NGOs Send Letter to President Obama calling for discussion of human rights at GCC Summit

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[…]

Mohammed Hassan Jawad and the Unseen in Bahrain

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[…]

U.S. State Department Releases 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

On Wednesday, the United States (US) Department of State released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes these extensive reports detailing the wide range of US human rights concerns in Bahrain and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The report begins by[…]

ADHRB Submits Brief on Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to OHCHR

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) has submitted a brief for the Secretary-General of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ forthcoming report on the question of the death penalty. ADHRB’s brief details the legal parameters for capital punishment in both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as recent developments[…]

40 NGOs call for the unconditional release of Zainab al-Khawaja

12 April 2016 HM Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa King of Bahrain Riffa Palace Manama, Bahrain   Dear King Hamad, We, the undersigned Bahraini and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), would like to unequivocally condemn your government’s arrest of human rights defender Zainab Al-Khawaja along with her infant son. The implementation of Ms. Al-Khawaja’s prison sentence for[…]