Wednesday, 08 April 2015, Issue #41
BIRD Weekly Newsletter
Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab Arrested Again
NGOs Condemn Arrest of BCHR President Nabeel Rajab
7 April 2015 – NGOs send joint letter to the European Union on the arrest of Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain. Read the letter here
2 April 2015 – Today at approximately 4:00 PM local time (GMT+3), Bahraini security forces and police arrested Nabeel Rajab, prominent human rights defender and president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). Reports indicate that over 20 police vehicles surrounded his home in Bani Jamra, after which security forces presented him with a warrant charging him with spreading false news relating to statements concerning acts of torture and inhumane treatment at Jaw Prison. In a statement shortly following his arrest, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior confirmed the charges against Nabeel, stating that he “posted information that could incite others and disrupt civil peace,” and that he “illegally defamed a statutory body.”
Read more here
Media Coverage & NGOs Statements over the arrest of Nabeel Rajab on 2 April 2015
To follow all the latest news on Nabeel Rajab click here
Summer Research Internship at BIRD!
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) is seeking creative and passionate applicants for our Summer Research Internship programme. Interns play a central role in the organisation that include research, communications and drafting reports.
More details and job description available here.
Applications Close: 20th April 2015
Summer Advocacy and Policy Internship at BIRD!
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) is seeking creative and passionate applicants for our Summer Advocacy and Policy Internship programme. Interns play a central role in the organisation that include research, communications and drafting reports.
More details and job description available here
Applications Close: 20th April 2015
Summer Legal Internship at BIRD!
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) is seeking creative and passionate applicants for our Summer Legal Internship programme. Interns play a central role in the organisation that include research, communications and drafting reports.
More details and job description available here
Applications Close: 20th April 2015
Updates from the Ground
44 arrested including 6 children.
14 sentenced to a total of 80 years in prison.
33 trials postponed.
Human rights defender Nabeel Rajab arrested for spreading false news.
Ministry of Interior threatens action against anyone who comments on the war in Yemen.
#TwitterNation
Weekly Highlights
Iran and the Obama Doctrine
Obama “The biggest threats that they (Gulf states) face may not be coming from Iran invading. It’s going to be from dissatisfaction inside their own countries.”
Leading Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab arrested for highlighting prison abuse
The Predictable Blowback From Supporting Sectarian Authoritarianism in Bahrain
NGO Statements
Human Rights Watch: Bahrain: Rising Concern for Prisoners
Human Rights First: Leading Bahrain Activist Nabeel Rajab Reportedly Arrested
FIDH: Nabeel Rajab (FIDH Deputy Secretary General) re-arrested for a tweet in Bahrain
Amnesty International: The ultimate punishment: A beginner’s guide to the death penalty
News & Commentaries
Middle East Monitor: British Foreign Policy and the Arab Spring
Reuters: Obama promises ‘tough conversation’ with Arab allies over security: NYT
BBC News: Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab ‘arrested over tweets’
Middle East Eye: UK refuses to comment on the arrest of Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab
