26 Jan 2012

Washington, DC –The group of 20 Bahraini medics convicted by the dictatorship’s military court in September have had their next appeal hearing date suddenly moved-up to Monday, Jan. 30. This hearing gives the Bahrain regime a golden opportunity to show the world it is serious about human rights reform, said Human Rights First.

The regime targeted the medics for their treatment of pro-democracy protestors in February and March of 2011 and for telling the international media the truth about attacks on the demonstrators.

UA: 24/12 Index: MDE 11/003/2012 Bahrain
Date: 24 January 2012

A Canadian national in Bahrain had his five-year prison sentence upheld on appeal on 24 January 2012. He was arrested after taking part in protests in March 2011. Amnesty International calls for the charges against him to be dropped.

Naser Bader al-Raas, a Canadian national of Kuwaiti origin, was arrested at Bahrain International Airport on 20 March 2011 when he was leaving the country. He had arrived on 6 March in the country to visit his sister, who is a resident in Bahrain and had taken part in anti-government protests.

26 January 2012

Bahrain must investigate more than a dozen deaths that followed the misuse of tear gas by security forces, Amnesty International has said after another person was seriously injured by a tear gas canister in Manama this week.

On Tuesday, 20-year-old Mohammad al-Muwali was seriously injured and hospitalized after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister launched by riot police responding to an anti-government protest in the capital city’s Karrana neighbourhood.

25 Jan 2012

“This year’s index sees many changes in the rankings, changes that reflect a year that was incredibly rich in developments, especially in the Arab world,” Reporters Without Borders said today as it released its 10th annual press freedom index. “Many media paid dearly for their coverage of democratic aspirations or opposition movements. Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question of survival for totalitarian and repressive regimes. The past year also highlighted the leading role played by netizens in producing and disseminating news.

24 January 2012

(ANHRI/Index on Censorship/WiPC/IFEX) - 24 January 2012 – Tunis/London – A report from a six-member mission of international organisations to Bahrain last November called out Bahraini authorities for failing to deliver on promises of reform, despite a highly-touted commission of inquiry which made numerous recommendations. Rights violations continue on a daily basis, and people are still jailed on long sentences, including prominent human rights activists jailed for life. Yet the world has not been paying attention to this forgotten country during a year of turmoil in the region.

24 Jan 2012

Bahrain has recently denied entry to Brian Dooley of Human Rights First and Richard Sollom of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and now Courtney Radsch and two other colleagues from Freedom House.

Freedom House - Washington

The Bahraini Government’s refusal to allow a Freedom House delegation to visit the country calls into serious question its stated intent to engage in meaningful reform.

World Report 2012: Bahrain

Release People Convicted for Nonviolent Political Offenses

JANUARY 22, 2012

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s government should address serious and systematic abuses that officials and members of its security forces committed during a widespread crackdown on anti-government protests, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2012. The authorities should release hundreds of people convicted of crimes solely for exercising their rights to freedom of speech and assembly, and ensure that security forces stop using excessive force against protesters. Clashes between security forces and protesters have claimed the lives of more than 45 people.

Washington, 19 Jan 2012

The political uprisings that have swept the Arab world over the past year represent the most significant challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism, according to Freedom in the World 2012, the latest edition of Freedom House’s annual global survey of political rights and civil liberties. Yet even as the Arab Spring triggered unprecedented progress in some countries, it also provoked a harsh and sometimes murderous reaction, with many leaders scrambling to suppress real or potential threats to their rule. The repercussions of this backlash have been felt across the Middle East, as well as in China, Eurasia, and Africa.

22 Jan 2012

The following testimony is for an employee in Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) - the host of Formula1 in Bahrain-, who was tortured behind the offices of (BIC) on 7 April 2011, before getting arrested and tortured even more at the detention centres, along with another 25 other employees. The occurrence of torture has been confirmed by multiple reports including Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which was appointed by the king. However, many of those involved in torturing, including the ones mentioned in this testimony are still free without accountability. Even after exposing this testimony over Twitter, the victim of torture has received threats for doing so. BCHR keeps identity of the employee private.