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Urgent Action UA: 168/15 Index: MDE 11/2197/2015 Bahrain Date: 31 July 2015 URGENT ACTION POLITICAL ACTIVIST DETAINED OVER SPEECH Political activist Ebrahim Sharif has been detained and charged for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression in a speech he gave at a public gathering. He is a prisoner of conscience. Political activist Ebrahim Sharif was brought to the Public Prosecution for interrogation on 28 July, with his lawyer present. His lawyer asked for him to be released on bail, but the prosecution rejected this and ordered that he be detained for a further 15 days. He is held in al-Hala police station in al-Muharraq governorate, north of the capital, Manama. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression. Ebrahim Sharif had been arrested at his home on 12 July at 2.30am and taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), where he was questioned about a speech he had made at a public gathering on 10 July and remanded in custody for 48 hours. The Public Prosecution interrogated Ebrahim Sharif on 13 July, on charges of “incitement to hatred and contempt of the regime” and “incitement to overthrow the regime by force and illegal means”, under Articles 165 and 160 of Bahrain’s Penal Code. He has denied the charges. The prosecution ordered that he be detained for 15 days for further investigation. Ebrahim Sharif was jailed for five years in 2011, alongside 12 other leading opposition activists who were jailed for between five years and life imprisonment after an unfair trial, for leading widespread peaceful anti-government protests. Ebrahim Sharif was released on 19 June 2015 under a royal pardon. The other 12 opposition activists are currently serving their sentences in Jaw prison. Please write immediately in English or Arabic: Calling on the Bahraini authorities to release Ebrahim Sharif immediately and unconditionally, as he is being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression; Urging them to uphold the right to freedom of expression and repeal laws that criminalize the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 SEPTEMBER 2015 TO: King Minister of Interior And copies to: Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah Al Khalifa Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Office of His Majesty the King Ministry of Interior Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 555 P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: 011 973 1723 2661 P. O. Box 450, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: 011 973 1766 4587 (keep trying) Email: [email protected] Fax: 011 973 1753 1284 Salutation: Your Majesty Salutation: Your Excellency Email:http://www.moj.gov.bh/en/default7 6a7.html?action=category&ID=159 Twitter: @Khaled_Bin_Ali Also send copies to: H.E. Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain 3502 International Dr. NW, Washington DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 362 2192 I Email: [email protected] Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact! EITHER send a short email to [email protected] with “UA 168/15” in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent, OR fill out this short online form to let us know how you took action. Thank you for taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if taking action after the appeals date. URGENT ACTION POLITICAL ACTIVIST DETAINED OVER SPEECH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Ebrahim Sharif is the former Secretary General of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad), a secular political opposition party in Bahrain which includes people from both Shi’a and Sunni communities. He gave a speech on 10 July at a public gathering at the annual commemoration of the funeral of 16-year-old Hussam al-Haddad, who died in August 2012 after he was shot by riot police. In his speech, Ebrahim Sharif spoke about the need for change in Bahrain, highlighted the political opposition’s commitment to non-violence and urged the government to introduce key economic reforms to avoid further bankruptcy. The European Parliament had passed a resolution on Bahrain the previous day, welcoming the release of Ebrahim Sharif and calling for the release of other prisoners of conscience. Amnesty International and other international NGOs sent a joint letter to the UN Human Rights Council on 16 July, calling on them to adopt a resolution expressing concern over and calling for improvements in the human rights situation in Bahrain at the 30th session of the Council. The letter urged the delegation to include in the resolution the call on the government of Bahrain to release protesters, activists and human rights defenders detained or convicted solely for having exercised their rights to peaceful assembly, association or expression. Name: Ebrahim Sharif (m) Issues: Freedom of expression, Arbitrary detention, Prisoner of conscience UA: 168/15 Issue Date: 31 July 2015 Country: Bahrain UA Network Office AIUSA │600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC 20003 T. 202.509.8193 │ F. 202.675.8566 │E. [email protected] │ amnestyusa.org/urgent .
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