Gulf States: Phone searches, arrests exacerbate existing restrictions on trade unions, expression

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments have intensified restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly amid ongoing conflict and economic turmoil, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. These latest measures exacerbate existing restrictions on migrant workers’ ability to raise concerns about working conditions in an already repressive environment for migrant workers and trade unions. “Government arrests and barrages of warnings have created a climate of fear that is causing migrant workers to self-censor their private communications as well as online.” Michael Page, Human Rights Watch “The conflict in the Gulf region has spawned a new level of surveillance of migrant workers’ communications, undermining their ability to raise concerns about labor abuses and dangerous working conditions,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Government arrests and barrages of warnings have created a climate of fear that is causing migrant workers to self-censor their private communications as well as online.” Human Rights Watch in March 2026 interviewed 38 Indian, Nepali, and Bangladeshi migrant workers based in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about the impact of armed conflict in the region on their physical and economic security. Many workers were particularly worried about their ability to speak out on issues they faced with human rights organizations and media, even under conditions of anonymity.  In April, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch spoke with 15 migrant workers and worker community leaders in Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait from Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, India, and the Philippines, including follow-up conversations with five workers interviewed in March.  During the regional conflict, Gulf countries have clamped down on free expression. In May, Amnesty International documented that more than 1,000 people have been…

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