Profiles in Persecution: Abdulwahab Husain Ismaeel

Abdulwahab Husain Ismaeel is a 64-year old Bahraini national from the town of Nuwaidrat. He is one of the “Bahrain Thirteen”- a group of thirteen religious leaders, political opposition leaders, and human rights defenders who led non-violent pro-democracy protests in Bahrain in February 2011. He is currently in Jau Prison where he is serving a[…]

Bahraini Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab Recognized as a Finalist for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

On 8 October 2018, Nabeel Rajab was recognized as a shortlisted finalist for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. This prestigious prize is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Václav Havel Library, and the Charta 77 Foundation to honor outstanding civil society action in the defense of human[…]

Poor Conditions in Bahrain’s Notorious Jau Prison Violate International Standards

The inhumane conditions in Bahrain’s Jau Prison – which houses political leaders, human rights defenders, and other prisoners of conscience – clearly violate international detention standards. The prison’s unsanitary environment, combined with physical and psychological ill-treatment, poor health care, and obstructed family visits, infringes upon the human rights of prisoners. Systematic abuses in Jau Prison[…]

Profiles in Persecution: Hassan Mushaima

Hassan Mushaima is a 70-year-old Bahraini citizen currently serving a life sentence in Jau Prison on political charges. He was sentenced for “attempting to overthrow the government” for his role in the pro-democracy protests in 2011. He remains in Jau Prison, where he has been subjected to ill treatment, including the continued denial of healthcare[…]

NGOs Applaud UN Decision that Nabeel Rajab is Arbitrarily Detained & Warning Bahrain against “Crimes Against Humanity”

16 August 2018 – Yesterday, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) published an opinion concerning the detention of prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab. The WGAD ultimately determined that Nabeel’s imprisonment is in violation of several norms and laws of international human rights, and that his detention is therefore arbitrary. The[…]