Bahrain Escalates Crackdown on Civil Society in Month of Repression

29 June 2016 – In the past month, the Government of Bahrain has pursued a sustained campaign of repression. The police arrested Nabeel Rajab on expression-related charges and placed him in solitary confinement. The government forced Zainab Al-Khawaja into exile after threats of re-arrest and indefinite detention, and a week later imposed travel bans on[…]

Sheikh Nimr and the 2011-2012 Eastern Province protests

Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a prominent voice in the struggle against Shia discrimination in Saudi Arabia. He played a large and symbolic role in the 2011-2012 demonstrations in the Eastern Province. As a result of his support for the peaceful protests, Saudi security forces arrested him in 2012 and sentenced him to death. His death[…]

Shia clerics reject sectarianism and call for equality

In response to the 2011 pro-democracy movement, Bahrain, with the help of Saudi Arabia, suppressed the protests and accused Shia Iran of meddling in Bahraini affairs, giving the protests a decidedly sectarian cast. On March 8, 2016, however, a group of 39 Bahraini Shia clerics insisted that there had never been a call for sectarianism[…]

Protest: Rebuild the Roundabout!

In February 2011, thousands of Bahrainis gathered for a month-long vigil around the Pearl Roundabout to protest for the government to recognize their rights. One month later, security forces violently assaulted the movement and demolished the Roundabout. To recognize the courage of Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement, and to commemorate those injured and killed protesting for a[…]

Bahrain Vows Legal Action Against Critics of Saudi Execution of Sheikh Nimr

4 January, 2016 – In the wake of Saudi Arabia’s mass execution of 46 individuals, and opposition cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqer al-Nimr on 2 January 2016, mass protests erupted in Bahrain in solidarity with the fallen cleric. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to take all necessary security measures to “safeguard” the[…]