Archive: bahrain
23rd November 2012
It is exactly one year today since the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was published. The anniversary has brought a deluge of criticism from NGOs – all basically saying the government has done far too little during the last 12 months to implement the BICI's… Read more
8th November 2012
Bahrain's decision to revoke the citizenship of 31 men – all of them reported to be Shia Muslims – is just one side of a discriminatory policy operated by the kingdom's Sunni rulers. The other side is that they readily grant citizenship to Sunni Muslims from a variety of countries… Read more
7th November 2012
The authorities in Bahrain have issued a list of 31 people who are to be stripped of their citizenship in an apparent punishment for opposing the regime.
The announcement, posted on the interior ministry's website earlier today, gave no specific reasons but the ministry said it was taking action… Read more
1st November 2012
The United States has now joined in the criticism of Bahrain's decision to ban all public gatherings. State Department spokesman Mark Toner began yesterday's daily media briefing with the following statement (which broadly echoes the British statement quoted here in a blog post yesterday):
"The… Read more
31st October 2012
Less than two weeks after attracting international derision by arresting four young men for "insulting" the king on Twitter, the government of Bahrain is digging itself into another hole – this time by imposing a blanket ban on demonstrations.
A statement from the interior minister said:
"Many… Read more
18th October 2012
By arresting four young men for "misuse of social media" the Bahraini authorities have embarked on a battle that ultimately they are bound to lose.
The four have been charged (in the words of the interior ministry) with "defaming public figures" – an apparent use of the royal pluralsince, as the… Read more
12th September 2012
Opening the latest session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on Monday, Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner, gave a wide-ranging progress report which included a section on Bahrain.
The human rights situation in Bahrain remains an issue of serious concern, she said, adding:
"I reiterate my… Read more
4th April 2012
Following the shooting of citizen journalist Ahmed Ismael Hassan in Bahrain, which I reported here at the weekend, the EAWorldView blog describes how the victim's family have been harassed by the authorities (scroll down to 1812 GMT).
An EA correspondent recently visited Ahmed's family and was told… Read more
1st April 2012
The death of a 22-year-old Bahraini man early on Saturday raises new questions about the regime's declared commitment to avoiding brutality when dealing with demonstrators.
Ahmed Ismael Hassan (above) – described as a citizen journalist who regularly filmed protests in the kingdom – was shot in… Read more
29th February 2012
February has been a busy month for Qorvis, the American public relations firm hired at $480,000 a year to spruce up Bahrain's tarnished image.
For starters, there was the usual round of "good news" press releases to be churned out highlighting the kingdom's tolerance, its culture, its charitable… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
