Fadhel Abbas Sahwan was a football player on the first team of the Galali Bahraini Club. Following high school, he worked as a driver at the National Motor Company. On 5 March 2017 he was violently arrested at his grandmother’s house in Sanabis. He was tortured and subjected to an unfair trial. He was imprisoned for three years in Jau Prison.

On the day of his arrest, the house was surrounded and raided by masked forces in civilian clothing at approximately 2:30am, including by riot police who did not present any warrant. Fadhel was not wanted by the authorities and his family did not receive any summons in his name. However, 18 days before the arrest his house was searched but the officers did not ask for a specific name. During the arrest, Fadhel’s possessions were scattered and his electronic devices amongst other things were confiscated. His pictures with his uncle were also confiscated.

Read the full report here.

Ahead of Oman’s third-cycle Universal Periodic Review, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) submitted a report assessing freedom of expression in Oman titled Concerning Systematic Restrictions on the Rights to Freedom of Expression in the Sultanate of Oman. The report addresses the current policies, practices, and law which criminalize and hinder freedom of expression in the country. 

Read the full report here.

UAE: Strong Ally of the West with a Turbulent Torture Record