ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #441
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Bahrain

ADHRB Raises the Alarm Over Cuts to Electricity and Water and Denial of Medical Care for Protesting Prisoners in Jau Prison – Urges Immediate Action

 

ADHRB is expressing its deep concerns about the recent reports of escalating human rights violations that are occurring at Jau Prison in Bahrain. The new escalation of cutting off electricity and water on extremely hot summer days to protesting  prisoners  while denying them medical care,  is the newest form of retaliation by prison officials and is extremely worrisome. ADHRB holds the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and his government responsible for these dangerous events. We also hold Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and the Jau Prison administration accountable for this inhumane situation. ADHRB urgently calls on them to immediately cease these retaliatory measures, restore electricity, water, and food to prisoners, meet the prisoners’ reasonable demands, investigate violations, and hold perpetrators accountable. Furthermore, ADHRB calls on the international community to act promptly to help end this dangerous situation before lives are lost.


 

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Bahrain

 Joint letter on Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace as he exceeds three years on hunger strike

 

We write to you urgently on 8 July 2024, which marks three years since award-winning academic, blogger, and human rights defender Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace went on a liquid-only hunger strike in response to prison authorities’ confiscation of his manuscript on Bahraini dialects of Arabic that he spent four years researching and writing.

 

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Profile in Persecution

Hasan Moosa Jaafar Ali

 

Updated: Hasan Moosa Jaafar Ali was a 16-year-old Bahraini student with learning disabilities when he was arrested for the first time without a warrant on 23 September 2013. During his detention, he endured torture, enforced disappearance, solitary confinement, denial of attorney access, isolation, reprisals, religious discrimination, and medical neglect. He was sentenced to a total of 32 years imprisonment through a series of unfair trials, including the “Bahraini Hezbollah” case. Hasan is currently imprisoned at Jau Prison. On 18 September 2020, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted an opinion regarding nine Bahraini prisoners convicted in the “Bahraini Hezbollah” case, including Hasan, urging Bahrain to release them immediately and unconditionally and to provide them with compensation.

 

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Bahrain

Briefing Paper: Digital Rights in Bahrain

 
 

When we refer to digital rights—in this example, Bahraini rights—we refer to a wide set of human rights that are exercised and defended in the digital sphere. These include liberties like privacy, information access, and freedom of speech. As digital platforms are becoming increasingly important in social, political, and economic life, these rights have become crucial. Although the relevance of this has increased over time, Bahrain’s digital rights situation remains highly restrictive. This is mainly because of three things; government censorship, surveillance and legal repression. In a globalised world where digital infrastructures are critical to social and economic progress, Bahrain must strike a balance between protecting human rights and advancing technology. This briefing paper examines the present status of digital rights in Bahrain.

 

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Profile in Persecution

Sadeq Jaafar Ali (AlSammak)

 

Sadeq Jaafar Ali (AlSammak) was a 16-year-old Bahraini student from the town of Al Aali when he was arrested by Bahraini authorities on 5 October 2017, while he was on his way to school. The arrest was carried out without a warrant. During his detention, he endured torture, insults, solitary confinement, enforced disappearance, isolation, denial of family contact and visits, denial of access to his lawyer, unfair trials, religious discrimination, reprisals, and medical neglect. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence in Jau Prison.

 

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United Arab Emirates

UAE’s Intensified Suppression of Freedom of Speech: The case of Israel


The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently launched an extensive campaign to silence opposition, marked by a stark disregard for justice and human rights. This crackdown includes a series of arrests, summonses, and deportations targeting individuals who criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza, blatantly violating the right to freedom of speech. This disturbing trend continues the UAE’s long-standing restrictions on freedoms, which have only intensified in recent months.

 

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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council: the Truth from NGOs Vs. the Lies of the Saudi Human Rights Commission

 

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is an important tool to keep states accountable, combat impunity for human rights violations, and promote open dialogue on human rights issues. Nevertheless, states such as Saudi Arabia notoriously do not follow through on their promises to implement recommendations, a fact that many at Saudi Arabia’s fourth Universal Periodic Review consideration meeting emphasized. This meeting was held on Thursday 4 July 2024, as part of the Human Rights Council’s 56th regular session. The meeting ended with the unanimous adoption of the outcome of the UPR of Saudi Arabia.

 

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Saudi Arabia

Muhammad and Asaad al-Ghamdi: The Innocent Brothers’ Unlawful Convictions

 

The Saudi Arabian brothers Muhammad and Asaad al-Ghamdi have been unlawfully convicted for their peaceful online expression. Muhammad, a 55-year-old retired teacher, was arrested outside his house on 11 July 2022 and was consequently sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) a year later. His younger brother Asaad, a 48-year-old teacher, was arrested on 20 November 2022 during an unlawful night raid at his house and was convicted on 29 May 2024 by the same court to 20 years in prison.

 

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Saudi Arabia

Suppression of Online Expression in Saudi Arabia


In Saudi Arabia, online expression is heavily restricted by a combination of laws, regulations, and enforcement practices that aim to control the flow of information and suppress dissent. The government employs various mechanisms to monitor and censor online content, targeting individuals and platforms that challenge its authority or promote views deemed contrary to the state’s interests. The restrictive legal framework in Saudi Arabia is anchored by several key pieces of legislation that collectively stifle online expression. The Anti-Cyber Crime Law, the Anti-Terrorism Law, and the Press and Publications Law are among the most significant. These laws grant the government extensive powers to control digital content, often under broad and vaguely defined provisions that can be easily interpreted to justify the suppression of dissent. Collectively, the legislative framework creates a hostile environment for freedom of speech and democratic discourse in Saudi Arabia. The vague and overly broad language of the legislation provides authorities with ample discretion to target individuals who express dissenting opinions or challenge the status quo. The fear of reprisals and harsh penalties leads many individuals to self-censor or avoid discussing sensitive topics online, undermining efforts to foster open debate, accountability, and social progress.

 

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Saudi Arabia

AI Regulation in Saudi Arabia: Innovation over Human Rights


With the global rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), countries have increasingly adopted regulations to restrict the use of this new technology, exemplified by the AI Act in the European Union. In contrast, Gulf governments have taken a more business-friendly approach to AI regulation, raising concerns about potential breaches of their populations’ privacy rights. Notably, Saudi Arabia has sought to create an attractive environment for data and AI businesses and has so far avoided implementing binding regulations.


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Saudi Arabia

Forced Labor Complaint Exposes Saudi Arabia’s Migrant Worker Abuses Amid Vision 2030 Ambitions


The recent forced labor complaint against the Saudi Arabian government by the Building and Wood Workers’ International Union (BWI) underscores significant concerns about the treatment of migrant workers under the country’s Vision 2030 plan. This action by the BWI, representing 12 million members, serves as a stark warning to Saudi authorities, businesses, and investors about the predictable and preventable migrant labor abuses that mar the Kingdom’s ambitious economic blueprint.


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Kuwait

The Aftermath of Kuwait’s Amnesty Scheme: The Start of Another Mass Deportation


The Kuwaiti government ran an amnesty scheme for “illegal immigrants” from 17 March 2024 to 30 June 2024, which was extended from the initial deadline of 17 June. This grace period was intended to give those illegally in the country the time to either pay the penalties and regularize their status or leave the country indefinitely. Unfortunately, the supposedly forgiving nature of the state ended abruptly with the end of the scheme.


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Kuwait

Kuwait’s Unlawful Citizenship Revocations: a Tool of Repression Leading to Statelessness


The right to nationality is a human right that cannot be disputed. Despite this, Kuwait uses punitive citizenship revocations as a tool for repression. The 1959 Kuwaiti Nationality Law broadly legislates that the state has discretionary powers to withdraw citizenship. This law has been used to arbitrarily revoke the citizenships of dissidents and ethnic minorities to marginalize political opponents, demonstrating an abuse of it. The problem lies therein as the Kuwaiti law is not in line with Article 15 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which clearly states that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.”


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United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates’ unethical foreign policy in Africa


The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a significant player on the African continent, leveraging its economic and strategic initiatives to deepen its influence, involving investments in infrastructure, ports, and telecommunications, alongside military engagements and political alliances. However, UAE’s presence is not without controversy, particularly regarding allegations of neo-colonialism and human rights abuses, which cast a shadow over its intentions.


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Are you a victim of a human rights abuse in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, or other GCC states?

Document your case with the Special Procedures of the United Nations through 
ADHRB's UN Complaint Program.
Copyright © 2017 ADHRB, All rights reserved.

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