Bahrain Moves to Ban Opposition Ahead of 2018 Elections

30 May 2018 – The National Assembly, Bahrain’s parliament, has advanced new legislation that will virtually ban members of the political opposition from seeking election. Both houses of the National Assembly have approved the measure, and the king may confirm it at any time.

For ABHRB Newsletter 253, click here.

Verdict in Appeal for Bahraini Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab set for 5 June

21 May 2018 – On Sunday, 20 May 2018, Bahrain’s High Court of Appeal adjourned until 5 June to issue its ruling on whether to uphold the five-year prison sentence against human rights defender Nabeel Rajab on charges that patently violate his right to free expression.

And ‘ADHRB Condemns Unfair Trial, Imminent Executions in Bahrain’

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

With 673 incidents of anti-Shiism during the month of April, Shia repression is on the rise. The reduction in February and March from January’s equivalent 673 incidents was too good to be true, as this month concluded with 128 deaths, 180 injuries, 236 arrests, 114 sentencing, and 18 other anti-Shia actions such as denial …

US State Department Releases 2017 Report on Human Rights in Bahrain

On 20 April 2018, the United States (US) Department of State released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes the report’s substantive section detailing the wide range of US human rights concerns in Bahrain, but urges the State Department to implement new policies that will work to ameliorate – rather than intensify – these serious abuses.

Click here for ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #248

Saudis launch war on Qatif, calls for moratorium on executions in Bahrain – Voice of Bahrain

The “reformist” face of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) that appears to the West is a camouflage to a more sinister face of repression, dictatorship and state terrorism. The real face of the Saudi regime was laid bare this week when regime’s troops stormed the Eastern city of Qatif, raided many houses and detained scores of innocent people.

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

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in March 2018 February’s lower turnout of anti-Shiism did not last long, as March totaled an additional 113 incidents of anti-Shiism to last month’s 359, amounting to 472. The spike in occurrences can be attributed mainly to a mass number of arrests in Bahrain and a sharp increase in Shia casualties in …

Bahrain: Official Threatens Online Crackdown

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s interior minister has threatened to crackdown on dissidents and activists who criticize the government online, Human Rights Watch said today. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, the interior minister, said on March 25, 2018, that the government was already tracking accounts that “departed from national norms, customs and traditions,” and threatened unspecified new legislation and heavy punishments against “violators.”

ADHRB Highlights Rights Abuses by Bahraini Officials During Formula One Race Activities

Read a pdf of this statement here. In advance of the Formula One Grand Prix Event in Sakhir, Bahrain on 8 April 2018, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) expresses its distress at human rights violations that have occurred surrounding the race in past years.

For ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #243, click here.

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

February proved itself to be a much less violent month than January, with sources reporting 343 incidents of Anti-Shiism, half of last month’s 673. However, the crackdowns on freedom of expression and incessant discrimination against the Shia population led to 52 deaths, 226 injuries, 71 arrests and harsh sentencing, and seven related anti-Shia actions, including but not limited to, sectarian slander, police brutality, and vandalism.

The FRONTLINE Interview: Vali Nasr

In this interview for the FRONTLINE documentary “Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Middle East scholar Vali Nasr talks about the history driving today’s wars in the Middle East, whether these conflicts can be solved, and the parallels between ISIS and the nightwalkers from “Game of Thrones.”

The February 2018 PBS documentary ‘Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia’, for which this interview was conducted, can be accessed here.