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Unchecked Spyware Industry Enables Abuses

Governments Should Halt Trade in Surveillance Technology

(New York) – Recent reports that NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been used for surveillance of dozens of journalists, human rights activists, and others demonstrate the urgent need for governments to suspend the trade in surveillance technology until…
People march in Budapest, Hungary during a July 26, 2021 protest against the Hungarian government over reports that it has used Pegasus spyware.
News

Bahrain: Stop Denying Abuse of Detained Children

Children Beaten, Pepper-Sprayed, Denied Medical Care, Threatened with Rape

(Beirut) – A Bahrain government report denying that police and detention-center officers beat, insulted, and threatened to rape four boys, ages 15 to 17, in detention in late 2020 and 2021 lacks any credibility in the face of compelling evidence…
Sayed Hasan Ameen, 16, has serious medical complications from sickle cell anemia but Bahraini authorities denied him family visits and access to medications in detention. He is being tried as an adult, along with other children.
News

Middle East/North Africa: End Violent Punishment of Children

Human Rights Watch Introduces Country Index Based on Laws, Policies

(Beirut) – Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should outlaw the violent discipline of children, Human Rights Watch said today, introducing an index categorizing countries in the region based on their laws and policies. The MENA…
2020 Dadu Shin for Human Rights Watch
News

Joint NGO Letter to Formula 1 on the Bahrain Grand Prix

Dear Stefano Domenicali, We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to you in your capacity as the new CEO of Formula 1 to reiterate our concerns about Bahrain’s use of the Bahrain Grand Prix to “sportswash” the country’s dire human rights…
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Bahrain: Police Beat, Threaten Children

Parents, Lawyers Barred from Interrogations, Hearings

Update: On March 11, 2021, a judge sentenced Sayed Hasan Ameen and the three other children in the same case to six months in prison. But the judge granted a request by their lawyers for an alternative, non-custodial sentence, in the spirit of Law No…
Sayed Hasan Ameen, 16, has serious medical complications from sickle cell anemia but Bahraini authorities denied him family visits and access to medications in detention. He is being tried as an adult, along with other children.
News

Joint Letter to the European Union Ahead of Meeting With Bahraini Delegation

EU-Bahrain Cooperation Agreement Must Depend on Human Rights Improvements

Please note: This letter was sent on 25 January and it was acknowledged by the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Bahraini foreign minister's visit to Brussels has been rescheduled to February 10, 2021. The EU-Bahrain interactive human…
Bahraini political opposition leaders, activists, bloggers, and human rights defenders imprisoned for their roles in the 2011 pro-democracy protests.
News

Denmark/Bahrain: Free Imprisoned Rights Defender

118 Groups Appeal to King to Commute Sentences

(Beirut) – The Danish government should renew and strengthen efforts to secure the immediate and unconditional release of a prominent human rights defender and dual Danish-Bahraini citizen, 118 international and Bahraini rights groups said today in a…
Bahraini anti-government protesters raise signs with images of jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Friday, April 6, 2012, in Jidhafs, Bahrain.
News

Bahrain: No Improvement in Rights Record

Arrests for Peaceful Speech; Death Sentences After Unfair Trials

(Beirut) – 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…
Bahraini prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab wears a face mask after he was released, at his house in Budaiya in Manama, Bahrain June 9, 2020.
News

Bahrain: Lawyers Prosecuted on Speech Charges

Drop Case Against Abdullah al-Shamlawi

(Beirut) – Bahraini authorities should not contest the appeal of Abdullah al-Shamlawi, a lawyer, to vacate his conviction and eight-month prison sentence for tweets, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said today. The…
Abdullah al-Shamlawi
News

Bahrain: Halt Executions of 2 Men Unfairly Convicted

16 Rights Groups Issue Appeal to King to Commute Sentences

(Beirut) – King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain should commute the death sentences of Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moosa, 16 international and Bahraini rights groups said today in a joint letter to the king. The men were not afforded a fair…
Mohamed Ramadan (left) and Hussein Ali Moosa (right).
News

Letter to the King of Bahrain on the Cases of Ramadan and Moosa

Your Majesty, We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to commute the death sentences of Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moosa, who have exhausted all legal remedies available to them after the Court of Cassation upheld their death sentences on July…
News

Bahrain’s Torture-Tainted Courts

The perversity of what passes for a criminal justice system in Bahrain will be on full display on  July 13, when Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Moosa make their final bid to escape execution. The two are scheduled to appear before the country’s…
Mohamed Ramadan (left) and Hussein Ali Moosa (right).
News

Two Men Face Execution in Bahrain

Death Sentences Stand Despite Evidence of Torture

“I am Mohamed Ramadan. I have been sentenced to death.… I want my voice to be heard by those who believe in the principles of justice and equality.… I am innocent of the crime of which I was accused, subjected to a sham trial and sentenced to death.…
Mohamed Ramadan (left) and Hussein Ali Moosa (right).
News

Bahrain: Prominent Activist Nabeel Rajab Freed from Prison

Quash Unjust Charges and Sentence

(Beirut) – The release from prison of the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab on June 9, 2020 is a long-overdue but positive development, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities detained him in June 2016 and a court later…
202006mena_bahrain_rajabfamily
News

Bahrain: Protect Migrant Workers During Pandemic

Promising Commitments; Proper Implementation, Additional Measures Needed

'   (Beirut) – Bahraini authorities should ensure that migrant workers receive adequate protection during the Covid-19 pandemic, a coalition of 16 nongovernmental organizations and trade unions said on April 10, 2020 in a letter to…
Logos of civil society organizations and trade unions.
News

Gulf States: Ease Immigration Detention in Pandemic

Unwarranted Amid Health Risks, Global Travel Restrictions

    (Beirut) – People in immigration detention in Gulf countries pending deportation should be given alternatives to detention amid health risks and global travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Human…
A worker rests at his accommodation in Qadisiya labor camp, Saudi Arabia August 17, 2016.
News

Bahrain: Free Imprisoned Rights Defenders and Opposition Activists

Extend Releases to Those at Special Risk of COVID-19

  (Beirut) – Amid the global threat posed by COVID-19, Bahraini authorities should release human rights defenders, opposition activists, journalists, and all others imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of…
202004mena_bahrain_collage
News

Bahrain’s Prison Release Positive but Insufficient

Many Prominent Political Prisoners Still Detained

On March 17, the Bahraini Interior Ministry announced it had released 1,486 detainees for “humanitarian reasons, in the backdrop of current circumstances,” a likely reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 900 of them were granted royal pardons,…
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab arrives for his appeal hearing at court in Manama, February 11, 2015.