In an op-ed, professor Mark LeVine describes why democratic transitions have been so drastically different across the Middle East. He argued that the initial movement in Syria was not as successful as Egypt or Tunisia due in part to a ...

Bahraini riot police have reportedly used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach the former site of the Pearl Roundabout. Meanwhile, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) ...

In a press conference Wednesday, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed concern over the upheld convictions of nine Bahraini doctors. “We’re also concerned that these convictions serve to further restrict freedom of expression and hurt the atmosphere that’s so ...

The appeal of nine Bahraini medics who treated victims of government crackdowns was rejected for the final time, and many of the sentences stem from "participating in illegal demonstrations." The sentences range from one month to five years. A number ...

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa addressed the United Nations on Thursday, noting “serious challenges” to Bahrain’s security and stability, which he said the country had “addressed with full transparency, commitment and honesty.” He added that Bahrain’s King Hamad ...

The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a panel discussion Wednesday, titled "Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf." The panel included Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Deputy Director of ...

  On September 21, Bahraini police announced that they had arrested 29 suspects involved with rioting and vandalism in the capital city. “Rioters hurled petrol bombs, iron rods and stones, endangering both the police and civilians in the commercial centre ...

At the 21st session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Michael Posner, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor welcomed the Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain. He said, "While official media have reported some initial progress on ...

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay included Bahrain among the 16 nations accused of allowing government members to undertake "reprisals and intimidation against individuals" critical of regimes. Pillay said, "People may be threatened or harassed by ...

Eleven organizations sent a letter addressed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling on the U.S. State Department to "suspend further U.S. military assistance and arms transfers" to specific units of the Bahraini police and military that may have ...

After being threatened with legal action by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, opposition party al-Wefaq has scheduled a protest for September 14 in Manama, and denied accusations that their actions are disrupting civil society. ...

Following protests in Manama on September 7, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa voiced discontent with al-Wefaq's participation in the protests despite a government-imposed ban. The rally turned violent when police and protesters ...

In a letter released today, fourteen NGOs called on the United States to oppose the Bahraini candidate to the United Nations Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) Advisory Committee, Saeed al-Faihani. Groups including POMED, Human Rights Watch, The Foreign Policy ...

In a press release, Acting Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department Patrick Ventrell said that the U.S. is "deeply troubled" by the upholding of sentences for nearly two dozen Bahraini opposition activists. Ventrell added that the United States "continue make ...