Bahraini government on verge of dissolving Wa’ad political society

On 17 April 2017, a Bahraini court held its second hearing to dissolve the National Democratic Action Society, the country’s largest secular, leftist opposition society. The government accused the society, also known as Wa’ad, of undermining state security and supporting terrorism. The justice ministry’s case against Wa’ad is representative of the government’s ongoing suppression of[…]

Bahrain: US must ensure military patrol boat transfer does not facilitate abuse

19 April 2017 – The United States Government has disclosed that Bahrain will receive five American-made Mark V military patrol boats by 1 August 2017. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) is deeply concerned by the recent increase in unrestricted US weapons transfers to Bahrain, and we urge the US Government to[…]

Imprisoned Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith reportedly begins hunger strike

In an open letter written from Al-Sadr prison in Abu Dhabi, prominent academic and economist Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith announced that he began a hunger strike on 2 April 2017 in protest against the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals’ recent verdict against him. On 29 March 2017, the court sentenced Dr. bin Ghaith to 10[…]

Assessing Bahrain’s UPR National Report: Part II – NIHR and BICI

Below you will find the second installment of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)’s assessments of claims made in the Bahraini government’s National Report to the United Nations (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group. Assessments contain excerpted information from the full UPR assessment issued by ADHRB, the Bahrain Center for Human[…]

Saudi prince supports preserving national heritage despite past destruction of sites

On 3 April 2017, Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, urged support for the renovation of historic Jedda. He emphasized the importance of preserving cultural heritage sites, where “a large presence of citizens…are a remarkable indication that people long for the heritage of this country.” However, the[…]