UAE: Strong Ally of the West with a Turbulent Torture Record

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has an extensive history of using torture against those they percieve as a threat; this ‘threat’ most commonly includes human rights defenders, political opposition, religious figures, and journalists. On 19 July 2012, the UAE acceded to the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT), which details obligations that the government[…]

Profile in Persecution: Fadhel Abbas Sahwan

Fadhel Abbas Sahwan was a football player on the first team of the Galali Bahraini Club. Following high school, he worked as a driver at the National Motor Company. On 5 March 2017 he was violently arrested at his grandmother’s house in Sanabis. He was tortured and subjected to an unfair trial. He was imprisoned[…]

Profiles in Persecution: Abdulla Habib Swar

Abdulla was a student and a football player for Al-Shabab Club when he was arrested in 2019, after authorities pursued him for six years for his participation in the peaceful protest and religious events demanding democracy in 2013. Since his arrest, Abdulla has been tortured and convicted in unfair trials; He is currently in Jau[…]

Bahrain: Free Imprisoned Rights Defenders and Activists

Extend Releases to Those at Special Risk of COVID-19 April 6, 2020- Amid the global threat posed by COVID-19, Bahraini authorities should release human rights defenders, opposition activists, journalists and all others imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, a coalition of 21 rights groups said today. For[…]

Profiles in Persecution: Hasan Abdulghani Farhan

Born in 1993, Hasan Abdulghani Farhan was a footballer with the “Sitra” club. At the age of 19, during his second year of secondary school, he was arbitrarily detained and denied of his human rights by Bahraini authorities. At the time of publishing, Hasan has been in Jau Prison for approximately seven years. On 11[…]