Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

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Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy
FoundedOctober 2013 in London
TypeNon-profit
NGO
Location
  • London
ServicesProtecting human rights
FieldsHuman rights, non-violence, research, advocacy
Key people
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei
Websitebirdbh.org

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) is a non-profit human rights organisation based in London which promotes democratisation and human rights in Bahrain.[1] It was founded by Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Alaa Shehabi and Hussain Abdullah in 2013, and is funded by the Sigrid Rausing Trust[2] for the years 2016-2019. The National Endowment for Democracy approved a grant for the year 2015.[3]

Leadership[edit]

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei[edit]

One of the founders of BIRD, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, received attention for his advocacy work[4] and for protesting against visits by members of the Bahraini Royal Family to the United Kingdom. As a fugitive from Bahrain, he subsequently had his Bahraini citizenship revoked in January 2015 and has applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. In 2020, he was co-winner of the Index on Censorship "campaigning" award, for "[continuing] his work as a prominent critic of the Bahraini government ... despite the danger faced by him and his family."[5]

Campaigns[edit]

BIRD has led a number of campaigns to raise awareness about what they view as the political repression of the Bahraini pro-democracy movement. These have included campaigns around the Bahrain Formula 1[6] race and the candidacy of Sheikh Salman Alkhalifa for President of FIFA in 2016.[7]

BIRD has been active in campaigning for the release of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who has been repeatedly imprisoned in Bahrain after criticising the Bahraini government.[8][9]

BIRD has worked closely with regional and international human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, Reprieve, Amnesty International, UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade, the Stop The War Coalition, Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB).[10][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About BIRD | Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy". birdbh.org. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy - Grantees - Welcome To The Sigrid Rausing Trust". www.sigrid-rausing-trust.org. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Regional: Gulf – NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY". www.ned.org. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  4. ^ Alwadaei, Sayed Ahmed (7 July 2015). "Losing Leverage on Bahrain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Freedom of Expression Awards Fellowship". Index on Censorship. 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  6. ^ Weaver, Paul (3 April 2016). "Bahrain Institute raises concerns of human rights abuse with FIA". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  7. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (24 February 2016). "Shadow of Human Rights Abuse Follows Contender in FIFA Vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  8. ^ Greenslade, Roy (26 January 2017). "Activist faces prison for saying journalists are banned from Bahrain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  9. ^ editor, Patrick Wintour Diplomatic (9 September 2016). "Boris Johnson urged to call for release of Bahraini campaigner". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2017. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Event: Closing Civil Society, Religious & Political Space in Bahrain | Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy". birdbh.org. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Joint NGO Letter: Human Rights Situation in Bahrain". Human Rights Watch. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.


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