Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

One of the founders of BIRD, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, received attention for his advocacy work{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/08/opinion/losing-leverage-on-bahrain.html|title=Losing Leverage on Bahrain|last=Alwadaei|first=Sayed Ahmed|date=2015-07-07|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2017-01-27}} 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."

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{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/03/bahrain-institute-for-rights-democracy-letter-fia-human-rights-abuse|title=Bahrain Institute raises concerns of human rights abuse with FIA|last=Weaver|first=Paul|date=2016-04-03|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2017-01-27}} race and the candidacy of Sheikh Salman Alkhalifa for President of FIFA in 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/sports/soccer/sheikhs-candidacy-opens-new-door-to-criticism-of-fifa-human-rights.html|title=Shadow of Human Rights Abuse Follows Contender in FIFA Vote|last=Ruiz|first=Rebecca R.|date=2016-02-24|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2017-01-27}}

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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2017/jan/26/activist-faces-prison-for-saying-journalists-are-banned-from-bahrain|title=Activist faces prison for saying journalists are banned from Bahrain|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|date=2017-01-26|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2017-01-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/09/boris-johnson-urged-call-release-bahraini-campaigner-nabeel-rajab-new-york-times|title=Boris Johnson urged to call for release of Bahraini campaigner|last=editor|first=Patrick Wintour Diplomatic|date=2016-09-09|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2017-01-27}}

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).{{Cite web|url=http://birdbh.org/2016/09/event-closing-civil-society-religious-political-space-in-bahrain/|title=Event: Closing Civil Society, Religious & Political Space in Bahrain {{!}} Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy|website=birdbh.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/07/16/joint-ngo-letter-human-rights-situation-bahrain|title=Joint NGO Letter: Human Rights Situation in Bahrain|date=2015-07-16|newspaper=Human Rights Watch|language=en|access-date=2017-01-27}}

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{{cite web | title= Freedom of Expression Awards Fellowship |trans-title = | website= Index on Censorship |date =2020-04-16 | url = https://www.indexoncensorship.org/awards/ | accessdate = 2020-04-16 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20200416224401/https://www.indexoncensorship.org/awards/ |archivedate= 2020-04-16 |url-status=live |url-access = }}

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Category:Human rights in Bahrain

Category:Non-profit organisations based in London

Category:Organizations established in 2013

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