An international conference on the human rights situation in Bahrain was held in Beirut, with the participation of international human rights organizations, experts, activists and researchers.

Lucy Zelić, SBS Television Chief Football Host and SBS World News Sports Presenter, wrote a tweet yesterday saying she had sent a letter to the Thai prime minister calling him to release Hakeem Al-Araibi and urging him to allow his return to Australia as soon as possible.

The Guardian reported that Bahrain has been found guilty by a UN body of arbitrarily detaining three relatives of a British-based human rights activist as a reprisal for his protest in London against the visit of the country’s king in 2017.

Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai, said: “Great news that Thailand has allowed the UN to assess Rahaf rather than sending her back to the country from which she was seeking asylum. Thailand needs to allow Hakeem to return to Australia and stop Bahrain’s legal abuse.”

The United Nations human rights office called on Bahrain on Friday to release activist Nabeel Rajab, saying that the upholding of his five-year jail sentence by the top court this week showed "continued suppression of government critics".

The European Union condemned the Court of Cassation of Bahrain decision upholding the five-year sentence against human rights defenders Nabeel Rajab.

It’s been a grim 2018 for partisans of free expression in the Gulf, said Joe Stork in an article published on the LobeLog website, mentioning the final appeals court rulings on the long prison terms of the leading human rights figures in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The Australian SBS website stated that Craig Foster, former Socceroo and current SBS commentator, has challenged the president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to support Australian refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi or resign.

Human rights organizations from around the world have sent an open letter to the Bahraini authorities calling for the immediate release of Nabeel Rajab, the repeal of his convictions and sentences, and dropping all charges against him.

Fifty-eight-year-old Bahraini citizen Fawzia Masha’allah has finished serving her prison term on Saturday (December 15, 2018) and was released following one year of imprisonment for harboring a wanted person.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights honored Sheikh Maytham Al-Salman, on World Human Rights Day, for his prominent role in defending human rights in Middle East and North Africa.

Al-Wefaq issued a statement on the World Human Rights Day, December 10, in which it stressed that BICI monitored 55 kinds of violations in 2011 only, but the Bahraini regime expanded the types and forms of violations following the issuance of the Bassiouni report.

The Guardian newspaper said that The UK’s largest outdoor horse show, which is patronized by the Queen, faces accusations that it is being used by the Bahraini royal family to distract from human rights abuses.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused Saudi Arabia on Tuesday of subjecting several activists including some female human rights defenders detained since May to torture and sexual harassment.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) condemned the Bahraini judiciary's insistence on resorting to death penalty, dubbing it “inhumane punishment”.

Human rights defender Naji Fateel, who is sentenced to 15 years in jail, talked through a leaked recording about his sufferings in the notorious Jaw Central prison. He said that he lost hearing in his right ear after he was subjected to torture and brutal beatings.

Three human rights organizations, Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, Bahrain Forum for Human Rights and The Gulf Institution for Democracy and Human Rights contacted international parties to inform them about why they believe the upcoming elections in Bahrain lack impartiality and independency.

American journalist Nicholas Kristof called to pay attention to human rights situations in Bahrain, describing what is happening in Bahrain as “appalling repression”.

American journalist Nicholas Kristof called on the US President Donald Trump to pressure Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to respect human rights.

United Nations human rights experts called on Saudi Arabia on Monday to halt the imminent execution of six men sentenced to death for activities related to the 2011 Arab Spring.