Bahrain: Foreign Minister glosses over rights record at UN General Assembly

27 September 2016 – Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa delivered a statement yesterday on behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The undersigned NGOs condemn the Foreign Minister’s misleading and unconstructive remarks as the Bahraini government continues its campaign to conceal its human rights violations[…]

33rd Session of the Human Rights Council: Closing Civil Society, Religious & Political Space in Bahrain

Today on 14 September 2016, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights & Democracy (BIRD) together with a larger group of NGO sponsors organized a panel event entitled “Closing civil society, religious and political space in Bahrain”. The event was[…]

Time to End Saudi Arabia’s Shameful Position on the Human Rights Council

In 2006 the United Nations (UN) established a new Human Rights Council (HRC) to be “responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.”  The HRC replaced the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after it had been heavily criticized for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members. Now,[…]

Bahrain hajj policy is a major step backwards for women’s rights

Bahrain’s Ministry of Islamic and Judicial Affairs has announced a new policy requiring Bahraini women under the age of 45 must be accompanied by a male guardian in order to hajj, a religious pilgrimage in Mecca. Local newspaper Al Wasat has reported that the new policy will be implemented in 2017. The restriction is one[…]

Bahrain’s Use of Travel Bans Are Reprisals Against Activists and HRDs

The Government of Bahrain has increasingly used travel bans to prevent human rights defenders and activists from travelling abroad. In its ongoing suppression of dissent and political criticism, it has engaged in reprisals against human rights defenders and activists, in particular by preventing them from advocating at the United Nations (UN) or speaking at international[…]