On Thursday, Project on Middle East Democracy, in coordination with the National Security Network and the Foreign Policy Initiative, held a panel event titled The Unfinished February 14 Uprising: What Next for Bahrain? The event began with opening remarks from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) then moved onto a panel discussion. Panelists included Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director at the International Crisis Group, Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies ...

The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...

On Monday, Human Rights First released the report Bahrain: The Gathering Storm, detailing the deterioration situation in Bahrain. With the escalating attacks against civilians, continued reports of torture in custody, and Bahrain government denying entry for human rights observers, the report anticipates further unrest. February 14 marks the year anniversary of protests in Bahrain, and Brian Dooley, the author of the report, predicted the day to be filled with "large rallies expected to be mounted by ...

Amnesty International has requested the "immediate and unconditional" release of Naser Bader Al-Raas - citing him a "prisoner of conscience" - from the Bahrain government. Al-Raas was charged in October with illegal assembly, rioting and incitement, and his sentence of five years in prison was recently upheld. Throughout Al-Raas' intermittent detention, he has alleged torture from security forces while in custody. "Canadian officials will continue to raise Canada’s concerns regarding Mr. Al-Raas’s situation with the Bahraini government ...

The decision by the Obama Administration to move forward with a proposed arms sale to Bahrain has been largely criticized by several human rights and international organizations. News of the newly-proposed arms sale surfaced last week surrounded by controversy due to its lack of transparency and explanation. Freedom House released a statement raising concerns about the message the U.S. is sending to the Bahraini regime and the international community. President of Freedom House ...

Bahraini detainees and human rights activists convicted of involvement in anti-government demonstrations have begun a hunger strike today. The 14 prominent activists and opposition leaders began the strike "in solidarity with pro-democracy protests and in protest against the brutal crackdown," said the leader of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), Mohammed al-Maskati.  The hunger strike was initiated in protest of Bahrain’s interior minister, Lt. Gen. Sheik Rashid bin Abdullah Al ...

On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an event highlighting the success of “Salam Shabab,” an Iraqi TV show that just premiered its first season. A screening of the final episode of the show was then followed by a brief lecture by Marsha Williams, President at Harvest Research Group and then a panel discussion with Brett Pierce, Co-Executive Producer and former Sesame Workshop Producer, Hussam Hadi, Producer of Salam Shabab, and ...

A six member mission of international organziations sent to Bahrain last Novemeber "in order to gain an understanding of free expression and the status of human rights defenders" released a report today criticizing Bahraini authorities for failing to deliver on promises of reform. Since the publication of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report, a document which itself cites abuses against peaceful protesters, demonstrators have continued to protest on ...