In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of 32 states as part of its campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) united under this campaign, including the island kingdom of Bahrain. On 26 March 2015, the same day Bahraini officials announced they would be taking part in the[…]
25
May
May
The situation of human rights defenders and activists in Bahrain is precarious. Today, one of the most prominent of these activists, Zainab al-Khawaja, sits in a prison cell along with her infant son. She is sick with the flu and her family has been denied access to care for her or her child. Zainab al-Khawaja[…]
07
May
May
On 7 April 2016, Foreign Minister of Bahrain Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said officials would release prominent human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja and her son from prison. “This is a humanitarian issue, and Zainab al-Khawaja will be released pending her case in court,” said Sheikh Khaled in a press release last month. Since the[…]
18
Apr
Apr
On 18 August 2015, UAE security forces arrested Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith, an Emirati economics professor and prominent academic. They arrested him in relation to tweets he allegedly posted in which he criticized Egypt. Eight months later the government has still not revealed his whereabouts and nothing has been heard from him. This is not[…]
01
Apr
Apr
On March 29, Kuwait’s parliament voted to strip Member of Parliament, and human rights defender, Abdulhamid Dashti of his parliamentary immunity. The Kuwaiti parliament further informed Dashti that Bahrain’s Criminal Court sentenced him to two years in prison on a number of charges, including illegal fundraising. Bahrain and Kuwait’s charges against Dashti, and the Kuwaiti[…]
