Human rights defenders from Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Yemen gathered in Bahrain from 27 – 29 May 2010 for a workshop organized by the Bahrain Human Rights Society in cooperation with the APT. More than 40 participants discussed international standards for the protection of persons deprived of liberty and participated in interactive training sessions on detention monitoring. They also reflected on ways to convince the States in the region to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). In addition to the training itself, workshop participants prepared the ground for the creation of a regional coalition against torture.