Despite promises, Zainab al-Khawaja and son remain in detention

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[…]

Where Is He? Eight months later, Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith is still disappeared

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[…]

In Kuwait Parliamentary Immunity is no Protection for Criticism

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[…]

An Overview of ADHRB Engagement at the 31st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

From 29 February to 24 March, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) took part in the 31st Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva to raise awareness of human rights violations in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. During the Session, ADHRB met[…]

HRC31 Adopts Resolution on Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests

24 March 2016 – Geneva – Today, an important resolution has been adopted during the 31st session of the Human Rights Council. This resolution, sponsored by Switzerland, Costa Rica and Turkey, refers to the “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests”. It encourages States to take positive measures to promote[…]