On June 9, Bahrain allowed HR activist Nabeel Rajab to serve the remainder of his prison sentence at home with his family. Nabeel had been in jail since 2016 on spurious speech charges. Though released he remains silenced, knowing any remarks about Human rights in Bahrain could land him back in prison.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) dismissed claims by U.N. human rights experts that prominent pro-democracy campaigner Ahmed Mansoor may be suffering treatment amounting to torture, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.

Prominent United Arab Emirates (UAE) pro-democracy campaigner Ahmed Mansoor may be suffering treatment amounting to torture, including prolonged solitary confinement, U.N. human rights experts said on Tuesday.

Amnesty International called on Wednesday on the United Arab Emirates to release a local activist who has been on hunger strike for more than three weeks, citing concern over his health and prison conditions.

Courts in the Gulf and Egypt have upheld jail terms against leading activists in a crackdown on protesting through social media, marking a somber end to 2018 for rights campaigners.