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Report
Human rights in the Middle East and North Africa: A review of 2018
The international community’s chilling complacency towards wide-scale human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has emboldened governments to commit appalling violations during 2018 by giving them the sense that they need never fear facing justice, said Amnesty International as it published a review of human rights in the region last year. The report Human rights in the Middle East and North Africa: A review of 2018 describes how authorities across the region have unashamedly persisted with ruthless campaigns of repression in order to crush dissent, cracking down on protesters, civil society and political opponents, often with tacit support…
February 26, 2019
Report
No one can protect you: Bahrain’s year of crushing dissent
A new report published by Amnesty International today sheds light on the repressive tactics used by the Bahraini government over the past year to crush civil society and violently crack down on protests, leading to the deaths of six people, including one child.
September 6, 2017
Press Release
Bahrain: Human rights defender charged with terrorism
The Bahraini authorities’ decision to bring terrorism charges against Ebtissam al-Saegh, a human rights defender detained since July 3, 2017, is a chilling blow to human rights in the country, said Amnesty International.
July 19, 2017
Press Release
Secretary Tillerson Visit to Gulf Must Not Greenlight More Abuses Against Human Rights Defenders
Today, Secretary Tillerson is meeting with senior foreign officials in Saudi Arabia. This is the latest leg of a week-long tour of the Gulf, and the meeting will include officials from Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Tillerson is expected to discuss counterterrorism and security efforts. Amnesty International USA senior director of campaigns, Naureen Shah, issued this statement:
July 12, 2017
Press Release
Bahrain: Jail term for human rights defender Nabeel Rajab exposes authorities’ relentless campaign to wipe out dissent
The sentencing of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, in his absence, to two years in prison for TV interviews is the latest shocking display of zero tolerance for freedom of expression by the Bahraini authorities, Amnesty International said today.
July 10, 2017
Press Release
Bahrain heading for ‘total suppression’ of human rights as secular opposition group banned
Bahrain’s dissolution of a major political opposition society is the latest troubling move in its blatant campaign to end all criticism of the government, Amnesty International said.
May 31, 2017
Press Release
Suspending Human Rights Restrictions on U.S. Arms Sale to Bahrain Sends Dangerous Message
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will reportedly lift human rights conditions on an arms sale to Bahrain, despite that country’s record of oppression against dissidents and participation in a Saudi-led coalition that has bombed thousands of civilians in Yemen...
March 30, 2017
Press Release
Bahrain: Opposition leader condemned to nine years in prison following unfair and arbitrary verdict
A nine year prison sentence against the Bahraini opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, was upheld today by a Bahraini Appeal Court, after a retrial, in another blow to freedom of expression in the country
December 12, 2016
Report
Window-dressing or pioneers of change? An assessment of Bahrain’s human rights oversight bodies
Five years after Bahrain’s 2011 uprising, which saw peaceful protesters beaten, shot, and killed in the streets, key reforms introduced to address human rights violations by the security forces have yet to deliver justice to the vast majority of victims and their families, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.
November 18, 2016
Press Release
Bahrain: Assault on freedom of expression continues as activists face jail for tweets
Bahraini authorities must immediately and unconditionally release human rights activist Nabeel Rajab and opposition leader Fadhel Abbas, two prisoners of conscience who are facing long prison sentences for using Twitter to voice concerns about human rights abuses in the conflict in Yemen, Amnesty International said today. Both men have criticized the killing of civilians in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which includes Bahrain. They have already been wrongfully detained for months and are expecting their respective court verdicts in the next week. “It is an outrage that Nabeel Rajab and Fadhel Abbas have spent even one minute in jail…
October 25, 2016
Press Release
Bahrain: Dissolution of main opposition party is flagrant attack on freedom of expression and association
In response to a Bahraini court’s decision today to uphold the dissolution of the country’s main opposition political group, Al-Wefaq, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director, Philip Luther said: “The decision to uphold the dissolution of Al-Wefaq is a flagrant attack on freedom of expression and association and a brazen attempt to suppress criticism of the government in Bahrain. “The Bahraini authorities have not presented any credible evidence that Al-Wefaq is anything but a peaceful opposition movement which has been seeking reform in the country in the face of increasing government repression. “In the absence of independent institutions to scrutinize…
September 22, 2016
Press Release
Farcical trial of Nabeel Rajab a barefaced assault on freedom of expression in Bahrain
Bahraini authorities must immediately release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab and drop all charges against him ahead of his trial next week over Twitter posts criticizing the war in Yemen and allegations of torture in Bahrain’s main prison, Amnesty International said today, reiterating its call on the government to end its barefaced assault on freedom of expression.
July 7, 2016