2 February 2018 –Kuwait recently sentenced online activist Abdullah al-Saleh to ten years in prison for Tweets “abusing Saudi Arabia” and insulting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. His sentence demonstrates how countries like Kuwait employ prison sentences as deterrents to free expression online, especially as the government imposes increasing restrictions on the freedom[…]
28
Dec
Dec
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[…]
27
Sep
Sep
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[…]
06
Oct
Oct
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[…]
28
Jul
Jul
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[…]
