpones Arbitrary Trial of Imprisoned Opposition Leader Sheikh Ali Salman

28 December 2017 – Today, a Bahraini court again postponed until 4 January 2018 the trial of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the now-dissolved Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, on new charges of maintaining “intelligence contacts with Qatar.” Sheikh Salman is currently incarcerated on separate charges stemming solely from political speeches he delivered in[…]

ADHRB Condemns Repeated Postponement of Nabeel Rajab’s Trial on Free Speech Charges

27 September 2017 – Today, the Bahraini judiciary once again postponed the trial of Nabeel Rajab, who authorities have arbitrarily detained since 13 June 2016. This marks 471 days of detention and more than five postponements for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights president, on charges relating to his Tweets and activism. Rajab has spent[…]

Courts postpone Nabeel Rajab’s sentence to 31 October, arbitrary detention continues

6 October 2016 – A Bahraini high criminal court today postponed the sentencing of Nabeel Rajab to 31 October 2016. No reason was provided for the postponement. The leading human rights defender faces up to 15 years in prison in a trial that has flagrantly disregarded his human rights. We, the undersigned, condemn the prosecution[…]

Bahrain Continues to Target Free Speech by Arresting Poet

On 23 July 2016, Bahraini authorities arrested Khalil al-Ismael as he was leaving the village of Diraz, where many Bahrainis are protesting the government’s revocation of Sheikh Isa Qassim’s Bahraini citizenship. Bahraini authorities charged Ismael with attending an “illegal demonstration” and reading a “political poem” out loud. Al-Ismael’s lawyer Mohammed al-Tajer, who himself is under[…]

UAE Cybersecurity Law Threatens Freedom of Expression

On 21 July 2016, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued new legislation further intensifying existing cybercrime laws enacted under Federal Law No. 5 of 2012. The amendment, Federal Law No. 12 of 2016, punishes Internet users who use counterfeited IP addresses with the intent to commit a crime[…]