Bahraini Court Revokes 6 Bahraini Nationals of their Citizenship and Sentences 5 to Life

15 October 2018 – The Fourth High Criminal Court handed prison sentences to seven Bahraini nationals and revoked the citizenship of six over terrorism charges related to the bombing of an oil pipeline in the area of Buri on 10 November 2017, the Public Prosecution announced today.

For BIRD Issue 209, click here.

ADHRB, BIRD and ECDHR Condemn the NIHR’s Whitewashing of Human Rights Abuses in Bahraini Prisons

2 October 2018 – Yesterday, the Bahrain National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) issued a statement denying the allegations of mistreatment reported by three women in Bahrain’s Isa Town Women’s Prison. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), and the European Centre for Democracy and…

To access BIRD Weekly Issue 207, click here.

Bahrain Harasses Shia Clerics Ahead of Ashura Amid Wider Attack on Religious Freedom

In the lead-up to this year’s Ashura – a prominent holy day for Muslims and particularly the Shia Muslim community – Bahraini authorities have continued to interfere in the peaceful commemoration of the event. Although the majority of Bahrain’s citizen population is Shia, the community faces institutionalized discrimination, and the Sunni ruling family routinely suppresses their right to free belief.

Click here for ADHRB Newsletter 270.

Nearly 170 charged with forming ‘Bahrain Hizballah’

Analysts have expressed scepticism about previous Bahraini allegations of Iranian and Hizballah involvement. Bahrain’s attorney general charged nearly 170 people on Tuesday with forming a Shia “terrorist organisation” named for Lebanon’s famed militant group Hizballah.

BAHRAIN: Further Retaliation Against Female Political Prisoner Following UN Secretary General’s Report

19 September 2018 – On 16 September, female political prisoner Hajer Mansoor Hassan, mother-in-law of UK-based activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, was subjected to assault and retaliation, which required hospitalisation, by the head of Isa Town Prison Centre. This followed the publication of a major report by the UN Secretary-General that details the reprisals targeting family…

Read BIRD Weekly 205.

UN Secretary-General’s Report Addresses Pattern of Reprisals in Bahrain

12 September 2018 – Today, the United Nations (UN) published the ninth annual report of the Secretary-General on cooperation with the UN, its representatives, and mechanisms in the field of human rights. The report presents the work of Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour, who addresses intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with the UN.

See also ADHRB Newsletter 269.

Bahraini Narratives About the United States

The eruption of Bahrain’s political crisis seven-and-a-half years ago marked a watershed in Manama-Washington relations. It also transformed how both Bahrain’s regime and its Shia-dominated opposition viewed the United States. For decades, Bahrain’s leadership has seen the United States as the archipelago kingdom’s offshore security guarantor and a bastion against political ambitions from regional powers.

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2018 – Shia Rights Watch

The month of August stood witness to 286 cases of anti-Shiism, or violence against Shia Muslims. In this month, Shia Rights Watch published its annual Hajj advisory in the protection of religious minorities under threat in the Islamic Hajj ritual. The advisory can be found on ShiaRightsWatch.org.

Bahrain: 127 Rights Groups Call for Immediate Release of Nabeel Rajab

(Paris) -For the second time since 2013, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has issued an Opinion regarding the legality of the detention of Mr. Nabeel Rajab under international human rights law. In its second opinion, the WGAD held that the detention was not only arbitrary but also discriminatory.

Profiles in Persecution: Hassan Mushaima

Hassan Mushaima is a 70-year-old Bahraini citizen currently serving a life sentence in Jau Prison on political charges. He was sentenced for “attempting to overthrow the government” for his role in the pro-democracy protests in 2011. He remains in Jau Prison, where he has been subjected to ill treatment, including the continued denial of healthcare and restricted access to medication by the prison administration.