Profile in Persecution: Husain Jaafar Saleh

On 13 July 2015, during the month of Ramadan, Husain Jaafar Saleh was arrested at a bazaar in Al Malikiyah, Bahrain. He was a 27-year-old final-year engineering student at the Bahrain Training Institute and owned a shop that sold bags. Initially, Husain was sentenced in absentia to five years imprisonment. He maintains that he did[…]

Bahraini interference shaping American interests: financial and political gain over human rights

It is true that the Kingdom of Bahrain has a long-standing relationship with the United States —one that is fundamentally based on arms sales, military partnerships and geopolitical strategy. This alliance however, does not excuse the United States’ noted silence in the wake of the conspicuous and ongoing human rights violations being committed by Bahrain.[…]

Turning a blind eye: Emirati donations to US representatives and the perpetuation of human rights abuses

Over the last five decades, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has rapidly transformed from a sparsely populated desert territory, to the Middle East’s epicenter of business and luxury tourism. However, hidden behind the grandeur of Emirati wealth and prestige, lies an autocratic police state rife with human rights violations including human trafficking, religious persecution and[…]

Bahrain’s Sportswashing of the Tour de France

This weekend, on August 29, 2020, the Tour de France will set off from Nice in a 22 day cycling race broadcasted across 190 countries and garnering an expected 1 billion viewers. Joining the race is Bahrain-McLaren, a team owned by Prince Nasser bin Ahmed al-Khalifa of the ruling family of Bahrain and that stands[…]

The Next US Ambassador and the Formulation of Human Rights in Bahrain

The recent departure of the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Justin Hicks Siberell, has prompted questions in Congress about America’s moral and strategic role in the Middle East. A career diplomat and counterterrorism expert, Ambassador Siberell worked closely with the Bahraini government to ensure regional security from the lens of counterterrorism. However, despite[…]