UPDATES ON THE CRACKDOWN ON ISSUE #18 HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE GULF SEPTEMBER 2018 Inside: Bahrain: women detainees are subjected 03 to severe pressure Saudi Arabia: Repression reached 09new level Yemen: A further 1 million children 10 at risk of famine BAHRAINI AUTHORITIES ARE TIGHTENING GRIPS ON RELIGIOUS RITUALS & SAUDI FORCES ATTACKED MUHARRUM TENTS IN QATIF www.gidhr.org [email protected] BAHRAINI DETAINEES DEPRIVED FROM THEIR BASIC RIGHTS & CONCERNS RAISED OVER THEIR HEALTH Mohammad Khatim, a formal em- charges of incitement of rioting. ployee at Bahrain’s Ministry of Mu- The family of Mohammed Faraj, a nicipalities Affairs and Urban Plan- patient who suffers from multiple ning, who was repeatedly arrested sclerosis, confirmed that he has as he staged protests over being been without medication for about unable to find work due to economic a week. He said in a telephone con- reprisals and discrimination in the versation that he was suffering from country. Khatim started a hunger head and eye pain because he was strike, on early September, for over deprived of his medication. In addi- a week and was hospitalised follow- tion to the fact that the prison ing the strike. administration is taking the prison- Family of cancer patient detainee ers out into the open field at noon, Elias Al-Mullah expressed concerns despite extremely high tempera- regarding the new symptoms that tures. appeared on him, calling to allow On 11 September, activists reported him receive treatment without that Sadiq Rida Hassan Abbas Abor- delay. The family demanded to have wais was being brutally beaten and a copy of the blood tests he under- electrocuted by guards at Bahrain’s went more than a month ago. Dry Dock Detention Centre. Abor- Human rights activist Ebtisam wais was arrested at a police check- Al-Sayegh reported the complaints point in August 2018 without proper of a number of political prisoners in cause. some of Jaw Central Prison's build- Bahraini detainee Habib Allawi is ings due to the continuous water being refused access to medical outage. She also stated that prison- treatment for his eye injury, which ers who knocked on the doors to he sustained after being struck by protest against the lack of water had birdshot pellets. The prison authori- been subjected to punitive measures ties refused to take him to his previ- such as denial of contact with family, ously scheduled doctor’s appoint- transfer to solitary confinement or ment. > Bahrain GULF INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SEP. 2018 ISSUE #18 PAGE 2 WOMEN DETAINEES SUBJECTED TO SEVERE PRESSURE According to Bahraini activist ees and their visitors. She also Ahmed al-Wadaei, the director of insisted that these measures are Women’s Prison in Hamad town part of a broader campaign aimed at attacked 3 female detainees; Hajar subjecting inmates to severe pres- Mansoor, Madina Ali and Najah sure. She added that the prisoners’ Yousef. The three detainees were communication with the outside assaulted and beaten and held world is being disrupted and that incommunicado detention for cell doors are only kept open for a attempting to join religious festivi- quarter of an hour each day. ties. Bahraini detainee Madina Ali said, in The sister of Bahraini detainee a letter presented to the UN Human Amira Al-Qashaami said in a Twitter Rights Council, she have been post that the glass partitions which denied her basic rights inside Isa were installed last year at the visita- Prison and is suffering from viola- tion centre of the Isa Town Wom- tions even after her unfair trial and en’s Prison are prohibiting any kind detainment. of physical contact between detain- > Bahrain GULF INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SEP. 2018 ISSUE #18 PAGE 3 BAHRAINI AUTHORITIES ARE TIGHTENING GRIPS ON RELIGIOUS RITUALS Bahraini Security forces forcibly removed all the displays, black flags and slogans of Ashura commemorations from several Bahraini villages. The Bahraini authorities summoned Shiite clerics, who were taking part in commemorating Ashura rituals, and obsequies organisers for investiga- tion under pretext of inciting hatred against the government. On 19 September 208, a number of Shiite citizens, who performed prayers in Manama and participated in the mourning processions of 10th Muhar- rum eve, were summoned for interrogation. The authorities are tightening grips on the Shiite sect that commemo- rates the occasion of Ashura. However, lawyer Abdullah Al-Shamlawi said that what is presented by the preachers is taken from books of Muslims, and derives its legitimacy from established customs, which the Constitu- tion of Bahrain recognises. He noted that the ongoing interrogation and at times imprisonment of preachers is considered a siege imposed on reli- gious rites, which is a crime against state security since it represents a vio- lation of the constitution. INTERNATIONAL CALLS URGING BAHRAIN TO HALT VIOLATIONS AGAINST POLITICAL DETAINEES AND ACTVISTS MP in the British Parliament, Lord to observe Muharrum fully. Lord Scriven had asked the Foreign and Ahmad of Wimbledon answered Commonwealth office about saying: "Our Embassy in Bahrain reports concerning the 3 political and the Foreign and Common- prisoners Hajer Mansoor, Medina wealth Office continue to monitor Ali and Najah Ahmed Yusuf who the case of Hajar Mansoor, Medina are suffering in their cells from sec- Ali and Najah Ahmed Yusuf," noting ond-hand smoke and are banned that their cases have been raised at from taking part in activities relat- a senior level with the Government ed to the Muharrum religious festi- of Bahrain. val, and inquired about assurances On 26 September, Brian Dooley they have received that they will be reported in a tweet that he called moved to another cell and allowed Isa Town Women’s Prison to ask > Bahrain GULF INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SEP. 2018 ISSUE #18 PAGE 4 about Hajar Mansoor, after reports and if he will raise this issue and the she was assaulted. Dooley said that case of Mushaima with his Bahraini a woman answered and said in per- counterpart, Simon Coveney, Irish fect English: "Sorry I don't speak Minister for Foreign Affairs and English, please call later", noting Trade, said "I am aware the individ- that he tried to call several times ual in question, and other prisoners, later but no one answered him. have been denied adequate health- British Liberal Democrat MP Tom care in prison," stressing that "Ire- Brake called on Bahrain to grant land attaches great importance to detained Bahraini opposition ledad- safeguarding the human rights of er Hassan Mushaima access to ade- all prisoners, with due regard for the quate medical care. “It’s imperative international standards enshrined that Bahrain authorities improve in the United Nations Standard basic rights and conditions and Minimum Rules for the Treatment allow urgent treatment for Hassan,” of Prisoners." Coveney expressed he wrote on his Twitter account. his concerns about the deteriorat- Brake is leading a movement in the ing human rights situation in Bah- UK Parliament calling for the adop- rain. He added "Although Bahrain tion of a motion for ending degrad- has repeatedly stated its commit- ing treatment against political pris- ment to improving its human rights oners in Bahrain, suspending tech- record and safeguarding human nical assistance programs to Bah- rights as enshrined in the Bahraini rain and release of all political pris- Constitution, there are ongoing oners, including opposition leaders. instances of violations of funda- Responding to a written question mental freedoms there, including raised by Irish MP Seán Crowe violations of freedom of opinion regarding the health deterioration and expression." of political prisoners and being In its annual report on counterter- denied access to sufficient health- rorism and countering violent care, including Hasan Mushaima, extremism in the world in 2017, the > Bahrain GULF INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SEP. 2018 ISSUE #18 PAGE 5 US State Department considered exacerbated political tensions, repression the main reason for the which could increase the risk of rad- increase in terrorism in Bahrain. The icalization to violence. State Department linked in its Leading international authors lent report the practices of the Bahraini their voices in support of jailed Bah- authorities with the increase in vio- raini opposition leader Hassan Mus- lence, in particular the closure of haima, demanding that he be treat- Al-Wasat, the only independent ed with “dignity”. “This is a right newspaper in the country, which that should accorded to all prison- restricted the space of opposition ers,” a number of writers including voices in the country. In the context, Margaret Atwood, Elif Shafak and the report mentioned the dissolu- Claire Tomalin said in an open letter tion of two opposition political soci- to Bahrain’s monarch Hamad bin Isa eties, Wa'ad and Al-Wefaq, along Al Khalifa. “We urge you to restore with government suppression of Mr Mushaima’s dignity by returning peaceful protests, stating that they his books.” WESTERN DELEGATES AT HRC39 URGE MANAMA TO FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PROTECT FREEDOMS Western delegates at the 39th ses- the freedom of expression, and sion of the UN Human Rights Coun- allow the media to operate freely.” cil are continuing to articulate their Meanwhile, the Danish envoy called concerns over the deteriorating for the “release of all arbitrarily human rights situation in Bahrain. detained persons in Bahrain, includ- The Norwegian delegate expressed ing the Danish-Bahraini citizen Mr particular alarm about the state of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja”. civil society in the kingdom and Moreover, the French delegate urged Manama “to create a safe listed Bahrain among a group of and enabling environment for states where “human rights defend- human rights defenders, protect ers are too often silenced.” GULF INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SEP.