GCC Cases Raised in the HRC 41 Special Procedures Joint Communications Report

Bahrain Bahrain JUA 11 Dec. 2018 BHR 6/2018 Mandates: Executions, Independence of judges and lawyers, Terrorism, Torture Alleged Victims: 20 Information received concerning the imposition of the death penalty, including cases where there is an immediate risk of execution, and the conduct of trials in the Bahrain. “. . . [W]e are expressing our most[…]

UPDATED: Swiss Socialdemocratic Group Calls on Bahrain’s King Hamad to Commute the Death Sentences of Ahmed AlMalali and Ali AlArab

*** On Saturday 27 July 2019, the Government of Bahrain executed 25-year-old Ali AlArab and 24-year-old Ahmed AlMalali, along with a third individual. Read ADHRB’s statement on the executions here. On 18 June 2019, Roger Nordmann, a Swiss Member of Parliament, wrote a letter to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa on behalf of his[…]

Qatar Co-Hosts DC Party to Celebrate Media Freedom Just Ten Days After Closing Doha Centre for Media Freedom

On 26 April 2019, Qatar co-hosted a party in Washington DC to “celebrate the importance of media freedom and integrity,” despite its own lack of such freedoms. Jassim Bin Mansour al-Thani, a media attaché for the Qatari embassy, commented that “Qatar treats media in Qatar and around the world with respect” and “believes firmly in[…]

The UAE Releases Activist Abdul Rahman Bin Sobeih Al-Suwaidi After Forcing Him to Publicly Deny He Was Mistreated in Prison

On 16 May 2019, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned and released activist Abdul Rahman Bin Sobeih Al-Suwaidi after public interviews where Al-Suwaidi was forced to deny the torture and mistreatment he endured in the prisons and to condemn his reform group. While the freedom of Al-Suwaidi is welcome, concerns[…]

Three Years of Arbitrary Detention: ADHRB Commemorates the Anniversary of Nabeel Rajab’s Arrest and Calls for His Release

14 June 2019 – Yesterday marked three years since human rights defender Nabeel Rajab was arrested at his home on 13 June 2016 by Bahraini security forces, led by the Ministry of Interior’s notorious Cybercrime Unit in the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption, Economic, and Electronic Security (GDAEES). Nabeel Rajab has been repeatedly targeted by the[…]