When Pope Francis visited Bahrain last November, he clearly spoke about the human rights situation in the country. He was brave enough to speak in front of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Is the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Duarte Pacheco as courageous as the Pope?

During the 2022 elections, the Progressive Democratic Tribune (Al-Minbar) issued a political document, along with 3 loyal political societies, in which it said that it would "support candidates who oppose normalization in the next parliament." It did the same in several statements it issued later, as it consistently rejected normalization, became part of the "Bahraini Initiative Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy" and signed all its statements warning people of the evils of normalization.

Human Rights Watch condemned the Bahraini authorities' revoking of the entry visas of two Human Rights Watch staff members to attend the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, although the organization holds permanent observer status with the IPU.

The Public Prosecution ordered the detention of two citizens for seven days and replaced the detention of other citizens with an "alternative measure" for allegedly "misusing social media outlets".

One day away from hosting the meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the authorities in Bahrain are launching new arrest campaigns against activists on social media, among whom lawyer Ibrahim Al-Mannai is known so far, as well as the owner of the "Bahrani_Life" page on Instagram.

127 human rights networks and organizations issued a joint statement on the eve of the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Manama on March 11, 2023, expressing their "grave concern over the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Bahrain."

The Bahraini government denied entry to two delegates representing Human Rights Watch, an observer organization within the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and withdrew their visas that it had granted them.

An official Knesset delegation led by MK Danny Dannon will take off for Bahrain Thursday for the first time since the Abraham accords. The delegation will participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference to incite against Iran and the Palestinian resistance.

Why did the Bahraini government hand over the chairmanship of the National Organizing Committee for the 146th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly to the Shura Council, which is appointed by the King, and not to the nominally elected parliament?

The Bahraini authorities arrested yesterday lawyer Ibrahim Al-Mannai, an activist in expressing his views on Twitter.

Bahrain will host an international parliamentary meeting from 11 until 15 March in a new attempt to promote the country's ruling system, as the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is to be held in Manama.

First Deputy Chairman of the Shura Council, Chairman of national organizing committee of 146th IPU Assembly, Jamal Fakhro affirmed that the meetings of what he called "the largest conference in the history of Bahrain" will be at the expense of the representatives of the participating countries and not on the host country, Bahrain.

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society launched on Saturday, March 4, 2023, a report entitled "Restrictive Political Environment in Bahrain," in which it shed light on the political and human rights situation in Bahrain, with the approach of the IPU meetings convening in Bahrain from 11 to 15 March 2023 in Manama.

Al-Wefaq sent an open letter to the MPs participating in the Inter-Parliamentary Union which will be held in Bahrain, on March 11, 2023, in which it called on them to "tackle the reality of the stifling and unstable parliamentary, political and human rights environment in Bahrain."

The "Bahrain Forum for Human Rights" organized a human rights seminar entitled "Updates on Bahrain's human rights situation" with the participation of members of Al-Wefaq Society, media people, father of political detainee Mr. Ali Mhanna and mother of martyr Sami Mushaima.