Almost four months ago on 2 January 2016, the Government of Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 47 individuals including prominent Muslim Shia cleric and political activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Authorities executed Sheikh Nimr based a number of charges related to his political activism. Sheikh Nimr was a political and social justice activist[…]
21
Apr
Apr
“It’s complicated” responded President Obama after being pressed about the status of his friendship with Saudi Arabia, the repressive monarchy doing more harm than good in the Middle East. Today, Obama is set to meet with his counterpart in this complicated relationship at the GCC summit where Saudi leaders and other GCC heads of state[…]
20
Apr
Apr
Rajan, a migrant worker from Nepal, is currently building the biggest shopping mall in Doha, Qatar. He recently told The Guardian that his employer confiscated his passport and cut his salary last summer. He alleges that his employer, a subsidiary of a major U.K.-based construction firm, has prohibited him from leaving the country. When he[…]
18
Apr
Apr
18 April 2016 Mr. Barack Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Mr. President, This month during your visit to Riyadh, you will undoubtedly reaffirm the “longstanding friendship” between the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Although your administration has made the security of[…]
15
Apr
Apr
In 2015, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei used Legos to create portraits of 176 political activists from around the world. Some of the names and faces of political exiles and prisoners of conscience were recognizable, such as Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Edward Snowden, and Chelsea Manning. Included were some lesser known names around the[…]
