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 ...

Today, Syrian forces assaulted the city of Homs, killing 50 people. With more than 200 people killed over the weekend one activist called this "the most violent bombardment in recent days." Catherine al-Talli, a member in the Syrian National Council, said the 50 killed were "mostly civilians" and that "the regime is acting as if it were immune to international intervention and has a free hand to use violence against ...

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 ...

On Tuesday, the Berkley Center for Religious Peace & World Affairs at Georgetown University hosted a discussion on the book Silenced: How Apostasy & Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide. The speakers were the authors Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom, and Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of the Center for Religious Freedom. The discussion was moderated ...

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 ...

The U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland released a statement yesterday voicing the U.S.'s growing concern of arrests, harassment, and death sentences of social activists in Iran.  Reports have arisen concerning the arrests of over half a dozen journalists in the last few weeks, including Parastou Dokouhaki and Marzieh Rasouli, two widely read female bloggers. Additional arrests include former National Press Director for the Ministry of Culture Sahamoddin Bourghani, freelance health ...

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 ...