Rights groups urge 50 states: ‘Call for Nabeel Rajab’s release’

15 September 2016 – Rights groups yesterday wrote to the governments of 50 states urging them to publicly call for the release of Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, who faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment for comments he made on Twitter. Last week, Bahrain brought the new charge of “defaming the state” against him,[…]

Saudi Arabia & UAE Pledge Support to Anti-ISIS Fight while Fueling Extremism in Yemen

On 21 Thursday 2016, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with United States Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Washington, DC in order to discuss further cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as ISIL, IS, and Daesh). The two officials thanked one another for their[…]

The US Must Take a Stand Against Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain

In 2011, nearly half of Bahrain’s citizen population took to the streets to protest peacefully against government repression. In response, security forces employed excessive force — including tear gas and shotgun fire — to disperse the demonstrators. Five years later, the country’s human rights situation has seen little improvement. The Bahraini government continues to suppress[…]

Rethinking the Current US-Bahrain Relationship

On Monday, 13 June 2016, Bahraini authorities arrested prominent human rights defender and president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Rajab. This recent arrest came on the first day of the 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Bahraini authorities gave no reason for the arrest[…]

The UK Should Investigate Saudi Arabia’s Use of British Cluster Munitions in Yemen

On 24 May 2016, UK Minister for Defense Procurement Phillip Dunne claimed that “no UK-supplied cluster weapons have been used […] in the current conflict in Yemen.” Dunne’s statement contradicts evidence gathered by Amnesty International showing that at least 16 people have been killed by the use of cluster munitions in Yemen from July 2015[…]