BAHRAIN Map Geography People Economy Military Lib of Cong Country Study
Hereditary Autocracy - No Political Parties - No Freedom of Speech - Judges at the Government's Pleasure - No Workers’ Rights - Women Discrimination - TV Educates How to "Properly" Beat Your Wife

Compare Freedom Score of Bahrain (Partly Free) and Israel (Free)
Source: Freedom House (PDF, 187 KB)

Compare Human Development Index of Bahrain (0.839) and Israel (0.905) (PDF, 670 KB)
Source: United Nations Human Development Report 2003

Compare Corruption Index of Bahrain (5.3), Israel (7.3), Germany (7.3) and USA (7.7)
Source: Transparency International (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bahrain - 2001 (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of U.S. Department of State): "... no political parties ... the judiciary is not independent, and courts are subject to government pressure regarding verdicts, sentencing, and appeals ... criticism of the ruling family or of the Saudi royal family, and fostering sectarian divisions, remain prohibited strictly. In October the Information Ministry banned the publications of Hafidh Al-Shaikh, a frequent columnist in local papers, allegedly for fostering sectarian divisions in society. Some claimed that an article by Al-Shaikh published in a Lebanese newspaper criticizing Bahrain's Crown Prince was the reason for this banning ... Access to the Internet is provided through the National Telephone Company (BATELCO). A government-controlled proxy prohibits user access to sites considered to be antigovernment or anti-Islamic ... It is not uncommon for foreign women working as domestic workers to be beaten or sexually abused (see Sections 6.c. and 6.e.). Numerous cases have been reported to local embassies and the police. However, most victims are too intimidated to sue their employers. Courts reportedly have allowed victims who do appear to sue for damages, return home, or both ... Shari'a governs the legal rights of women. Specific rights vary according to Shi'a or Sunni interpretations of Islamic law, as determined by the individual's faith, or by the court in which various contracts, including marriage, have been made."

Trafficking in Persons Report 2002 (U.S. Department of State) (PDF, 630 KB) - Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates

Library of Congress's Country Studies (Bahrain)
CIA World Factbook (Bahrein)