Despite ongoing human rights abuses the UK sells weapons to Bahrain

Isa al-Aali, a Bahraini activist, revealed to the Campaign Against Arms Trade that he was arrested and tortured by Bahraini authorities for attending a protest in 2013. Authorities accused him of throwing Molotov cocktails, and threatened to cut off his genitals unless he provided them with information. Al-Aali repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Following a three-month[…]

ADHRB at HRC: Children Face Abuses in the Hands of the Bahraini Government

On March 7, 2016, at the 31st session of the Human Rights Council, Mr. Ali Ahmed al-Jazeeri delivered an oral intervention on behalf of ADHRB, BIRD, and BCHR during the Item 3 Clustered Debate on Violence Against Children, and the Rights of the Child. Mr. al-Jazeeri addressed the abuses that children face during detention, as well[…]

Security forces threaten to end Dry Dock Prison hunger strike by force

Detainees at Bahrain’s Dry Dock Prison reported that prison officers threatened to use force to stop their collective hunger strike. The prisoners launched a hunger strike in response to the ongoing abuse and mistreatment by prison authorities. In addition, prisoners are also demanding that the glass barriers, which prevent prisoners from physically interacting with the[…]

Bahrain NGOs Respond to Government High Level HRC Statement

March 2016 – Geneva, Switzerland – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), the European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR), and Justice Human Rights Organization (JHRO) would like to take this opportunity to respond to the[…]

UAE’s New Ministry of Happiness: A Distraction from Repression?

On 8 February 2016, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it would be forming new ministries of “happiness” and “tolerance.” While the UAE is not the first country to establish such positions—commentators note that the move is reminiscent of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index, installed in 1972, as well as other more recent trends—it remains[…]