Wednesday, 19 August 2015, Issue #60
THE BIRD WEEKLY
In this Issue:
• BIRD/HRW Event Summary • Ebrahim Sharif Charged • US to Sell Arms to Bahrain •
HIGHLIGHTS FROM BIRD THIS WEEK
[Video Available] Event Summary: Bahrain Human Rights Challenges in 2015 and the UK’s Policy
13 August 2015 – The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch held a round-table discussion regarding concerns regarding human rights in Bahrain and UK policy towards the country. Chaired by Nicholas McGeehan, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), the discussion also included speakers Shane Enright, Global Trade Union Adviser at Amnesty UK, Kevin Laue, Legal officer at Redress and Isa Al-Ali, a Bahraini torture survivor recently granted asylum by UK court. The discussion was attended by representatives from a number of organisations including Amnesty International, Index on Censorship, Reprieve, NASUWT, English Pen and Chatham House amongst others.
Watch the full video summary here
Read the event summary here
US Moves to Sell Arms to Bahrain as Senate Resolves to Reinstate Ban
13 August 2015 – The United States Department of Defence notified the United States Congress of its intent to sell new arms sales to Bahrain last week, a move the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemns strongly. In an interesting twist of timing, the U.S. Senate introduced a bipartisan resolution the day prior to the announcement of the sale, which ironically would ban the sale of certain arms to Bahrain until the country implements reform.
Read more here.
BIRD Policy Researcher on MEE: UK Risks British Businesses by Backing Bahrain
Read full article on the Middle East Eye
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Take Action
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FROM THE GROUND IN BAHRAIN
Updates from the Ground
Issue | No. Individuals | % change since last week | Children | Total Years |
Arrests | 29 | 14.71% (-) | 3 | – |
Trials | – | – | – | – |
Sentences | 11 | – | – | 81 (prison) |
Remands | – | – | – | – |
In the Spotlight:
Ebrahim Sharif charged with promoting change and inciting hatred against the regime |
Taiba Darwish detention renewed for 7th time since MayDr. Abduljalil Singace reaches 150 days of hunger strike |
Independence Day protests suppressed using tear gas and shotguns by police |
THE BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
#TwitterNation
FROM THE MEDIA HOME AND ABROAD
Weekly Highlights
Human Rights Watch: Release Ebrahim Sharif
Index on Censorship: Magazine sent to jailed academic and blogger