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Updates on the Crackdown on Human Rights in Bahrain

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Issue #2 September 2016 Updates on the Crackdown on Human Rights in Bahrain Enclosed a report on the 33rd session of the Human Rights council 400 Students Remain Detained with Launch of Academic Year The founder and president of the Bahrain Teach- ers’ Association (BTA), and assistant Secretary General of the Arab Teachers Union, Mahdi Abu Deeb, said on his Twitter account, “while students wear their school costumes, carry their school bags and go to their schools, there are 400 stu- dents that are detained and deprived from the right to education.” He, also, confirmed that it is the government’s full responsibility to overcome all hardships for the sake of the right to education, rath- er than create hardships. Therefore, “each detained student is in their protection as long as they are detained.” Mahdi Abu Deeb A Bahraini Boy Kept in Solitary Confinement On Sunday (September 4, 2016) Mostafa al-Motgha- wi (16 years old), the brother of the activist Ahmad al-Motghawi, received a summon to be present for interrogation at the Budaiya Police Station where he was arrested and kept in custody in the following day over charges of demonstrating in Duraz. On Wednes- day (September 7, 2016), Mostafa was transferred to the criminal investigations department building, despite the prosecutions’ deci- sion to release him. His lawyer and family members Mostafa al-Motghawi were not allowed to visit him. On Sunday (September 18, 2016), the tion. Bahraini authorities released Mostafa The two boys face charges related 12 days following his arrest. to taking part in Duraz protest that In a similar move, the authorities de- has being ongoing since over 90 days cided to detain boy Ali Mohammad Al- against revoking the citizenship of Aya- Moamen for 7 days pending investiga- tollah Sheikh Isa Qassim. Issue #2 September 2016 01 Nabeel Rajab The Bahraini Regime Intensifies its Measures against the Human Rights Defenders & Journalists The Public Prosecution questioned the elling. This is not the first time that prominent human rights activist Nabeel al-Moussawi was banned from trav- Rajab over publishing an article in the eling, as he was also prevented from New York Times on Sunday (Septem- leaving the country on July 8, 2016. ber 4, 2016) alleging that “in which he Moreover, the head of the Monitoring deliberately disseminated false news and documentation department at the and information and tendentious ru- European-Bahraini Organization for mours that undermine the kingdom’s Human Rights (EBOHR), activist Fatima prestige and stature”, the Public Pros- Al-Halwachi, said that her father Khalil ecution announced in a statement. Halwachi (59 years), who has been in Lately in the same month, Bahrain the pre-detention prison since over 2 Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) con- years, suffered from a new stroke in firmedthat Mr Rajab have been placed prison which made him lose the ability in solitary confinement, indicating that to move his body. he was maltreated, insulted and lashed On Saturday (September 17, 2016) the at by one of the officers in the prison. journalist Ahmed Radhi was also pre- On Sunday (September 4, 2016), Bah- vented from leaving Bahrain for the raini authorities banned the head of second time without giving any legal Bahrain Transparency Association, reason behind this ban. Sayed Sharaf al-Mousawi from trav- Issue #2 September 2016 02 Human Rights Activist Nasser Al-Ras Dies in One of Canada’s Hospitals Human Rights activist Nasser Al- Ras died on Tuesday (September 20, 2016) after his health deterio- rated and entered into a coma in one of Toronto’s hospitals. Al-Ras is one the Bahraini regime’s torture victims. He is also a witness of the death of martyr Abdulkarim Al-Fakhrawi who died under tor- ture in prison. Close people to Al-Ras say that he suffered from heart problems in after he was released, due to be- Nasser Al-Ras ing electrocuted while in prison. Bahrain SIU Received 26 Torture Complaints in August Member of the Bahraini Special Investigation Unit, Ibrahim al-Kawari, said that the unit had received, during the month of August, 26 complaints that varied between allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and the unit began its inves- tigations in all of those complaints. The unit decided to refer three members of the police force to the fifth Minor Criminal Court over charges of “assaulting the bodily integrity of another person”. Issue #2 September 2016 03 The Bahraini Authorities Continue to Target the Shiite Citizens On Wednesday (August 31, 2016) a ey without a license.” number of Bahraini courts issued pris- On the same day, the opposition lead- on sentences against Shiite clerics over er and Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq their participation in the open sit-in National Islamic Society Sheikh Ali Sal- protest held outside the Bahraini Shia man was referred to the Public Pros- spiritual leader Sheikh Isa Qassim’s ecution after questioning him over his house in Diraz. address delivered to UNHRC. President of the biggest Shiite religious On Thursday (September 22, 2016), institution in Bahrain, the Ulama Islamic Sayed Majeed Al-Mashaal was sum- Council, Sayed Majeed Al-Mashaal was moned from prison over taking part in sentenced to two years in prison while the protest outside the house of Shi- Sheikh Aziz Al-Khadran and Sayed Yas- ite spiritual leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa sin Al-Musawi were both sentenced to Qassim. one year. The Bahraini authorities continue to On Monday (August 15, 2016), the ban Shiites from performing the larg- prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Hussein est Friday prayer in the Imam Al-Sadiq al-Mahrous, the director of Sheikh Isa mosque, for more than 10 consecutive Qassim’s office, was brought to trial weeks, by preventing the Imam of the against his will over “gathering money prayer and worshippers from reaching pertaining to the Khums obligatory rit- the mosque. ual, while he is accused of raising mon- Issue #2 September 2016 04 The Bahraini Public Prosecution announced on Wednesday (September 21, 2016) that it re- ferred 17 suspects to court over charges of “establishing a terrorist group”, and “attempted murder of a police officer”. The prosecution based its investigations on the victim’s testimony and confessions of the ac- Verdicts cused suspects, while human rights organiza- tions confirm that Bahrain is resorting to tor- ture to extract confessions from defendants and use them for their conviction in court. On Thursday (September 22, 2016), a Bahraini appeals court upheld an order dissolving the country’s main Shiite opposition group despite international criticism of the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom’s intensified crackdown on dissent. Authorities Oblige Private Bus Owners to Attain Permits from GDT to Transport Students inside Duraz The Bahraini authorities obliged private bus owners to attain permits from the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT) to allow them transport students from and to schools in Duraz. A notice sent by the Duraz Primary Schools for Girls to the parents read “We ask the parents to urge drivers of private busses to attain a permit from the General Directorate of Traffic to enter the school, noting that they will not allowed entry without it.” Issue #2 September 2016 05 International Attitudes Tobias Ellwood The United States voiced concern on In a commentary on the Bahraini Pub- Tuesday (September 6, 2016) about lic Prosecution accusing Nabeel Rajab the detention of leading Bahraini de- of insulting the state’s stature. The US mocracy campaigner Nabeel Rajab journalist and columnist at the New and called on the Manama government York Times, Nicholas Kristof, said on his to release him immediately. Twitter account that the repression of King Hamad is what damages the im- The call by the U.S. State Department age of Bahrain. came just two days after The New York Times published a letter by Rajab that In response to a parliamentary ques- said he was facing prosecution for his tion, Parliamentary Under-Secretary work exposing human rights abuses in of State for Foreign and Common- Bahrain and criticizing the war in Ye- wealth Affairs Tobias Ellwood said, “We men. are concerned about the recent de- Issue #2 September 2016 06 velopments in Bahrain, and we have clearly responded in our public and pri- vate meetings.” “We have issued other statements dated July 15 and 22, 2016, in which we expressed our concern about the nationality revocation of Bahraini re- ligious scholar Sheikh Isa Qassim, the suspension of al-Wefaq, and the pre- vention of human rights activists from traveling to Geneva, and the re-arrest of Nabil Rajab”, the UK parliamentary official further added. Jolie Bishop In its reply to a letter sent by Gulf Insti- Shoebridge, at the New South Wales tute for Democracy and Human Rights, Parliament. The Gulf Institute for De- the Australian Minister for Foreign Af- mocracy and Human Rights said that fairs Jolie Bishop, said that “in 2014 The Australian Greens (Australia’s and 2015, Australia joined statements Green Political Party) has promised to of human rights situation in Bahrain at intervene diplomatically to halt the ex- the Human Rights Council. In the most port of advanced monitoring devices recent Universal Periodic Review of to the Bahraini Interior Ministry. These Bahrain (May 2012). Australia recom- devices are used in the authorities’ re- mended that Bahrain respect the le- pression of pro-democracy peaceful gitimate rights of all its citizens to free- protests. dom of assembly and expression, and maintain its commitment to achieving Twenty-two NGOs, including Human concrete political reform based on re- Rights Watch, Amnesty International spect for the legitimate rights and as- and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and pirations of all its citizens.” Democracy, have written to 50 states urging them to call on the Bahraini au- Furthermore, a delegation from the thorities to release Nabeel Rajab, who Gulf Institute met with deputy Presi- is facing up to 15 years’ in jail for com- dent of the Australian Greens, Mr David ments he made on Twitter.
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