العربية
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have issued a letter urging Bahraini authorities to abide by the country’s commitment and release prisoners of conscience. In an open letter addressed to the bloc’s foreign policy chief ahead of a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart this week, 16 MEPs voiced their concern about the state of human …
20
Jan
Jan
Responding to the report of torture and other ill-treatment committed against Shi’a cleric Sheikh Zuhair Jasim Abbas, held in solitary confinement at Bahrain’s Jaw prison and denied communication with his family since late August 2020, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Lynn Maalouf, said: “We are extremely concerned by these claims of torture and the vulnerability that Sheikh Zuhair Jasim Abbas, or any …
13
Jan
Jan
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was responsible for serious human rights violations at home and abroad in 2020, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021. The government held peaceful critics in jail, fostered labor abuses against low-paid migrant workers, and contributed to abuses abroad in Libya and Yemen. UAE prisons and detention centers hold detainees in dismal and …
13
Jan
Jan
Bahraini authorities in 2020 escalated repression against online and social media activity and prosecuted critics for peaceful expression, and courts upheld death sentences against opposition activists after unfair trials, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2021. The Court of Cassation, Bahrain’s court of last resort, upheld the death penalty against at least four …
28
Dec
Dec
Responding to the sentencing of women human rights defender Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months imprisonment following an unfair trial before the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef, said: “Loujain al-Hathloul is a brave human rights defender whose peaceful activism together with …
28
Dec
Dec
The United Nations human rights office called on Monday for the “early release” of Saudi women’s activist Loujain al-Hathloul, hours after she was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in a trial that has drawn international condemnation. “Conviction and 5 yrs 8 month sentence handed down to prominent women’s rights campaigner #LoujainAl-Hathloul, …
16
Dec
Dec
The Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor’s health is at grave risk following more than three years in solitary confinement without basic necessities, Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) said today. He is on the advisory boards of both organizations. Between December 2017 and March 2018, authorities took away his mattress and …
10
Dec
Dec
UN human rights experts* expressed alarm at the commencement of proceedings against woman human rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul in a Saudi Specialised Criminal Court, and called for her immediate release from jail and for the “spurious” charges against her to be dropped. Ms. Al-Hathloul had been instrumental in the movement to allow women to drive, …
10
Dec
Dec
A Saudi court sentenced a prominent Saudi-American medical doctor to six years in prison on December 8, 2020 on vague charges mostly tied to his peaceful political views and expression, Human Rights Watch and The Freedom Initiative said today. Saudi authorities have banned Dr. Walid Fitaihi, 56, from travel since November 2017, along with seven members of …
08
Dec
Dec
The government of Bahrain has nominated Ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri as its candidate for the 2021 Presidency of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). This development has placed a spotlight on an unprecedented battle for the presidency of the body which is usually reached by consensus. Much of the media coverage focuses on the efforts …