Human rights defenders, opposition activists and Shia religious leaders continue to face substantial legal harassment in the execution of their freedom of expression and association. In addition to legal harassment, which has been reported to encompass unlawful detention, torture and ill-treatment, activists may face personal threats directed at them and their families. As of March 2017, this practice was most recently outlined in the arbitrary detention of the family of exiled activist Sayed al-Wadaei.
Irrespective of condemnations from the The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bahrain’s severe repression of human rights defenders has increased in recent years, displaying a troublesome deterioration of human rights.
25 February 2019– Today, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation upheld the three-year sentence against family members of human rights defender, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who have now exhausted all l... Read more
20 February 2019 – Today, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Alistair Burt commenced his visit to Manama to engage with high-level Bahrain officials, including the Crown Prince a... Read more
8 February 2019 – A group of 19 Parliamentarians from all parties have urged the UK Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP to call for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Bah... Read more
23 January 2019 – Two Members of Parliament have requested “urgent intervention” from Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the case of two Bahraini political prisoners who are entering the... Read more
10 January 2019 – The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has formally rebuked Bahrain for taking reprisals against family members of a prominent, London-based,... Read more
20 December 2018 – On Monday 17 December, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) attended an event in Parliament chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, to commemorate... Read more
23 November 2018 – Yesterday, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) held an event in Parliament wherein experts on Bahrain discussed the upcoming election and its impac... Read more
15 November 2018 – Yesterday, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) sent a letter to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on behalf of Bahraini political prisoner... Read more
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) expresses extreme concern for the acts of reprisals committed against Bahraini political prisoners, Ali Hajji and Naji Fateel, who have... Read more
15 November 2018 – On 12 November, Formula One expressed concern for Bahraini female political prisoner, Najah Yusuf, whose conviction involves criticising the Bahraini government and... Read more
