Government of Bahrain charges human rights lawyer Mohammad al-Tajer

In November 2016, the Government of Bahrain charged prominent human rights lawyer Mohammad al-Tajer with “insulting government institutions, inciting hatred of a religious sect, and misusing a telecommunications appliance.” If convicted, al-Tajer could face more than five years in prison. No date has been set for his trial. Bahrain’s public prosecutors cited a private WhatsApp[…]

No to Dollar Diplomacy: Protest the reception for Govt of Bahrain at Trump hotel

Demonstration against Dollar Diplomacy When: 11:30am-2pm, 7 December 2016 Where: Trump International Hotel, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004 On 7 December 2016, the Bahraini government will be holding a reception at the Trump International Hotel to mark the Kingdom’s national day and the anniversary of King Hamad’s accession to the throne. Americans for[…]

Human Rights Groups to Theresa May: Use Influence to End Repression in Bahrain

Human rights organizations published an open letter to UK Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of her visit to Bahrain on Tuesday 6 December urging her to raise human rights as she attends the Gulf Cooperation Council Leaders Summit. The groups warn that claims of reform are disingenuous in light of escalating repression and urge her not[…]

The Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights’ Mohammad al-Bajadi

One year ago this month, the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA) co-founder Mohammad al-Bajadi was discharged from al-Hayer prison after serving a four-year sentence. He spent the next four months in Saudi Arabia’s notorious Mohammed bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care, an extremist rehabilitation center, despite his lifelong record of non-violent,[…]

The Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights’ Mohammad al-Qahtani

Mohammad al Qahtani is a former economics professor and one of the principal visionaries behind the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Associations (ACPRA). On 9 March 2013, a Riyadh criminal court sentenced him and fellow ACPRA co-founder, Abdullah al-Hamid, to ten and eleven years in prison respectively. Al-Qahtani’s sentencing and imprisonment is the result of[…]