Human Rights Watch: Gulf countries step up harassment on advocates for political change

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An international human rights group says harassment of political activists has increased in Gulf countries even as they showcase themselves as expanding economic and cultural powerhouses.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch says in its World Report 2011 that the human rights situation has sharply deteriorated in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Yemen. The Gulf portion of the report is scheduled to be released Wednesday in Dubai.

The report says Gulf authorities have harassed, prosecuted and jailed activists advocating political reforms and greater press freedoms. It notes that officials have stepped up monitoring of blogs and social media — which played a key role in the uprising that brought down Tunisia's strongman ruler this month.


(2010-1-26/The Associated Press)