Bahraini Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab Recognized as a Finalist for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

On 8 October 2018, Nabeel Rajab was recognized as a shortlisted finalist for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. This prestigious prize is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Václav Havel Library, and the Charta 77 Foundation to honor outstanding civil society action in the defense of human[…]

Saudi Arabia Must Implement UPR Recommendations Protecting Freedom of Expression

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On 10 September 2018, 31 human rights organizations signed a letter sent to key foreign ministries in North America, Europe, and Latin America ahead of Saudi Arabia’s 3rd cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and as the 39th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) begins calling on governments to use the opportunities afforded by the[…]

NGOs Applaud UN Decision that Nabeel Rajab is Arbitrarily Detained & Warning Bahrain against “Crimes Against Humanity”

16 August 2018 – Yesterday, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) published an opinion concerning the detention of prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab. The WGAD ultimately determined that Nabeel’s imprisonment is in violation of several norms and laws of international human rights, and that his detention is therefore arbitrary. The[…]

Profiles in Persecution: Hasan Mohamed Qambar

Hasan Mohamed Qambar is a 29-year-old Bahraini citizen currently detained in Jau Prison. Hasan is a photojournalist who documented human rights violations in Bahrain during the 2011 uprising. Authorities arrested him in April 2011 after he covered the first two months of the pro-democracy protests in February and March. He was sentenced to one and[…]

Profiles in Persecution: Fatema Dawood Juma & Zakeya Isa AlBarboori

Zakeya Isa AlBarboori, a 30-year-old chemical engineer, and her niece Fatema Dawood Juma, a 19-year-old student at Bahrain University, were recently subjected to an enforced disappearance of more than three weeks, as they were detained by government officials who failed to disclose their fate and whereabouts. Only after this period of nearly a month were[…]