Bahrain Weekly Newsletter #88

ADHRB Assesses King Abdullah’s Reign and Need for Reform in Saudi 20 January 2015 – ADHRB released a report Assessing the reign of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who died Thursday after more than a decade of rule. Despite his adopted status as a reformer and peacemaker, King Abdullah’s reign was marked by deterioration[…]

ADHRB Assesses King Abdullah’s Reign and Need for Reform in Saudi Arabia

January 23, 2015 – Washington, D.C. – Today, ADHRB released a report assessing the reign of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who died today after more than a decade of rule. Despite his adopted status as a reformer and peacemaker, King Abdullah’s reign was marked by deterioration in civil, political and human rights in the[…]

The Saudi Government’s Misuse of Anti-Terrorism Legislation

In 2008, the government of Saudi Arabia established the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) under the guise of prosecuting terrorism-related cases. In the seven years since its inception, however, the court has used anti-terrorism legislation to target human rights activists and government critics. The new Penal Law for Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing allows the[…]

Saudi Human Rights Lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair Sentenced to Fifteen Years

13 January 2014 – Today, the Specialized Criminal Court of Saudi Arabia ordered human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair to complete his fifteen year prison sentence without the possibility of parole after he refused to show remorse or recognize the legitimacy of the court. Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain and the Bahrain[…]

NGOs Call for Immediate Release of Saudi Human Rights Lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair

08 January 2015 – On 12 January 2015, the public prosecutor of Saudi Arabia will again present his case against human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair in an appellate proceeding at the Saudi Specialized Criminal Court. The government seeks to obtain a harsher sentence on charges for which Abu al-Khair has already been convicted and[…]