صرخات العالم من أجل ثورة اللؤلؤ ، مواقف و بيانات دولية by bahrain library

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ‬ ‫وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت‬ ‫دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫ﺻﺮﺧﺎت اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ‬ ‫ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ ﺛﻮرة اﻟﻠﺆﻟﺆ‬

‫اﻟﻤﺮﻛﺰ اﻹﻋﻼﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ ‫‪1‬‬

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ‬ ‫وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﺻﺮﺧﺎت اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ ﺛﻮرة اﻟﻠﺆﻟﺆ‬ ‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ ‫‪3‬‬

                     

Among all such violations accompanied by the crackdown since March 2011, being the regime›s ban on any unbiased or fair coverage pertaining to media, human rights, and politics so as to minimize the violations and brutality committed. The regime, along with all its functions, was keen to murder its citizens in cold blood; demolish more than 38 mosques; arbitrarily dismiss more than 4400 employees; detain more than 3000 citizens; break into citizens’ houses robbing their belongings; and conduct the most brutal torturing methods quelling citizens led by sectarian motives. The ongoing crackdown resulted in more than half of the Bahraini population sustaining corporeal and incorporeal damages.

                                                  

Despite such a crackdown and the difficulty to cover any event or communicate because of the regime’s ban on observers and media personnel that in some cases reached such personnel being targeted by assaults, a number of human rights and professional organizations and concerned bodies who were fortunate to make it to Bahrain and had a glimpse of how tragic the situation on ground was. Some other eyewitnesses documented the events according to what they experienced given the limited access to a small amount of coverage compared to the real situation.

                                          

In this book, the effort was spent to compile unbiased and balanced stands that depicted and described what has happened and is happening in Bahrain. Yet, the situation is more catastrophic than what it seems to be as the crackdown is still in place either claiming the lives of those demanding the democratic shift or sending them behind bars; a cluster of which representing the majority of the Bahraini people. With all wounds, losses, and bloodshed, happening in the eye of the international community, those demanding are struggling to attain their rights no matter what it costs.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

International statements and stands were literally compiled as released in both Arabic and English.

                          

‫اﻟﻤﻘﺪﻣﺔ‬

Foreword

Since the onset of the 14 February 2011 Revolution in the Kingdom of Bahrain faced by a brutal crackdown and participated, directly and indirectly, by all security functions in Bahrain and backed by GCC troops, all human rights have been violated starting by the Bahraini citizens up to all their living, civil, social, professional, and religious means. The Bahraini citizen has since then lost the public security and become the subject to all and any violations one may think of.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ‬ United Nations

  

  





               

                      

 "  "     

                                    "  

 "         " " "         "           "                                   "    " 6

                       "            "                       

    ‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬



            

          "         " " "      "           

               

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ‬ United Nations               "     "    

   ""

" " "  "                                   

             ""           

  

   

      "    "



"           "

              

"  "    

                8

 "             

   

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                      



"           "

               

           

 

"           " 

                  

  

                      "  

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ‬ United Nations

"  "

   

" "



                          "  "

              "    "

       "          "

                     

             

  " "

  

           



""                

                            

              10

                           "   "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

         "   "

                                ""   

       

   

           

"   "

                       ""      "           "

          

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ‬ United Nations                   

  

"    "  ""    ""      ""                           

                      

                 

"             "                         ""    "          "              

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

             

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International      "      ""                      "     ""      "" "" ""     "     "                                            

                                      " "         "                     " "           "                                       14

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 15

          "      "                                                                        ""    "  "           "                "                ""  "   " "  "  

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-protest-deaths-point-excessive-police15-02-force-2011

  http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -ar/de086474-d22a-4f5c-9ff8/2011/001/MDE11 36b01086b88e/mde110012011ara.pdf

   MDE  MDE 

                                                          " "  ""                              

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International             –  " "" " http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ probe-call-release-23-bahrain-activists24-02-welcomed-2011

                    ""    "         "  "          " ""                

    http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -202b-427f-b1d2-ar/faf18949/2011/006/MDE11 33df9ce55549/mde110062011ar.html

                                           "                       "                "      "                     16

bahraini-activists-receive-threats-after-anonymous11-03-death-call-2011

                                    "   "    "    "                  "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

       "          "

                            

                                    "   "                        ""               "      "    " "             http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International                          http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ 99-%80%report/evidence-bahraini-security-forces%E2 16-03-brutality-revealed-2011

    MDE      http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ 91cb--4a18-ar/6137fd6c-8131/2011/009/MDE11 64e6fb89ce8b/mde110092011ara.pdf

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -ar/40d6fa8f-464f-416d-84c0/2011/009/MDE11 3ea391629a09/mde110092011en.pdf

                                                  "                "  "   "                     ""   18

                                                             

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                       

                          

                                                                                     

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International  "            "      "                   "                                   "   "           "   "        " "                         

                                                    http://www.amnesty.org/ar/appeals-for-action/ bahrain-ensuring-accountability-excessive-force-andprotection-protesters

                                      20

 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

 –  –                                            

                                                                                  ""                                    

                                          http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-urged-stop-targeting-protesters-two-die١١-٠٤-٢٠١١-custody

    MDE                         

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International         "                                                        ""     ""                                                                      

                        http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/info/ ar/2011/018/MDE11

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ 8ded--4392-18e9-ar/fa491f04/2011/018/MDE11 1559f77ab1b1/mde110182011ar.html

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ 8260--5a9c-4df7-ar/afe5e0f4/2011/018/MDE11

af7cbff4ae27/mde110182011en.html

                                             "    "          " 22

 2011/019/Index Number: MDE 11 Date Published: 21 April 2011 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ -4ae2-b279-en/5a1d24dd-e2e6/2011/019/MDE11 00fd167d6e2a/mde110192011en.html

                        "                "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                  

      

                                                             " "         "           " http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-international-pressure-needed-now-haltspiralling-human-rights-crisis2011

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/ar/for-media/press-releases/ bahrain-urged-halt-execution-protesters

                                                            "     "  "          "                    "    "                "   "

    –     – "  "                                           ""                    "         "            " "           24

                                                                            

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

               "       "

        "          " ""       

                   ""                  "      "       "    "               ""      "" ""                                          http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/fair-

trial-urged-bahraini-opposition-activists

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International        "   "  "    " 

 ""      

  " "

           

    

   

 

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/trialbahraini-opposition-activists-adjourned-independentobservers-barred

 " " "          "  http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-urged-release-former-militaryofficer

   ""

                           

       

         



 26

                          

        "     "    

             

                   

           

  "  "

  "       " http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-activists-jailed-following-politicallymotivated-trials

  "   ""  

 "                                        

   

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                

     ""

 "    "         

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International     "             " " "           

"                     "" "

 "                 "

"     "

   " "   "    "        "      "                                               

          "                     " "        ""      "                  " http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/usurged-learn-mistakes-past-middle-east-and-northafrica

                

         "   "  "                                      "   "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

          

                          

                                                  http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ 99-%80%bahrain-must-commute-protesters%E2 death-sentences

                "        

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International                                  " "

    

  "    "

                                  " "

 ""      "             "                            "   "   "           " http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-faces-fresh-torture-claims-over-health07-06-99-trial-2011%80%workers%E2

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/for-media/press-releases/ bahrain-set-renewed-protests-state-emergencyends

      

          "     "    "       "                30

                                                http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahraini-poet-set-face-verdict-protestreading

      

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

               

       "                      "  "  " 

                "       "               "          "         "      "                     "          "                      

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International               "        " " "                                          ""                                                                       

        "  "  " "                                        http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ 12-06-bahraini-activist-jailed-reading-poem-2011

                       32

                              "   "                     "        "    "       ""   

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

          

                      " "   

 "       "  "    "         ""                  http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-targets-activists-military-trialscontinue

          ACT   http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ 9da8--ar/5506beeb-7f5c-4227/2011/120/ACT30 f0f9f78d21e7/act301202011ar.pdf

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -076b-464f-94b1-ar/69b2c790/2011/120/ACT30 662765f69110/act301202011en.pdf http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/info/ ar/2011/120/ACT30

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International                                                                                               http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -4e41-ba91-ar/2c756f8f-b179/2011/137/ACT30 78201fb538e1/act301372011ar.html

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -9946-7fbd-46f6-ar/6d566ff9/2011/137/ACT30 771a67624db0/act301372011en.html http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/info/ ar/2011/137/ACT30

   –           "            "        "     " "     "        http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ bahrain-military-court-sentences-shia-activists-unfairtrial

                                                                                   

                                      

   ""    

                    

    " "" "

 "   " ‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                

   

                       –      

   

          "       "   "                       "

         "            "

             "  "     

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ mounting-fears-bahraini-teachers-held-after27-07-protests-2011

                     

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International        "          " ""  ""                                        http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-andupdates/bahrain-imprisoned-activists-hungerstrike

      

               "         "     " "     "   " "                     "                         "   "   

         

  

    "      " " "      http://www.amnesty.org/ar/news-and-updates/ released-bahraini-politicians-still-under-threatgovernment-repression

 

        ""   ""                        "  "       

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

  

 "                     " 

               "      "           "          "  "                    "      "         "                 

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International          " "               "  "          ""        

  

           "                  "             "   "      " "" "  ""              – 

  

            

   

             ""           

      "      "

         

"           

"    "

                                                 

                         

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                     

 "                                                            

           

                    "  "

    

           

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International                                                         

                        ""          

                      " "          "                    "                      "              "                                   40

  

     

   "          "

   

                                                                                   

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

           " "

         

     "       "

      "   "                                                                         

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

   

   

 "           "            "   "  

2011488AI IndexPRE01

                       

                             

    "                 "              "

      "            " 

                            

"  "

     –   –

              

  42

                        "                 "  "  "                    

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                            

                            "               

                                                        "                        "   

                           

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International              "   "         "                                       "       "                     

     "            

                             "              "              "         

  "  "                          "  "  "   "         "         "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

     "                   "               

          

  ""                                         "    "         "           "     "   "   "        "   "           "

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International         ""  MDE  

                                       ""  ""                   "  



                                  "     "         "     –  –   "                                                                          46

         •           •                  "" bms@bmsbh       Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW 1‫؛‬ .health@amnesty.org

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

            

        "         "           

   "                                                                        ""     " "                            •          • ""  •             •   • 

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

         ""                   

  " "  "   "  "        

                                 ""              48

          "           ""                "  "                             "     "     "       "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

 

 •          •       

                                               "      "                    """        "       "  "                             " "        "    "  "    "    " 

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International   "" ""                  "                                "               ""     ""   

             •                           •                              "" bms@bmsbh        Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW 1‫؛‬ .health@amnesty.org       50

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: TEACHERS ARRESTED FOR STRIKING IN BAHRAIN

UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/040/ Bahrain Date: 26 July 2011 URGENT ACTION Teachers arrested for striking in Bahrain The former president and vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA) have been detained since the end of March. They are now facing trial and Amnesty International believes they are likely to be prisoners of conscience. Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, together with several other board members of the BTA, were arrested in March and April 2011. While their colleagues were released, they were brought to trial before the National Safety Court of First Instance (a military court) on 15 June on charges which include “inciting hatred towards the regime”, “calling to overthrow and change the regime by force”, “calling on parents not to send their children to school” and “calling on teachers to stop working and participate in strikes and demonstrations”. After further hearings on 22 and 29 June - their trial was transferred to a civilian court and postponed until further notice. Jalila al-Salman’s house in Manama was raided on 29 March by more than 40 security officers. She was reportedly taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) in Manama where she remained for about a week during which she was reportedly beaten, including with objects, and held in solitary confinement. She is believed to have been transferred to the custody of the military and held there for around two months, before being transferred again to a detention centre in ‘Issa Town in Bahrain, where she is currently held. Jalila al-Salman’s family were not aware of her whereabouts until soon after her

transfer to the detention centre in ‘Issa Town and have only been allowed to see her there on two occasions. The second of these visits was on 16 July, and was under very strict surveillance. Amnesty International has reviewed statements issued by the BTA. One of them, published on 13 March, called on teachers and employees of the Ministry of Education to go on strike, and on parents not to take their children to school during large-scale demonstrations in Bahrain. Amnesty International has also listened to speeches delivered by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb that made similar appeals. It has, however, seen no evidence that either of them advocated violence of any kind in these or other activities. Consequently, although the organization does not have the full details of the evidence presented so far in the trial, it believes that they are likely to be prisoners of conscience detained solely for exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly as leading members of the BTA. Please write immediately in English or Arabic: • Expressing concern that Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb are being detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly as leading members of the BTA and calling for their immediate and unconditional release if this is the case; • Urging the authorities to protect them from torture or other ill-treatment and immediately set up a full, impartial and independent investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Jalila al-Salman, to make its results public, and bring to justice anyone responsible. PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 2 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO: King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International Fax: +973 176 64 587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness

protests and in some cases for calling for regime change. On 29 June the King of Bahrain issued a decree transferring all cases being examined by military courts to ordinary civilian courts. Name: Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb Gender m/f: Jalila al-Salman - female Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb - male UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/040/ Issue Date: 26 July 2011

Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. URGENT ACTION Teachers arrested for striking in Bahrain ADDITIONAL INFORMATION After the February-March 2011 unrest in Bahrain, the Minister of Human Rights and Social Development dissolved the board of the BTA and other associations and substituted the board members by governmentappointed members. Local human rights organizations have reported that many teachers and members of the BTA have been subjected to torture, detention and harassment for their participation in peaceful protests. All teachers have reportedly been released except the two mentioned above. Hundreds of people have been detained in Bahrain in connection with anti-government protests since mid-March when Bahraini armed and security forces crushed the protests. Scores of detainees, including medical doctors and prominent opposition activists, were brought before military courts for leading the

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪53‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪55‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪57‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪59‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪61‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪63‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪65‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪67‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪69‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪71‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪73‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪75‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪77‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪79‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪81‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫‪8‬‬

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪83‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪85‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪87‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪89‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪91‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪93‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪95‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

bullets were showering the peaceful protesters and there was tear gas everywhere. Several wounded are being rushed to the hospital and many are screaming,” Maryam Al-Khawaja, from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, told Amnesty International. Fadhel Ali Almatrook was shot dead close to alSalmaniya hospital in Manama. According to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, more than 20 people required hospital treatment as a result of injuries caused by the riot police on Monday. Monday’s “Day of Rage” protests in Bahrain, organized on Facebook and Twitter and apparently inspired by unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, took place mainly in Shia villages around Manama. “Like many in the region, those in Bahrain who feel their dignity has been compromised are demanding change. The authorities must listen to these calls, rather than retaliating with violence,” said Malcolm Smart.

On Friday, Amnesty International highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain with its report Crackdown in Bahrain: human rights at the crossroads. The organization called on the government to ensure proper investigations into allegations of torture and other serious abuses by the security forces. In August-September 2010, the Bahrain authorities swooped on 23 opposition political activists, detaining them incommunicado for two weeks during which some allege they were tortured. The authorities have also curtailed freedom of expression, closing critical websites and banning opposition publications. Hundreds of people have been arrested or imprisoned for participating in protests. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-protest-deaths-pointexcessive-police-force-201115-02-

15 February 2011

BAHRAIN PROTEST DEATHS POINT TO EXCESSIVE POLICE FORCE

Amnesty International has condemned the heavy-handed tactics used by Bahrain’s riot police earlier today after the second death in two days of protests calling for political reform in the tiny Gulf state. Fadhel ‘Ali Matrook was among a crowd of people mourning the death yesterday of ‘Ali ‘Abdulhadi Mushaima’, killed in clashes between protesters and police, when he was shot dead by police earlier today in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. Riot police are said to have opened ﬁre on the crowd without warning during the funeral.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“This second killing within two days is both tragic and a very worrying development,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Bahrain authorities must thoroughly investigate what occurred, stand down the police involved in these shootings and make clear to the police that the use of excessive force will not be tolerated.” “An independent investigation is also urgently

required to establish the facts, particularly whether the level of force used by the police, both yesterday and today, can possibly be justiﬁed.” “Eyewitness reports of today’s shooting received by Amnesty International suggest strongly that Fadhel ‘Ali Matrook’s death was caused by excessive force, in which case the police responsible must be brought to justice.” Over 10,000 people reportedly joined today’s funeral procession for ‘Ali ‘Abdulhadi Mushaima’, who died on Monday during clashes with riot police in the village of al-Daih, east of Manama. Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that police opened ﬁred on the procession of mourners without warning, as they chanted slogans criticizing the government and calling for Bahrain to have a new constitution and a democratically elected government. “Peaceful protesters were chanting ‘Khalifa leave’ and within minutes of the procession beginning, we got attacked by the riot police;

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

pardons or if the cases against them can be reinstated at a later date. Two other political activists who were charged together with the 23 but in their absence as they reside in London - Hassain Meshaima’, secretary general of the unauthorized opposition organization, al-Haq, and Sa’eed al-Shehabi, secretary general of the Bahrain Freedom Islamic Movement – are also reported to have had the charges against them withdrawn under a pardon issued by the King. The 23 detainees’ cases were featured in Crackdown in Bahrain: human rights at the crossroads, an Amnesty International report released this month which highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain.

Rage, organized on Facebook and Twitter, on 14 February and apparently inspired by popular protests in Egypt and Tunisia.

At least seven people were killed and scores, possibly hundreds, of people have been wounded in the past week by security forces that used excessive force against protesters before they were largely withdrawn last Saturday. Amnesty International last week condemned the heavy-handed tactics used by Bahrain’s security forces. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/probe-call-release-23-bahrainactivists-welcomed-201124-02-

The unrest in Bahrain started with a ”Day of

24 February 2011

PROBE CALL AS RELEASE OF 23 BAHRAIN ACTIVISTS WELCOMED

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of 23 opposition activists in Bahrain, but again called for an independent investigation into claims that some of them were tortured while in custody.

that some of them were tortured in pre-trial detention, and to bring to justice anyone found responsible for torture, said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The 23 men were among at least 250 detainees released early on Wednesday by order of Bahrain’s head of state, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, apparently in response to demands made by protesters seeking political reform in the country.

The 23 opposition activists were arrested in August and September last year during a clampdown in the run up to parliamentary elections held in October 2010.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The 23 were facing trial on an array of securityrelated charges, which they denied but which could have resulted in their being sentenced to death.

”While we welcome the release of these opposition activists, we continue to urge the Bahraini authorities to conduct a thorough, independent investigation into allegations

They were charged with forming an illegal organization, aiming to overthrow the government and dissolve the Constitution, inciting people to ”overthrow and change the political system of the country”, fundraising and planning terrorist acts and other oﬀences under Bahrain’s 2006 anti-terrorism law. According to a lawyer for the group, Mohammed al-Tajer, it is not clear whether they were released yesterday under royal

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

All callers delivered broadly the same message: ‹You are a donkey. We will kill you. We want you to stop going to the (Pearl) roundabout. If you don’t stop your human rights business we will f*** you”. Another activist from the same organization, Naji Fateel, said he had received two messages along similar lines. The other named activist was Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, formerly the Middle East and North Africa director for Frontline, an NGO which supports human rights defenders. The circulated message contained all the information about the activists that would be found on a national ID card: their full name, home address, photograph, personal ID number and employment, along with their telephone numbers. This has prompted suspicion that the threats may emanate from Bahraini security oﬃcials,

who would have easy access to such details, or from people acting on their behalf. ”The authorities must urgently probe whether these threats are the work of Bahraini security or intelligence officials and are intended to deter the activists from continuing their human rights work and involvement in protests demanding reform in Bahrain,” said Malcolm Smart. “If officials are found to be responsible, they must be brought to justice.” The text messages reportedly follow the wide circulation of a leaflet a few days ago which contained the photographs and names of a number of human rights defenders and opposition political activists who, it said, were to be targeted.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahraini-activists-receive-threats-afteranonymous-death-call-201111-03-

100

11 March 2011

BAHRAINI ACTIVISTS RECEIVE THREATS AFTER ANONYMOUS DEATH CALL

Amnesty International has called on the Bahraini authorities to ensure the safety of three human rights activists after text messages were yesterday circulated to many people in Bahrain calling for them to be killed. The messages contained personal details of the activists and labelled them ”advocates of subversion”. One of the three then received a series of anonymous threats from callers to his phone.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

”The Bahraini authorities must mount an immediate, thorough investigation to identify the source of these threats and bring to justice those responsible for inciting murder and issuing death threats,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

101

”The government must also ensure the safety of the three activists who have been named in these threats and any others who may be targeted in the same way, and aﬀord them all

possible protection.” The unrest in Bahrain started with a “Day of Rage” on 14 February in which one protestor was killed by the security forces. Six more protestors were killed in the following days and hundreds injured, many due to the use of excessive and lethal force by riot police and other security forces. The worst incidents occurred on 17 February when the police carried out an early morning raid to clear demonstrators camped at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, killing ﬁve protestors and assaulting ambulance staﬀ and medical workers seeking to assist the wounded. One of the activists named in yesterday’s text message, Mahmmad al-Maskati from the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, told Amnesty International he has received around 11 anonymous threatening phone calls since the message calling for him to be killed was circulated yesterday.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

One witness told Amnesty International that on 17 February riot police were shooting from diﬀerent angles, including from a bridge over the roundabout, while protesters desperately ran for cover.

Among the injured were people clearly identiﬁable as medical workers, who were targeted by police while trying to help wounded protesters at or near the roundabout. On 3 March Bahrain’s Minister of Social Development, visiting London, told Amnesty International that the Bahraini government was holding an investigation into the killings that would report directly to the King, and that two members of the security forces had been taken into custody. Amnesty International is calling for an independent investigation that is both thorough and transparent. ”All the actions of the security forces against protesters since February must be fully and independently investigated. Those responsible for ordering and unleash lethal force against peaceful protesters must be identiﬁed and held to account.” ”There must be no impunity for unlawful killings, assaults and other abuses against both

protesters and medical staff.” Amnesty International has identified some of the ammunition found in the aftermath of the raid on Pearl Roundabout on 17 February. They include US-made tear gas canisters, USmade 37mm rubber multi-baton rounds, Frenchmade tear gas grenades, and French-made rubber “dispersion” grenades, which fragment into 18 pieces and produce a loud sound effect. Amnesty International called on governments who supply weapons to Bahrain to immediately suspend the transfer of weapons, munitions and related equipment that could be used to commit further human rights violations, and to urgently review all arms supplies and training support to Bahrain’s military, security and police forces. Following the Bahraini security forces’ use of unwarranted force against protesters, the UK government revoked some licences for arms exports to Bahrain, and the French authorities have suspended the export of security equipment to Bahrain. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/report/evidence-bahrainisecurity-forces%E299-%80%brutalityrevealed-201116-03-

102

17 March 2011

EVIDENCE OF BAHRAINI SECURITY FORCES’ BRUTALITY REVEALED Amnesty International today revealed evidence of the Bahraini security forces’ systematic use of excessive force in cracking down against protesters, as fresh violence left as many as eight people dead. In a new report released today, Bloodied but Unbowed: Unwarranted State Violence against Bahraini Protesters, the organization documents how security forces used live ammunition and extreme force against protesters in February without warning and impeded and assaulted medical staﬀ trying to help the wounded.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The report, which is based on ﬁrst hand testimonies given to an Amnesty International team in Bahrain, comes as the country is gripped by further violence, after Saudi Arabian and UAE forces entered the small Gulf state three days ago and Bahrain’s King declared a national state of emergency.

103

”It is alarming to see the Bahraini authorities now again resorting to the same tactics that they used against protesters in February but on an even more intensive scale,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa “It appears that the government has decided that the way to deal with protests is through violent

repression, a totally unsustainable position and one which sets an ominous example in a region where other governments are also facing popular calls for change.” ”The authorities must exercise proper control over the security forces, uphold and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, including the right to peaceful protest.” Dr Hani Mowafi, a US medical doctor who was part of the Amnesty International team, found a pattern of fatal and serious injuries during February’s violence showing that the security forces used live ammunition at close range, and apparently targeted protesters’ heads, chests and abdomens. They also fired medium-to-large calibre bullets from high-powered rifles on 18 February. The worst violence before today took place early on the morning of 17 February, when five people were killed. Witnesses told Amnesty International that, in scenes that would be repeated on 16 March, tanks blocked access to the Pearl Roundabout as police used shotguns as well as tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters, many of whom were camping there.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

four were only recently released after several months in detention during which some alleged that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Following the deaths of seven protestors in February, the King of Bahrain announced that an inquiry would be conducted by Deputy Prime Minister, Jawad al-’Arayedh but, to date, the government has provided no further details about this inquiry. Clearly, it cannot be considered independent if it is being conducted by a senior government minister. Amnesty International is calling on the King of Bahrain to establish an immediate full, thorough, transparent and independent commission of inquiry to investigate the use of lethal and other excessive force by the security forces against protesters, medical staﬀ and others in both February and March, to make the results of the investigation public and to ensure that all those found responsible for unlawful killings, excessive force or other serious abuses are brought to justice. Amnesty International is also urging the Bahraini authorities to immediately rein in their security forces, including support forces provided by Saudi Arabia and other states, in order to prevent any repetition of the killings

and other abuses that have occurred so far; to respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, including the right to peaceful protest; and to release the political activists and medical practitioners who are currently being detained as prisoners of conscience. His Majesty, Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Please sign the petition urging the King of Bahrain to: • Set up immediately an independent commission of inquiry to conduct a full, thorough and transparent investigation into the killings and attacks on protesters and the assaults on health and medical workers, and make the results of the investigation public; • Guarantee and uphold the right to peaceful protest and aﬀord protection to peaceful protesters from excessive force by police or violence by others; • Respect and protect the right to freedom of association and ensure that all human rights organizations and human rights defenders are able to carry out their work without political interference or hindrance; • Ensure that excessive force is not again used

104

24 March 2011

Bahrain: Ensuring accountability for excessive force and protection for protesters Amnesty International has documented how in February, security forces in Bahrain used excessive force against peaceful protesters without warning and impeded and assaulted medical staﬀ trying to help the wounded.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The riot police used tear gas, batons, rubber bullets and shotguns to disperse the crowds, killing seven people between 14 and 21 February and injuring scores of other protesters. Among those injured were medical staﬀ who were trying to help wounded protesters in or near the Pearl Roundabout after protestors who had set up camp there were forcibly dispersed by the security forces early on 17 February. Paramedics trying to assist injured people on the same morning were beaten and attacked by the riot police.

105

Bahrain experienced further violence in midMarch after Saudi Arabia sent in one thousand troops and UAE police arrived in the small Gulf state, apparently at the request of the Bahrain government. On 15 March Bahrain’s King declared a national state of emergency of three months’ duration. On 15 and 16 March the riot police and army reportedly ﬁred at protesters injuring many and killing several. During these two days the army and riot police blocked access to health centres and hospitals.

Since protests started on 14 February, at least 12 protesters have been killed and another four have been found dead after they went missing in circumstances that are as yet unclear. It has been reported also that three foreign migrant workers were killed, apparently by persons other than the security forces, and that at least three policemen oﬃcers also died in clashes with protesters. Hundreds others have been injured and access to hospitals and health centres has been blocked. Following the attacks on 16 March, at least 10 opposition activists and six medical doctors were arrested. Two of the 15 detainees were released within hours of their arrest but the whereabouts of the 14 others are currently unknown. The Bahraini authorities have not said where they are being held or given them access to their families or lawyers, nor have they disclosed the legal basis for their arrest other than saying they are accused of calling for the downfall of the government, inciting violence and acting as agents of a foreign power – an implicit reference to Iran. These accusations are denied by the detainees’ families. At least eight of the opposition activists are reported to have been arrested by a joint force of Bahraini and Saudi Arabian security forces who did not produce arrest warrants. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience;

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

investigated, promptly, fully and thoroughly,” said Malcolm Smart. “It is alarming when so many deaths occur in so short a period when the great majority of detainees are being held in secret locations and there is no known independent access to them.”

“These are conditions ripe for torture and other serious abuses.” From mid-February until mid-March 2011, Bahrain was gripped by popular protests inspired by those in Tunisia and Egypt. Protesters, mostly members of the majority Shi’a Muslim community, complain that they are discriminated against and marginalized by the ruling Sunni Muslim minority. Some of the protesters have called for a new constitution, an elected government and greater freedoms and opportunities. Others, including many of those now detained, advocate replacing the monarchy with a

republic. Bahraini security forces used overwhelming force to quell the mid-February protests, killing seven protesters and injuring hundreds. After a brief lull, and after protesters began to stage marches and sit ins outside the Pearl Roundabout, including in the Financial Harbour, in Manama security forces launched a brutal crackdown in mid-March resulting in clashes that led to further deaths and injuries. Shortly before the renewed crackdown, the King declared a state of emergency and Saudi Arabia sent a thousand troops into Bahrain to buttress the government. On Monday, the Minister of Interior reportedly announced that 86 of those arrested in relation to the protests had been released after legal procedures were taken against them.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-urged-stop-targetingprotesters-two-die-custody-201111-04-

106

12 April 2011

BAHRAIN URGED TO STOP TARGETING PROTESTERS AS

Bahraini authorities must urgently reveal the whereabouts and legal status of more than 400 mostly Shi’a opposition activists detained in recent weeks, Amnesty International said today amid concerns about their safety after reports that at least three have died in custody.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Security forces detained leading human rights defender ‘Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and his two sons in law in a raid on his daughter’s home, where they were staying, last Saturday. He was assaulted before being taken away barefoot and denied access to his medication. Alkhawaja’s and his sons in law’s whereabouts remain unknown. One of Alkhawaja’s daughters has launched a hunger strike to demand her relatives’ release.

107

“These further arrests are evidence of the mounting toll of opposition activists who have been thrown into jail because of their involvement in the protests that have rocked Bahrain since people came onto the streets in February to demand reform,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are increasingly concerned for the safety of these detainees, especially after reports of two further deaths in custody last Saturday. The Bahraini authorities must immediately reveal the detainees’ whereabouts, allow them access to their lawyers and families, and protect them against torture or other abuse.” With two new deaths last Saturday, at least three detainees have now reportedly died in custody in suspicious circumstances since the beginning of the month. According to Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, detainee Ali Isa Saqer, 31, died in hospital on 9 April after security forces intervened to prevent him causing “chaos” in prison. Two other detainees – Hassan Jassim Mohammed Makki, 39, and Zakaria Rashid AlAshiri, aged 40 – reportedly died in custody on 3 and 9 April respectively. The authorities have attributed both deaths to sickle-cell anaemia, an inherited blood disease. “The Bahraini authorities must ensure that these three deaths are independently

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

The detainees include medical doctors and nurses, mainly from the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain’s main hospital. The exact reasons for their arrest are not known but they appear to have been targeted for allegedly supporting protests by treating protesters, criticising the government in the media and participating in the protests.

Hundreds of people who joined the protests have been dismissed from their employment in government service, state institutions and private companies, including university lecturers, school teachers and medical doctors and nurses. Many workers were not paid in March.

Witnesses told Amnesty International that during the crackdown in March, security forces ﬁred tear gas at the complex, where some protesters, including injured people receiving medical treatment, were also said to have been arrested and taken away.

The justiﬁcation for dismissals is generally that employees breached their terms of employment by protesting, but in practice it appears that the government is seeking to signal that those continuing to protest will face adverse consequences, including to their livelihoods.

Security forces were also alleged to have encircled the centre and prevented injured protesters gaining access to medical care.

“The last month has seen a dramatic deterioration in human rights conditions in Bahrain,” said Malcolm Smart.

Other sources, however, allege that some medical staﬀ refused to treat Asian workers who had been injured while the government maintains that its forces took control of the complex because it was being used as a base by protesters.

“Bahrainis need to see their government acting decisively and transparently to reverse this downward trend and begin a process of rebuilding trust and conﬁdence in its institutions.”

Amnesty International found that despite the conﬂicting reports, it appears that both the security forces and some opposition protesters ﬂouted the medical neutrality of the Salmaniya Medical Complex.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-international-pressureneeded-now-halt-spiralling-human-rightscrisis-2011-

108

21 April 2011

BAHRAIN: INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE NEEDED NOW TO HALT SPIRALLING HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS Bahrain’s allies must take stronger action to address the rapidly worsening human rights crisis in the small but strategic Gulf state, Amnesty International said today as it released a new brieﬁng paper on the continuing suppression of peaceful protest. In Bahrain: A Human Rights Crisis, Amnesty International calls on governments with close ties to Bahrain to press for an end to the crackdown on those calling for change. “North American and European governments, so vocal recently in espousing the cause of human rights in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, need also to speak out loudly about what is going on in Bahrain” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“To avoid the charge of double standards, they must be much more robust in pressing the Bahraini authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations.”

109

The organization said that on 16 March the Bahraini government launched a clearly planned and orchestrated crackdown using excessive force to suppress protests calling for political change and reform. Security forces used shotguns, rubber bullets,

tear gas and, in some cases, live ammunition, sometimes at very close range, and in circumstances where the use of weapons such as shotguns and other firearms could not be justified. Requests by Amnesty International delegates who visited Bahrain from 18- April for meetings with senior security and military officials responsible for law enforcement were refused, the authorities saying that information on orders given to police and security forces was considered a “state secret”. The government’s relentless crackdown, its declaration of a “State of National Safety” and the use of this to arrest and detain incommunicado protesters and political activists has further exacerbated tension between Sunni and Shi’a Muslim communities, the briefing paper said. More than 500 people have been arrested in the last month. The vast majority are Shi’a Muslims who were active during the protests. In virtually all cases, weeks after their arrest, their whereabouts remain unknown. Some detainees have reportedly been tortured or otherwise ill-treated following arrest. At least four detainees are known to have died in custody in suspicious circumstances.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

Government officials reportedly said that a total of four policemen have been killed during protests in March. King Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa imposed the state of emergency for three months but it may be renewed with the approval of the National Council or parliament. It provided for the establishment of a special military court to try those accused of offences under the emergency and a special military appeal court. Since the SNS was imposed, more than 500 people have been arrested with many of them detained incommunicado and at undisclosed locations. At least four have died in detention in suspicious circumstances since the end of March. Local media reports say 312 detainees were released today. The government’s Information Affairs Authority has told the media that more than 400 other cases have been referred to the military courts. Many of the detainees were taken from their homes, often at night, by groups of police

and security forces who wore masks, failed to produce arrest warrants and sometimes assaulted those they wished to detain and members of their families. “Bahrain is in the grip of a deepening human rights crisis and the severity of the sentences imposed today, following a military trial behind closed doors, will do nothing to reverse that,” said Malcolm Smart. “King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa must urgently make it clear that he will not allow these death sentences to be carried out,” he added. In 2010, two Bangladeshi national were sentenced to death in Bahrain. Jassim Abdulmanan was executed in June and Russell Mezan was sentenced to death in March. His death sentence was upheld in October. Only foreign nationals have been sentenced to death and executed in Bahrain in recent years. Executions carried out in Bahrain are normally by ﬁring squad. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-urged-halt-executionprotesters-201128-04-

110

28 April 2011

BAHRAIN URGED TO HALT EXECUTION OF PROTESTERS

Authorities in Bahrain must not allow the execution of four protesters sentenced to death by a military court over the killing of two police oﬃcers in anti-government demonstrations last month, Amnesty International said today.

Three other defendants tried with them, Issa Abdullah Kadhim Ali, Sadeq Ali Mahdi and Hussein Jaafar Abdulkarim, were sentenced to life in prison by the same court. All seven accused are reported to have denied the charges.

“The Bahraini authorities have a responsibility to bring to justice those who commit violent crimes. But when doing so, they must uphold the right to fair trial and they must not use the death penalty under any circumstances,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The death sentences can be appealed in Bahrain’s military court. However, should the appeal fail, the ﬁnal verdict cannot be appealed in Bahrain’s ordinary courts. The four men could therefore face imminent execution.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“In this case, the accused were tried before a special military court, although they are civilians. It also appears that the trial was conducted behind closed doors. As well, those sentenced have no right of appeal except to another special military court, raising great fears about the fairness of the entire process.”

111

The court sentenced Ali Abdullah Hassan alSankis, Qassim Hassan Matar, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed and Adbulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain to death on 28 April.

The seven men were accused of the premeditated murder of two policemen by running them over with a vehicle on 16 March. On 15 March, Bahrain’s King had declared a state of emergency – termed the State of National Safety (SNS) – after Saudi Arabia sent in a thousand troops to help the government quell anti-government protests. The seven accused are believed to have been held incommunicado following their arrests and the families are said to have been denied access to them, Amnesty International has learnt.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

National Security Agency interrogations following the defendants’ arrests. At least two of the defendants, ‘Abdelhadi alKhawaja, a prominent human rights defender, and Ebrahim Sharif, the leader of Waad, a secular political party, were reportedly tortured following their arrest. ‘Abdelhadi alKhawaja reportedly suﬀered severe injuries to his face and skull as a result and was admitted to the Bahrain Defence Force hospital for six days. Bahrain’s military prosecutor has prohibited the activists’ lawyers and families from speaking publicly about the case. Meanwhile, government media have been orchestrating a campaign against the activists. “Bahrain’s government has stacked the deck against the defendants and there is very little chance they can receive a fair trial in the current circumstances,” said Philip Luther.

“The authorities need to ensure that allegations of torture are fully investigated, that any evidence extracted as a result is discarded and that the lawyers can meaningfully defend their clients.” The 14 prominent Bahraini opposition activists who will appear before a military court on Thursday are: Hassan Mshaima’, leader of the al-Haq movement (a Shi’a opposition group); Ebrahim Sharif, a Sunni and leader of Waad; Abdelwahab Hussain, leader of alWafa’, a Shi’a opposition group; ‘AbdeHadi al-Khawaja; Abdel-Jalil al-Singace, a leading member of al-Haq; Mohammad Habib alMuqdad; Abdel-Jalil al-Muqdad; Saeed Mirza Ahmad; Abdullah al-Mahroos; Abdulhadi ‘Abdullah Hassan; Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh; Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail; Mohammad Hassan Jawwad; and Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il. Seven defendants will be tried in absentia, including Saeed al-Shehabi, who lives in exile in London.

112

11 May 2011

FAIR TRIAL URGED FOR BAHRAINI OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS

A military trial on Thursday for a group of 21 prominent Bahraini opposition activists must meet international fair trial standards, Amnesty International said today amid continuing reports of torture.

in rallies without notifying the authorities.

The mainly Shi’a activists have been charged with alleged crimes in relation to weeks of pro-reform protest in Bahrain that began in February.

Amnesty International believes that many of the defendants are likely to be prisoners of conscience detained simply for exercising their right to peacefully express their political views in public.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“Bahraini authorities have already denied the defendants their basic legal rights and at least two have said they were tortured, raising fears about their chances for a fair trial in this military court,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

113

Among the charges levelled against the defendants are that they set up “terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution”, insulted the army, incited hatred, disseminated false information, and took part

Bahraini authorities also allege the men raised funds for and have “links to a foreign terrorist organization”, purportedly Hizbullah.

“Those that are detained for nothing more than peacefully taking to the streets and demanding political change must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Philip Luther. The defendants, like hundreds of others detained in connection with the protests, have been denied visits from their families. Lawyers have been granted very limited access to them, and were allowed during questioning by the Military Prosecutor, but not during

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

13 May 2011

BAHRAIN URGED TO RELEASE FORMER MILITARY OFFICER

Bahraini authorities must release or charge a former Bahrain Defence Force officer who was detained after speaking out against government repression during recent pro-reform protests, Amnesty International said today. Bahraini security forces arrested Mohamed Albuflasa, who worked in the office of the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, after he took the podium during protests in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout on 15 February. On 15 April, a military prosecutor extended his detention for 45 days after he served a twomonth prison sentence handed down by a military court in March, although the charges against him remain unclear. “The Bahraini authorities must release Mohamed Albuflasa or immediately disclose on what basis they are holding him and charge him with a recognizable offence,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “He has already been jailed merely for voicing his political concerns in public, which is not a crime, and the authorities’ refusal to release him now smacks of retaliation aimed at silencing his criticism.”

“We fear he may be a prisoner of conscience held solely for peacefully criticising the authorities.” Since mid-April the 36-year-old has not been allowed visits by family members. A lawyer appointed by his family has twice been refused entry to the Military Prosecution building to request a permit to visit Mohamed Albuflasa and a written request for a visit has gone unanswered. A Sunni Muslim, Mohamed Albuflasa is among hundreds of mainly Shi’a protesters to have been held since the protests began. “Bahraini authorities must at the very least allow those detained to have access to their families and lawyers,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. “Protesters targeted simply for peacefully criticizing the authorities must be immediately and unconditionally released. Others must be charged with internationally recognizable criminal offences and sentenced in fair trials.”

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-urged-release-former-militaryoﬃcer-201113-05-

114

12 May 2011

TRIAL OF BAHRAINI OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS ADJOURNED AS OBSERVERS BARRED

The military trial today of a group of 21 Bahraini opposition activists charged over their involvement in anti-government protests has been adjourned until 16 May.

of torture are fully investigated, that any evidence extracted as a result is discarded and that the lawyers can meaningfully defend their clients.”

In a brief proceeding, the 14 defendants in the court in the capital Manama on Thursday denied all the charges against them. Seven others are being tried in absentia.

Independent observers from Frontline and Human Rights First said they were denied entry to the court.

The mainly Shi’a activists have been charged with a series of alleged crimes related to weeks of protest, including running a terrorist organization with the aim of toppling the ruling Sunni-led government.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Amnesty International has called on Bahraini authorities to grant the men a fair trial, citing abuses of their basic legal rights and fears that two, including prominent human rights defender ‘Abdelhadi al-Khawaja, have been tortured in detention.

115

“Bahrain’s government has stacked the deck against the defendants and there is very little chance they can receive a fair trial in the current circumstances,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “The authorities need to ensure that allegations

The military prosecutor refused a request from several of the defendants to speak on their own behalf. Upon being led out of the court, ‘Abdelhadi al-Khawaja reportedly shouted that he had been threatened and feared his life was in danger. Amnesty International believes that many of the defendants are likely to be prisoners of conscience detained simply for exercising their right to peacefully express their political views in public. Like hundreds of others detained in connection with the protests, the men have been denied visits from their families. Lawyers have been granted very limited access to them throughout their arrest and detention. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/trial-bahraini-opposition-activistsadjourned-independent-observers-

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

diminishing space for human rights in Bahrain right now, “Malcolm Smart added. Another Bahraini protester and leading human rights activist, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, told a military court in another trial in Manama that he was threatened with rape by police while being held in incommunicado detention. He was immediately removed from the courtroom after making the allegations. ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is among a group of 21 Bahraini opposition ﬁgures currently on trial for leading and taking part in the demonstrations in February and March. Seven of the 21 men are being tried in their absence. While in detention ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is said to have been told to record a videotaped apology to the King of Bahrain and to have been threatened with rape by four police oﬃcers when he refused.

‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and the other 13 opposition members have been denied visits from their families in prison. Lawyers have been granted very limited access to them. “The Bahraini authorities must immediately launch an independent investigation into ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s torture allegations and bring to justice any oﬃcials responsible for torture or other ill-treatment,” .said Malcolm Smart. “The government must uphold its obligation to protect detainees from such abuse.” This story was updated on 19 May, 2011, after receiving additional information about the cases. The story originally said eight activists were convicted. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/bahrain-activists-jailed-followingpolitically-motivated-trials-201118-05-

116

18 MAY 2011

BAHRAIN ACTIVISTS JAILED FOLLOWING POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’ TRIALS

The trials of 15 activists convicted over their involvement in pro-reform protests in Bahrain that began in February, were politically motivated and unfair, Amnesty International said today. A military court in Bahrain’s capital city Manama has over the last few days sentenced the 15 activists, in two separate cases, to between one and four years imprisonment for “participating in illegal demonstrations and inciting hatred against the regime” during popular protests in February and March.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

One of the activists, Fadhila Mubarak Ahmad, is the ﬁrst woman protester to be convicted as a result of the recent unrest in Bahrain. She was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

117

“These trials and convictions represent yet further evidence of the extent to which the rights to freedom of speech and assembly are now being denied in Bahrain,” said Malcolm

Smart, Amnesty International’s director for Middle East and North Africa. “These 15 activists appear to have been sentenced to jail terms for doing no more than exercizing their legitimate right to demonstrate against the government. If this is correct and they have been convicted solely because of their peaceful anti-government activities, they are prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally,” he added. The 15 people were detained without arrest warrants, were not allowed visits from their families while in detention and were permitted only very limited access to lawyers. “The manner in which these trials were conducted - with civilian defendants brought before a secretive military court from which international observers have been barred - – is highly alarming. It is indicative of the

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

“It has been far less outspoken and eﬀective

“There should be no more ‹easy rides’ for

in addressing the current clampdowns in

governments such as those in Bahrain and

Bahrain and Yemen or on pressing the Saudi

Yemen, as they try to crush popular protests

Arabian authorities on the need for change,

and calls for change; likewise, the Israeli

giving an impression that the US gives special

government must know that it will be held to

favour to its allies and friends, regardless of

account by the same standards as other states

their human rights violations.”

to deliver justice and accountability.”

“The President must make clear that the US

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-

government is committed to promoting

updates/us-urged-learn-mistakes-past-

freedom, justice and accountability with

middle-east-and-north-africa-201119-05-

friend and foe alike.”

118

19 May 2011

US URGED TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES OF THE PASTIN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

The US president must use his speech on

has learnt from the mistakes of the past when

the Middle East to commit to the pursuit of a

it supported governments such as those in

more even-handed approach to Arab states,

Egypt and Tunisia whose claim to provide

one which has the protection and promotion

‘political stability’ was based on widescale

of human rights at its heart, Amnesty

repression and abuse of human rights,” said

International said today.

Malcolm

Smart,

Amnesty

International’s

Middle East and North Africa director Barack Obama is set to make the speech, his ﬁrst major address following the wave of mass

“The US administration has rightly condemned

protests that has swept the Middle East and

the gross abuses that have been committed

North Africa, later today.

by Colonel al-Gaddaﬁ’s forces in Libya and the Assad government in Syria, and continuing

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“The US president must make clear that the US

119

repression in Iran.”

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

Arabian troops to help quell the protests. Although they are civilians, the five accused were tried in closed session before the National Safety Court, a special military court. The two men could be executed within days if their sentences are upheld by Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, which considers only procedural technicalities, and ratified by the King. Executions in Bahrain are normally by firing squad. In a separate development, a leading human rights activist said tear gas canisters had been thrown into his home endangering his family. Nabeel Rajab, director of the banned Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said tear gas bombs thrown into his house in the early hours of Saturday morning brought his brother, wife and daughter close to suffocation before they could be helped to safety.

Saturday’s was the second attack on Nabeel al Rajab’s home in a matter of weeks. In April, tear gas was thrown into his own and his mother’s home, apparently by members of the security forces or people acting on their behalf. Noone has been arrested for that attack. The authorities have banned Nabeel Rajab from travelling outside the country on account of his role in exposing and campaigning against human rights violations in Bahrain. Amnesty International is urging the Bahraini government to independently investigate this latest attack on Nabeel Rajab and to lift all restrictions on him.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/newsand-updates/bahrain-must-commuteprotesters%E299-%80%deathsentences-201123-05-

120

23 May 2011

BAHRAIN MUST COMMUTE PROTESTERS’ DEATH SENTENCES

The Bahraini authorities must overturn death sentences imposed on two activists for the alleged killing of two police oﬃcers during anti-government demonstrations earlier this year, Amnesty International said today. Bahrain’s National Safety Appeals Court conﬁrmed the death sentences against ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis and ‘Abdelaziz ‘Abdelridha Ibrahim Hussain on Sunday. The court commuted the death sentences of two other men accused with them to life imprisonment.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“The conﬁrmation of the death sentences imposed on these two men is nothing short of alarming. While the Bahraini government has a responsibility to protect the public and bring to justice those responsible for committing violent crimes, the government must not let these executions go ahead.

121

“The death penalty is the ultimate form of cruel and inhuman treatment and ought not

to be used under any circumstances” “We are urging King Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa not to sign the execution order for these two protesters, and to commute their sentences without delay”, said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “To execute these two men would represent an irrevocable step and it would plunge Bahrain into an even deeper human rights crisis than it is experiencing now.” The two men were convicted, with three others, of the premeditated murder of two policemen by running them over with a vehicle on 16 March That day, the security forces launched a ﬁerce new crackdown on anti-government protests following the King’s declaration of a state of emergency, termed the State of National Safety – on 15 March, after bringing in Saudi

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

circumstances. At least two thousand people have also been dismissed or suspended from their jobs, apparently for participating in the protests. In a separate development, the military trial of 14 prominent opposition activists is set to continue on Wednesday. The mainly Shi’a activists have been charged with alleged crimes in relation to the proreform protests that began in February. ”These defendants are likely to be prisoners of conscience detained simply for exercising their right to peacefully express their political views in public. If so, they must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Malcolm Smart said.

The State of National Safety set up a military court with exclusive jurisdiction to try those accused of oﬀences under the state of emergency although they are all or mostly civilians. This court will continue to operate even after the State of National Safety is lifted tomorrow. It has already sentenced four people to death, two of whose sentences were reduced to life imprisonment on appeal, and jailed others for participating in peaceful protests in March. Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the government of Bahrain not to try civilians in military courts because they lack independence and fail to respect international standards of fair trial.

122

31 May 2011

Bahrain set for renewed protests as state of emergency ends

Bahrain set for renewed protests as state of emergency ends Amnesty International has urged the Bahrain authorities not to again use excessive force against protesters, as activists called for mass anti-government demonstrations across the country on Wednesday.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The call for demonstrations comes as a repressive state of emergency imposed following previous protests, the State of National Safety, is set to be lifted by Bahrain’s King on Wednesday.

123

”The Bahraini authorities must not make the same mistakes as in February and March, when largely peaceful protests were violently suppressed by government security forces,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s

Middle East and North Africa Director. ”As the state of emergency is lifted, the authorities must allow people to peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association, ”he added. The protesters are calling on the government to end human rights abuses, and have been instigated by the February 14 youth coalition, the group which called for the ﬁrst protests earlier this year to demand political reform.. The Bahrain authorities say at least 24 people, including four police oﬃcers, have died in clashes between police and demonstrators since they began in February. At least 500 protesters have been detained and four have died in custody in suspicious

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

the protests.

Salutation: Your Majesty

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, English or your own language: • Call on the authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Mohammad al-Tajer and all other people detained in connection with the recent protests and allow them prompt, regular access to their lawyers and families.

Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Oﬃce of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17533033 Salutation: Your Highness

• Express concern that Mohammad al-Tajer is a prisoner of conscience detained for his legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and other human rights;

Minister of Justice and Islamic Aﬀairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Aﬀairs, Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency

• Urge the authorities to release Mohammad al-Tajer immediately and unconditionally and to protect him from torture or other illtreatment PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 30 MAY 2011 TO: King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Oﬃce of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17664587

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Check with your section oﬃce if sending appeals after the above date. http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ MDE112011/018//ar/afe5e0f45-a9c-4df78260-af7cbﬀ4ae27/mde110182011en.html

124

18 April 2011

URGENT ACTION DEFENCE LAWYER DETAINED IN BAHRAIN

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

A prominent defence lawyer was detained on 15 April in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. Amnesty International believes he is a prisoner of conscience and he may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment. Nearly 500 people have been now been detained in Bahrain since March.

125

Mohammed al-Tajer, a prominent Bahraini defence lawyer who has defended many cases of opposition and human rights activists, was arrested at his house in Manama on the night of 15 April. According to his wife, over 20 security oﬃcers entered their house in the middle of the night. Some were in uniforms, some were in plain clothes and all except one were wearing masks. They searched all the bedrooms and conﬁscated personal items, such as mobile phones, laptops and papers. Following the raid Mohammad al-Tajer was arrested without any explanation. No arrest order was shown to him or his family. He called his family for two minutes on 17 April to let them know he was in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Manama’s al-‘Adliya district, and wanted them to bring him clothes. When the family asked him what the charges against him were he replied that he did not know.

According to local human rights groups, 499 people have been detained since March, including opposition and human rights activists, teachers, doctors and nurses, for their participation in the February and March protests calling for far-reaching political and other reform in Bahrain. The whereabouts of the great majority of detainees remain unknown; many are believed to be held by the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF). If prosecuted, they may face unfair trials before the National Safety Court of First Instance and a National Safety Appeal Court, established under the State of National Safety (SNS) (martial law) declared by the King of Bahrain on 15 March. Mohammad al-Tajer is well known for defending political opposition activists. He was the leading defence lawyer in the case of 25 opposition activists, including two charged in their absence, who were tried between October 2010 and February 2011 on charges of plotting to overthrow the government using “terrorism” and other means. The 23 were released on 23 February following an amnesty by the King of Bahrain. Some of them, including Abdul Jalil al-Singace, have been recently re-arrested for their participation in

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

violence, to have operated on some patients unnecessarily causing their deaths and to have denied medical treatment to others for sectarian reasons, as well as a string of related offences. A relative of one of the accused who attended the court yesterday told Amnesty International that the prisoners’ heads had been shaved and most had lost a lot of weight since their arrest weeks ago. The men among them were made to stand in the hot sun for around 30 minutes before the session began: “They were blindfolded and handcuffed, and these were only removed when the session began.” ”The Bahraini authorities must immediately undertake an independent investigation into these new torture allegations and bring any officials responsible to justice,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

torture or other duress as international law requires.” Before the trial opened, detainees’ were only able to communicate with their families by phone. Their lawyers had not been permitted to see them and were not allowed to be present when they were interrogated, ﬁrst by security oﬃcers and then by the military prosecutor when they were held in pre-trial detention. The Bahraini authorities ignored their lawyers’ requests to see their clients. ”All detainees must be granted prompt and regular access to lawyers of their own choosing, their relatives and any medical treatment that they may require,” said Malcolm Smart. ”The authorities must also ensure that doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health and medical workers are able to carry out their work without discrimination, interference or fear of reprisal.”

“The court must also throw out any ‹confessions’ that were obtained through

126

7 June 2011

Bahrain faces fresh torture claims over health workers’ trial

The Bahraini authorities must independently investigate fresh claims that dozens of doctors and nurses on trial before a military court were tortured in detention and made to sign false confessions, Amnesty International said today. Relatives of the accused have alleged to Amnesty International that security oﬃcials at Bahrain’s Criminal Investigations Directorate forced detainees to stand for long periods, deprived them of sleep, beat them with rubber hoses and wooden boards containing nails, and made them sign papers while blindfolded.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

One of the detainees, who was bailed last month, was slapped in the face while blindfolded, insulted and threatened: “if you don’t confess I’ll take you to someone who will make you confess”.

127

The same detainee was forced to remain standing for hours, denied sleep and placed in front of a cold air conditioning unit all night and then interrogated again the next morning

while still blindfolded. ”I was so tired that I kept quiet and only answered yes or no,” he told Amnesty International. “After a while he gave me some papers and made me sign them while I was still blindfolded. I did not see what I signed, but I signed on eight or nine papers.” The trial of the 48 medical staﬀ, most of whom worked at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, opened at a military court in Manama on Monday but was adjourned until 13 June. Some of the defendants have been released on bail but others remain in prison. The doctors and nurses face a range of charges arising from their involvement in treating people injured when security forces violently crushed mass pro-reform protests in February and March. They are accused of misusing their positions at Salmaniya hospital to make false allegations of security force

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

12 June 2011

Bahraini activist jailed for reading poem

A military court in Bahrain has sentenced a poet to one year in prison for reading out a poem criticizing the country’s King.

Qarmezi read out a poem which she said was addressed to King Hamad bin ‹Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s head of state.

Ayat al-Qarmezi, 20, a poet and student was sentenced in a Manama court today following her arrest in March for reading out a poem at a pro-reform rally. She has reportedly been tortured while in detention.

Its lyrics include the lines ”We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery/ Don’t you hear their cries, don’t you hear their screams?” She was forced to turn herself in to the authorities on 30 March after masked police raided her parents’ house repeatedly and reportedly threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.

She was charged with taking part in illegal protests, disrupting public security and publicly inciting hatred towards the regime. ”By locking up a female poet merely for expressing her views in public, Bahrain’s authorities are demonstrating how free speech and assembly are brutally denied to ordinary Bahrainis,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “The Bahraini authorities must drop the unfair charges against Ayat al-Qarmezi, and release her immediately and unconditionally.” Ayat al-Qarmezi’s family members told Amnesty International she appeared strong after the trial and her lawyer plans to appeal the ruling. While attending a pro-reform rally in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout in February, Ayat al-

She was held incommunicado for the ﬁrst 15 days of her detention and since then has only been permitted to see her family twice. Ayat al-Qarmezi alleges that she was beaten in detention and tortured with electric shocks. The Bahrain authorities say at least 24 people, including two police oﬃcers, have died in clashes between police and demonstrators since pro-reform protests began in February. Military trials related to the protests are under way after at least 500 have been detained and four have died in custody in suspicious circumstances. Some 2,000 people have also been dismissed or suspended from their jobs, apparently as part of an ongoing purge of those who participated in the protests.

128

8 June 2011

Bahraini poet set to face verdict for protest reading

A Bahraini poet faces possible imprisonment for reading out a poem criticizing the country’s King when a military court rules on her case next Sunday.

Its lyrics include the lines ”We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery/ Don’t you hear their cries, don’t you hear their screams?”.

Ayat al-Qarmezi, 20, a poet and student was arrested in March for reading out a poem at a pro-reform rally in the capital Manama. She has been charged with ”incitement to hatred of the regime” and has reportedly been tortured while in detention.

She was forced to turn herself in to the authorities on 30 March after masked police raided her parents’ house repeatedly and reportedly threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.

”Ayat al-Qarmezi has been put on trial merely for expressing her opinion, peacefully and openly. Her case represents an appalling and sinister attack on free speech. The charges against her should be dropped and she should be released immediately,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

”If convicted, Ayat al-Qarmezi could face a long prison sentence. If she is imprisoned, she will be the ﬁrst woman prisoner of conscience to be locked up in Bahrain for peacefully expressing her views,” he added.

129

While attending a pro-reform rally in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout in February, Ayat al-Qarmezi read out a poem which she said was addressed to King Hamad bin ‹Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s head of state.

She was held incommunicado for the ﬁrst 15 days of her detention and since then has only been permitted to see her family twice. According to one informed source to whom Amnesty International has spoken, Ayat alQarmezi alleges that she was beaten in detention and tortured with electric shocks. The Bahrain authorities say at least 24 people, including two police oﬃcers, have died in the unrest and clashes between police and demonstrators since pro-reform protests began in February. At least 500 protesters have been detained and four have died in custody in suspicious circumstances. Some two thousand people have also been dismissed or suspended from their jobs, apparently as part of an ongoing purge of those who participated in the protests.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

yesterday following earlier complaints that lawyers did not have suﬃcient access to their clients. The next session is due to take place on 20 June. The Bahraini government alleges the Salamaniya Medical Complex, where many of the medical staﬀ worked, served as a coordination centre for pro-reform protests in February and March, and has accused the workers of, among other things, stealing medicines, stockpiling arms, giving antigovernment statements to international media outlets and inciting hatred of the regime.

clashes with security forces,” said Philip Luther. “Bahraini authorities must immediately open an independent investigation into the allegations of torture and must throw out any confessions or other evidence extracted under duress.” The military court on Sunday sentenced a young female activist to a year in prison for charges related to her public recital of a poem critical of Bahrain’s King.

The defendants have had very little access to their families and some allege they have been tortured in detention and forced to sign confessions. Several of the defendants have already been released on bail.

On the same day, Matar Matar and Jawad Feiruz, two former members of parliament representing al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s biggest Shi’a political party, were put on trial. Charges against them include propagating false information, participating in unauthorized demonstrations and urging people to demonstrate against the government.

“Independent witnesses who were present at Salamaniya hospital have said that the charges against the health workers are preposterous – that the doctors and nurses were merely doing their jobs, tending to people injured in

At least 500 people have been detained since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in suspicious circumstances in detention. Almost 2,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from work.

130

14 June 2011

Bahrain targets activists as military trials continue

Military trials against dozens of people accused of charges related to recent proreform protests in Bahrain continued this week amid allegations of torture and claims the proceedings are unfair and politically motivated. Among those on trial in the special military court in Manama are a prominent human rights lawyer and 48 medical staﬀ arrested after they treated protesters wounded in February and March demonstrations.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“We fear this lawyer and many of the health workers have been detained solely for political reasons after they defended or treated proreform protesters and spoke out against the authorities in the media,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

131

military court – which is presided over by one military and two civilian judges – under a National Safety Law put in place in response to the protests. The law was revoked on 1 June. Mohammed al-Tajer, a well-known lawyer who works to defend human rights and opposition activists, was brought before the court on 12 June. Bahraini authorities have not said where he is being detained and did not notify his family and lawyers before beginning his trial, which is set to resume on 16 June. He had been arrested at his home in Manama on 15 April and has been charged with oﬀences including “spreading rumours” and inciting hatred of the Bahraini government.

“Where this is the case, we would consider the detainees to be prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release.”

Amnesty International considers Mohammed al-Tajer to be a prisoner of conscience targeted for his work as a human rights lawyer as well as for being an outspoken critic of the government.

Bahrain’s government set up the special

The trial of 48 medical workers resumed

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

daughter, Zaineb al-Khawaja, attended the trial and was forcibly removed from the court when she shouted “God is great” after the sentence was read out. She was arrested and held in a police station for a few hours before being released.

up its critics, as these sentences have further underlined today,” said Malcolm Smart.

An observer from the Danish Embassy attended the trial – ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has Danish citizenship – as well as representatives of the Swedish and US embassies.

At least 500 people have been detained in Bahrain since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in suspicious circumstances in detention. Almost 2,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from work

Lawyers for the activists plan to appeal the verdict at a hearing in the next two weeks.

“Bahrain’s authorities must end these unfair military trials and release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally.”

Bahrain’s King Hamad ibn ‘Issa Al Khalifa has promised a “national dialogue” on requests for reform, due to begin next month. “It is hard to see how there can be any meaningful political dialogue in Bahrain while the government remains so intent on locking

132

22 June 2011

Bahrain military court sentences Shia activists in unfair trial

A military court in Manama today sentenced a group of 21 prominent Shia activists who have advocated political reform. The Bahrain News Agency reported that the opposition activists had been charged with “plotting to topple the government” during recent pro-reform protests. Eight received life sentences and the rest received jail sentences of up to 15 years. Seven people were tried in absentia.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Amnesty International believes that some of the defendants may be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully expressing their political beliefs and organizing pro-reform rallies early this year. Some of the defendants were reportedly tortured or ill-treated.

133

“These sentences are extremely harsh, and they appear to be politically motivated, since we have not seen any evidence that

the activists used or advocated violence,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “Civilians should not have been tried in a military court, and these trials have been patently unfair. In particular, the court failed to adequately investigate allegations that some of the defendants were tortured and made to sign false ‹confessions’ which seem to have been used as evidence against them.” Those sentenced to life imprisonment include prominent opposition activists such as Hassan Mshaima’, ‹Abdelwahab Hussain, Dr. ‘AbdelJalil al-Singace and ‹Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. The activists were given very little access to lawyers, and at least two of them, Ebrahim Sherif and ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, were reportedly tortured. ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

recommendations for further action by the King and the Bahraini authorities. “The appointment of this international commission appears to represent nothing less than a sea change in Bahrain,” said Malcolm Smart. “Until now, the government has signally failed to rein in its security forces, investigate torture allegations and ensure accountability, while using special military courts to prosecute its critics. This now appears to be changing, and not a day too soon.” “However, it also needs to lead to accountability, justice and reparations for all those whose rights have been violated. Whether or not the government delivers that will be the true test,” he added. In another landmark move, the King also announced that all military court trials connected with the February-March protests will be moved to civilian courts. Those already

sentenced will also have their cases reviewed by civilian courts.” “This too is a very welcome, if overdue step. Civilians should never be tried before military courts and if this now spells the end of the National Safety Court, so much the better for Bahrain,” said Malcolm Smart. “That court has been a travesty of justice and a stain on the Bahraini authorities’ claim to uphold the rule of law. It will not be missed.” All those facing trial or sentenced solely for exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression should be released immediately,” Malcolm Smart said. At least 500 people have been detained in Bahrain since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in suspicious circumstances in detention. Almost 2,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from work.

134

30 June 2011

Bahrain: Investigation into rights abuses welcomed

An independent commission set up by the King of Bahrain to investigate alleged human rights abuses during recent protests in the country is a signiﬁcant step forward but must lead to justice for the victims, Amnesty International said today.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The ﬁve member investigation panel comprises individuals of internationallyrecognized independence, integrity and expertise. It is expected to report on its ﬁndings in October.

135

The commission will be chaired by Professor Cherif Bassiouni, who has led UN investigations into alleged war crimes in Bosnia and Libya. The four other members are Sir Nigel Rodley, a former staﬀ member of Amnesty International, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and currently a member of the UN Human Rights Committee; Justice Philippe Kirsch, a former judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC); Dr Mahnoush Arsanjani, a former UN

legal advisor; and Dr Badria al ‘Awadhi, an expert on international and Sharia law at the Freedom House Foundation in Washington D.C. “This is certainly an impressive line-up of independent international experts,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa programme. “Moreover, the terms of the King’s decree make clear that they will have the authority to carry out a full investigation into the widespread human rights violations allegedly committed by government forces when they crushed the February and March protests and in their aftermath.” According to the Royal Decree issued by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Bassiouni inquiry will have access to officials and official documents. The committee members,will be able to interview alleged torture victims and others in confidence, and to make

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

centre in ‘Issa Town, just south of the capital, where she remains. Her family learned of her whereabouts two months after her arrest, but have only been allowed to visit her on two occasions, under strict surveillance. Both Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb appeared before a military court several times in June before their cases were transferred to a civilian court and postponed until further notice. According to local human rights organizations, many teachers and members of the BTA were detained, harassed and tortured or otherwise ill-treated for their participation in protests earlier this year. Hundreds of people across Bahraini society have been detained since mid-March, when authorities cracked down on pro-reform protests. Scores of detainees, including medical professionals and prominent opposition activists, were brought before military courts for leading the protests

and in some cases calling for a change of government. Roula al-Saﬀar, the head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, has been held for more than 100 days and is the only other woman besides Jalila al-Salman who is still being detained in relation to the protests. She is among a group of health professionals accused of committing felonies during the protests, including theft of medicines, stockpiling arms and giving anti-government statements to the media – accusations that they strongly deny. “Bahrain’s authorities must release all detainees who are still being held merely for exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression during protests earlier this year,” said Malcolm Smart. “Anyone charged with an internationally recognizable criminal oﬀence must be promptly given a fair trial in a civilian court and without resort to the death penalty.”

136

27 July 2011

Mounting fears for Bahraini teachers held after protests

Bahrain’s authorities must immediately release two teachers held since they led a strike in March if they are being held solely for their involvement in peaceful protests, Amnesty International said today amid claims one of them was tortured. Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb were among several board members of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA) arrested in Manama after the group called for a teachers’ strike amid wide-scale pro-reform protests in March.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Their colleagues have since been released, but the two – the group’s former president and vice-president – are still facing trial on charges that include “inciting hatred against the regime” and “calling to overthrow and change the regime by force”.

137

“None of the statements made in relation to the teachers’ strike advocated violence of any kind. If these teachers are being held solely because they led a peaceful demonstration,

they must be released immediately,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director. “We are very concerned about reports that Jalila al-Salman was beaten in custody – Bahraini authorities must immediately set up a full, impartial and independent investigation into these allegations and bring to justice anyone found responsible.” Following the unrest in Bahrain in February and March, the Minister of Human Rights and Social Development dissolved the BTA’s board and replaced them with government appointees. More than 40 security officers raided Jalila alSalman’s house in Manama on 29 March. At first, she was reportedly taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate and held in solitary confinement and subjected to beatings for about a week. She was then transferred to a detention

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

several times in June before her case was transferred to a civilian court and postponed until further notice. Later the same month, the King of Bahrain announced that all military court trials connected with the February-March protests would be moved to civilian courts. He then backtracked on 18 August, issuing a decree which makes it clear that the new measures do not apply to all arrested protesters. The decree requires that those charged with a felony are to be tried by the National Safety Court if their cases had already been referred to that court, which was set up when the King declared a state of emergency at the height of the protests in March. The new law means that scores of people detained during the protests are now liable to be tried in the military court.

authorities. After they indicated that military courts were a thing of the past, it now seems that these courts are being resurrected to do the government’s bidding ,” Malcolm Smart said. ”Anyone charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offence must be promptly given a fair trial in a civilian court.” According to local human rights organizations, many teachers and members of the BTA were detained, harassed and tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention for their participation in protests earlier this year. At least 500 people have been detained in Bahrain since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in custody on suspicious circumstances. More than 2,500 people have been dismissed or suspended from work. BICI’s five-member investigation panel is expected to report on its findings in October.

”This is a complete U-turn by the Bahraini

138

22 August 2011

Bahrain must not try activists in military court

The Bahraini authorities’ decision to try two prominent women activists in a military court is a backward step and raises concerns that they will not receive a fair trial, Amnesty International said today. Roula al-Saﬀar, head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, and Jalila al-Salman, vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA), have been released on bail after being detained for several months for their involvement in proreform protests.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Roula al-Saﬀar will be tried next Sunday together with 13 other medical workers before the National Safety Court, a military court, although she and Jalila al-Salman, who will be tried by the same court the following day, are both civilians.

139

”While we welcome the belated release of Jalila al-Salman and Roula al-Saﬀar, it is deeply disturbing that they are to stand trial before a military court and so are at risk of being imprisoned again next week,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for

the Middle East and North Africa. ”Civilians should never be tried before military courts. The National Safety Court has been a parody of justice and a stain on the Bahraini authorities’ claim to uphold the rule of law,” he said. The two activists were released on bail on Sunday after the Chairman of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), Professor Cherif Bassiouni, visited them in prison on Saturday. Roula al-Saﬀar was among a group of health professionals accused of committing felonies, including theft of medicines, during the protests that began in February. They strongly deny the allegations. Jalila al-Salman faces trial on charges that include ”inciting hatred against the regime” and calling to overthrow and change the regime by force”. She appeared before the National Safety Court

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

It came two days after the King announced that some detainees and prisoners would be pardoned. As of today no further details have been released. The Shi’a population are the majority in Bahrain but say they are discriminated against by the ruling Sunni dynasty. At least 500 people have been detained in Bahrain since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in custody in suspicious circumstances. More than 2,500 people have been dismissed or suspended from work. On 6 September a military court will hear the appeal of 21 prominent opposition leaders who have been given lengthy prison terms of up to life imprisonment. The charges against them included “setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution”.

In another case connected to the February protests, the trial of 20 Bahraini health professionals accused of crimes will resume on 7 September before a military court. Amnesty International believes that the 20 health workers are possible prisoners of conscience and that their trial does not meet international standards for fair trial. Parliamentary by-elections are scheduled in the Gulf kingdom for 24 September. The polls are being held to ﬁll 18 seats vacated by al-Wefaq, the largest Shi’a Muslim opposition group. The lawmakers resigned in February to protest against the way the authorities handled demonstrations in Manama.

140

31 August 2011

Teenage activist killed in Bahrain protest

A 14-year-old boy was killed during a peaceful demonstration in Bahrain’s central town of Sitra today, where dozens of demonstrators took part in anti-government protests marking the feast of ‘Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan. ‘Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Shaikh died from a head injury after being hit by a tear gas canister thrown by riot police, a local human rights group said.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“This tragic death occurred during a peaceful protest where police appear to have used excessive force against people demonstrating against the government,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

141

“The police have a duty to uphold the law, but it is completely unacceptable to throw heavy gas canisters at children. The authorities must investigate ‘Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Shaikh’s death immediately in a thorough, independent and

impartial manner, and those responsible must be held to account,” he added. The Ministry of Interior denied there was any police action in Sitra at the time of the boy’s death this morning. It said that ‘Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Shaikh was already dead when he arrived at hospital, but gave no explanation for the cause of death. However, the boy’s uncle told the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights that police had overreacted to the protests, ﬁring tear gas directly at the protesters at close range. Many Shi’a villages have held small-scale protests almost nightly since Ramadan began on 1 August. Police have responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. This latest death brings the total number of deaths since pro-reform protests started on 14 February to 34, of whom 30 have been protesters.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

of torture and other ill-treatment and bring to justice any oﬃcials responsible.”

trials related to the pro-reform protests would be held in civilian courts.

The 48 health workers were previously split into two groups, one of 20 accused of felonies, or more serious oﬀences, and the other of 28 accused of misdemeanours, or less serious oﬀences.

Yesterday’s trial was attended by an Amnesty International observer, representatives of the French, British and US embassies and two Bahraini NGOs.

Trial proceedings for both groups started in early June. All those accused of misdemeanours were released on bail before the end of June. Their case will resume on 24 October before an ordinary court. The thirteen released yesterday were part of the group of 20 accused of felonies. Another six were released on bail between June and August and one is being tried in absentia. Their trial will continue before a military court despite reported assurances made by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in August that all

Amnesty International’s observer said that during the seven-hour trial session the president of the court did not give the defence witnesses enough time to speak. He kept interrupting them and sometimes prevented them from giving evidence. The judge announced that the verdict will be given during the next trial session on 26 September. Amnesty international is concerned that this would mean the court is eﬀectively rejecting a pending request made by lawyers that it listens to each defendant’s testimony about their arrest and treatment while in custody.

142

8 September 2011

Bahraini health workers released on bail will continue to face military trial

Thirteen Bahraini health workers facing trial

before a military court apparently over treating some of those injured during a government crackdown on pro-reform protests were released on bail yesterday. All 13 are part of an original group of 48 health workers, mostly from al-Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, arrested in March and April 2011 during the protests.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The trial will resume on 26 September at the National Safety Court of First Instance, a military court established under the state of emergency in force from March to June 2011.

143

hospital, as well as attempting to overthrow the regime by force. However, the court has failed to provide any evidence of that. ”Civilians should not be tried before a military court whose proceedings do not meet international standards for fair trial,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. ”It is widely believed that the real reason for the detention and trial of these health workers is the fact that they provided medical assistance to people injured during the protests and that they spoke out against the government crackdown to international media.

Days before the trial session all detained health workers started a hunger strike in protest at their detention. Two were too weak to attend the trial. Many have complained of torture and other ill-treatment during their detention.

”If this is true and these health workers are convicted and imprisoned on 26 September, we will consider them prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Charges against some of the health workers include hiding weapons and explosives in the

”The authorities must also carry out a full and independent investigation into the allegations

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY: Explaining that you are a health professional concerned about human rights; Urging the authorities to carry out an immediate and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other illtreatment against some of the 48 health professionals, as well as against other detainees in Bahrain, to make the results public, and to bring to justice any oﬃcials responsible for the torture or other ill-treatment of detainees; Urging the authorities to ensure that confessions obtained under torture are not submitted or used as evidence in the trial of the 48 health professionals or any other trials in Bahrain and that the 48 health professionals and other detainees are permitted immediate and regular access to lawyers of their own choosing, their relatives and any medical treatment that they may require; Expressing concern that, despite the serious charges brought against them, the 48 health professionals appear to have been detained and brought to trial solely because of their peaceful eﬀorts to provide medical assistance to people injured by government security forces during popular protests in February and March, in which case they would be prisoners

of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released. PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 AUGUST 2011 TO: Minister of Social Development, Health and Human Rights Dr Fatima bint Mohammed Al Balooshi Ministry of Social Development P.O. Box 32868, Isa Town, Bahrain Fax: +973 17101955 Salutation: Your Excellency King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17664587 Salutation: Your Majesty Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency IF YOU RECEIVE NO REPLY WITHIN SIX WEEKS OF SENDING YOUR LETTER, PLEASE SEND A FOLLOW-UP LETTER SEEKING A RESPONSE. PLEASE SEND COPIES OF ANY LETTERS YOU RECEIVE TO THE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT, ATTENTION OF THE HEALTH TEAM, 1 EASTON STREET, LONDON WC1X 0DW OR E-MAIL: HEALTH@AMNESTY.ORG

144

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS REFERRED TO AN ORDINARY CIVILIAN COURT IN BAHRAIN: HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ACTION UPDATE

Index: MDE 112011/038/ (Bahrain update) Date: 8 July 2011 To: Health professionals From: Amnesty international APPEAL FOR ACTION health professionals REFERRED TO AN ordinary civilian COURT IN BAHRAIN The trial of 48 health professionals , all possible prisoners of conscience, accused of felonies and misdemeanour s has been trans ferred to an ordinary civilian court in Bahrain . Many have been released on bail.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The case of the 48 health professionals, who include paramedics, nurses and doctors and are mostly from al-Salmaniya Medical Complex, will continue to be heard, but before an ordinary civilian court, rather than a military court. The 48 health staﬀ were previously split into two groups, one accused of felonies (20 health workers) and the other group accused of misdemeanours (28 health workers).

145

During the trial session on 13 June at least two medical doctors told the court that they had been tortured and that they were forced to sign confessions while blindfolded.

On 28 June, 20 medical workers were released on bail; others had previously been released on bail in the previous weeks. However, 14 out of the 48 remain in detention. Among them are nine doctors, Ali Esa Mansoor Al Ekri, Nader Mohammed Hassan Dewani, Ahmed Abdulaziz Omran Hassan, Mahmood Asghar Abdulwahab, Abdulkhaleq Ali Hussain Al Oraibi, Ghassan Ahmed Ali Dhaif, Bassim Ahmed Ali Dhaif, Najah Khalil Ebrahim Hassan and Saeed Mothaher Habib Al Samahij i; one nurse, Ebrahim Abdullah Ebrahim; one paramedic, Sayed Marhoon Majid Al Wedaei; one laboratory technician, Mohammed Faeq Ali Al Shehab; and Hassan Mohammed Saeed Nasser (profession undefined). Rula Jassim Mohammed Al Saffar, the head of the Nursing Society, is the only female still detained. On 29 June, the King of Bahrain issued a royal decree by which all ongoing military court cases in connection with the protests in February and March will be transferred to ordinary civilian courts. The decision covered the case of the 48 medical workers as it was being heard before a military court. The date of the next hearing before the ordinary civilian court has not been fixed yet.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience being held in Bahrain; Urging the auth orities to immediately set up an independent investigation into the allegations of torture or other ill-treatment by some of the defendants, to make its results public, and bring to justice anyone responsible. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 176 64 587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives

accredited to your country. Please check with your section oﬃce if sending appeals after the above date. This is the second update of UA 13911/. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ MDE112011/026//en, http://www.amnesty. org/en/library/info/MDE112011/036//en URGENT ACTION BAHRAIN HEARING MOVES TO CRIMINAL COURT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Name: 21 prominent opposition ﬁgures. Of which, fourteen named: Hassan Mshaima’ ‘Abdelwahab Hussain ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Dr ‘Abdel-Jalil al-Singace Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad Abdel-Jalil al-Miqdad Sa’eed Mirza al-Nuri Mohammad Hassan Jawwad Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il Abdullah al-Mahroos ‘Abdul-Hadi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher Ebrahim Sharif Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh Gender m/f: All male Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/037/ Issue Date: 8 July 2011

146

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: BAHRAIN HEARING MOVES TO CRIMINAL COURT

Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/037/ Bahrain Date: 8 July 2011 Date: 14 January 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

URGENT ACTION BAHRAIN HEARING MOVES TO CRIMINAL COURT The appeal case of 21 prominent opposition ﬁgures convicted on 22 June in Bahrain has been postponed until 11 September , when it will be heard before a n ordinary criminal court , rather than a military court.

147

On 22 June, Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, announced its verdict in the trial of 21 Bahrain opposition activists. Seven of them were convicted in absentia, one receiving the death sentence and six others 15-year prison sentences. Of the 14 defendants present in court, seven were sentenced to life imprisonment: Hassan Mshaima’, ‘Abdelwahab Hussain, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Dr ‘Abdel-Jalil al-Singace, Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad, Abdel-Jalil al-Miqdad and Sa’eed Mirza al-Nuri. Four, Mohammad Hassan Jawwad, Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il, Abdullah al-Mahroos and ‘AbdulHadi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher, were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two, Ebrahim Sharif and Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja, brother of ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, were given ﬁve-year prison terms, and one, Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh, received a prison sentence of two

years. After the hearing some of the defendants claimed that they had been beaten in prison. At least two of them had alleged in previous hearings that they had been subjected to torture and threats in prison. On 29 June, the National Safety Court of Appeal decided to adjourn the appeal until 11 September. On the same day, the King of Bahrain issued a decree ordering that all trial cases before military courts should be transferred to ordinary civilian courts with immediate eﬀect, meaning that the appeal case of the 21 opposition ﬁgures will now be heard by an ordinary criminal court. The National Safety Court ceased to exist after that decision. Pleas e write immediately in Arabic or English : Welcoming the King’s decision to refer cases to ordinary courts but expressing concern about the death sentence and generally lengthy prison sentences issued by the military court after what appears to have been a patently unfair and politically motivated trial; Expressing concern that many or all of the defendants may be prisoners of conscience imprisoned for legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association, and calling for the immediate

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

Please write immediately in English or Arabic : Welcoming Ayat al-Qarmezi’s release but urging the authorities to clarify her legal status and to remove any conditions that have been attached to her release, as well as any other limitations currently imposed on her liberty, freedom of movement, expression, association and assembly; Urging the authorities also to annul her conviction and to drop any pending charges against her; Urging the authorities to immediately set up a full, independent and impartial investigation into her allegations of torture or other illtreatment, to make its results public and to bring to justice anyone responsible for such acts; Urging the authorities to respect and uphold the rights to freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain, including the right to peaceful protest. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 15 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Oﬃce of His Majesty the King

P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 1766 4587 Salutation: Your Majesty Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs P. O. Box 450, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17531284 Salutation: Your Excellency Minister of Social Development and Human Rights Dr. Fatima bint Mohammed Al Balooshi Ministry of Social Development and Human Rights PO Box 32868, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17101955 Email: info@social.gov.bh Salutation: Your Excellenc y Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 17911/. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/ info/MDE112011/031//en

148

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: BAHRAINI POET RELEASED

149

Further Information on UA 17911/: Index: MDE 112011/039/ Bahrain Date: 15 July 2011 Date: 14 January 2011

pick up Ayat on 13 July, but without providing any further information on Ayat’s current legal status.

URGENT ACTION Bahraini poet RELEASED A Bahraini poet sentenced in June for reading a poem was released on 13 July . However, there are reportedly conditions attached to her release and Amnesty I nternational is calling on the authorities to remove any that have been imposed , to annul her conviction and to clarify her current legal status.

In February, while attending a pro-reform rally in Manama, Ayat al-Qarmezi read out one of her poems, which she said was addressed to the King of Bahrain. Its lyrics include the lines “We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery / Don’t you hear their cries, don’t you hear their screams?” Ayat alQarmezi was forced to turn herself over to the authorities on 30 March and was sentenced on 12 June by Bahrain’s National Safety Court of First Instance – a military court – to one year in prison for taking part in illegal protests, disrupting public security and inciting hatred towards the regime. Ayat alleges she was beaten and tortured with electric shocks while she was imprisoned and held in solitary conﬁnement for the ﬁrst 15 days of her detention.

Ayat al-Qarmezi, a poet and university student at the Faculty of Teachers in Bahrain, sentenced to one year in prison for reading a poem, was released on 13 July. Shortly after her release Amnesty International talked to her lawyer and family, who said that Ayat was well and happy to be free. However, her release is reportedly conditional on not travelling outside Bahrain or speaking to the media about her detention. The Military Prosecutor said that her release was at the request of the lawyer. The family received a phone call from a police station in ‘Issa Town asking them to

Amnesty International considered Ayat a prisoner of conscience and called for her immediate and unconditional release and for charges against her to be dropped.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly; if so, they should be released immediately and unconditionally. Following their arrests the detainees were held incommunicado and denied access to their families; some, including Ebrahim Sharif and ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, are alleged to have been tortured in detention. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic or English: Express concern at the harsh sentences issued by the military court after what appears to have been a patently unfair and politicallymotivated trial; Express concern that many or all of the defendants may be prisoners of conscience imprisoned on account of their legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and association, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience being held in Bahrain; Urge the authorities to immediately set up an independent investigation into the alleged torture or other ill-treatment of some of the defendants, to make its results public, and bring to justice anyone responsible for torture.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 3 AUGUST 2011 TO: King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555, Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17664587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17533033 Salutation: Your Highness Commander-in-Chief of the BDF Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa Bahrain Defence Force Riffa Road, Bahrain E-mail: dgcbdf@gmail.com Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 13911/. Further information: http://www.amnesty. org/en/library/info/MDE112011/026//en FU on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/036/ Issue Date: 23 June 2011

150

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: HARSH JAIL TERMS FOR OPPOSITION FIGURES

Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/036/ Bahrain Date: 23 June 2011 Date: 09 May 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

URGENT ACTION HARSH JAIL TERMS FOR OPPOSITION FIGURES 14 opposition ﬁgures who led and participated in the demonstrations in February and March in Bahrain have been given very harsh prison terms on broadly-drawn terrorism charges , including seven life sentences. Their trial, before a military court, was unfair and politically motivated .

151

On 22 June, Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, announced its verdict in the trial of 21 Bahrain opposition activists. Seven of them were tried in absentia. Among the 14 defendants present in court, seven were sentenced to life imprisonment. They are: Hassan Mshaima’ , ‘Abdelwahab Hussain, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Dr ‘ Abdel-Jalil alSingace, Mohammad Habib al-Mi qdad , Abdel-Jalil al-Mi qdad and Sa ’eed Mirza al-Nuri. Four people, Mohammad Hassan Jawwad , Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il , Abdullah alMahroos and ‘ Abdul -H adi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher, were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two people, Ebrahim Shar if and

Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja, brother of ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, were given ﬁve-year prison terms while Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh received a prison sentence of two years. The session lasted for about an hour, during which the president of the court, who is a military judge, announced the verdict. The charges against the 14 included “setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution”. Foreign observers representing a few Western embassies attended the session. Defence lawyers have up to two weeks to appeal against the verdict before the National Safety Court of Appeal, also a military court. The trial did not meet international standards for fair trial and both the trial and the verdict seem to be politically motivated. Amnesty International is not aware of any evidence that the accused used or advocated violence. They were allowed only very restricted access to their lawyers, who were not allowed to be present when the defendants were questioned by the Military Prosecutor or interrogated by National Security Agency oﬃcials while held in pre-trial detention. Many of the defendants may be prisoners of conscience detained

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

Explaining that you are a health professional concerned about human rights; Urging the authorities to carry out an immediate and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other illtreatment against some of the 48 health professionals, as well as against other detainees in Bahrain, to make the results public, and to bring to justice any oﬃcials responsible for the torture or other ill-treatment of detainees; Urging the authorities to ensure that confessions obtained under torture are not submitted or used as evidence in the trial of the 48 health professionals or any other trials in Bahrain and that the 48 health professionals and other detainees are permitted immediate and regular access to lawyers of their own choosing, their relatives and any medical treatment that they may require;

unconditionally released.

Expressing concern that, despite the serious charges brought against them, the 48 health professionals appear to have been detained and brought to trial solely because of their peaceful eﬀorts to provide medical assistance to people injured by government security forces during popular protests in February and March, in which case they would be prisoners of conscience and should be immediately and

Salutation: Your Excellency IF YOU RECEIVE NO REPLY WITHIN SIX WEEKS OF SENDING YOUR LETTER, PLEASE SEND A FOLLOW-UP LETTER SEEKING A RESPONSE. PLEASE SEND COPIES OF ANY LETTERS YOU RECEIVE TO THE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT, ATTENTION OF THE HEALTH TEAM, 1 EASTON STREET, LONDON WC1X 0DW OR E-MAIL: HEALTH@AMNESTY.ORG

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 AUGUST 2011 TO: Minister of Social Development, Health and Human Rights Dr Fatima bint Mohammed Al Balooshi Ministry of Social Development P.O. Box 32868, Isa Town, Bahrain Fax: +973 17101955 Salutation: Your Excellency King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17664587 Salutation: Your Majesty Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284

152

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS REFERRED TO AN ORDINARY CIVILIAN COURT IN BAHRAIN: HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ACTION UPDATE

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

153

During the trial session on 13 June at least two medical doctors told the court that they had been tortured and that they were forced to sign confessions while blindfolded. On 28 June, 20 medical workers were released

on bail; others had previously been released on bail in the previous weeks. However, 14 out of the 48 remain in detention. Among them are nine doctors, Ali Esa Mansoor Al Ekri, Nader Mohammed Hassan Dewani, Ahmed Abdulaziz Omran Hassan, Mahmood Asghar Abdulwahab, Abdulkhaleq Ali Hussain Al Oraibi, Ghassan Ahmed Ali Dhaif, Bassim Ahmed Ali Dhaif, Najah Khalil Ebrahim Hassan and Saeed Mothaher Habib Al Samahij i; one nurse, Ebrahim Abdullah Ebrahim; one paramedic, Sayed Marhoon Majid Al Wedaei; one laboratory technician, Mohammed Faeq Ali Al Shehab; and Hassan Mohammed Saeed Nasser (profession undefined). Rula Jassim Mohammed Al Saffar, the head of the Nursing Society, is the only female still detained. On 29 June, the King of Bahrain issued a royal decree by which all ongoing military court cases in connection with the protests in February and March will be transferred to ordinary civilian courts. The decision covered the case of the 48 medical workers as it was being heard before a military court. The date of the next hearing before the ordinary civilian court has not been fixed yet. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY:

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience being held in Bahrain; Urging the authorities to immediately set up an independent investigation into the allegations of torture or other ill-treatment by some of the defendants, to make its results public, and bring to justice anyone responsible. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 176 64 587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284

Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section oﬃce if sending appeals after the above date. This is the second update of UA 13911/. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ MDE112011/026//en, http://www.amnesty.org/ en/library/info/MDE112011/036//en URGENT ACTION BAHRAIN HEARING MOVES TO CRIMINAL COURT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Name: 21 prominent opposition ﬁgures. Of which, fourteen named: Hassan Mshaima’ ‘Abdelwahab Hussain ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Dr ‘Abdel-Jalil al-Singace Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad Abdel-Jalil al-Miqdad Sa’eed Mirza al-Nuri Mohammad Hassan Jawwad Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il Abdullah al-Mahroos ‘Abdul-Hadi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher Ebrahim Sharif Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh Gender m/f: All male Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/037/ Issue Date: 8 July 2011

154

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: BAHRAIN HEARING MOVES TO CRIMINAL COURT

Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/037/ Bahrain Date: 8 July 2011 Date: 14 January 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

155

On 22 June, Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, announced its verdict in the trial of 21 Bahrain opposition activists. Seven of them were convicted in absentia, one receiving the death sentence and six others 15-year prison sentences. Of the 14 defendants present in court, seven were sentenced to life imprisonment: Hassan Mshaima’, ‘Abdelwahab Hussain, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Dr ‘Abdel-Jalil al-Singace, Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad, AbdelJalil al-Miqdad and Sa’eed Mirza al-Nuri. Four, Mohammad Hassan Jawwad, Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il, Abdullah al-Mahroos and ‘AbdulHadi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher, were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two, Ebrahim Sharif and Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja, brother of ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, were given ﬁve-year prison terms, and one, Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh, received a prison sentence of two

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

calls for his release to be unconditional and for his conviction to be annulled. Please write immediately in Arabic , English or your own language: Welcoming Mohamed Albuﬂasa‘s release but urging the authorities to annul his conviction and to remove the travel ban imposed on him, as well as any other conditions that have been attached to his release, given that Amnesty International considers he was sentenced solely for peacefully expressing his views in public; Urging the authorities to respect and uphold the rights to freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 15 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Oﬃce of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 1766 4587 Salutation: Your Majesty

Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs P. O. Box 450, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17531284 Salutation: Your Excellency Minister of Social Development and Human Rights Dr Fatima bint Mohammed Al Balooshi Ministry of Social Development and Human Rights PO Box 32868, Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 17101955 Email: info@social.gov.bh Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 18111/. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ MDE112011/034//en Name: Mohamed Albuflasa Gender m/f: male Further information on UA: 18111/ Index: MDE 112011/041/ Issue Date: 28 July 2011

156

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: BAHRAINI OFFICER RELEASED WITH CONDITIONS

Further information on UA: 18111/ Index: MDE 112011/041/ Bahrain Date: 28 July 2011 Date: 14 January 2011 URGENT ACTION

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Bahraini oﬃcer released with conditions A former Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) oﬃcer detained in Bahrain since 15 February has now been released on bail after being sentenced to one year in prison. His appeal will be heard in September. Amne sty International is calling for his conviction to be annulled .

157

Mohamed Albuflasa, a Sunni Bahraini and former BDF officer, was detained on 15 February, the same day that he spoke from a podium during protests in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. In his speech he spoke against corruption within the government and the lack of economic opportunities for many people. He called for genuine political reforms and for co-existence between Shi’a and Sunni Bahrainis. Mohamed Albuflasa was sentenced on 24

July to one year in prison by a military court in Manama on charges of participating in an illegal public gathering and inciting hatred towards the regime. He was released later the same day on bail and on condition that he does not travel outside Bahrain. The reason for his release is unclear but appears to be part of the authorities’ current eﬀorts to assuage international concerns about the human rights situation in the country. Mohamed Albuﬂasa has appealed against his sentence and the appeal should be heard in September. He explained to Amnesty International that his sentence is considered to have begun on 15 April 2011, the date when a two-month detention order issued by a military disciplinary committee in mid-March expired. He also said that he had been aware of Amnesty’s calls for his release while he was detained and wanted to thank all those who sent appeals on his behalf. Amnesty international considers him to have been a prisoner of conscience and to have been sentenced solely for peacefully expressing his views in public and therefore

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

anyone responsible. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 4 OCTOBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 176 64 587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellenc y Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below: Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation This is the first update of UA 22711/. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ MDE112011/040//en Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. URGENT ACTION teachers TO BE TRIED BY A MILITARY COURT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION After the February-March 2011 unrest in Bahrain, the Minister of Human Rights and Social Development dissolved the board of the BTA and

other associations and substituted the board members by government-appointed members. Local human rights organizations have reported that many teachers and members of the BTA have been subjected to torture, detention and harassment for their participation in peaceful protests. All teachers have reportedly been released except the two mentioned above. Jalila al-Salman’s house in Manama was raided on 29 March by more than 40 security oﬃcers. She was taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) in Manama where she remained for 10 days during which she was reportedly beaten, including with objects, and held in solitary conﬁnement. She was then transferred to the custody of the military and held by the military for around two months, before being transferred again to a detention centre in ‘Issa Town in Bahrain, where she was held until her release on bail on 21 August. Jalila al-Salman’s family were not aware of her whereabouts until soon after her transfer to the detention centre in ‘Issa Town. Hundreds of people have been detained in Bahrain in connection with anti-government protests since mid-March when Bahraini armed and security forces crushed the protests. Scores of detainees, including medical doctors and prominent opposition activists, were brought before military courts for leading the protests and in some cases for calling for regime change. On 29 June the King of Bahrain issued a decree transferring all cases being examined by military courts to ordinary civilian courts. Name: Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb Gender m/f: Jalila al-Salman - female Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb - male Further information on UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/043/ Issue Date: 23 August 2011

158

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: TEACHERS TO BE TRIED BY A MILITARY COURT

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

FU UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/043/ Bahrain Date: 23 August 2011 Date: 14 January 2011 URGENT ACTION

159

Teachers TO BE TRIED BY A MILITARY COURT The former president and vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers ’ Association (BTA) , who were detained at the end of March , will be tried before a military court on 29 August. Amnesty International believes they may be prisoners of conscience . Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘ Issa Mahdi Abu D h eeb will be tried before the National Safety Court of First Instance, a military court, on 29 August. The two have already appeared before this court three times; on 15, 22 and 29 June, on charges that include “inciting hatred towards the regime”, “calling to overthrow and change the regime by force”, “calling on parents not to send their children to school” and “calling on teachers to stop working and participate in strikes and demonstrations”. They deny the charges. Jalila al-Salman, former vice-president of BTA, was released on bail on 21 August. Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb remains in detention. Their trial was supposed to have been transferred from the National Safety Court to a civilian court, following the issuance of a decree by the King of Bahrain on 29 June referring all cases linked to the February-March 2011 anti-government protests to ordinary civilian courts. However, on 18 August the King issued a new decree (Decree 2820011/) stating that the National

Safety Court of First Instance will continue to deal with felony (serious criminal) cases whereas all misdemeanour (less serious) cases will be referred to ordinary civilian cases. Amnesty International has reviewed statements issued by the BTA and has also listened to speeches delivered by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb calling on teachers and employees of the Ministry of Education to go on strike, and on parents not to take their children to school during demonstrations in Bahrain. These do not include advocacy of violence and while Amnesty International does not have full details of the evidence presented to the trial court, it considers that they appear to have been targeted solely on account of their leadership of the BTA and their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. As civilians they should not be tried by a military court; trials of civilians before such courts breach their right to fair trial. Please write immediately in English or Arabic : Express concern that Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb are to be tried before a military court although they are civilians, in breach of their right to fair trial before an independent and impartial court; Express concern that they may have been targeted solely on account of their leadership of the BTA and legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, in which case they are prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally; Urge the authorities to protect them from torture or other ill-treatment and to immediately set up a full, impartial and independent investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Jalila al-Salman, to make its results public, and bring to justice

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

Expressing concern that Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb are being tried before a military court although they are civilians, in breach of their right to fair trial before an independent and impartial court; Expressing concern that they may have been targeted solely on account of their leadership of the BTA and legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, in which case they are prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally Urging the authorities to protect them from torture or other ill-treatment and to order immediately a full, impartial and independent investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Jalila al-Salman, publish the results and bring to justice any persons found responsible. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 OCTOBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Oﬃce of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain

Fax: +973 176 64 587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness Minister of Justice Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below: Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the <number> update of UA XXXXX. Further information: www.amnesty.org/xxxxx Further information on UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/045/ Issue Date: 30 August 2011

160

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: TEACHERS’ MILITARY TRIAL RESUMES

Further information on UA: 22711/ Index: MDE 112011/045/ Bahrain Date: 30 August 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

URGENT ACTION TEACHERS’ MILITARY TRIAL RESUMES The trial of the former president and vicepresident of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA ) resumed before a military court on 29 August , and has been postponed until 25 September. Amnesty International believes they may be prisoners of conscience . Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi‘ Issa Mahdi Abu Deheeb were brought before the military National Safety Court of First Instance for the fourth time on 29 August; they denied all the charges against them. Jalila al-Salman, former BTA vice-president, had already been released on bail on 21 August while Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb is still detained. The trial will resume on 25 September.

161

During the 29 August trial session, judges apparently refused demands by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb’s lawyer that he should be released on bail, and apparently also refused to have new witnesses called to give evidence. The King of Bahrain announced on 28 August

that he would pardon some of the protesters on trial, but no more information has been released on names or charges. According to press statements he said, ”There are those who are charged with abusing us and senior oﬃcials in Bahrain, we today announce that we forgive them.” Amnesty International has reviewed statements issued by the BTA and has also listened to speeches delivered by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb calling on teachers and employees of the Ministry of Education to go on strike, and on parents not to take their children to school during demonstrations in Bahrain. These do not include advocacy of violence and while Amnesty International does not have full details of the evidence presented to the trial court, it considers that they appear to have been targeted solely for their leadership of the BTA and their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. As civilians they should not be tried by a military court; trials of civilians before such courts breach their right to fair trial. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Arabic or your own language :

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬ Amnesty International

defendants may be prisoners of conscience imprisoned on account of their legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and association, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience being held in Bahrain Urge the authorities to immediately set up an independent investigation into the alleged torture or other ill-treatment of some of the defendants, to make its results public, and bring to justice anyone responsible for torture. P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 18 OCTOBER 2011 TO : King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 176 64 587// +973 17664587 Salutation: Your Majesty Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 175 31 284 Salutation: Your Excellency Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the third update of UA 13911/. Further information:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ MDE112011/037//en URGENT ACTION activists appeal heard by military court ADDITIONAL INFORMATION On 22 June, Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, announced its verdict in the trial of 21 Bahrain opposition activists. Seven of them were tried in absentia. Among the 14 defendants present in court, seven were sentenced to life imprisonment. They are: Hassan Mshaima’ , ‘Abdelwahab Hussain, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Dr ‘ Abdel-Jalil alSingace, Mohammad Habib al-Mi qdad , Abdel-Jalil al-Mi qdad and Sa ’eed Mirza al-Nuri. Four people, Mohammad Hassan Jawwad , Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il , Abdullah alMahroos and ‘ Abdul -H adi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher, were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Two people, Ebrahim Shar if and Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja, brother of ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, were given ﬁve-year prison terms while Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh received a prison sentence of two years. Name: Hassan Mshaima’ , ‘Abdelwahab Hussain, ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Dr ‘ AbdelJalil al-Singace, Mohammad Habib al-Mi qdad , Abdel-Jalil al-Mi qdad, Sa ’eed Mirza al-Nuri, Mohammad Hassan Jawwad , Mohammad ‘Ali Ridha Isma’il , Abdullah al-Mahroos, ‘ Abdul -H adi ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher, Ebrahim Shar if, Salah ‘Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja, AlHur Yousef al-Somaikh, Abdel-Ghani ‘Issa ‘Ali Khanjar. ‘Abdel-Ghani ‘Issa ‘Ali Khanjar Gender m/f: all male Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE 112011/046/ Issue Date: 6 September 2011

162

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

DOCUMENT - BAHRAIN: FURTHER INFORMATION: ACTIVISTS’ APPEAL HEARD BY MILITARY COURT

163

Further information on UA: 13911/ Index: MDE112011/046/ Bahrain Date: 6 September 2011 URGENT ACTION ACTIVISTS’ APPEAL HEARD BY MILITARY COURT The appeal of 15 opposition leaders who led and participated in demonstrations in Bahrain in February and March was heard on 6 September before a military court. The verdict will be given on 28 September. On 22 June, Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, announced its verdict in the trial of 21 Bahrain opposition activists. Seven of them were tried in absentia. Among the 14 defendants present in court, seven were sentenced to life imprisonment, four were sentenced to 15 years in prison, two were given 5 years in prison and one received a two-year prison sentence. The charges against the 14 included “setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution”. One of those seven tried in absentia, ‘Abdel-Ghani ‘Issa ‘Ali Khanjar, was arrested after the trial concluded and is now in prison. The defendants denied the charges. On 6 September the appeal case for the group of 21 took place before the National Safety Court of Appeal – a military court - in Bahrain. An Amnesty International observer was present at the appeal session. Observers from the Swedish, Danish and UK embassies in

Bahrain were also present. During the appeal, defence lawyers asked the presiding judge to hear each defendant’s testimony about abuses they say were committed against them during their arrest and under interrogation, when in detention. They also urged the court to withhold its verdict until after the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) has reported its ﬁndings and recommendations, due at the end of October, and to request that evidence of torture obtained by the BICI should be laid before the court. Further, they asked the court to allow them to challenge before the constitutional court the legality of the Royal decrees that provide for civilians to be tried before the National Safety Court Amnesty International is not aware of any evidence that the accused used or advocated violence and Amnesty International is concerned that this trial of civilians is being held before a military court. Many of the defendants may be prisoners of conscience detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly; if so, they should be released immediately and unconditionally. Please write immediately in English or Arabic : Express concern at that the appeal was heard by a military court after what appears to have been an unfair and politically-motivated trial Express concern that many or all of the

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                                              "             " 16/02/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

                                                                ""                                 "        "   

164

                                                                                                ""  "  "               " "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

3-18/02/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

165

      –                                 "    "                           

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch    

    

                                          "                     "                                          

                       ""                 "                 "                           "   "          "     "        "     "  2-24/02/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011 166

                                                     

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                        "  "

167

                                                      

                                                                      "       "                 ""               

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch               “         “                            “  “                                                                 “     “                                    

         "    " "                "   "           "  "       " 28/02/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

     2011 ‫ ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬10

                                “    “                        168

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 169

                              “          “            “  “            –           –        ““                                                                ““   –       –    

“ ““  “                          “    “         “   ““      “ 3-10/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

         –         

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch        2011 ‫ ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬18

 –             “ “ “          “             “             “                      

“   “   –  –                                                    –              –     “           ““         “                                 16/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011 170

“ “                                                      ““  –     –      “           –    “    –  “ “              “  “

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

0-18/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

171

                                   “        “                                                                                     

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                                                                                           “ “                                     

          2011 ‫ ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬21

                                                  “                “                                          172

        “             “                              “     “

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

              

173

                  

                              “   “   “ ““   “ 0-21/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

     2011 ‫ ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬24

     

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                                                                                     “           “                    

“    ““ “                                  “    “  ““   “            ““ “                                “  “   “  “ 24/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

174

            “ ““  “ 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

         •                                   

175

        •                                                                                 ““    ““ 

                                                                     ““                                    •                   

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                                2-29/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

     2011 ‫ ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬30

                             

                       “    “  “ “                                                               

176

            “ “                                                  

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                    

177

          

                     “                      “                                                                                   

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                                                                      ““                        “                        “ 6-30/03/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

                                           “   “       “   “                                   178

          

     

                              

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                                

179

            

                                                          “          “                ““     

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch  ““       “ 09/04/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

    2011 ‫ ﺃﺑﺮﻳﻞ‬11

                “ “ ““              “   “                     “

     “    “  “  ““ “                                                                   “  “              ““                     “

180

   “   “ “

                    “

  “          “  “  “ “ “ “ “

                                                             

“                     “            

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                   

181

   “                         

  “ “                                           “ 

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch                “   “                          “  “    

“                                          “       “ “   “ “  “ “             “ 0-11/04/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

                 “               “  ““             ““     

                          

182

“            ““                                   13/04/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

      

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

2011 ‫ ﺃﺑﺮﻳﻞ‬16

183

                                                              “                 “    

                                                                                                            “   “       “

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch  “ “     ““                                           “      “                    “  “                         16/04/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

                                    “   ““   “                                                           184

     “                “             Triple Chaser CS                                      

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

18/04/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

185

  2011 ‫ ﺃﺑﺮﻳﻞ‬18

                                          

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

of the past two days.

to protect life, and must be exercised with restraint and proportionality. The Principles

Thousands of demonstrators marched in

also require governments to ”ensure that

Manama, Daih, Diraz, Nuweidrat, and Beni

arbitrary or abusive use of force and ﬁrearms

Jamar to protest the ruling Al Khalifa family’s

by law enforcement oﬃcials is punished as a

tight grip on power, alleged discrimination

criminal oﬀence under their law.

against the country’s majority Shi’a population, and the continued detention of political

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201115/02//

prisoners. The February 14 demonstrations

bahrain-stop-attacks-peaceful-protesters

marked the ninth anniversary of the 2002 referendum in which voters approved the National Action Charter, which included ruling family commitments to democratic reforms. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Bahrain must protect and promote freedom of expression and association, and the right to assemble peacefully. Bahrain should also abide by the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which state that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable

186

February 15, 2011

Bahrain: Stop Attacks on Peaceful Protesters Two Dead, Scores Wounded

(Washington

DC)

Bahraini

authorities

death Fadhel Ali Matrook, 31, who participated

should order security forces to halt attacks

in a funeral procession for Mushaima, on

on peaceful protesters and investigate the

February 15. The Associated Press reported

shooting deaths of February 14 and 15, 2011,

that Matrook died of injuries from ”birdshot”

Human Rights Watch said today. Riot police

ﬁred during a scuﬄe in the parking lot of

reportedly used teargas, rubber bullets,

Salmaniya hospital in Manama, but Human

and live ammunition rounds against pro-

Rights Watch was not independently able

democracy demonstrators on February 14,

to verify the circumstances of Mushaima or

causing numerous injuries and one death. On

Matrook’s deaths. Images from a video of

February 15 police reportedly shot to death a

the funeral procession viewed by Human

second protester when they ﬁred on a burial

Rights Watch show demonstrators gathering

procession for the protester killed on Monday.

peacefully and chanting anti-government slogans when riot police ﬁred teargas.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, 27, died on February

187

14 as a result of injuries medical personnel said

”All the reports from independent journalists

were from live ammunition rounds. Riot police

and Bahraini human rights groups indicate

reportedly shot Mushaima during a protest

that security forces used lethal force unlawfully

in the village of Daih, near Manama. Nabeel

against

Rajab, head of the Bahrain Human Rights

said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director

Center, told Human Rights Watch that hospital

at Human Rights Watch. ”Authorities should

oﬃcials said Mushaima was shot with live

immediately rein in the riot police and conduct

ammunition, not rubber bullets. Police shot to

an independent investigation into the events

anti-government

demonstrators,”

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

a handgun, and another in the head. Medical staff told Human Rights Watch they had sent at least 12 ambulances to the Pearl Roundabout area, but that the security forces were blocking access to some. Two paramedics told Human Rights Watch they were stopped by police and men in civilian clothes who said they would shoot them unless they turned the ambulance around. A senior paramedic called from the scene and told the hospital not to send any more ambulances because it was too dangerous, prompting hospital staff to stop dispatching crews. Human Rights Watch urged the Bahraini authorities to let medical staff treat the injured and asked the government to immediately investigate reports that paramedics have been arrested at the scene. The crowd had been attending the funerals for protesters killed and at around 5.30 p.m. began moving towards the roundabout. It appears that as the crowd neared the roadblocks set up by the security forces during the night/early morning of February 17, they opened fire.

Human Rights Watch heard gunfire shortly before 6:00 p.m., and had observed tanks and armored personnel carriers parked near the area before the attack, as well as helicopters moving overhead. Thousands of people have gathered outside the hospital and people have formed a human chain around the building to try to maintain order inside and out. Earlier in the day, France announced it had suspended exports of security equipment to Bahrain and Libya. On February 17 the UK government announced it was ”reviewing” the export of arms to Bahrain. ”The Bahraini army has done what the Egyptian army did not do and exactly what the United States and its other partners urged it not to do - it has opened fire on its own people,” said Tom Malinowski, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. ”Donors cannot continue to provide aid to Bahrain’s security forces as if this did not happen. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201118/02// bahrain-army-police-fire-protesters

188

February 15, 2011

Bahrain: Army, Police Fire on Protesters Donors Should Suspend Military Assistance Now

(Manama) - At least 38 people were wounded when Bahraini security forces opened ﬁre on protesters coming to pray near the Pearl Roundabout in Manama on February 18, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. King Hamad, as commander of the Bahraini Defence Forces (BDF), should immediately order an end to attacks on peaceful protesters and the United States, the United Kingdom, and other international donors should immediately suspend military assistance to Bahrain, Human Rights Watch said.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Several patients at the Salmaniyya hospital told Human Rights Watch the army and police opened ﬁre without warning on a crowd making their evening prayers near the heavily guarded roundabout. One protester said he was attacked by an armed man in civilian clothes.

189

The United States provided approximately US$20 million in military assistance to Bahrain in 2010, primarily for the purchase of military equipment, weapons, and training. It has proposed another US$20.2 million in assistance for 2011. It is unclear whether such equipment was used in today’s attacks against

the protesters. ”The doctors say there are 38 wounded so far, and three are in critical condition,” said Anna Neistat, senior emergencies researcher, from Manama. ”Security forces are compounding their abuses by preventing medical staff from reaching the scene to treat the wounded. At least 10 witnesses, five of them patients, separately told Human Rights Watch that a large group of army and police, using military vehicles, attacked the crowd at around 5:50 p.m. as they prepared for evening prayers close to Pearl Roundabout, site of earlier protests that is now closed off by the security forces. The victims said the scene was peaceful and that there was no warning issued before the forces opened fire using teargas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. They said the attack did not last long because people immediately started running away. Two doctors told Human Rights Watch they had treated patients with what seemed to be injuries from live bullets rather than shotgun pellets, judging by the entry and exit holes. One had been shot in the back, most likely by

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

and 13, security forces used teargas, rubber bullets, and batons against peaceful protesters, injuring hundreds. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain ratified in 2006, permits some restrictions on certain rights during an officially proclaimed public emergency that ”threatens the life of the nation.” According to the Human Rights Committee, the international body of experts that monitors compliance with the treaty, any derogation of rights during a public emergency must be of an exceptional and temporary nature, and must be ”limited to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation.” Certain fundamental rights - such as the right to life, the right to be secure from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment - must always be respected, even during a public emergency. Under international law, states may not invoke a public emergency to permit arbitrary deprivations of liberty or unacknowledged detentions, nor may they deviate from fundamental principles of fair trial, including the presumption of innocence. People held as administrative detainees under a lawful state of emergency should enjoy, at a minimum, the right to be brought before a judicial authority promptly after arrest, be informed of the reasons for detention, and have immediate access to legal counsel and family. They also should be allowed to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in a fair hearing, and to seek a remedy for mistreatment and arbitrary detention. Early on March 15, security forces were involved in clashes in several Shia villages outside Manama, where they fired teargas, rubber bullets, and shotgun pellets. The clashes led to

the deaths of at least two individuals. Ahmad Farhan, described in media reports as a 24-yearold resident of Sitra, was killed by shotgun pellets that were fired at close enough range to leave a gaping hole in his head. Human Rights Watch confirmed the death of a second man, a Bangladeshi worker, who was also killed in Sitra. There are conflicting reports regarding the circumstances surrounding this man’s death. The authorities should promptly and impartially investigate both killings, Human Rights Watch said. ”Bahrain cannot sidestep its international legal obligations by using foreign troops for law and order purposes,” said Stork. ”Saudi and other forces need to abide by the human rights treaties and standards applicable to Bahrain’s forces. Human Rights Watch said that Bahraini and Gulf Cooperation Council troops, as well as other security forces deployed in Bahrain, are bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, even though some states, such as Saudi Arabia, are not party to the treaty. They should also abide by the Untied Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms when engaging with protesters. The Basic Principles allow law enforcement agents to use only that degree of force necessary and proportionate to protect people and property and to use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. The Basic Principles call on governments to ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force or firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201116/03// bahrain-martial-law-does-not-trump-basicrights

190

March 16, 2011

Bahrain: Martial Law Does Not Trump Basic Rights All Forces Obliged to Respect International Standards (Manama) - Bahrain’s declaration of martial law and deployment of armed forces from Saudi Arabia does not override its obligations to respect fundamental human rights under international law, Human Rights Watch said today. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa decreed a threemonth state of emergency on March 15, 2011, a day after military convoys from its Gulf Cooperation Council allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates entered Bahrain following that country’s request for military assistance amidst continuing anti-government protests. Early on March 15, prior to the king’s decree, riot police were involved in violence in several Shia villages, which left at least two people dead and hundreds injured, some seriously.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

”King Hamad’s decree does not give the authorities a blank check to commit abuses,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”The world is watching to see whether Bahrain will respect the basic rights of all its citizens.

191

According to the oﬃcial Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the decision to declare martial law ”was taken in light of the latest security escalations that aﬀected national security and posed a serious threat” to the lives of Bahraini citizens. The BNA announcement said that the king

had delegated implementation powers to the commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The Bahrain Defense Force later stated that the king’s decree, apparently issued under article 36(b) of the Bahrain constitution, permits the government to control movement and transportation, conduct inspections, ban gatherings, and ban the operation of nongovernmental organizations, political societies, and trade unions. Under what the authorities called the state of ”national safety,” the government can also ban newspapers, make arrests, and engage in surveillance and monitoring of correspondence and telephone conversations. Oﬃcials said that the military judiciary director of the Bahrain Defense Force would announce speciﬁc restrictions that will apply to all citizens. The king’s decree follows more than three weeks of sustained and large anti-government demonstrations, almost all of which have been peaceful. The authorities initially responded to the protests with unlawful lethal force, killing seven protesters between February 14 and 18. After protesters reoccupied Manama’s Pearl Roundabout, the center of anti-government protests, on February 19, the government withdrew its security forces. But on March 11

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch government’s actions following the attack on protesters at the Pearl Roundabout during the early morning hours of February 17 that led to the deaths of four Bahrainis, and has more recently been a leading voice in exposing restrictions on providing medical care to injured protesters. Farida Qolam, Sharif’s wife, released a statement on March 17 describing her husband’s arrest. She said that their doorbell rang at about 1:50 a.m. When the couple opened the door they saw a large group of men wearing masks behind the entry gate, most of them wearing black civilian clothes. One pointed a gun toward Sharif, who gently asked him to put it down. The couple repeatedly asked the men who they were, Qolam said, and one finally replied that they were ”state security” (amn el dawla) and demanded that Sharif open the gate. Sharif did and went out to speak with them. In her statement, Qolam said there were 35 to 40 people in all, about 6 carrying guns. They took Sharif away to an undisclosed location. Two of the lawyers handling the activists’ cases told Human Rights Watch that several hours after security forces arrested their clients, the lawyers had filed requests to visit the arrested men with both the civil Public Prosecution Office and the office of the military prosecutor. The lawyers said the offices refused to accept their request or provide any information regarding the circumstances of the activists’ detention. The lawyers also told Human Rights Watch that Bahraini law does not provide any regulations limiting Bahraini Defense Force actions under a martial law decree. The explanatory memorandum to Article 36(b) of the Bahraini constitution says only that the ”state of national safety” authorizes the government to restrict peoples’ rights and freedoms to the extent required to preserve the national security.

Under international law, a state may not invoke a public emergency to justify arbitrary deprivations of liberty or unacknowledged detentions, nor may it deviate from fundamental principles of fair trial, including the presumption of innocence. People held as administrative detainees under a lawful state of emergency should, at a minimum, have the right to be brought before a judicial authority promptly after their arrest, be informed of the reasons for their detention, and have prompt access to legal counsel and family. They also should be allowed to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in a fair hearing, and to seek a remedy for mistreatment and arbitrary detention. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain ratiﬁed in 2006, permits some restrictions on certain rights during an oﬃcially proclaimed public emergency that ”threatens the life of the nation.” According to the Human Rights Committee, the international body of experts that monitors state compliance with the treaty, any derogation of rights during a public emergency must be of an exceptional and temporary nature, and must be ”limited to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation.” Certain fundamental rights - such as the right to life and the right to be secure from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment - must always be respected, even during a public emergency. ”To the best of our knowledge Bahraini authorities have not made public any rules or regulations under the so-called national safety law,” Stork said. ”The authorities apparently think they can do as they wish, but they are wrong.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201118/03// bahrain-protest-leaders-arbitrarily-detained

192

March 18, 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Bahrain: Protest Leaders Arbitrarily Detained At Least Eight People Arrested Under Martial Law Decree

193

(Manama) - Bahraini authorities should immediately release seven prominent opposition activists and a surgeon arrested on March 17, 2011, or charge them with a recognizable criminal oﬀense and bring them immediately before an independent judicial authority, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities should also reveal their whereabouts and provide them with immediate access to counsel and their families.

leader of the National Democratic Action Society; Hassan Mushaima, leader of the Haq Movement of Liberties and Democracy; Abd al-Wahab Hussein, leader of the al-Wefa Islamic Movement; Abdul-Jalil al-Singace, a leading member of the Haq Movement; Shaikh Saeed al-Nuri, a cleric and political activist; Shaikh Abd al-Hadi al-Mukhuther, also a cleric and political activist; and Hassan al-Haddad, a member of the Committee of the Unemployed.

The oﬃcial Bahrain News Agency announced on March 17 that the Bahraini Defense Force had arrested ”several leaders of the sedition ring who had called for the downfall of the regime and had intelligence contacts with foreign countries.” The statement accused the seven of inciting violence that led to the ”killing of citizens and the destruction of public and private property.” On March 15 King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa decreed a three-month state of emergency to quell continuing peaceful antigovernment street protests.

Dr. Alekry was arrested at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the country’s largest public health facility, after security forces surrounded the hospital. The whereabouts of another cleric and political activist, Shaikh Muhammed Habib alMoqdad, are currently unknown. Human Rights Watch has not been able to conﬁrm reports that he has been arrested.

”The government is depriving them of their liberty in a completely arbitrary manner, apparently for their leading roles in peaceful protests demanding democracy,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”At this point the lawyers and families of the people who have been arrested don’t even know who is holding them or where.” Security forces arrested the seven activists between 2 and 5 a.m. on March 17. The surgeon, Dr. Ali Alekry, was detained later the same day. The arrested activists are Ebrahim Sharif,

Sharif, al-Singace, Mushaima, and Hussein are leading members of political societies that formed a loose coalition demanding democratic reforms. Sharif’s secular leftist National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad), along with the main Shia opposition group (alWifaq), has called for Bahrain’s transformation to a constitutional monarchy. Mushaima, alSingace, and Hussein’s groups formed the ”Coalition for a Republic,” which called for abolishing the monarchy altogether. Sheikh al-Nuri, Sheikh al-Mukhuther, and Sheikh alMoqdad were generally regarded as being more closely aligned with those seeking more radical changes in the power structure. Dr. Alekry has been an outspoken critic of the

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch of uniformed riot police, came to his house. They broke down the door, detained him and confiscated his files and a computer. Rajab said security personnel hooded and handcuffed him in the back of a vehicle, where they verbally abused, kicked, and punched him, and in one instance threatened to sexually assault him. They eventually took him to a detention facility run by the Ministry of Interior in Adliya, a suburb of the capital, Manama, where an officer questioned him about a man being sought whom Rajab did not know. After some further questioning, the officers released him without bringing any charges. Rajab is a member of the Middle East advisory committee of Human Rights Watch. About an hour later, at around 2:30 a.m., a group of plainclothes masked men and riot police went to the home of Sayid Yousif alMuhafdah, another BCHR staffer, but he was at another location. According to al-Muhafdah, his family told him that about 25 men entered and searched their home. On departing, security officers warned the family to ”tell Sayid Yousif to come to the police station or we will come back every night. A second credible source told Human Rights Watch that security forces arrested another BCHR member, Mohammed Sultan, on March 19. A BCHR board member, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahlawi, has not been heard from in several days, but Human Rights Watch has not been able to confirm whether he has also been arrested or has instead gone into hiding. BCHR has long been critical of Bahrain’s government. In 2004 authorities had shut down the BCHR following the arrest of its then-president, Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, after

he publicly criticized the prime minister. The recent arrests appear part of a broader government crackdown, Human Rights Watch said. Since March 17, many opposition political activists and local rights defenders have slept away from their homes or gone into hiding to avoid arrest or harassment. Several have sought to leave the country following threats against them on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Over the past week Human Rights Watch has been able to conﬁrm the apparent arbitrary arrests of an additional 10 people, including seven political activists, two doctors (Ali Alekry, Mahmoud Asghar) and one rights activist (Seyed Ahmed al-Wedai). Human Rights Watch believes that the actual number of those arrested may be higher, and is seeking to determine whether some of the individuals reported missing are actually being detained. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders urges all states to ”take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of everyone against any violence, threats, retaliation, adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action” as a result of their participation in human rights activity. ”Bahrain is rapidly reverting to the police state of the 1990s,” said Stork. ”The authorities should stop arresting rights activists and doctors who speak out against abuses, and release all those improperly detained.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201120/03// bahrain-new-arrests-target-doctors-rightsactivists

194

March 20, 2011

Bahrain: New Arrests Target Doctors, Rights Activists In Widening Crackdown on Critics, Four Doctors Among 15 Recently Arrested (Manama) - Bahrain should end its campaign of arrests of doctors and human rights activists, Human Rights Watch said today.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

On March 192011 ,20-, state security forces, often masked and in civilian dress, arrested four medical doctors, and two human rights activists, and sought the arrest of a third. Human Rights Watch also remains concerned about the whereabouts of those doctors and rights advocates still in detention. The arrests, some of which occurred during pre-dawn hours, appear part of a broader government crackdown involving nighttime raids on the homes of those viewed as supporting prodemocracy protesters, Human Rights Watch said.

195

”Nighttime raids by masked men accompanied by uniformed security personnel have become disturbingly familiar in Bahrain,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”The state is now unabashedly terrorizing anyone including doctors who dared to support pro-democracy protesters during the past several weeks. A credible source who asked not to be

identiﬁed for security reasons told Human Rights Watch that on March 19, security forces arrested four doctors who had been publicly critical of the government. Dr. Ghassan Dhaif and his wife, Dr. Zahra al-Sammak, were stopped at Bahrain International Airport as they attempted to leave the country. While al-Sammak was released, at the time of this writing Ghassan Dhaif remains in custody. Sources also told Human Rights Watch that security forces also arrested Ghassan’s brother, Dr. Bassam Dhaif, who worked at the Salmaniya Medical Complex. At around 2:45 a.m. the same day, security forces raided the home of Dr. Nada Dhaif, who had appeared on an Al Jazeera broadcast speaking about events in Bahrain, and arrested her. Earlier the security forces had gone to her parent’s home. Nada Dhaif’s whereabouts, like those of the Dhaif brothers, who are her cousins, remain unknown. Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), told Human Rights Watch that at about 1:30 a.m. on March 20, 20 to 25 men, some armed with riﬂes and their faces covered, along with dozens

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

Doctors gave him pain medication, treated some of his surface wounds, and took an x-ray of his pelvic area and buttocks. The x-ray, which Human Rights Watch reviewed, showed more than 100 pellets lodged inside the patient’s body. Doctors told him and his family that they were unable to treat him there because some of the pellets had penetrated deeply and caused internal damage that required surgery. On the morning of March 27 the patient checked into another medical facility, where doctors told him he required immediate surgery. They said they would need to request blood from Salmaniya Medical Complex, the country’s only blood bank other than the Bahraini Defense Force Hospital. They warned the patient and his family that they could not request the blood without providing his personal information, including his name, national identity number, and the nature of his injuries. Approximately an hour-and-a-half later, a Human Rights Watch staﬀ member at the scene saw about 10 security force personnel, including two plainclothes agents and at least four riot police carrying weapons, enter the medical facility. One of the police oﬃcers told Human Rights Watch that they were from the Isa Town police station and that they had come to take the patient. They entered his room and forced him out of bed and to his feet. They held him up and began escorting him out, but the patient was in noticeable pain and told them that he could not walk. One of the riot police sarcastically responded, ”You can run away from the police but you can’t

walk now? One of the hospital staff called for a wheelchair. Human Rights Watch asked the security agents where they were taking the patient, and told them that he needed surgery and wanted to stay in the medical facility to receive care. Hospital staff communicated this same information to the security forces. One of the plainclothes agents told Human Rights Watch that they had orders to take the patient to the Salmaniya but refused to provide more information. They took him to the parking lot in a wheelchair and put him in an unmarked white sports utility vehicle. One plainclothes agent sat behind the wheel while the other sat with the patient in the back seat. They drove off with a four-jeep police escort. The next day Human Rights Watch learned through unofficial channels that authorities had transferred the patient to the Bahraini Defense Force Hospital, operated by the military and that he had undergone surgery. No official information is available about his condition. Human Rights Watch witnessed a similar case on March 28, when doctors at another medical facility were forced to transfer a wounded 19-year-old, who also wished to remain anonymous, to security forces at Salmaniya because he was in need of critical care. This patient had also been shot with a pellet gun at close range on March 25. More than 100 pellets had entered the right side of his body and damaged his right kidney, colon, and right lung, causing several lacerations and ruptures.

196

March 30, 2011

Bahrain: Wounded Protesters Beaten, Detained Stop Targeting Patients Injured in Protests

(Manama) - Bahraini authorities are systematically targeting demonstrators and bystanders wounded in anti-government protests for harassment and mistreatment, and in some cases denying them critical care, Human Rights Watch said today.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Since the Bahraini Defense Force (BDF) took over the country’s largest public medical facility on March 16, 2011, security and military forces have sought out and threatened, beaten and detained patients injured by teargas, rubber bullets, birdshot pellets, and live ammunition. These patients also have been removed from hospitals or forcibly transferred to other medical facilities, often against medical advice. Human Rights Watch has been documenting these cases.

197

”There is absolutely no justiﬁcation for arresting someone solely because the person might have been wounded in a protest-related incident, said Joe Stork, Middle East deputy director at Human Rights Watch. ”It is against

every tenet of humanity to deprive patients of critical and sometimes life-saving medical treatment, causing them grave suﬀering and perhaps irreparable harm. On March 27 security forces forcibly removed a young patient from a medical facility he had checked into for serious injuries from a pellet gun. The patient was in great pain and doctors said he needed immediate surgery to remove more than 100 pellets that had penetrated his pelvic area and damaged internal organs. The 22-year-old patient, who wished to remain anonymous, went to a local medical facility on March 26. The patient told Human Rights Watch that security forces had ﬁred birdshot pellets at him from about one meter away on March 25, after they entered his village in response to anti-government protests. He said he began to experience severe stomach pains and vomiting several hours later. The pain soon became unbearable, so his brothers took him to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

anonymous, described a six-day ordeal at Salmaniya. He went there for treatment of birdshot wounds to his face, eye, and thumb after security forces attacked anti-government protesters at the Pearl Roundabout on March 16. He told Human Rights Watch that around 8:30 p.m. on March 17 he and his four roommates, who were in Ward 23, heard men shouting and slamming doors. A group of armed masked men, some in civilian clothes and the others in police uniforms, entered his room and demanded that he and his roommates identify themselves, give their addresses, and describe their injuries. The armed men forced him and his roommates out of their beds, pushed them to the ground, and tied their hands behind their backs, then beat them and dragged them out of the room. The men took them to the hospital’s reception area, where they were forced to lie on the ground face down with their hands tied for four hours along with dozens of other patients. The witness said the men kicked and swore at the patients while reviewing their medical records. The witness said that the next day at around 4 or 5 p.m. the hospital transferred him and many of the others who had protest-related injuries to Ward 62, on the sixth ﬂoor. He said that from that evening through early the next morning, several groups of men, some in uniforms and others in civilian clothes, most of them masked, entered their room and repeatedly

interrogated them on videotape, demanding to know about alleged relationships with opposition ﬁgures, Iran, and Hezbollah. The men used anti-Shia slurs against the patients. He said at one point one of the men told the others to beat them with their shoes because they were ”najes, or unclean, and the men beat the patients on their heads, hands, and necks. Over the next two days, the witness said, the patients, under lockdown in the sixth ﬂoor ward, were subjected to repeated beatings and interrogations. The witness told Human Rights Watch that starting on March 19, authorities directed doctors to assess some of the patients who had less serious injuries and ordered the hospital to discharge them. On March 21 he and several others were discharged. Other witnesses gave similar accounts to Human Rights Watch. ”Bahrain’s government has turned the country’s medical facilities, places that are meant to be safe and healing havens for the sick and injured, into holding pens in conditions that sometimes amount to torture,Stork said. ”Authorities should immediately allow all patients with protestrelated injuries unrestricted access to medical centers and hospitals. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201130/03// bahrain-wounded-protesters-beatendetained

198

The patient sought treatment at a local medical facility, but doctors there told him and his family that he needed urgent care, possibly surgery, and that he would need to be transferred either to Salmaniya or the Bahraini Defense Force Hospital. Authorities eventually allowed him to be transferred to Salmaniya in an ambulance without a police escort and guaranteed that he would receive proper treatment. The family remains very worried about his condition, and fears that authorities have transferred him to the sixth ﬂoor of Salmaniya where many other patients with protest-related injuries are being held.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Human Rights Watch had previously documented another similar case. Hani Abd al-Aziz Jumah, also shot at close range with birdshot pellets, had sought treatment at a medical facility where doctors struggled for nearly two hours to stabilize him after massive blood loss. Jumah’s father had told Human Rights Watch that after his son arrived at the medical facility, an ambulance arrived from the Bahraini Defense Force Hospital, accompanied by two masked police oﬃcers. The oﬃcers announced they were transferring his son to that hospital. That was the last time Jumah’s family saw him alive.

199

On March 29 the Interior Ministry’s undersecretary for legal aﬀairs announced that at least one patient had died and another was in critical condition because their families, fearing they would be detained

and mistreated, delayed admitting them to hospitals, which ”resulted in the deterioration in the condition of [one of the protesters] and the death of the other. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that the death the ministry was referring to was Jumah’s. Human Rights Watch is not aware that authorities have sent any official communication to the families of the two wounded patients who were taken to Salmaniya and the Bahraini Defense Force Hospital on March 27 and 28. ”The Interior Ministry’s statement is utterly dismissive of the difficult decisions that critically wounded patients and their families have had to make because of the security forces’ inhumane behavior at Salmaniya and other medical facilities over the past week, Stork said. Human Rights Watch has documented several cases in which patients with protestrelated injuries were transferred to or sought treatment at Salmaniya and were then severely harassed or beaten. Numerous witnesses told Human Rights Watch that Salmaniya authorities have systematically segregated people with protest-related injuries from the rest of the patient population and moved most of those with wounds from birdshot or live ammunition to wards on the sixth floor. The sixth floor is effectively under lockdown, these witnesses said. One former patient, who wished to remain

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

supporters. Coverage of subjects such as arbitrary arrests and deaths in custody, and other sensitive information, has been considerably reduced. Al-Jamri and his colleagues told Human Rights Watch they examined the alleged false news and photos, and that the six items had been sent as emails from diﬀerent addresses, but from a single external internet protocol (IP) source, based in a neighboring country. All of the false news items and photos dealt with alleged incidents, such as raids on homes by riot police, that have been frequent and routine in Bahrain since March 15. The emails appeared to have been sent also to other Bahraini newspapers, making them appear more authentic, but with small mistakes in the addresses so that in fact Al Wasat was the only recipient. The authorities announced on April 3 that they would initiate legal proceedings against Al Wasat ”following compelling evidence of press law violations including forgery

and falsification.” On April 11, authorities summoned al-Jamri, managing editor Walid Nouwaihidh, and the head of the local news department Aqeel Mirza to the Public Prosecutor’s office, where they were questioned for more than two hours. The announcement that the three would be charged followed immediately. On April 4, the Information Affairs Authority had separately summoned two Iraqi journalists who had worked for Al Wasat since 2005, Ali al-Sharefi and Rahim al-Ka’bi. Employees at Al Wasat told Human Rights Watch that the officials pressured them to claim that alJamri had knowingly fabricated the stories and photos in question. When they insisted otherwise, Bahraini authorities summarily deported them and their families. The Bahrain television program attacking Al Wasat was followed by a 30-page report by the Information Affairs Authority detailing Al Wasat’s alleged transgressions. The BNA reported that Al Wasat ”disseminated old news

200

April 11, 2011

Bahrain: Drop Charges Against Editor of Independent Daily Following Crackdown, Al Wasat No Longer Presenting Critical Reports

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

(Manama) - Bahraini authorities should immediately drop politically-motivated charges against Mansoor al-Jamri, allow him to return as chief editor of Al Wasat, and cease their campaign to silence independent journalism, Human Rights Watch said today. Al-Jamri’s resignation under duress and his subsequent indictment on charges of knowingly publishing news has left Bahrain without a single independent mass media outlet to report about the ﬁerce repression that has killed more than two dozen people, wounded hundreds, and created a state of fear, Human Rights Watch said.

201

On April 11, 2011, the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported that the Public Prosecutor will charge al-Jamri and two other editors ”with publishing fabricated news and made up stories ... that may harm public safety and national interests.” Bahrain’s Information Aﬀairs Authority had previously suspended Al Wasat on April 2, 2011, following a program on state-controlled Bahrain television claiming

that the paper had published ”false news” and photos in its March 26 and March 29 editions and would not be allowed to publish on April 3. The Information Affairs Authority allowed Al Wasat to resume publishing on April 4, but only after al-Jamri, the founder and editor in chief, resigned, along with the managing editor and local news editor. ”Mistaken information is no justification for shutting down a newspaper and prosecuting its editor,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”Bahrain’s rulers are showing they have no shame by muzzling the one media outlet that was widely regarded as the country’s only independent news source. Human Rights Watch has monitored Al Wasat’s contents since the editors’ departure. It found that paper has largely ceased publishing news and analysis differing from that of the rest of Bahrain’s mass media, which are effectively controlled by the state or government

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

”Under normal circumstances, Al Wasat would have some 30 desk editors, reporters, photographers, page-makers, proof-readers, and other supporting staff available to check and process incoming news,” al-Jamri told Human Rights Watch. ”However, under the emergency situation, staff had to stay away and process the work from their homes.” Al-Jamri also told Human Rights Watch that, since the declaration of martial law on March 15, Al Wasat had been in close contact with authorities, including the Interior Ministry, regarding the content of material it planned to publish. Human Rights Watch said that Bahrain’s efforts to end Al Wasat’s critical reporting violated the country’s international human rights obligations. Article 19 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, to which Bahrain acceded in 2006, protects the right to freedom of expression, including ”freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” Any restrictions on this right must be provided by law and necessary to ”respect the rights or

reputations of others” or ”for the protection of national security or of public order or public health and morals.” ”The actions to tame Al Wasat are symptomatic of a full-scale clampdown against any form of dissent in Bahrain,” Stork said. ”Since midMarch, the government has methodically targeted and attempted to silence critics of every stripe inside the country. Now they have managed to eliminate Bahrain’s only independent mass media outlet.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201111/04// bahrain-drop-charges-against-editorindependent-daily

202

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 203

published in other Arab, local newspapers, websites and blogs.” Authorities also alleged that Al Wasat had presented incidents that happened in other countries, claiming they took place in Bahrain, causing ”human rights organizations and countries [...] [to rely on] baseless information when commenting on the situation in Bahrain.” The report, according to the news agency, concluded that the evidence presented ”leaves no doubt that [Al Wasat] has malicious intentions” and that it sought to incite its readers, thereby violating Article 168 of Bahrain’s penal code and Royal Decree 47 concerning the establishment of the press. Article 168 imposes imprisonment ”for a period of no more than 2 years” or a ﬁne if a person is found to have ”willfully broadcast[ed] any false or malicious news reports” that result in ”disturbing public security, terrorizing people or causing damage to public interest.” ”In normal circumstances, even in Bahrain, authorities would inquire about the source of a news item and if it couldn’t be veriﬁed the newspaper would publish a correction or retraction,” Stork said, ”The rush to force Mansoor al-Jamri out of the paper he founded was clearly aimed at silencing all critics, not at

correcting misinformation.” After Bahrain television aired its program, al-Jamri publicly acknowledged that the reports identified by authorities were false and misleading, but he rejected accusations that he and his staff knowingly published false information. He told Human Rights Watch that on April 3 Al Wasat had opened an internal investigation into the source of the false information, and found that all of it originated from one internet protocol source in a neighboring country. Al-Jamri also told Human Rights Watch that the fabricated information was released at a time when the newspaper was operating with reduced staff following attacks on its employees and offices, and that the articles had not been properly vetted to verify their authenticity. Unknown assailants attacked Al Wasat’s printing press at about 1 a.m. on March 15, reducing printing capacity. The unstable security situation had also affected operations at Al Wasat’s main office, forcing employees to shut down evening operations to prepare the next day’s paper, and instead work from their homes.

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

During the next hour-and-a-half or so, the officers thoroughly searched all rooms inside the home and confiscated personal items. Huda al-Tajer said she was forced to wake up the smaller children and transfer them from one room to another as the officers completed their search. Huda al-Tajer said that the officers allowed Mohammed al-Tajer to briefly embrace her before escorting him outside and taking him away in a police vehicle. My husband hasnt done anything except defend the rights of others, she told Human Rights Watch. He is a lawyer. This is his job. He has to have immunity and protection to do his job. I have no idea where he is right now and what they are doing to him. I am really frightened. During their search the officers also ordered

Mohammed al-Tajer to hand over the key to his law office in Manama. Al-Tajer told them that he shares the office with several other lawyers, but they insisted that he give them the key regardless. Human Rights Watch is concerned that al-Tajers arrest is an effort on the part of authorities to intimidate and silence defense lawyers. Al-Tajer is part of a group of Bahraini lawyers who have defended opposition figures and rights activists arrested and detained by authorities during the past several years, including those picked up during the most recent security sweeps. He was one of the lead lawyers involved in the trial of 23 opposition and rights activists arrested during security sweeps last August and September and accused under Bahrains counterterrorism law. The government released all 23 defendants on February 23, 2011, but rearrested several of them following the latest round of

204

April 16, 2011

Bahrain: Defense Lawyer Detained After Night Raid At Least 15 Doctors Also Detained Without Access to Families and Lawyers

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

(Manama) - More than two dozen uniformed and plainclothes security oﬃcers, most of whom were masked, raided the home of prominent defense lawyer Mohammed alTajer on the evening of April 15, 2011, and arrested him, Human Rights Watch said today. Neither he nor his family was given any reason for his detention.

205

Human Rights Watch believes that al-Tajer is the first defense lawyer detained in more than a decade. He is well known for defending opposition figures and rights activists arrested in security sweeps. The arrest took place around 11 p.m. on April 15, when security officers surrounded and then entered al-Tajers home. Security officers searched his home and confiscated personal items including laptops, mobile phones, and documents, before taking him away. Al-Tajer is one of 499 people currently detained by the Bahraini authorities, according to a list compiled by the

Wefaq National Islamic Society, an opposition political society. The governments arrest of a leading defense lawyer shows that Bahrain is taking a turn for the worse on human rights, said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. The authorities should either release Mohammed al-Tajer or charge him now with a recognizable oﬀense. Huda al-Tajer, Mohammeds wife, told Human Rights Watch that at around 11 p.m. one of her sons came and told her and Mohammed al-Tajer that there were some men outside their home. Mohammed al-Tajer opened the door and several masked security oﬃcers came inside and began searching the home. They ordered Mohammed al-Tajer to stay downstairs while they initiated their search and told Huda al-Tajer to go upstairs and wake up the younger children who were asleep.

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

March 17 have since been released. We have serious concerns regarding the wellbeing and safety of some of the detainees, said Stork. The authorities should immediately provide information on the whereabouts of all detainees arrested since March 17 and permit them to meet with their families and lawyers. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain ratiﬁed in 1998, requires that anyone arrested shall be promptly informed of any charges and brought before a judge or other judicial authority. A refusal of the authorities to acknowledge a persons detention or provide information on their fate or whereabouts would be an enforced disappearance.

freedom of movement and association. Even during a state of emergency, fundamental rights - such as the right to life, the right to be secure from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and the prohibition on discrimination - must always be respected, Human Rights Watch said. Any restrictions on other rights during a genuine emergency must be strictly limited. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201116/04// bahrain-defense-lawyer-detained-after-nightraid

Since March 15, Bahrain has been subject to martial law, oﬃcially labeled a state of National Safety, that gave authorities wide powers of arrest, censorship, and prohibitions on

206

targeted arrests. Human Rights Watch has gathered statements indicating that prior to their release on February 23, authorities had subjected some of the 23 to severe abuse and ill-treatment amounting to torture.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Recent Arrests of Doctors Two days prior to al-Tajers arrest, authorities detained Dr. Sadeq Abdulla, a vascular surgeon at the Salmaniya Medical Complex. Interior Ministry oﬃcials summoned Abdulla to the ministrys headquarters in Manama at around 11 p.m. on April 14, according to a source close to the family. His wife and his father-inlaw accompanied him to the ministry. They waited there for several hours but Abdulla never emerged. The source told Human Rights Watch that the family contacted an oﬃcer at the Interior Ministry on April 15 to inquire about the status of Abdulla and was told that he would be in custody for a few more days. No information was provided regarding the reasons for Abdullas arrest.

207

Later that day Abdulla called his wife and told her that he was fine. The authorities allowed Abdullas family to drop off his medications at the Criminal Investigations Directorate in Adliya on the same day, but have so far not allowed his family or his lawyer to visit him. Abdullas family believes that authorities are currently detaining him at the Adliya police station. Abdulla is one of at least 19 doctors arrested by authorities since March 17, at least eight of whom were arrested within the past week. Authorities arrested Dr. Kholood al-Derazi and Dr. Nayara Sarhan on April 14, and Dr. Sadeq Jaffar on April 13. Two days before that they arrested Dr. Nabeel Tammam, Dr. Nabeel Hameed, Dr. Aref Rajab, Dr. Abd al-Shaheed Fadhal, and Zahra al-Sammak. The authorities had previously detained al-Sammak on March 19. She is the wife of Dr.Ghassan Dhaif, who has been custody since March 19. Dr. Tammam and several of the other doctors arrested after

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

February 24, 2011

Bahrain: Ensure Rights of Freed Political Prisoners Release of 23 Opposition Activists a Positive Move

At the time of publication Human Rights Watch indicated that an informed source had told the organization that prior to their release, the authorities had ”demanded that each [of the detainees] sign a document promising to refrain from criticizing the government after they had been released, but that all refused to do so.” Human Rights Watch has since had the opportunity to further investigate this claim and cannot verify its validity. (New York) - Bahrain’s release of 23 political prisoners is a positive move, but the authorities need to respect their rights to engage in peaceful political activity, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities freed dozens of prisoners early on February 23, 2011, including 23 opposition activists who had been charged with a range of national security-related oﬀenses - the so-called ”terrorist network” cases. Most, if not all, of the 23 appear to have been arrested and charged as a result of their writings or peaceful political activities, Human Rights Watch said. A person in contact with the detainees told Human Rights Watch that authorities demanded that each sign a document promising to refrain from criticizing the government after they had been released, but that all refused to do so. ”Bahraini authorities should ensure that the

23 freed prisoners are genuinely free,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. ”Releasing people held unjustly means letting them return to their political activities. A Bahraini lawyer told Human Rights Watch that the 23 released detainees have an uncertain legal status because their release was not contingent on either an amnesty or bail. Human Rights Watch called on the government to drop politically motivated charges against them immediately. In a government statement on February 22, King Hamad al-Khalifa called on all citizens to cease public protests. The Bahraini daily Al-Watan quoted King Hamad as saying that ”public venues are not the appropriate place for national dialogue” and said that he instead called on people to sit at the negotiating table. ”The arrest of these 23 appeared from the start to be an effort to stifle and punish dissent,” Stork said. ”While we welcome their release, any attempt to harass or intimidate them and others who criticize the government or ruling family will undermine efforts toward real reform.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201124/02// bahrain-ensure-rights-freed-political-prisoners

208

April 18, 2011

Bahrain: Attack on Rights Defender’s Home

(Manama) - Unknown assailants lobbed teargas grenades at the home of a leading Bahraini human rights defender in the early hours of April 18, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack, which took place at 3:30 a.m. in the village of Bani Jamra, targeted the home of Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and a member of the Human Rights Watch Middle East Advisory Committee.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Rajab said two of the grenades spread gas into the adjacent home of his 78-year-old mother, who suﬀers from respiratory disease, causing her great distress. The third grenade did not detonate. To Human Rights Watch’s knowledge, only Bahrain’s security forces have access to the types of grenades that were thrown into the Rajab family’s compound.

209

”This attack certainly appears to target Nabeel Rajab for his human rights advocacy,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”Bahraini authorities need to investigate this incident and hold those responsible to account.”

Markings on the grenades identiﬁed them as Triple Chaser CS 515 grenades, manufactured by Federal Laboratories in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania. They were thrown over a high wall that surrounds both his home and his mother’s, Rajab said. He said that everyone was sleeping in the two houses at the time, and that he was unaware of any unrest in the neighborhood at the time. On April 10, oﬃcials publicly accused Rajab of fabricating photos posted on his Facebook site of the body of Ali Isa Ibrahim Saqer, who died in detention on April 9. The photos showed slash marks all over his back and other signs of physical abuse. A Human Rights Watch researcher saw Saqer’s body just prior to his burial and said the photos were accurate. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201118/04// bahrain-attack-rights-defender-s-home

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

protesters killed are Ali Mushaima, 21 (died February 14), Fadhel al-Matrook, 31 (died February 15), Mahmoud Ahmed Makki, 23 (died February 17), Ali Mansour Ahmad Khudeir, 53 (died February 17), Isa Abdul Hassan, 60 (died February 17), Ali al-Moamen, 22 (died February 17), and Redha Bu Hameed, 32 (died February 21 as a result of injuries sustained on February 18). Bu Hameed, the demonstrator who died on February 21, was engaged in a peaceful protest at the time army and riot police ﬁred on protesters, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. They said that he and other protesters approached military and security units positioned to prevent demonstrators from reaching the Pearl Roundabout with their hands raised to show that they were not carrying any weapons. Their accounts are apparently corroborated by a YouTube video of the incident. Sixty-year-old Isa Abdul Hassan was shot to death during the riot police raid on the Pearl Roundabout in the early morning hours of February 17. Mohamed, who witnessed the

killing but asked not to be identified further, told Human Rights Watch, ”Isa Abdul Hassan spoke to the police. He said that he was not going to move because it was a peaceful protest. We all had the right to do it and we were not doing anything illegal. As soon as he said that, one policeman took a gun from another, put it to his head, right in the middle of his forehead, and fired. Abdul Hassan’s head split open; he died on the spot. Another witness who wished to remain unnamed and who participated in the February 18 demonstration told Human Rights Watch that as he and other protesters approached riot police and army personnel close to the Pearl Roundabout, they heard the faint voice of someone over a loudspeaker in the distance but could not make out what the speaker was saying. He said the protesters continued to move forward, chanting ”Peaceful, Peaceful!” and had their hands raised when security forces suddenly opened fire. Abdul Redha Buhmaid died as a result of a bullet to his head.

210

February 28, 2011

Bahrain: Hold Perpetrators of Crackdown Accountable Launch Independent Investigation Into Deaths, Vicious Attacks on Protesters (Manama) - Political reform in Bahrain has to include a transparent and independent investigation into government-initiated violence that claimed the lives of seven protesters and injured hundreds of others, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also called on authorities to prosecute those responsible for perpetrating the violence as well as for abusing people taken into custody.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

On Monday, February 21, 2011, 32-year-old Redha Bu Hameed died from serious injuries caused as a result of bullet wounds to his head - the seventh victim of gunﬁre by security forces since February 14. On February 18 the army as well as riot police shot live rounds, metallic pellets, rubber bullets, and teargas at demonstrators approaching the Pearl Roundabout to demonstrate against earlier violence by security forces.

211

”Real reform in Bahrain cannot take place without judicial accountability for serious human rights violations committed by security forces - and those who ordered the deadly assaults on peaceful protesters,”

said Joe Stork, Middle East deputy director at Human Rights Watch. ”Bahrain’s existing treaty obligations also require nothing less.” Bahrain’s government has announced that it will investigate the killings of protesters, but it is not apparent whether such an investigation will be independent and transparent, or whether it will cover the deaths of all seven protesters in addition to looking into allegations of injuries, arbitrary arrests, and abuse or ill-treatment of detainees following the attacks. Human Rights Watch has documented serious human rights violations committed by security forces against peaceful protesters including use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and abuse and ill-treatment of detainees picked up by security forces during demonstrators. Human Rights Watch conﬁrmed the use of live ammunition against protesters as well as birdshot pellets and rubber bullets by the military and security forces. The vast majority of deaths were caused by pellets. The seven

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

him and three of the other detainees to board an ambulance. He was admitted to Salmaniyya hospital at 6 a.m. on February 17, with severe injuries to his face, back, and torso. On February 22 a tired Alekri, still nursing a fractured nose and heavily bruised face, underwent facial surgery. Human Rights Watch previously documented attacks against paramedics whom police prevented from providing timely and critical care to those wounded following the early morning attack against protesters camped out at the Pearl Roundabout. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, Bahrain must prevent the use of torture by its security forces, and has an obligation to protect and promote the right to life, freedom of expression and association, and the right to assemble peacefully. Bahrain should also abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which state that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life, and must be exercised with restraint and proportionality.

The principles also require governments to ”ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense under their law” and that ”superior officers are held responsible if they know, or should have known, that law enforcement officials under their command are resorting, or have resorted, to the unlawful use of force and firearms, and they did not take all measures in their power to prevent, suppress or report such use. ”The Bahraini government should urgently establish an independent commission tasked with investigating the use of deadly force against peaceful demonstrators and statements by protesters who say they were abused or tortured after arrest,” said Stork. ”Prosecution of those responsible for any unlawful attacks is a critical element to any meaningful political reform.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201128/02// bahrain-hold-perpetrators-crackdownaccountable

212

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Human Rights Watch has also documented incidents of arbitrary arrest and detention, and abuse and ill-treatment amounting to torture. Sadiq Alekri, a 44-year-old doctor from Salmaniyya hospital was at the Pearl Roundabout in a medical tent the evening of February 16 and the morning of February 17, when riot police attacked. He told Human Rights Watch that he and his staff were wearing jackets with the Red Crescent emblem on them, and carried identification cards indicating they were part of a volunteer medical team. A little after 3 a.m., he said, he heard someone yelling that riot police were attacking the camp. He went out to see what was going on and was immediately engulfed in teargas and sounds of gunfire.

213

Several minutes later, he said, riot police confronted him with sticks and guns. When they attempted to handcuff him, he sat on the floor, raised his hands, and told them he is a doctor. They proceeded to handcuff him from behind and several of them began punching, kicking, and beating him with sticks. They then lifted him and walked him

to an unknown location. Alekri said that every 100 meters or so other riot police punched and kicked him. During one attack, someone struck him in the face with a stick, fracturing his nose. As a result of the repeated beatings, Alekri also sustained damage to his left eye, which caused temporary loss of vision. Alekri told Human Rights Watch that after this series of attacks he was loaded onto a dark bus parked somewhere close to the Pearl Roundabout. As he boarded the bus one of the officers pulled down the doctor’s pants, raising concern that he might face sexual assault. A police officer then walked him into the bus, forced him into a seat with handcuffs still on, and pulled his shirt over his head. Before sitting he noticed other detainees inside the bus. Alekri said that for the next hour or so several police officers walked up and the aisle and beat the detainees repeatedly. Alekri told Human Rights Watch that one threatened him, saying: ”If you bleed in my chair with your dirty blood I will beat you to death! Alekri said that the police eventually allowed

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

on February 23, where a military official told him his brother would be prosecuted because of statements he made and because he was a military employee. Rashid al-Buflasa said that on February 24, authorities transferred Mohammed to the military court where the two brothers met for the first time since Mohammed’s arrest. During the first and only trial session which held on February 27 and was not open to the public, the military court sentenced Mohammed to two months’ imprisonment, according to Rashid. ”As his brother, I’d like to know what they’ve charged Mohammed with,” Rashid al-Buflasa said. ”I saw his speech [at the Roundabout] on YouTube. He has not done anything illegal.” He said authorities have transferred Mohammed back to Ras al-Qurayn and have allowed him to speak with his wife on the phone several times since his arrest. Neither the Bahrain Defense Force nor military court officials responded to Human Rights Watch requests for further information about the charges. In a March 8 phone conversation, Col. Ahmad al-Khalifa, director of military cooperation with the media, told Human Rights Watch that the military court is continuing to investigate al-Buflasa’s case and that he has not yet been sentenced. Colonel al-Khalifa told Human Rights Watch that alBuflasa is an ”active” military employee, and that all ”members of the armed forces must get permission [from the military] before joining a party.” He declined, however, to disclose the charges against al-Buflasa.

Rashid al-Buflasa said that Mohammed had served as a military officer for about 15 years. He left about three years ago to work in the media section of the Crown Prince’s office, the brother said, but arranged with the military to continue his service for purpose of accruing pension benefits. Rashid said his brother had briefly run as an independent candidate in parliamentary elections held in October 2010, but then withdrew. He had not encountered any disciplinary response from the military for his candidacy, although Bahraini law precludes military officers from running for public office. Bahrain is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary detention. It states that all people arrested ”shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against [them]” and brought promptly before a judge. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has said that detention that results from the exercise of basic rights, such as freedom of expression, is considered arbitrary. ”Bahraini authorities should publicly disclose the reasons why al-Buflasa has been detained, including his military status, if any, and the specific military provisions that he has allegedly breached,” Stork said. ”In the absence of this information it is difficult to avoid concluding that the military has arbitrarily detained him because someone in power did not like what he had to say. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201110/03// bahrain-explain-protesters-detention

214

March 10, 2011

Bahrain: Explain Protester’s Detention Military Officials Refuse to Disclose Reasons for Holding al-Buflasa (Manama) - The Bahrain Defense Force should immediately make public the reason military commanders have detained a former officer for three weeks, Human Rights Watch said today. Military authorities detained Mohammed al-Buflasa on February 15, 2011, after he spoke at the Pearl Roundabout, criticizing the government and supporting the protesters.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

On March 4 the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) announced that al-Buflasa, a 34-yearold former military officer, who is Sunni, would stand trial for ”breaching the B[ahrain] D[efense] F[orce] law.” This was the first official acknowledgement that al-Buflasa was in custody, but authorities have not provided any information regarding the charges against him. Prior to the BNA announcement, al-Buflasa was the only person associated with the protests whose whereabouts had not been accounted for.

215

”Bahrain’s long silence about Mohammed alBuﬂasa’s whereabouts and continuing failure to explain why he’s being detained suggests that authorities have locked him up solely because they did not like what he said at the

Pearl Roundabout,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. Al-Buflasa, who was wearing civilian clothing when he delivered one of the first speeches at the Pearl Roundabout on February 15, expressed support for public demonstrations that had begun the day before. He introduced himself as a Sunni and called for national unity between Sunnis and Shias, but did not identify himself as a military officer. His comments touched on numerous controversial issues, including discrimination against the majority Shia population and the ”political naturalization” of Sunnis from other countries, which the Shia opposition claims is permitted to change Bahrain’s demographic balance. AlBuflasa disappeared shortly after leaving the Pearl Roundabout that day. Rashid Yusif al-Buflasa, Mohammed’s brother, who lives in Qatar, told Human Rights Watch that he arrived in Bahrain on February 23 to look into his brother’s detention. He learned, through his sources, that authorities were holding Mohammed at Ras al-Qurayn, a military prison in southern Bahrain and that they planned to prosecute him in a military court. Rashid visited the military court in Rifah

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

al-Khawaja and head of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, downstairs into an apartment where they handcuffed him and forced him, along with al-Khawaja, Hussein, and al-Majid, to lie face-down on the floor. Al-Maskati said they slapped him and one placed his boot on al-Maskati’s neck. When the masked men recognized his name, they took him to an adjacent room, removed his handcuffs, and ordered him to stay inside, alMaskati said.

torture. In February, al-Khawaja resigned as regional protection coordinator for Front Line, a Dublin-based international organization dedicated to protecting human rights defenders, in order to work with the political opposition in Bahrain. He is also a founder and former president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. During the upheaval in Bahrain, he had received death threats by SMS and social networking sites, Zainab alKhawaja said.

Zainab al-Khawaja told Human Rights Watch that she saw two police jeeps and six black unmarked jeeps with smoked-glass windows depart from the front of her building. The entire raid lasted about 45 minutes, she said. None of the masked men produced a warrant or identiﬁcation.

Human Rights Watch has gathered information on more than a dozen predawn raids in Bahrain in recent weeks. The detainees are held virtually incommunicado, with at most one or two brief phone calls allowed from places of detention to ask for fresh clothing. Families of the detainees say they were not permitted to see their relatives or lawyers. The government has provided no registry of detainees.

Zainab al-Khawaja said her father had spoken out at Pearl Roundabout in Manama and called for members of the ruling Al Khalifa family to be tried on charges of alleged corruption and

Human Rights Watch called on the United

216

April 9, 2011

Bahrain: Free Prominent Opposition Activist US, EU Should End Silence on Brutal Treatment of Opposition

(Manama) - Bahrain authorities should immediately release prominent opposition and rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, or bring him before an independent judge and charge him with a recognizable oﬀense, Human Rights Watch said today.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Human Rights Watch also called on authorities to allow an independent medical doctor immediate and unconditional access to alKahawaja, 50, whom witnesses say was badly beaten by riot police when they raided his daughter’s home in the predawn hours of April 9, 2011. Al-Khawaja, an opposition and rights activist, has worked for national and international human rights organizations, including the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Dublin-based Front Line.

217

”The brutal beating of rights activist Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja by police during a warrantless predawn raid adds cruelty on top of illegality,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”He should be released

immediately.” At about 2 a.m., according to al-Khawaja’s daughter, Zainab al-Khawaja, about 15 masked men, armed and mostly in black uniforms, forced open the doors to the building where she lives in the village of Muqsha, and stormed into her fourth-floor apartment after breaking the door with a sledge hammer. They grabbed Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja by the neck and hustled him and two sons-in-law, Wafi al-Majid and Hussein Ahmed, to a third-floor landing where they beat and kicked them. Zainab al-Khawaja told Human Rights Watch that she heard her father gasp, ”I can’t breathe,” and saw him slumped to the floor. When she tried to intervene, the masked men said they would take her too, but then forced her back into her apartment. She said that she later found traces of blood on the staircase. The masked men forced Mohammed alMaskati, also a son-in-law of Abdul Hadi

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

a prominent blogger, who was subsequently released. Security forces have killed at least 18 people since protests began, 11 of them since March 15. Police make nightly raids in Shia neighborhoods and villages, invading households looking for protest participants or supporters. Since March 15, police and the military have operated under martial law, oﬃcially termed a ”state of national safety.” On April 4, the government published a list of powers given the Bahrain Defense Force and other security agencies that include censorship, restrictions on non-government groups, political societies, and unions, and the right to curb movement, seal oﬀ parts of the country, and arrest anyone suspected of threatening ”safety of citizens.”

have detained some 430 people over the past six weeks. Wifaq relies on families reporting the missing and presumed detained and updates the list on a regular basis. Human Rights Watch has documented the arbitrary arrests and detention of more than a dozen medical personnel and physicians. ”Martial law cannot mean open season on peaceful demonstrators and political opponents,” Stork said. ”Those arrested must still be promptly brought before a judge to determine the lawfulness of the detention and their families given access.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201109/04// bahrain-free-prominent-opposition-activist

The Wifaq National Islamic Society, an opposition political party, says that police

218

States and the European Union to speak out against Bahrain’s crackdown on dissent. Since March 16, Bahraini police and armed forces, backed by forces from Saudi Arabia, have suppressed pro-democracy protests in Manama. Abuses have escalated in recent weeks, including beatings at checkpoints by masked uniformed and plainclothes men, nightly raids on homes of perceived activists and demonstrators, and the forcible removal from hospitals of badly injured patients who appear to have sustained injuries from police.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

”Washington and the European Union have been disturbingly vague in their response to Bahrain’s brutal suppression of democracy activists,” Stork said. ”President Obama properly calls Syria’s response to protesters ‘abhorrent,’ but the routine depredations in Bahrain, in apparent deference to Saudi Arabia, pass without any public criticism.”

219

Human Rights Watch called on European Union foreign ministers to publicly condemn Bahrain’s repressive measures and demand the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained in the crackdown when they meet in Luxembourg on April 12. Human Rights Watch also called on the European Union and the United States to ban all export licensing for security equipment and arms from European Union member states to Bahrain until the crackdown on dissenting voices ends. On March 16, police and soldiers forcibly cleared Manama’s Pearl Roundabout, the center of anti-government demonstrations that began a month earlier, two days after Saudi Arabia sent troops and tanks into Bahrain. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the time criticized Bahrain’s resort to force against largely peaceful protesters, but since then US oﬃcials have been publicly silent except for one statement about the arrest of

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

Manama, during demonstrations on the morning of March 16. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that security forces initially used teargas, rubber bullets, and birdshot guns but later shot live ammunition rounds in an eﬀort to regain full control of the areas close to the roundabout. Jaafar Abd al-Ali Salman, 41, Jaafar Mayoof, 30, and Ahmad al-Arnoot, 22, all died from wounds received on March 16. Media reports indicate that Salman and Mayoof were hit by live ammunition, while al-Arnoot’s injuries were from a birdshot gun. Stephan Abraham, an Indian national who worked as a security guard in a nearby building, died later that day after he was apparently struck by a stray bullet at his place of work around 8 p.m. The security forces ﬁred live ammunition during security sweeps on March 15, 16, and in subsequent days, Human Rights Watch said. The latest victim of the government crackdown was 71-year-old Isa Mohammed Ali Abdulla, who died of asphyxiation from teargas used against demonstrators in the village of Maameer on March 25, Al-Wasat, an independent daily, reported. Abdulla was at home when teargas used by government security forces entered his house, causing his death, the report said. Instead of properly investigating the death and the security forces’ use of teargas, the Interior Ministry issued a statement that evening declaring that Abdulla had died of ”natural causes.”

Human Rights Watch expressed concern for the government’s failure to inform families of injured persons in its custody, four of whom later died in the hospital. On March 19, residents found Hani Abd al-Aziz Jumah, 32, lying in a pool of blood after being shot point-blank by riot police, and took him to a local hospital. Two masked police officers accompanied medics and picked him up in an ambulance several hours later to transfer him to the Bahraini Defense Force (BDF) hospital. Jumah’s father called the BDF hospital on March 20 and 21 to inquire about his son’s condition, but officials denied he was there. On March 24, Jumah’s family received a call from police stating that he had died and that they could pick up his body at Salmaniyya Medical Complex the next day. Three other families received the bodies of loved ones who had been missing for several days and died under suspicious circumstances. • Isa al-Radhi, 45, had been missing since March 15, when security forces attacked Sitra. On March 19, officials from the BDF hospital called his family and told them to collect his body. A medical forensic expert consulted by Human Rights Watch reviewed photos of al-Radhi’s body and concluded that his injuries could have been caused by an ”autopedestrian collision” but that ”assaultive injuries cannot be ruled out.” He also had birdshot pellet wounds.

220

March 29, 2011

Bahrain: Investigate Deaths Linked to Crackdown Security Forces Implicated in at Least 18 Killings Since Protests Began on February 14

(Manama) - The Bahraini government should urgently investigate the killing of at least 18 people during violent crackdowns since protests began on February 14, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Most were killed by security forces using excessive force, namely crowd-control equipment at extremely close range and live gunﬁre, Human Rights Watch said. Four government security oﬃcers were also killed, according to the Interior Ministry.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The authorities admitted holding four missing persons in the Bahrain Defense Force hospital only after they had succumbed to their injuries. This raises serious concerns regarding the missing persons’ treatment and whether authorities are holding other people without notifying their families, Human Rights Watch said.

221

”Bahraini security forces have frequently shown a reckless disregard for human life during crackdowns on protesters,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human

Rights Watch. ”Firing birdshot pellets at close range is not crowd control - it can be murder.” At least 15 people have died since riot police and troops initiated a second round of oﬀensives against anti-government protesters on March 15, Human Rights Watch said. They include Ahmed Farhan, age 24, and Mohammed Eklas, a 50 year-old Bangladeshi citizen, who died in Sitra on March 15. Photographs of Farhan’s body show the back of his head blown open and an empty brain cavity, suggesting that he had been shot at close range. According to media reports, Eklas was run over by a vehicle while trying to help some women during the crackdown, but Human Rights Watch could not independently verify this account. A third Sitra resident, Isa al-Radhi, 46, who had been missing since that day, was declared dead on March 19, when authorities called his family and told them to collect his body. Security forces killed at least three protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital,

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch previously documented the remaining seven reported deaths implicating the security forces, which occurred during attacks on protesters from February 14 to 18. Human Rights Watch found that six of the seven were shot with birdshot guns at very close range. The seventh, Abd alRidha Buhameed, was shot in the head with live ammunition on February 18, and died on March 21. Witnesses also told Human Rights Watch that another two people died of teargas inhalation after security forces attacked protesters at the Pearl Roundabout March 16. Human Rights Watch has not yet been able to confirm the identities of these individuals. Annex of Confirmed Deaths Linked to ProtestRelated Violence Since February 14, 2011 (includes date and cause of death; * indicates Ministry of Interior or community officers): 1. Ali Abd al-Hadi al-Mushaima, 23 (February 14; Birdshot) 2. Fadel Salman Matrook, 32 (February 15; Birdshot) 3. Mahmood Makki Ali Butaaki, 23 (February 17; Birdshot) 4. Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair, 52 (February 17; Birdshot) 5. Isa Abd al-Hussein Abu-Nidal, 60 (February 17; Birdshot) 6. Ali Ahmed Abdulla al-Momen, 23 (February 17; Birdshot) 7. Abd al-Redha Mohammed Hasan Buhamid, 33 (February 21; Live Ammunition) 8. Ahmed Farhan Ali Farhan, 24 (March 15;

Birdshot or other Anti-Riot Device) 9. Mohammed Eklas (Bangladeshi) (March 15; Possible Auto-Pedestrian Collision) 10. Ahmed Rashid al-Moraysi, 30 (March 15; Auto-Pedestrian Collision)* 11. Jaafar Mohammed Abdul-Ali Salman, 41 (March 16; Live Ammunition) 12. Jaafar Abdulla Mayoof, 30 (March 16; Possible Live Ammunition and Birdshot) 13. Ahmed Abdulla Hasan al-Arnoot, 22 (March 16, Birdshot) 14. Stephan Abraham (Indian) (March 16; Live Ammunition) 15. Mohammed Faruq Abd al-Samad al-Balooshi (Pakistani) (March 16; AutoPedestrian Collision)* 16. Kashef Munther, 21 (March 16; AutoPedestrian Collision)* 17. Isa Abd al-Radhi, 45 (March 19; Live Ammunition) 18. Jawad Mohammad-Ali Kadhem alShamlan, 47 (March 20; Live Ammunition)* 19. Abd al-Rasoul Hasan Ali al-Hujairi, 38 (March 20; Possible Auto-Pedestrian Collision, Beating) 20. Bahia Rasoul al-Aradi, 51 (March 20, Live Ammunition) 21. Hani Abd al-Aziz Jumah, 32 (March 24, Birdshot) 22. Isa Mohammed Ali Abdulla, 71 (March 25, Teargas Inhalation)

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201129/03// bahrain-investigate-deaths-linked-crackdown

222

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

• Bahia al-Aradi, 51, had been missing since March 16. Al-Aradi was driving her car when she spoke with her sister on that day. A witness said that al-Aradi told her sister that she was close to al-Qadam village, that she heard gunshots, and tried to get oﬀ the road. She was not heard from again. Al-Aradi’s family contacted several hospitals, including BDF, but was told that she was not there. On March 19 authorities notiﬁed al-Aradi’s family that she was on life support at the BDF hospital, and allowed her brother to visit her for a few minutes. On March 20, the hospital announced that she had died of her injuries. At least one bullet had entered al-Aradi’s head from behind. There was no exit wound.

223

• Abdul-Rasoul al-Hujairi, a 38-year-old medical professional at the Salmaniyya Medical Complex, was last seen on March 19, when he went out to run some errands. AlHujairi’s family called several police stations and hospitals but did not ﬁnd him. On March 19, his body was reported found in a remote area in Awali, according to media reports. The authorities contacted his family on March 20 and told them to pick up his body at Salmaniyya Medical Complex. The exact cause of death is not known, but doctors who spoke to Human Rights Watch said al-Hujairi had contusions and severe bruising on his body, consistent both with beatings and being hit by a car. The authorities performed autopsies on both al-Radhi and al-Hujairi before releasing their bodies to the families. It is not clear why these

autopsies were performed. Family members who spoke to Human Rights Watch said they suspected that al-Aradi and al-Hujair were killed at or close to checkpoints set up by the police, military, or armed gangs. According to the Interior Ministry, as of March 23, four people affiliated with the government security services were killed during clashes with anti-government protesters. Government records show that Ahmad Rashid al-Moraysi, 30, died as a result of being ”run over by an unidentified car” in Sitra on March 15. Mohammed Faruq Abd al-Samad al-Balooshi, and Kashef Ahmad Munthur, 21, also died after being run over by ”unidentified” cars in Manama. Jawad Ali Kadhem al-Shamlan, 47, a Shia community officer, was struck by a bullet during the March 16 crackdown on protesters by security forces in Manama, the Interior Ministry said. Human Rights Watch has seen no evidence to indicate that protesters possessed or used firearms, which suggests that Kadhem may have been killed as a result of a stray bullet fired by security forces. Authorities released his body to his family on March 20. ”We are deeply concerned about people going missing and turning up dead in the military hospital, and whether more cases have gone unreported,” Stork said. ”The authorities should provide all families a full and immediate accounting of those in custody, and not wait until they are dead to inform their families.”

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

to enter the Salmaniya Medical Complex, the country’s largest public health facility, but was not allowed to pass dozens of riot police surrounding the main gates. Human Rights Watch observed police diverting cars, including at least one Health Ministry vehicle, away from the hospital. One doctor working in the health facility told Human Rights Watch that she heard sirens approaching the complex after security forces moved in on the Pearl Roundabout, but that security forces refused to let ambulances reach the hospital. The government denied allegations that security forces turned away ambulances or cars carrying injured people to the health facility, claiming that security forces intervened at the hospital because anti-government forces were holding hostages at the hospital. They did not provide more concrete details. Some of the injured were directed by security forces at the Salmaniya complex to other health facilities, including government-run facilities in nearby Naim and Ibn-al Naﬁs,

private facilities like the Bahrain International Hospital, and the Bahraini Defense Force hospital, Salmaniya doctors said. But sources told Human Rights Watch that security forces surrounded all three of these medical centers and ﬁred teargas at Bahrain International, causing some damage to the facility. One witness who was at the Pearl Roundabout when security forces moved in on protesters told Human Rights Watch that dozens of protesters, some with serious gunshot pellet wounds, ended up being treated in a makeshift clinic in a mosque in the village of Sanabis, not far from the Pearl Roundabout. Human Rights Watch is concerned that some of the injured were unable to reach any medical facility adequately prepared to provide the needed care. Several doctors told Human Rights Watch that in the early afternoon the health minister, Nizar al-Baharna, hospital administrators, and

224

March 17, 2011

Bahrain: Injured People Denied Medical Care Health Personnel Targeted, Prevented From Providing Services

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

(Manama) - Bahraini authorities refused to let injured people reach the country’s largest public health facility on March 16, 2011, and interfered with medical services at other facilities as well, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces prevented ambulances transporting injured people from reaching the hospitals.

225

The security forces prevented access to medical care after they used teargas, rubber bullets, gunshot pellets, and live ammunition rounds to disperse protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama early in the morning and established control over surrounding Shia areas. The security operation on March 16 and operations in several other Shia villages on March 15 resulted in the deaths of at least six civilians and three members of Bahrain’s security forces, and hundreds of injuries, according to media reports. ”There can be no justiﬁcation for denying critical medical care,” said Joe Stork, deputy

Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”King Hamad, as the commander of Bahrain’s army, bears responsibility for this ﬂagrant violation of the right to health and potentially the right to life. Around 7 a.m. on March 16, security forces moved in on hundreds of protesters gathered at the Pearl Roundabout, the center of antigovernment demonstrations for more than three weeks. Security forces initially used teargas, sound bombs, rubber bullets, and shotgun pellets to disperse crowds. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that security forces also entered several Shia towns near the roundabout, apparently in an eﬀort to chase down protesters and regain control over central Manama. The witnesses and doctors said that many of the more serious injuries to protesters occurred during this subsequent phase of the police operation, and that live ammunition was also used. At about 7:40 a.m. Human Rights Watch tried

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

central police station. Even before March 16 Human Rights Watch had documented a troubling pattern of security forces preventing medical staﬀ from providing urgent care to wounded protesters and assaulting doctors and paramedics dispatched to provide treatment to the injured. On March 15 residents described similar actions. At around 4:45 p.m. Human Rights Watch was on the phone with a resident of Sitra, one of the Shia villages where security operations took place, who reported that security forces had surrounded the local medical center and were poised to enter. During the conversation, shots were heard in the background and the resident was forced to hang up to seek shelter. The Sitra resident later told Human Rights Watch that security forces shot teargas and rubber bullets into the medical center but did not go in. On March 16 the resident told Human Rights Watch that security forces continued to surround the Sitra medical center and that the facility was eﬀectively under lockdown. Doctors interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that security forces had ”hijacked” several ambulances dispatched from Salmaniya to Sitra and other villages on March 15. At least three people were killed and hundreds injured as a result of the March 15 operations.

Human Rights Watch also interviewed seven doctors and medical staff at Salmaniya about events at the University of Bahrain on March 13. Doctors and medical staff who had been dispatched there said that armed vigilantes threatened or attacked them when they reached the university campus, where demonstrations were taking place, and that security forces did nothing to stop them. One of the doctors told Human Rights Watch that four or five ambulances had been dispatched to the university. When his ambulance arrived there, he saw dozens of armed men, some wearing masks. The doctor said that his ambulance staff were able to leave with one of their colleagues, who had neck injuries as a result of a beating by the armed men. The doctor told Human Rights Watch that the armed men prevented the ambulance crew from getting out of the ambulance to treat the wounded, questioned why they were there, and threatened them. ”We told them we are here to help anyone injured,” the doctor said. ”But they said ‘No, you only want to help the Shia victims!’” Several of the armed men then approached the ambulance and shattered the window on the passenger-side, where the doctor was seated. The glass caused light face and neck injuries. Shortly afterward, the ambulance was allowed to leave. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201117/03// bahrain-injured-people-denied-medical-care

226

Bahraini Defense Force oﬃcials negotiated an arrangement that would allow Salmaniya to dispatch several ambulances to small area health centers that had taken in some injured people who couldn’t reach Salmaniya because of the security cordon but that did not have adequate facilities to care for them.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Security forces agreed to the arrangement only after medical staﬀ agreed to limit the areas where they would pick up the injured, one doctor said. Another doctor said that security forces assured al-Baharna that as long as medical staﬀ agreed to these conditions, their safety would be guaranteed. Despite the promises, security forces attacked one of the ambulances soon after it left Salmaniya. One doctor’s arm was fractured, and others in the ambulance were beaten and humiliated, another doctor told Human Rights Watch.

227

Several hours after the attack on the ambulance, al-Baharna announced his resignation. Salmaniya doctors told Human Rights Watch that the Bahraini Defense Force is now ”calling all the shots” at Salmaniya and that the doctors are concerned for the safety of both doctors and patients. Their concerns were not unfounded; Human Rights Watch has received conﬁrmation from two separate sources inside Salmaniya that security forces arrested Dr. Ali Alekry on or around March 17. Dr. Alekry has been an outspoken critic of the government’s actions, especially following

the attack on protesters gathered at the Pearl Roundabout during the early morning hours of February 17. That security operation led to the deaths of four Bahrainis. Several doctors told Human Rights Watch that the hospital has effectively been in a state of lockdown since security forces surrounded it early on March 16. Security forces have provided no guarantees that those who want to leave the complex won’t be assaulted by the forces surrounding the hospital, one doctor said. ”We are scared to go out,” the doctor said. ”Some [medical staff ] have been here for two to three days straight. We can’t perform our duties under these conditions. The government is accusing us of discriminating between Sunnis and Shias [patients]. I am a Sunni. We just don’t have this issue here. We have been doing our jobs under severe conditions and we don’t deserve this. A doctor who had been inside for several days told Human Rights Watch on the morning of March 17 that security forces had allowed her and a group of other hospital staff to leave. She said that forces lined everyone up, demanded identification, searched them, and confiscated any cameras, laptops, and ipads they were carrying before allowing them to leave. They were told to retrieve any personal belongings that had been confiscated at the

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

is among scores of people arrested since security forces resumed attacks on protesters on March 15. The authorities have refused to reveal where they are being held or the charges against them.

al-Aziz Abdullah Jumah, told Human Rights Watch his son was responding to a cry for help outside just as riot police began sweeping through the neighborhood.

”It’s bad enough that authorities refuse to say anything about the well-being, whereabouts, or legal charges against their scores of detainees,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch. ”But denying information to the families of people who are injured by security forces is a new and alarming development.”

Fifteen minutes later, a witness said, the younger Jumah was seen running from the Khamis roundabout pursued by eight riot police wearing helmets. ”Hani was running toward the nearby building, which was under construction, and the police were 15 meters behind him,” the witness said, asking not to be named for security reasons. ”He ran straight past my house.”

Jumah, a cleaner from Khamis village and the father of year-old twins, left the family’s house at about 5 p.m. on March 19. His father, Abd

Another witness said he had seen police chase Jumah into an empty apartment building under construction, but only realized

228

March 23, 2011

Bahrain: Investigate Shooting, Arrest of Man Caught Up in Police Sweep Authorities Refusing to Reveal Whereabouts of Growing Roster of Detainees

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Update:

229

On March 24, 2011, ﬁve days after his attack, the Bahraini Defense Force (BDF) hospital informed Jumah’s family that he had succumbed to his injuries and that they could pick up his body at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) the next morning. The family received Jumah’s body on the morning of March 25, and he was buried in a cemetery close to his hometown village of Khamis later that afternoon. Human Rights Watch was able to examine Jumah’s body prior to his burial. The injuries seemed consistent with information Human Rights Watch had received from witnesses a few days ago indicating that Jumah had been shot several times at close range by a shotgun. When the family received the news of Jumah’s death, residents of the village began to gather. Prior to the burial,

Human Rights Watch saw video footage and interviewed multiple witnesses and victims who told Human Rights Watch that as they gathered around the family home around 8:20 p.m. on March 24, riot police entered the village and ﬁred pellet-gun rounds and teargas to disperse the crowds. (Manama) - Bahraini authorities should immediately investigate the shooting of a 32-year-old man caught up in a police sweep on March 19, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately reveal his whereabouts and condition and hold those responsible for his attack accountable, Human Rights Watch said. The man, Hani Abdul-Aziz Abdullah Jumah,

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

whereabouts and condition, but that hospital oﬃcials would give him no information. ”I told them I know the BDF ambulance came and brought my son there, but the BDF Hospital keeps saying, ‹No, he is not here.’” The father said he said he told the oﬃcials that he and Jumah’s mother would come and look for him, but that they said, ”No chance.” ”Hani Jumah was last seen being taken away in a BDF Hospital ambulance, and we know from witnesses and medical experts that there was no way he could have walked away after being shot in the knees at close range,” Stork said. ”The military runs the BDF Hospital and needs to tell Jumah’s family how and where he is.”

resumed on March 15. Human Rights Watch has also documented a pattern over the past week of late-night raids on homes and arrests of people who have criticized the government, as well as prominent opposition ﬁgures and doctors. Bahrain’s declaration of martial law on March 15 does not change the responsibility of the authorities and security forces to comply with their obligations under international human rights law.” Stork said. ”They need to account for all those in state custody and investigate the apparent unlawful use of force against Hani Jumah. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201123/03// bahrain-investigate-shooting-arrest-mancaught-police-sweep

As of March 23, Wefaq, a leading Bahraini political society, had documented 112 cases of people missing as well as dozens detained without charge since attacks on protesters

230

an hour-and-a-half later that Jumah had not left the building after the police did. The witness raised an alarm, and local residents went to search for Jumah. They found him unconscious, lying in a large pool of his own blood, the witness said. He sustained massive injuries to his knees and arm caused by being shot at point-blank range with a shotgun, a witness told Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch examined the scene of the attack on March 22, three days afterwards, and found fragments of bone, which a medical expert conﬁrmed to be fragments of knee bone consistent with being shot at close range, as well as a tooth and pieces of human tissue still stuck to the wall and ceiling of the empty room, apparently the result of the velocity of the shots that maimed Jumah.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

”The sheer brutality of the attack on Hani Jumah demands an immediate independent

231

investigation, and the officers responsible need to be held accountable,” Stork said. ”Bahraini authorities have not even acknowledged his whereabouts, much less explained why he was lying there in a pool of blood. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that they rolled Jumah onto a carpet provided by a local resident and brought him by car to a nearby private hospital, where doctors struggled for nearly two hours to stabilize him after massive blood loss. Jumah’s father said that at about 9:20 p.m., an ambulance arrived from the Bahraini Defense Force (BDF) Hospital, accompanied by two masked police officers, and the officers announced they were transferring his son to that hospital. That was the last time Jumah’s family saw him. The father told Human Rights Watch that he called the BDF Hospital on both March 20 and March 21 requesting information on his son’s

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

the reasons for their detention, Human Rights Watch said. As of April 6, the Wifaq National Islamic Society, an opposition political group, had gathered the names of 430 detainees from families who reported the detentions. Fakhrawi was a founding member of Wifaq, society officials said. ”Bahrain is flagrantly violating the most basic human rights by arbitrarily detaining hundreds, keeping their whereabouts secret, and covering up the reasons for deaths in custody,” Stork said. In the case of Isa Ibrahim Ali Saqer, 31, a ”Cause of Death” notification issued on April 9 from the Bahrain Defense Force hospital said he died of ”hypovolemic shock,” usually caused by excess loss of blood, after ”multiple

trauma.” He had turned himself in to the police in Hamad Town on April 3 after the police came looking for him at his home. Human Rights Watch viewed Saqer’s body and saw bluish patches on the left side of the head, blackened tops of feet, lacerations on the arms and legs, and what appeared to be lash marks all over his back. On April 3, the government announced the death of Hassan Jassim Mohammed Maki, 39, oﬃcially attributing it to complications from sickle cell anemia. Masked police had arrested him at his home in Karzakan on March 28. On April 9, the government said that Zakaria Rashid Hassan al-Asherri, 40, had also died of sickle cell anemia. Police had arrested him at his home in Dair on April 2. The families of both Maki and al-Asherri told Human Rights Watch they doubted the oﬃcial

232

April 13, 2011

Bahrain: Investigate New Death in Custody Thorough, Prompt, and Impartial Inquiries Needed

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

(Manama) - The death of businessman and activist Kareem Fakhrawi on April 12, 2011, shows the urgent need for thorough and impartial investigations into allegations of torture, Human Rights Watch said today. It was the fourth detainee death reported by the Bahrain government in nine days. At Fakhrawi’s funeral on April 13 in Manama’s Hoora district, a crowd of mourners demanded to see his corpse because of concerns he had been tortured. They wrestled the shrouded body from pallbearers on the way to the cemetery, and took videos and photographs of the body.

233

”Four detainee deaths in nine days is a crime, not a coincidence,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ”The government tells families of detainees nothing about their whereabouts or well-being while they are alive or about the

circumstances of their deaths. Fakhrawi, 49, had been detained since April 3, after he went to the Exhibition Centre police station to complain about a predawn police raid on the house of a relative, one of two nephews who were being sought by the police. The photos of Fakhrawi’s body show a red area on each of his upper arms to his shoulders, similarly discolored areas on his legs, and what appears to be blood on the right side of his neck. Human Rights Watch did not see the body. The Bahrain News Agency, in a Tweet, said an oﬃcial at the military’s Bahrain Defense Force Hospital ”conﬁrmed the death of Kareem Fakhrawi was from kidney failure.” The government has provided no information whatsoever about the numbers of detainees since the beginning of anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain on February 14 or

‫ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬ Human Rights Watch

unlawful killings, including in response to complaints by relatives and reliable reports, should have a ”thorough, prompt and impartial investigation.” This investigation should ”determine the cause, manner and time of death, the person responsible, and any pattern or practice which may have brought about that death.” The investigation should result in a publicly available written report.

Watch said. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/201113/04// bahrain-investigate-new-death-custody

Since March 15, Bahrain has operated under martial law, oﬃcially labeled a ”State of National Safety,” that gave authorities wide powers of arrest, censorship, and prohibitions on freedom of movement and association. Even during a state of emergency, certain fundamental rights - such as the right to life and the right to be secure from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment - must always be respected, Human Rights

234

diagnoses. Both men were carriers of sickle cell, but had never displayed symptoms. None of the four families had been able to get any information about the detainees following their arrests and detention by the authorities.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

At the ritual cleansing before Fakhrawi’s burial at the cemetery in Hoora on April 13, male relatives told mourners not to photograph the body. Family members said that oﬃcials at Salmaniya Hospital, where they retrieved the body, told them neither to allow the body to be viewed nor to permit photographs to be taken of the dead man. Female relatives protested the prohibition because they suspected Fakhrawi’s body had signs of physical abuse. Eventually, the women were let into the cleansing area and allowed brieﬂy to see the corpse.

235

Since March 15, at least three other people connected to the anti-government protests have died in custody under suspicious circumstances. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain ratiﬁed in 1998, requires that anyone arrested shall be promptly informed of any charges and brought before a judge or other judicial authority. The refusal of the authorities to acknowledge a person’s detention or provide information on their fate or whereabouts is an enforced disappearance, a violation of several international standards. In accordance with the United Nations Principles on the Eﬀective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, all suspected cases of

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

  

  

                               "    "                                                

                                                        http://www.msf-me.org/ar/news/newsmedia/news-press-releases/news-233.html

236

                       "           "                  "              "

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

  

237

                   "          "                                        http://www.msf-me.org/ar/news/newsmedia/news-press-releases/news-282.html

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders                                                                             

                                         

                                                                                 "       "                                 238

February 24,2011

Médecins Sans Frontières’ response to civil unrest in Arab countries

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

As civil unrest leads to violent clashes in a number of countries in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean region, emergency staff from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provide support to fill gaps in the medical services for people injured in the protests. In those countries where MSF has been able visit health facilities, staff are dealing with the increased needs for treating injuries. But some hospitals and clinics are at risk of running low on medical supplies.

239

In Bahrain, an MSF assessment team made contact with medical organisations. The team visited Salmanya hospital, in the capital Manama, several times and has oﬀered support in case the situation worsens in the coming days or weeks. From Egypt and Tunisia, MSF emergency staﬀ are working on bringing supplies, including kits for treating wounded

people, into Libya. In other countries in the region, including Yemen, MSF teams are ready to assist resident medical staﬀ should a need to do so arise. During the protests in Tahrir Square, Cairo, MSF supplied medical materials to Egyptian doctors in two hospitals and in an improvised clinic in a mosque. The team also provided training in how to manage a high number of injured people coming in over a short period of time, and helped set up additional emergency preparedness systems. In Tunisia, MSF donated orthopaedic surgery equipment to two hospitals in the south. http://www.msf-me.org/en/news/newsmedia/news-press-releases/mdecins-sansfrontires-response-to-civil-unrest-in-arabcountries.html

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

seek treatment. The use of Salmaniya Hospital by protestors as a venue for demonstrations, and its subsequent occupation by the military, followed by the targeting of other health facilities and medical workers, have undermined the ability of health facilities to provide impartial medical care. MSF has proposed establishing an emergency medical response in Bahrain, whereby MSF teams would accompany patients to health facilities to ensure that they are treated and not targeted for arrest, and that health workers are able to conduct their duties impartially and without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, MSF has not been able to secure guarantees that the patients it would accompany would not be targeted. “The action of the military to declare the hospital a legitimate military target, and to use the health system as a tool in the security apparatus, completely ignores and undermines the fact that all patients have a right to treatment in a safe environment and all medical staﬀ have a fundamental duty to administer treatment without discrimination,” said Christopher Stokes, MSF general director. Every step must be taken to restore the

population’s ability to receive treatment without fear, especially by removing the military from Salmaniya Hospital. The opposition and protestors should also guarantee that the hospital will not be used as a rallying point for protests. MSF also wishes to stress the necessity and duty of the authorities to respect relevant rules of international humanitarian law, especially those concerning the protection and respect of medical structures and medical personnel. These rules also extend to the protection of civilians, the sick or injured, and to prisoners. The responsibility for restoring the functioning of health services is today in the hands of the authorities. The police, military, and intelligence services must stop using the health system as a way to crack down on protestors, and must allow medical staﬀ to return to the primary duty of providing health care regardless of patients’ political or sectarian aﬃliations. http://www.msf-me.org/en/news/newsmedia/news-press-releases/msf-calls-for-endto-bahrain-military-crackdown-on-patients. html

240

April 7,2011

MSF calls for end to bahrain military crackdown on patients

Manama, bahrain/brussels, The International medical humanitarian organization Doctors without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today condemned the use of medical facilities in Bahrain to crackdown on protestors, which is making it impossible for those wounded during clashes to seek treatment.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

A report released today by MSF illustrates how Bahrain’s hospitals and health centers are no longer safe havens for the sick or injured, but rather places to be feared.

241

“Wounds, especially those inﬂicted by distinctive police and military gunﬁre, are used to identify people for arrest, and the denial of medical care is being used by Bahraini authorities to deter people from protesting,” said Latifa Ayada, MSF medical coordinator.

“Health facilities are used as bait to identify and arrest those who dare seek treatment. Since clashes began between government forces and protestors in February, health facilities in Bahrain—generally well functioning in terms of materials, infrastructure, and skilled staﬀ—no longer serve the medical needs of the whole population. Salmaniya, the only public referral hospital in Bahrain, was virtually empty when visited by MSF recently. Wounded people who were admitted to Salmaniya have told MSF how members of the military have beaten them, including on their wounds. Other patients have been arrested within health facilities upon discovery that their injuries are related to the protests. The risks of going to hospitals or health centers mean that patients often do not attempt to

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

Saeed Mahdi was arrested in Bahrain on the 6th May 2011, two days after his house was burned down by security personnel. “Since Saeed Mahdi’s arrest, we don’t have any information about where he is being detained, why he was arrested, or what charges are pending” said Jerome Oberreit, MSF director of operations in Brussels. Despite assurances by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Development that he could be visited, neither his family nor his lawyer has yet been granted access to him. “Considering the types of injuries people have sustained due to mistreatment in detention, as witnessed by MSF medical personnel, we are extremely concerned about the safety of Saeed Mahdi,” continued Oberreit.

MSF is calling on the authorities to allow his family and lawyer immediate access to him. Detained MSF staﬀ released in Bahrain June 14, 2011 An MSF staﬀ member detained for weeks in Bahrain was released uncharged on the 11th of June 2011. Saeed Mahdi was arrested in Bahrain on the 6th May 2011, neither his lawyer nor family were granted access to him throughout his detention period. MSF welcomes the release of its employee, and asserts that it is engaged in purely humanitarian medical activities in Bahrain, where its team has been on the ground since March 2011.

242

May 31, 2011

Bahrain: MSF staﬀ member remains detained

An employee of the international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been detained for weeks in Bahrain after being severely beaten upon arrest by authorities, with no information provided about his condition and whereabouts, including to his family and lawyer.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

243

Despite assurances by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Development that

he could be visited, neither his family nor his lawyer has yet been granted access to him. “Considering the types of injuries people have sustained due to mistreatment in detention, as witnessed by MSF medical personnel, we are extremely concerned about the safety of Saeed Mahdi,” continued Oberreit. MSF is calling on the authorities to allow his family and lawyer immediate access to him. Bahrain: MSF staﬀ member remains detained May 31, 2011 An employee of the international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been detained for weeks in Bahrain after being severely beaten upon arrest by authorities, with no information provided about his condition and whereabouts, including to his family and lawyer.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

Despite only assisting MSF and a patient by calling an ambulance, Saeed Mahdi remains detained. Repeated requests by MSF, his family, and his lawyer to have access to him have been denied. MSF has also not been able to obtain any information about the original patient, even after visiting Salmaniya to inquire about him.

and accompany patients to health facilities to ensure that care is not obstructed or used as bait, that patients regain trust in health services, and that health workers are again able to conduct their duties impartially and without fear of reprisal. To this day, however, MSF has not been able to secure guarantees that patients would not be targeted.

Though MSF had been open about its work in the kingdom over the past several months, these events constitute a breach of the sanctity of an oﬃce maintained by a neutral medical humanitarian organization, and a violation of the rights of a patient to receive medical care. MSF has a raised its concerns following these incidences in a letter to the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior. In March, MSF proposed establishing an emergency medical response in Bahrain, whereby MSF teams would provide ﬁrst aid

It now appears that in Bahrain today, acting within the common boundaries of the duty of care principle in this case, providing ﬁrst aid and calling an ambulance for a critically ill person is no longer possible without negative repercussions on MSF’s ability to work in the country MSF calls on the Bahraini authorities to respect the integrity, security, and privacy of its premises and personnel, and to allow the lawyer and family of its detained staﬀ immediate access to him.

244

August 3, 2011

MSF condemns armed raid on its oﬃce and detention of its staﬀ in Bahrain

Brussels, The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today condemned an armed raid on its premises in Bahrain and the subsequent detention of one of its staﬀ members.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

On July 28, armed security personnel violently raided MSF’s premises in Manama, damaging office property and confiscating all medical and office equipment and supplies. A Bahraini MSF volunteer, Saeed Mahdi, who works with the organization as a translator and driver, was arrested.

245

Since February, when demonstrations began in Bahrain, MSF has seen almost 200 injured and ill patients who did not seek care in health facilities because they feared being arrested for any involvement in the protests or for any aﬃliation with the protestors. The MSF

team has seen patients in villages across the country who have refused urgently needed hospitalization due to the high risk of arrest, and others who were severely beaten in jail. “MSF has been transparent about its work and its intentions with the authorities in the country, including the Ministries of Health and Interior,” said Jerome Oberreit, MSF director of operations in Brussels. “As such, we find the violation of MSF facilities and the detention of our volunteer both unwarranted and unacceptable. Last week, a patient with a serious head injury arrived at the MSF premises. An MSF doctor provided first aid and an ambulance was called to transport the patient to the Salmaniya Medical Complex. It is MSF’s obligation to provide treatment regardless of a patient’s ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

calling an ambulance, Saeed Mahdi remains detained. Repeated requests by MSF, his family, and his lawyer to have access to him have been denied. MSF has also not been able to obtain any information about the original patient, even after visiting Salmaniya to inquire about him. Though MSF had been open about its work in the kingdom over the past several months, these events constitute a breach of the sanctity of an oﬃce maintained by a neutral medical humanitarian organization, and a violation of the rights of a patient to receive medical care. MSF has a raised its concerns following these incidences in a letter to the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior. In March, MSF proposed establishing an emergency medical response in Bahrain, whereby MSF teams would provide ﬁrst aid and accompany patients to health facilities to ensure that care is not obstructed or used as bait, that patients regain trust in health services, and that health workers are again able to conduct their duties impartially and without fear of reprisal. To this day, however, MSF has not been able to secure guarantees that patients would not be targeted. It now appears that in Bahrain today, acting

within the common boundaries of the duty of care principle—in this case, providing ﬁrst aid and calling an ambulance for a critically ill person—is no longer possible without negative repercussions on MSF’s ability to work in the country MSF calls on the Bahraini authorities to respect the integrity, security, and privacy of its premises and personnel, and to allow the lawyer and family of its detained staﬀ immediate access to him.

Bahrain: MSF welcomes the release of Saeed Mahdi August 5, 2011 MSF welcomes the release of Saeed Mahdi, and recognizes that he has now been granted access to a lawyer. MSF ﬁrmly maintains that Saeed Mahdi was working with the organization in the capacity of driver and translator. We remain concerned about the circumstances in which he was arrested. MSF is still unable to resume working in Bahrain without guarantees that its premises and personnel would be respected.

246

August 3, 2011

MSF condemns armed raid on its oﬃce and detention of its staﬀ in Bahrain

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

247

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

into situations where they are identiﬁed and arrested.

MSF activities in Bahrain MSF ﬁrst had a team on the ground in Bahrain two days after protests began in February. Despite the gaps in the provision of care for people wounded in clashes, MSF has been unable to deploy to its full capacity in addressing this issue due to the military crackdown on patients and health facilities. MSF has informed the Ministry of Health of its concerns about the situation. MSF has also proposed setting up an emergency medical response mechanism whereby MSF would accompany patients to health facilities to ensure that they are treated and not targeted for arrest at health facilities, and that health workers are able to conduct their duties in an impartial way without fear of reprisal. MSF has

not been able to secure guarantees during this period of military control that patients who it accompanies will not be targeted. However, MSF will be establishing a project of psychological support to health workers as a way to address one of the internal challenges currently facing the health system. The use of the main referral hospital, Salmaniya, by protestors, the subsequent military occupation of the hospital, the targeting of health facilities and workers, and the sheer number and severity of wounds stemming from clashes have left many health care workers traumatized. In addition, MSF will continue to share expertise on the management of mass casualty situations. On 2 March, MSF conducted a training session on multiple casualty management for 40 health oﬃcials in Bahrain. As the situation continues to evolve, MSF will

248

Reports

Health Services Paralyzed: Bahrain’s Military Crackdown on Patients An MSF Public Brieﬁng Paper, April 2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Introduction

249

Health facilities in Bahrain have been drawn into the center of the country’s current unrest and clashes between government and opposition protestors that began in February 2011. The result is an unacceptable circumstance in which medical facilities— which are generally functioning well in terms of material, infrastructure and skilled staﬀ— now no longer impartially serve the medical needs of the population. Hospitals and health clinics are no longer places to go for the sick or injured, but are rather places to be feared. As the military cracks down on protestors and medical personnel Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has witnessed patients with critical and life-threatening injuries refusing to go to the hospital due to high levels of fear.

Their fear is not unfounded. Wounds are used to identify demonstrators, restricted access to health care is being used to deter people from protesting, and those who dare to seek treatment in health facilities are being arrested. Although MSF has been blocked from addressing this issue on a larger scale, the organization has been able to provide basic medical care to the patients it has met in their homes when there has been no other option for them. All patients have a right to seek and receive treatment in a safe environment, and all medical staﬀ have a fundamental duty to administer treatment without discrimination. To ensure that this is able to happen, all health facilities—particularly Salmaniya, the only public referral hospital in Bahrain—must be demilitarised and depoliticized, and health care must not be used as bait to lure patients

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

During his last two days in the hospital, the military took over. “They came and I was beaten and assaulted every day,” he said. “They were beating me directly on the wound on my head. The doctor discharged me, said I can’t do more, and the police arrested me.” “They took me to the police station where I had to be standing for two hours. I couldn’t manage. When I fell down, they started to beat me and assaulted me again…” On 16 March, the military took over the hospital and established checkpoints with tanks and masked military personnel all around its perimeter. Patients arriving at the hospital were searched and their identity numbers checked. The cordon blocked doctors who had gone home between shifts. The wounded within Salmaniya were centralized in one ward, which was controlled by the military. MSF has met different patients in their homes who confirm that they were systematically beaten and intimidated within the ward, to the point that some tried to escape but where caught, arrested, and taken to police stations where they were further beaten and humiliated. Many patients with whom MSF was in contact with, had not only suffered physically from the

beatings, but also psychologically. “I stayed in Salmaniya for five days after I was wounded in the protests,” said one 29-year old male. “The police used to come into the ward regularly to prevent us from sleeping. They would come in with masks and sticks. It was scary. They would come at 1AM and hit us. I begged the doctor to discharge me. I wanted to leave. It was not safe for me in the hospital. When I tried to run away, I was arrested by the police. I was taken to a police station where I was blindfolded and beaten. They finally let me go at 3AM. I found a nurse to treat me at home. If I go back to the hospital now to get more treatment they will ask me how I got these wounds and then beat me more.” When the MSF team examined the patient during a medical assessment, he was suffering from pain in his chest and had difficulty using his right hand, which had been bound. The pain associated with breathing is improving. He is still not able to move due to the pain caused by the bruises from the beatings. The disregard shown by the military within Salmaniya also extends to health centers in the

250

remain prepared to respond to any further medical needs or potential casualties that could arise out of the ongoing tension. Climate of Fear

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

I. Salmaniya: from a political platform to an occupied hospital Salmaniya Hospital is the public referral hospital for the whole of Bahrain. However, when MSF visited the hospital on 21 March, it was virtually empty. This is a direct result of the way in which the hospital has been used in the clashes between the military and opposition protestors.

251

Following a military operation against protestors on 17 February, many sought refuge in the Salmaniya Hospital grounds. Salmaniya was seen as a safe place for the opposition protestors to go. During this time, as the protests continued, wounded demonstrators were received in Salmaniya as well. When ambulances were blocked from reaching patients, the doctors at the hospital began leading protests themselves. Regardless of the reasons, health professionals

making speeches and leading protests directly from the steps of the entrance to the hospital undermined the concept of a neutral hospital, as did the anti-government slogans painted onto the walls of the hospital. Instead of asserting the neutrality of the medical structures, the government declared Salmaniya Hospital a legitimate military target, calling it a “stronghold of the opposition protestors.” This completely and wrongfully undermined the notion that all patients have a right to treatment and all medical staﬀ have a fundamental duty to administer treatment. This military reaction was exponentially more damaging to the trust in the health system than the activities of the opposition protestors. “Omar” was one of the patients MSF visited at home as part of a medical assessment of the needs in Bahrain. He had been in the main roundabout during the demonstrations on 13 March when the military began shooting rubber bullets and tear gas. Omar was shot in the head at close range with a rubber bullet. He passed out and was referred to, and admitted into, Salmaniya Hospital for surgery.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

referred from the health center or go directly to a hospital. However, the same registration system exists at hospitals. MSF was contacted about two critically injured patients who ﬁnally agreed to seek medical care at private hospitals but were arrested by police and Ministry of Interior personnel when they arrived. At least one of these patients was taken to the military hospital. However, the family has not been informed about the patient’s condition. Incidents such as these further increase the fear of going to health facilities for treatment. “Ashraf” was wounded with bird-shot pellets on his thighs and arm. Ashraf didn’t believe that going to a health care facility was an option for him, or others who have been wounded. He and his father explained to MSF that if they do go to a hospital, there are no guarantees that they will not disappear and later be found dead. Ashraf doesn’t even dare to seek help in the health center or leave his village. “All the health facilities are

under surveillance,” he said. “Even if you are not stopped at check points, they will search me and find my wounds, and then I will be arrested. There are no guarantees for us to go anywhere.” In addition, the blood bank is centralized in Salmaniya Hospital, from which it is dispatched to private hospitals. This means when private hospitals request blood, the military is once again alerted to the presence of wounded individuals. Even ambulances are no longer seen as neutral medical facilities providing a service to patients. The police now escort most ambulances. Thus, ambulance transportation is firmly associated with the police and military and is not regarded as an impartial means for people to receive treatment regardless of their political affiliations or protest involvement. Many wounded therefore remain at home, unwilling to seek treatment at health facilities for even the most critical needs. Many require secondary care with surgical interventions. MSF has witnessed this first hand by visiting

252

villages. MSF has visited health centers that were attacked by the military on 15 March. Tear gas was shot into health facilities, protestors were arrested within the facilities, health workers were questioned and threatened, ambulances were shot at, and health workers were beaten, including those who had travelled out of the health facilities to reach the patients. Overall, this has undermined the status of health facilities as safe places and resulted in a high level of trauma among health workers, compromising the ability of the facilities to function effectively. “I tried to escape from Salmaniya for five days,” said a 40-year-old male. “They would beat us in the night. They called us terrorists. They even ripped off my IV line and pushed me to the floor.”

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

II. The use of medical needs and facilities to identify and arrest patients The clashes between the military and the protestors have resulted in numerous kinds of wounds. The most common wound is from

253

the use of the bird-shot gun on protestors. Bird-shot is a shot gun cartridge that contains a multitude of small pellets. The wounds associated with bird-shot range from minor superﬁcial wounds to more serious injuries such as perforated retinas and deeper tissue wounds—depending on the range at which people are shot. Some patients can have hundreds of wounds from the small pellets. These very distinctive wounds have been used to identify who has been involved in protest action. If these marks are seen by the police or military, the person will be immediately arrested. “If we go to the hospital, they will see our marks and they will catch us and beat us,” said one 28-year old male, who’d been wounded with bird shot. Those who do risk going to a health center in the villages with these wounds are at risk of being arrested within the health center, as health workers are supposed to report these wounds to the police and register the patients. If a patient is critical, they will have to be

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders

As a state party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its Additional Protocols of 1977, Bahrain must comply with the mandatory rules laid down in these conventions, (including common article 3 to the Geneva conventions), as well as with the rules of customary international law. In accordance with these rules, the military must allow health facilities in Bahrain to resume their core activity of treating patients in an impartial way.

hospital and if patients continue to be arrested in health facilities, those in critical need of medical attention will remain at home, risking delayed treatment, and, ultimately, their lives. Steps must be taken to restore the population’s ability to receive treatment without fear by removing the military from Salmaniya Hospital. The opposition protestors should also guarantee that the hospital will not be used as a political platform or a rallying point for protests.

MSF is still working on securing permissions from the authorities that will enable it to address the crucial issue of patients being too afraid to access health facilities. At the same time, MSF is currently able to play a role in responding to the trauma caused by recent events through a psychological support program for health workers. If the military does not remove itself from the

254

patients in their homes in many of the villages. III. Medical workers targeted There is also a crackdown on medical professionals. Doctors have told MSF that they are afraid to provide treatment to people wounded in the clashes in case they are then arrested. Many doctors and other health professionals have even been too afraid to talk with MSF about the situation or discuss how MSF can help in responding to the medical needs.

on a scale that they were neither expecting nor prepared for. The subsequent military blockade of health facilities, and in some instances, the targeting of health centers, has created a high level of fear for health workers who do not feel safe inside health facilities. These tensions are undermining the effective collaboration between health workers with different political or sectarian backgrounds, which in turn are crippling the effective functioning of the health system.

Conclusion IV. A breakdown within health facilities In addition to the breakdown of trust between patients and the health facilities, there is also a high level of polarisation between health workers within the health facilities, including Salmaniya.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The high level of trauma among health workers makes this polarization even worse. They have had to deal with medical casualties

255

Considering the civil unrest and the involvement of armed forces in military and security operations in Bahrain, MSF wishes to stress the necessity and duty of the authorities to respect relevant rules of international humanitarian law, especially those concerning the protection and respect of medical structures and medical personnel. These rules also extend to the protection of civilians, the sick or injured, and to prisoners.

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Doctors Without Borders charges against fellow health workers. However, the impact on the patients is often disregarded. By dragging the health system deeper into the political crackdown on dissent, Bahraini authorities continue to undermine patient’s trust in health facilities. All of the 88 people that MSF has managed to see in their homes are at risk of being arrested if they were to present themselves at health facilities – simply for being wounded in protests by government forces. Some of them need to go to hospitals for surgery or x-rays – but MSF is unable to safely refer them. This is because hospitals in Bahrain have received directives that any patient who presents with wounds associated with the current unrest must be reported to the police by health staﬀ. While there is a legal provision to report trauma cases to judicial authorities in many countries, this is designed to assist and protect victims of violence. However, in Bahrain today, the reality is that hospitals are being used to catch and imprison wounded people. Our medical teams then face the impossible choice of knowing that patients who need medical attention risk arrest and a serious deterioration of their health condition in prison. MSF has seen the results of violence and torture perpetrated against those imprisoned, caused by beatings with iron rods, boots, hoses and cattle prods on the back, legs, buttocks, genitals and soles of the feet. MSF has also seen the serious impact of psychological abuse on those arrested, including extreme anxiety and fear as a result

of sexual harassment and humiliation. Ensuring the safe and impartial provision of treatment for the wounded is a basic legal obligation under humanitarian law. It is entailed in mandatory provisions of Common Article 3 to the 1949 Geneva Conventions – and is valid at all times. Thus, as a state party to these Conventions, the Bahraini authorities must respect its obligations regarding the protection and provision of health care to the sick, injured and prisoners. This healthcare should be provided by the high quality Bahraini health system, without precluding the oﬀer of medical services by an impartial humanitarian organization such as MSF. Although we now have authorization to begin training Bahraini health workers to deal with psychological trauma, other crucial assistance remains blocked. Our requests to set up a referral system, whereby MSF can accompany wounded patients to health facilities to ensure they receive lifesaving care, are still met with insuﬃcient guarantees about their safety. The national security agenda of Bahraini authorities must not come at the expense of the lives and health of wounded people, whether in hospital or prison. Doctors and nurses must be allowed to provide healthcare in line with medical ethics, without the fear of reprisal. This is impossible when health facilities are used as bait for arrest and torture, with the support of Bahrain’s closest allies. Christopher Stokes is General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

256

FROM HOSPITAL TO PRISON By Christopher Stokes

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

In the kingdom of Bahrain, to be wounded by security forces has become a reason for arrest and providing healthcare has become grounds for a jail sentence. During the current civil unrest, Bahraini health facilities have consistently been used as a tool in the military crackdown, backed by the Gulf Cooperation Council, against protestors. The muted response from key allies outside of the region such as the U.S. – who has signiﬁcant ties to Bahrain, including a vast naval base in the country - can only be interpreted as acceptance of the ongoing military assault on the ability to provide and receive impartial healthcare.

257

While the government and its supporters in Bahrain continue to refer to the protestors as ‘rioters’, ‘criminals, ‘extremists’, ‘insurgents’ or ‘terrorists’, the label that remains conspicuously absent for those who are wounded is ‘patient’. Since April 7, when Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) ﬁrst raised the alarm about the situation, our team has seen patients in villages across the country who were

severely beaten or tortured in jail; schoolgirls who have been both physically abused and threatened with rape; and patients in urgent need of hospitalization who still refuse to be referred due to the high risk of their arrest. The militarization of the only public hospital, Salmaniya, persists. Although Ministry of Health statistics show an increase in patients accessing the hospital, tanks and security checkpoints are still manned by masked soldiers at its entrances, searching cars and people. The wounded tell MSF that they are still too afraid to go to the hospital in case of being arrested or beaten in the wards. Doctors and nurses also continue to be arrested during raids on health facilities, or on their homes at night. In fact, forty-seven medical staﬀ are now being prosecuted by the Bahraini authorities. Within Bahrain, the medical community itself is polarized. Many oppose the blatant militarization of medical assistance, while others support the military presence in the hospital and the legal

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻣﺮﺍﺳﻠﻮﻥ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Reporters Without Borders

23.02.2011 | ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ‬

18.02.2011 | ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ‬



 

                                                                                                                      http://alsingace.)    (katib.org

 ‫ﺗﻼ‬         “                         “                           http       wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=aJWmc0Y4mZ0&feature (=youtu.be

 @ Nabeelrajab                  http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31963

258

        http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31985 23.03.2011 | ‫ ﺷﻤﺎﻝ ﺇﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴﺎ‬/ ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ‬

 

        BahrainOnline.org                     http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31965 19.03.2011 | ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ‬

                               

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

(http://www.lamees.org/articles1/p2_ articleid/374). http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31988

259

                                                                                                 

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻣﺮﺍﺳﻠﻮﻥ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Reporters Without Borders

4.04.2011 | ‫ ﺷﻤﺎﻝ ﺇﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴﺎ‬/ ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ‬

                                                               ““          “ “                               ““          http://      

                                    “ “        .‫ﻣﺎﺭﺱ‬                               http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31994

260

    |  ‫ﺍ‬             emoodz (http://twitter.          com/#!/emoodz            “     .“  http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32003 12.04.2011 | ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ ﻭﺷﻤﺎﻝ ﺇﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴﺎ‬

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

   

261

   “  “ ““ ““ “   “ (http://www.aldair.net/forum                               

www.fidh.org/Bahrain-risk-of-blackout-on        (human-rights

                          ““               emoodz http://emoodz.com     http://twitter.com/emoodz     https://twitter.com/#!/       MohdSAlkhalifa  https://)          twitter.com/#!/MohdSAlkhalifa/

 status “ emoodz “                     http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=31996



‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻣﺮﺍﺳﻠﻮﻥ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Reporters Without Borders            ““ http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32008

18.04.2011 | ‫ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ ﻭﺷﻤﺎﻝ ﺇﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴﺎ‬

                                        http:// blog-/03/almanaramedia.blogspot.com/2011 (post_7932.html

                                        “

                                                                    http://)         arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/article. (php3?id_article=32002

            ““                                                           

262

20.04.2011 20.04.2011 |

        1817 78    201110  http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32012

17.05.2011 17.05.2011 |

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

 

263

                                                 

                     “                                                     ““  “   “                       http://arabia.reporters-sans-)    .(frontieres.org/article.php3?id_article=32002

    ““ ““  “ ““ http://www.aldair.      “ net/forum    http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/) (article.php3?id_article=32008 http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32010

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻣﺮﺍﺳﻠﻮﻥ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ Reporters Without Borders                                          

 http://www.flickr.com/)      (people/saeed-dhahi            

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleea) .(html.201152205239385476/05/st/2011

http://www.flickr.com/people/alialkofiphoto) http://www.bahartsociety.org.bh/work-‫ﻭ‬         (koofi.html

                         http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32031

 

                                             http://)           (alsingace.katib.org                 http://twitpic.)     @anmarek    (com/photos/anmarek                               264

 TheAtlanticcom                                                             

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

http://arabia.reporters-sans-frontieres.org/ article.php3?id_article=32020

265

 |

           "                         "  GlobalPost.com                       

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻓﺮﻭﻧﺖ ﻻﻳﻦ‬ Front Line Defenders

                                                                                                    

                                                        

         

266

                                        

              

               

             

                                              

                                

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

          

267

      

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻓﺮﻭﻧﺖ ﻻﻳﻦ‬ Front Line Defenders

                                                                                                                

                                                         "   "                     "   Like  –     –     "                            

268

 "       "       " 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                                       

269

               

                                   

                –                                 "                  

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

32011-14-

Obama Urged to Support Bahrain’s Peaceful Protestors

Washington, DC – As forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arrive in Bahrain in the face of renewed protests calling for democratic reform, Human Rights First is urging the Obama Administration to continue to speak out in defense of the rights of peaceful protestors by calling on Bahrain’s leaders to refrain from using violence and intimidation tactics. In a statement issued today, Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley stated: “Protestors in Bahrain are no less entitled to peacefully demonstrate than are those in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya or Yemen. The

Obama Administration must make clear that no matter where oppression rears its ugly head, the United States unequivocally supports the rights of people to peacefully dissent and make public calls for reform. This administration must not allow strategic alliances and economic ties to determine how vigorously it will support these rights.” http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201114/03//obama-urged-to-supportbahrain%E299%80%s-peaceful-protestors/

270

22011-17-

Human Rights First Condemns Bahrain Crackdown, Urges Obama to Find More Consistent Voice

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Washington, DC – Human Rights First today condemned the early morning violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protestors camped out in Manama, Bahrain’s Pearl Square and urged the Obama Administration to ﬁnd a consistent voice in support of human rights and democracy throughout the region.

271

“At least ﬁve people have been killed, some reportedly hit with shotgun pellets as they slept. More than 200 people, including children, were reportedly wounded,” said Human Rights First’s Neil Hicks. “The Government of Bahrain must immediately stop all use of violence against peaceful protesters and, instead, respect the basic rights of its people to freedom of expression and assembly. There should be no reprisals against protest participants or organizers. Human Rights First also called on the Obama

administration to speak out to condemn these brutal actions by the Bahraini government and called its initial calls for “restraint” insufficient in the face of the force been used against defenseless protesters. Hicks concluded, “In the face of widespread protests in the Middle East against governments allied with the United States – such as Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain, as well as regimes that are more antagonistic towards it, like Iran – President Obama must find a consistent voice in support of universal human rights and the legitimate needs and interests of people who have been forced to live under repressive governments for far too long. http://www.humanrightsfirst. org/201117/02//human-rights-firstcondemns-bahrain-crackdown-urgesobama-to-find-more-consistent-voice/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

32011-18-

U.S. and the Middle East Uprisings: Time to Get on the Right Side of History

By Brian Dooley Director, Human Rights Defenders Program It was Lenin who said “there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”. It seems like decades worth of history are suddenly happening in the Middle East, with every morning bringing some new development that would have been scarcely imaginable a few months ago. There is much talk in Washington DC and elsewhere of this being a 1989 moment (or even an 1848 one), a massive reordering of global politics. It’s hard to think otherwise, but good outcomes are far from guaranteed, and the U.S. Government needs to work harder to get on the right side of history. The Obama Administration’s record on developments has so far been mixed. Slow to appreciate the strength of the revolution in Egypt and Tunisia, it prevaricated and sent mixed messages to the region about whether it wanted Mubarak to stay or go. The U.S. Government still has lots of explaining to do to the people of Egypt and Tunisia about why it supported the repressive regimes

there so strongly and for so long, and needs to convince people there that it’s now on the side of democracy and human rights. Some young pro-democracy leaders, unhappy at U.S. policy, refused to meet Secretary Hillary Clinton in Cairo last week. In Egypt, the Obama Administration ought to be seen to be providing compensation for the losses suﬀered during the uprisings, and commit to developing a substantial trade package, debt forgiveness and other economic support. It should also help trace and repatriate money the corrupt Mubarak regime stole from the people. It needs to declare that the recent reports of Egyptian soldiers detaining and abusing peaceful protesters should be investigated, and those responsible punished. If this is the message in Egypt, it must be the message in Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and elsewhere too. There can be no double standard, no taking it easier on Saudi Arabia or Bahrain because they are allies. I called a human rights activist

272

32011-16-

Obama Administration Should Speak Out Against Violence in Bahrain

Washington, DC — Human Rights First condemns the violent military crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain that has already resulted in several deaths and mounting numbers of injured. In the early hours of this morning, Bahraini army and police forces entered Pearl Square with tanks and other military vehicles and cleared out demonstrators using teargas, shotguns and other weapons. Military raids are also being carried out on other neighborhoods of Manama and Shiite majority villages.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“The militarization of the conﬂict in Bahrain will lead to further violence and violations of basic rights and freedoms. It will not address the underlying causes of the unrest – institutionalized sectarian discrimination, the absence of representative government and the lack of legal protections for basic freedoms of assembly, and association, ” said Human Rights First’s Neil Hicks.

273

“Suppression of dissent in Bahrain with the backing of the Gulf Cooperation Council runs the risk of extending unrest to other countries in the Gulf region with sectarian tensions,

including Yemen and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.,” added Hicks. Human Rights First today stated that U.S. government officials should condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and urge the Bahraini government to initiate wideranging negotiations to implement necessary political reforms. In light of disturbing reports that security forces are blocking medical treatment for the injured, Human Rights First stated that interference in the provision of necessary medical treatment should stop immediately. In addition, the U.S. needs to intensify its outreach to the government of Saudi Arabia to make clear its objection to the violent suppression of dissent in Bahrain or anywhere in the Gulf region. Hicks concluded, “Inflaming sectarian tensions in Bahrain will not ensure stability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” http://www.humanrightsfirst. org/201116/03//obama-administrationshould-speak-out-against-violence-inbahrain/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

42011-11-

Donilon Urged to Speak Out Against Bahrain Human Rights Abuses

Washington, DC – Human Rights First is gravely concerned at the latest brutal crackdown on Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain and urges National Security Advisor Tom Donilon to speak out against the abuses during his trip to the region. “Tom Donilon should publicly condemn the criminalization of human rights defenders in Bahrain and ask for their immediate release. If it’s wrong for human rights activists to be targeted in Syria and Iran, it’s wrong for them to be targeted in Bahrain,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. According to the organization, leading human right defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja is among those who were arrested over the weekend. He is the former MENA Director at the Irish NGO Front Line Defenders and is the former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Human Rights First reports that at approximately 3 a.m. on April 9, masked police arrested Al-Khawaja and his two sons-

in-laws, Waﬁ Almajid and Hussein Ahmed. The three men were severely beaten, and AlKhawaja was beaten until he was unconscious. After the beatings, the three men were taken to an unknown destination. “There can be no double standards on human rights issues,” said Dooley. “Tom Donilon is a guest of the Saudi Arabian Government, a powerful ally of Bahrain’s ruling authorities. He must speak out – and be seen to speak out – against the arrest of these men. They should be immediately released and all others engaged in legitimate and peaceful human rights work should be protected.” http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201111/04//donilon-urged-to-speak-outagainst-bahrain-human-rights-abuses/

274

in Bahrain a couple of days ago who had been shot during a protest – he wasn’t seriously hurt, but told me people were being denied medical treatment by soldiers occupying the hospital, preventing doctors from treating the wounded. Secretary Clinton’s message to the Bahrain Government that it was “on the wrong track” in cracking down on peaceful protests went some way in the right direction, but it’s not really an overall strategy for promoting democracy in Bahrain. Some prodemocracy activists in Bahrain also believe the U.S. Government gave the green light for Saudi troops to enter the country to suppress dissent.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and other weapons used by the security forces in Bahrain and elsewhere to crack down on the protests are often stamped ‘Made in the US’. It’s not great PR for America with the prodemocracy demonstrators.

275

On Libya, U.S. diplomats did well in securing multilateral support for the UN resolution authorizing military force to protect civilians, which at the time of writing appears to

have stayed Qaddaﬁ’s hand. But if the U.S. Government is to win the trust of people across the Middle East, it needs to convince them that its days of propping up repressive, torturing, corrupt regimes are over. Popular uprisings pulled down the dictatorships built in Lenin’s name in 1989. There are plenty of examples from those days in Eastern Europe on how to – and how not to – make a successful transition from authoritarianism. The important thing for the U.S. in the coming days is to be consistent in pushing for democratic reforms and respect for human rights. There really is a chance to make decades of progress in the next few weeks.

http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201118/03//us-and-the-middle-eastuprisings-time-to-get-on-the-right-side-ofhistory/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

42011-11-

In the Middle East, the Obama Administration is Still Failing to Live up to its Rhetoric

By Neil Hicks International Policy Advisor In a speech earlier this week to the U.S. – Islamic World Forum Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again exposed tensions at the core of the Obama administration’s response to popular uprisings for human dignity throughout the Middle East and North Africa. These inconsistencies leave human rights and democracy activists in the region wondering which side the U.S. government is on, and how far it is prepared to support a new vision for a region grounded in democratic government, respect for the rule of law and human rights. The general theory of the administration’s approach to the region is clear enough: denying the legitimate rights and aspirations of people throughout the region is not a sustainable way for governments to rule. In her speech secretary Clinton spoke of “exposed myths…that governments can hold on to power without responding to their people’s aspirations or respecting their rights.” Problems come when the administration is required to apply its theory in practice in the form of speciﬁc policies designed to deal

with the challenges presented by specific country situations. Here the speech is laced with caveats and qualifications: will the Arab spring result in lasting reforms? Well, “these questions can only be answered by the people and leaders of the Middle East and North Africa themselves. The United States certainly does not have all the answers…” Hardly a ringing endorsement of the reform agenda. A particular challenge for the administration at the present time comes in Bahrain where the administration has urged reform on the ruling al-Khalifa family, but Bahrain’s rulers, apparently under pressure from their near Saudi neighbors, have chosen repression, firing live ammunition on demonstrators in the street and now detaining human rights leaders and closing down independent newspapers. The U.S. government has expressed concern and alarm about this, but at a time when repression in Bahrain is escalating Secretary Clinton chose to point out that “that a onesized-fits-all approach doesn’t make sense in such a diverse region at such a fluid time… we have a decades long friendship with Bahrain

276

42011-13-

Clinton Speech Misses Mark on Bahrain Human Rights Abuses

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Washington, DC – Human Rights First is disappointed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed to use her speech at the U.S.Islamic Forum last night to condemn the human rights crackdown in Bahrain, including the deaths of several activists in police custody. In a statement released today, Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley noted: “Why so quiet about this? What are democracy activists in Bahrain to make of her insistence that a ‘one-size ﬁts all approach’ doesn’t make sense in such a diverse region at such a ﬂuid time’? Does this mean there is a separate set of standards for Bahrain because it hosts U.S. military ships and is close to Saudi Arabia?

277

“The U.S. Government has been shamefully muted in its response to what’s happening in Bahrain. For weeks peaceful activists have

been harassed, beaten and arrested. It looks like U.S. Government policy is that some human rights defenders are more equal than others; in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia they need to be protected, in Bahrain ignored.” http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201113/04//clinton-speech-misses-markon-bahrain-human-rights-abuses/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

42011-18-

Administration Must Take Tougher Stance Against Ongoing Bahrain Violence

Washington, DC – As Bahraini Minister for Finance Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohamed AlKhalifa visits Washington, DC this week on the heels of escalating violence against civil society in Bahrain, Human Rights First is calling on the Obama Administration to make clear publicly its opposition to ongoing abuses. According to the group, nearly 600 government critics have been detained in the last two months and four have died in police custody this month already. In a statement issued today, Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley stated: “It’s time the Obama Administration lived up to its own rhetoric on democracy in the Middle East by speaking out unambiguously on continuing abuses in Bahrain. Lawyers and doctors are being targeted as the authorities pressure those who have provided legal and medical assistance to protestors. The whereabouts of many of those captured, including human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and prominent lawyer Mohammed Issa Al Tajer – who was arrested on April 16

when dozens of men came to his house and took him away – remain unknown. “How bad is the US Government waiting for things to get before it speaks out forcefully? The Bahrain government should not be held to a diﬀerent standard because of its ties to Saudi Arabia or for any other reason. The U.S. Government needs to make a decisive break from supporting dictators if it is to have credibility with those in the region working for democracy. The Bahraini Minister for Finance, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohamed AlKhalifa, should return home with no doubt that the US opposes what his government is doing and will not tolerate the beating, killing and detention of peaceful protestors.” http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201118/04//administration-must-taketougher-stance-against-ongoing-bahrainviolence/

278

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 279

that we expect to continue long into the future.” Secretary Clinton has a track record of effusive and unwarranted praise for Bahrain’s supposed progress on human rights and democracy. In December 2010 she praised it as a “model partner” and admonished a questioner at a public forum who pointed out that Bahrain was experiencing some “declines” in its human rights conditions to “see the glass a half full,” not half empty. Seeking to promote universal principles, and to support those around the world who, often at enormous personal risk, stand up for them is not an approach that can be turned on and off according to specific country situations. Failing to stand up for universal principles in one country weakens U.S. support for those same principles in other countries. Enemies of these principles observe such vacillation and feel emboldened; they hear U.S. criticisms of their appalling human rights records and cry double standards. Uprisings throughout the Middle East in countries allied with the United States and others will continue to test this administration’s commitment to universal principles it claims

to hold dear. Speeches and policy statements make the case that promoting human rights and democracy serves U.S. interests and point to the dire consequences of failing to respond to the people’s “long denied aspirations for dignity,” but policies in speciﬁc country situations, like Bahrain, continue to fall short. This is not to suggest that the U.S. government can or should impose reform, democracy or human rights on recalcitrant countries; but a consistent commitment to core principles that the administration claims to see as essential to human dignity should always be a part of the U.S. government’s relationships with other governments, friend or foe, host to a vital U.S. naval base or major oil supplier. President Obama will have an opportunity to make clear how the U.S. government will translate its principles into policies when he makes his promised speech on the region in the coming weeks. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201114/04//in-the-middle-east-theobama-administration-is-still-failing-to-liveup-to-its-rhetoric/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

Sign the petition now! Demand to free illegally detained Bahrainis including Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, medical workers and athletes. A few weeks ago, I called Abdulhadi just after he’d been shot for taking part in a prodemocracy protest. He wasn’t badly hurt and sounded upbeat, but concerned about those who were more seriously injured but were being denied medical treatment by the authorities. But when he called his family from detention a couple of days ago, they said his voice was very weak and that he sounded very tired. His family asked how he was doing and he answered, “the oppression is great.” They believe he’s been tortured. This week, I met with one of Abdulhadi’s daughters, Maryam Al-Khawaja, who spoke about her father’s violent and illegal detention. We also spoke about her sister, Zeinab Al Khawaja, who had been engaged in a ten-

day hunger strike in protest of her father’s treatment. In this video, Zeinab explains her decision. Zeinab’s health had deteriorated since she started her hunger strike, and, in the past few days, she was not able to speak or move. Yesterday, after human rights activists in Bahrain and outside told her that her voice was needed in the struggle for human rights, she ended her hunger strike. Human Rights First is committed to bring justice to those illegally detained and abused and we will continue to work on Adbulhadi’s case and the others. We will keep you updated on this ongoing situation. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201121/04//us-stays-silent-as-bahrainihuman-rights-defenders-are-targeted/

280

42011-21-

US Stays Silent as Bahraini Human Rights Defenders are Targeted

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

By Brian Dooley Director, Human Rights Defenders In Bahrain, the sudden excitement of democracy rallies have been replaced with the cold reality of repression as the government cracks down on pro-democracy protestors and activists. This week, I went to an event in Washington D.C. where the Bahraini Minister for Finance, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa, gave a speech about the great economic strides made by his country. I asked him why they were detaining and torturing people, and why there were four deaths in police custody this month alone.

281

Predictably (if both tragically and comically) he said no-one in Bahrain had been detained because of their peaceful opinions, that “the days of us trying to control the media are behind us,” and that “the silent majority” is with the government.

The U.S. Government appears happy to be part of that silence. The Bahraini minister was no doubt delighted by the State Department’s announcement on Monday that “the U.S. supports the Bahraini leadership’s own embrace of the principles of reform and the respect for rule of law and coexistence.” Nothing about widespread torture, nothing about the estimated 600 plus people in detention, nothing about medical and legal professionals being targeted for supporting the pro-democracy activists. Earlier this month, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, former head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was dragged from his home in the middle of the night, beaten unconscious, and taken away. His family heard that he would be tried today but when they went to the courthouse they weren’t allowed in, not even Abdulhadi’s lawyers. No-one would conﬁrm he was inside.

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

42011-28-

Four Bahraini Protesters Sentenced to Death, Three to Life Imprisonment After Unfair Trials

Washington DC – Human Rights First is gravely concerned at the death sentences imposed on four young men in Bahrain today after proceedings that fell short of international fair trial standards. A military court trial, held behind closed doors, convicted them of the murder of two policemen during protests in March. Death sentences were imposed on: Ali Abdullah Hassan Al Sankis, Qassim Hassan Matar Ahmad, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed and Abdulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain. Three others were given life sentences. Bahraini TV aired video of the convicted men confessing to the murder of the policemen. Human Rights First is concerned that these confessions may have been extracted by use of torture. There have been many reports of Bahraini protesters detained by the security forces being subjected to beatings and other forms of torture. “This brings Bahrain’s crackdown to a new level, and is likely to inﬂame tensions there and across the region,” said Brian Dooley of Human

Rights First. “The sentences announced today should be annulled, and the charges against the four young men should be examined through a fair, open legal process.” Human Rights First is also concerned that while prosecutions of protesters accused of violence against the security forces have moved forward there appears to have been no progress in oﬃcial investigations into acts of violence against peaceful demonstrators, and against medical personnel seeking to provide assistance to the injured. The Bahraini authorities said yesterday they were releasing over 300 detainees “on health grounds,” but more than 400 have been referred to military courts. One of those detained is lawyer Mohammed al-Tajer, who was due to represent some of those accused of the policemen’s murder http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201128/04//four-bahraini-protesterssentenced-to-death-three-to-lifeimprisonment-after-unfair-trials/

282

272011 4--

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

U.S. Urged to Speak Out in Aftermath of Bahrain Mosque Burnings

283

Washington, DC – Today, Human Rights First expressed concern about reports that dozens of mosques and other religious property used by the Shia majority community in Bahrain are being destroyed by the authorities in the latest crackdown against protestors.

silence on Bahrain is deafening. If the Obama Administration wants to see human rights respected throughout the Middle East, it must speak out against the destruction of places of worship and the rest of the continuing repression in Bahrain.

“Bulldozing mosques will only inﬂame the tensions in Bahrain, not restore stability,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “The attacks on Shia places of worship have triggered protest demonstrations in other parts of the Middle East, and these incidents will exacerbate Sunni-Shia tensions throughout the region. The US government’s

According to Human Rights Fist, around 600 government critics have been detained in the last two months and at least four have died in police custody in April. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201127/04//u-s-urged-to-speak-out-inaftermath-of-bahrain-mosque-burnings/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

122011-5-

“When he was recovering from the operation they tortured him again,” Torture and Unfair Trial of Protesters in Bahrain

Manama, Bahrain — Human Rights First is gravely concerned at today’s unfair trial in Bahrain of 21 suspects involved in recent protests calling for greater respect for human rights and democracy in the island kingdom. Human Rights First was refused entry at the courtroom door this morning despite assurances from the Bahraini authorities that human rights organizations and other observers would be admitted. “Relatives of the defendants who were permitted access told us they looked in bad physical and mental shape,” said Brian Dooley of Human Rights First. “Several were limping and others have suﬀered drastic weight loss. They have not had adequate time to consult their lawyers, and there are credible reports of their torture in custody. The 21 suspects before the Lower National Safety Court today include prominent human rights defenders and opposition leaders. They have been charged with various national security crimes, including “insulting the army,”

“organizing and managing a terrorist group for the overthrow and the change of the country’s constitution and the royal rule,” and “seeking and correspond[ing] with a terrorist organization abroad working for a foreign country to conduct heinous acts.” Some of these charges carry the death penalty. “The hearing today was conducted in a heavily militarized atmosphere,” said Dooley. “The court buildings were full of armed soldiers, some wearing black masks.” Leading human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja is among those charged. His wife and daughter Zeinab were allowed a 10-minute meeting with him on Sunday. Zeinab told Human Rights First that his face had been badly damaged with multiple fractures while in the custody of security forces. He had undergone a four-hour operation in the military hospital. “But when he was supposed to be recovering from the operation they tortured him again,” she said.

284

302011-4-

U.S. Must Maintain a Consistent Support for Human Rights in the Middle East

By Marc Jayson Climaco Program and Communications Assistant

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

The democracy movements in the Middle East have received strong pushback from their governments, resulting in human rights abuses that have left countless prodemocracy activists detained, injured, or dead. While it is admirable that the U.S. takes into account the diﬀerent sociopolitical histories of each country, its support for democracy in the region falls short with its inconsistent approach.

285

The U.S., for example has been silent about Bahrain and, in fact, the State Department announced recently that “the U.S. supports the Bahraini leadership’s own embrace of the principles of reform and the respect for rule of law and coexistence.” Nothing about widespread torture, nothing about the estimated 600 plus people in detention, nothing about athletes and medical and legal professionals being targeted for supporting

the pro-democracy activists. Listen to this week’s podcast for analysis on the inconsistencies of U.S. response to human rights abuses in the Middle East and what Human Rights First is doing to support human rights defenders in Bahrain and Egypt, including Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad and former Head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201110358/30/04//

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

52011-13-

Secretary Clinton Urged to Convene Special Session on Bahraini Human Rights Abuses

Washington, D.C. — Representatives of human rights groups sent a letter today to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly urging the United States to support eﬀorts at the United Nations Human Rights Council to convene a special session on Bahrain in order to condemn the harsh violations of human rights by government forces. The letter was signed by: Aung Din (U.S. Campaign for Burma), Dokhi Fassihian (Democracy Coalition Project), Jerry Fowler (Open Society Foundations), Hans Hogrefe (Physicians for Human Rights), Don Kraus (Citizens for Global Solutions), T. Kumar (Amnesty International USA), Tom Malinowski (Human Rights Watch), Theodore Piccone (The Brookings Institution) and Tad Stahnke (Human Rights First). The letter follows up on the April 29 Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), in which the U.S. played a major role in leading the Council to a resolution for an investigation of the brutality used against dissenters in Syria. The coalition is calling upon the U.S. to show the same leadership when it comes to the dire human rights situation in Bahrain. The Bahraini government is pursuing a policy of punitive retribution against thousands of Bahrainis solely because they are calling for an end to discrimination and a more representative government. Yesterday, 21 protestors were tried in a courtroom that violated many basic principles of international fair trial standards, including barring human rights observers from the courtroom and denying defendants access

to counsel. Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley reported from the courthouse in Manama, “The atmosphere around the courthouse was heavily militarized, including with armed soldiers wearing black masks.” The daughter of one defendant reported that her father, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, had suﬀered beatings so brutal he had to undergo surgery in a military hospital – and then the beatings resumed. On April 28, a special military court established after Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared martial law, sentenced four civilians To date, more than 600– activists, opposition party leaders and activists, medical personnel, journalists and bloggers– have been arbitrarily detained, and at least four detainees have died in custody from alleged torture or medical neglect. At least four civilians have been sentenced to death and three others to life in prison, also in trials that did not meet international fair trial standards. The letter states that U.S. leadership proved “essential in obtaining recent HRC actions on Syria, as well as on Libya and Iran,” and its engagement has strengthened the Council. The U.S. has every interest in building on this record, and should apply its focus on a special session on Bahrain. Through the HRC and other mechanisms, human rights violations must be investigated and perpetrators of serious abuses held to account. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst.org/201113/05// secretary-clinton-urged-to-convene-specialsession-on-bahraini-human-rights-abuses/

286

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 287

He was in court today with 13 others – Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed, Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa, Hassan Ali Mushaima, Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace, Mohammed Habib Al Saﬀaf, Saeed Mirza Ahmed, Abduljalil Radhi Mansoor Makki (Abduljalil Al Muqdad), Abdulhadi Abdulla Mahdi Hassan, Al Hurr Yousif Mohammed, Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos, Salah Hubail Al Khawaja, Mohammed Hassan Jawad and Mohammed Ali Ismael. Seven more being tried in absentia are: Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh, Ali Hassan Abdullah, Abdulghani Ali Khanjar, Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab, Abdulraoof Al Shayeb, Abbas Al Umran and Ali Hassan Mushaima. The court adjourned until Monday May 16.

announcing that “attending trials is permitted for all civil society institutions, human rights organizations and media representatives to reﬂect the Kingdom’s keenness to respect its international commitments in the ﬁeld of human rights.

The special courts consist of two civilian judges and one military judge in a process which falls far short of international fair trial standards. Another international legal observer was also refused admission to the court despite Sunday’s oﬃcial statement

http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201112/05//when-he-was-recoveringfrom-the-operation-they-tortured-him-againtorture-and-unfair-trial-of-protesters-inbahrain/

“The U.S. government needs to take a stronger stance in support of peaceful protesters in Bahrain demanding their legitimate rights for an end to discrimination and for a more representative government,” said Dooley. “Hesitation and perceived weakness in support of human rights in a close U.S. ally like Bahrain weakens U.S. support for peaceful democratic change throughout the region.”

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

52011-17-

NEW REPORT: Human Rights Defenders Criticize U.S. Government’s Response to Bahraini Crackdown

Washington, D.C. — Following a fact-ﬁnding mission to Bahrain earlier this week, Human Rights First is calling on President Obama to stand up for human rights defenders in Bahrain. In his Middle East speech on Thursday, President Obama can send a clear signal that the United States supports human rights and democracy in the Middle East by supporting vulnerable Bahraini activists. In its report released today, Human Rights First publishes ﬁrst-hand testimonies of the Bahraini government’s crackdown from the perspectives of human rights defenders currently in Bahrain, and provides recommendations for the U.S. and Bahraini governments to end human rights abuses. While in Bahrain, HRF’s Brian Dooley interviewed several human rights defenders who described widespread torture and illegal detention. Bahraini human rights defenders told Dooley that they are increasingly disappointed in the U.S. government’s tepid response. Dooley said,

“They see a double standard in U.S. rhetoric and action in relation to Bahrain compared with Syria, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia.” Perceived weakness in support of human rights in a close U.S. ally like Bahrain weakens U.S. support for peaceful democratic change throughout the region. HRF calls for immediate U.S. government action in support of human rights and human rights defenders in Bahrain. Recommendations include: • President Obama, in Thursday’s speech on U.S. policy in the Middle East, should make speciﬁc reference to human rights violations in Bahrain and make clear the U.S. government’s support for the fundamental human rights of the Bahraini people. He should make speciﬁc reference to human rights violations and mention of at least one case by name – for example, that of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. • In the coming days, senior U.S. government

288

52011-13-

Obama Administration Declines Opportunity to Lay Out Bahrain Position

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Washington, D.C. — Under Secretary William Burns and Assistant Secretary Jeﬀrey Feltman declined the opportunity to testify today before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on rights abuses in Bahrain. After this disappointing decision, Human Rights First is increasingly concerned by the Obama Administration’s unclear approach to handling the Bahraini government’s violation of human rights.

289

considerable confusion about U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. should speak vigorously and publicly not only about the imperative of international human rights norms, but also about the speciﬁc types of violations perpetrated by the Bahraini security forces against individuals with names.

While the Administration maintains that it disapproves of the Bahraini government’s treatment of peaceful dissenters, the U.S. has failed to take concrete steps to hold Bahrain accountable. In yesterday’s State Department press brieﬁng, Acting Deputy Mark Toner claimed that the U.S. remains very concerned with reports of human rights abuses in Bahrain, and will continue to encourage dialogue with the Bahraini government and ask that the government take action against individuals in a “transparent manner in accordance with international human rights obligations.

Yesterday, Acting Deputy Toner also admitted there has been only loose communication between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Bahraini oﬃcials, explaining that there has been no contact with the Bahraini Government since the Secretary met with the Bahraini Foreign Minister last week. HRF’s Brian Dooley, who today left Bahrain, said, “The Obama Administration needs to be assertive with the Bahraini government, and President Obama and Secretary Clinton need to publicly challenge the abuses happening in Bahrain. The U.S. should tell the Bahraini government to free those imprisoned for peaceful protests, conduct fair trials, make credible investigation into oﬃcial acts of violence and hold people accountable.

Human Rights First recognizes the Obama Administration’s desire to maintain a positive relationship with the Bahraini government during this period of turmoil, but the U.S. can do much more to support human rights in the country, and its failure to lead in doing so creates

The credibility of the U.S. in the region is aﬀected by its role in the Bahrain situation. Yesterday, Human Rights First joined with a coalition in a letter urging Secretary Clinton to support eﬀorts at the United Nations Human Rights council to convene a special session on Bahrain.

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

52011-19-

Today’s Speech an Impressive Step Toward Rebuilding U.S. Relations with the Middle East

Washington, D.C. During today’s speech on foreign policy in the Middle East, President Obama took an impressive ﬁrst step, after the momentous events of the past few months – the popular uprisings throughout the Middle East and the killing of Osama bin Laden – toward articulating a new framework for U.S. policy grounded in sustained U.S. support for the promotion of human rights and democracy. Human Rights First commends President Obama for seizing the moment to demonstrate U.S. leadership on human rights at this critical point in time. Earlier this week, Human Rights First President and CEO, Elisa Massimino, addressed a letter to the President urging him to use today’s speech to lay out a foreign policy that defends U.S. vital interests within a strategic framework of consistently advancing universal principles of human rights and support for representative governments that serve their people. The letter called for the Administration to adhere consistently to these principles in relationships between the United States and all nations of the Muslim world. Said Massimino: “The President’s speech set the right priorities. The challenge now is to implement these policies and bring this bold vision to life. Egypt Human Rights First’s Neil Hicks praised President

Obama’s support for Egyptian democracy. “A foreign aid package that strengthens the Egyptian economy and produces jobs will ultimately contribute to an environment that will protect human rights,” said Hicks. “The current political unrest in this region is attributable in part to a lack of opportunities for individuals. Economic support for democratic transition in Egypt serves U.S. interests.” Hicks added, “If the policy articulated today by President Obama is implemented and carried forward over time, the United States’ credibility as a partner to people in the Middle East striving to build societies grounded in the rule of law and respect for human dignity will be greatly strengthened. Bahrain Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley welcomed the specific references to Bahrain in the President’s speech. “Having just returned from Bahrain, home of the United States’ Fifth Fleet, I can tell you that the situation for human rights defenders there is dire. The President’s remarks on the attacks on Shia mosques were encouragingly specific – the United States needs to continue to be just as specific in criticizing the Bahraini government on other human rights violations, including mass detentions and torture.” http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/201119/05// todays-speech-an-impressive-step-towardrebuilding-u-s-relations-with-the-middle-east/

290

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 291

oﬃcials should: o Publicly call for the release of all prisoners in Bahrain who are being held for exercising their rights to non-violent freedom of expression and assembly; o Condemn unfair trials, torture and death sentences in Bahrain; o Call for an independent inquiry by Bahraini authorities into widespread allegations of human rights violations, and for all those responsible for ordering or committing abuses to be held accountable; o Engage more closely and publicly display support for the human rights defenders and their families in Bahrain. • In addition, Human Rights First reiterates its call for the U.S. government to support the convening of a special session on Bahrain in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva; HRF also calls for urgent Bahraini government action to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of all its people. Recommendations include: • The Bahraini government should immediately end its persecution of human rights defenders and non-violent critics:

o Release all those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful expression and assembly; o Put an end to arbitrary detentions and disappearances; o Stop the torture and mistreatment of detainees, and implement safeguards to prevent torture, such as an end to incommunicado detention; o Stop labeling its critics as Iranian agents without providing any evidence that non-violent human rights activists have any other agenda than to promote and protect the universal human rights of all Bahrainis. Additionally, the Bahraini government should: • End the systematic discrimination against the majority Shiite community; and • Protect Shiite places of worship and religious buildings from attack or destruction and respect the religious freedom of all Bahrainis. The complete report and recommendations can be found here. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst.org/201117/05// new-report-human-rights-defenders-criticizeu-s-governments-response-to-bahrainicrackdown/

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ً ‫ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥ‬ Human Rights First

292

52011-20-

Bahrainis Await U.S. Response to Human Rights Abuses

By Marc Jayson Climaco Program and Communications Assistant Listen to the latest podcast for an analysis on President Obama’s Middle East speech and an outline of what the U.S. could take to support democracy and human rights in Bahrain and other countries in the region. President Obama took an impressive ﬁrst step towards deﬁning a framework for U.S foreign policy in the Middle East that is grounded in sustained support and promotion of human rights and democracy.

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

Having just returned from Bahrain on a factﬁnding mission, Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley welcomes the speciﬁc references to Bahrain in the President’s speech. In a report entitled, Bahrain: Speaking Softly,

293

Dooley documents cases of torture and illegal detentions, outlining the human rights violations and abuses committed by the Bahraini government towards pro-democracy activists and supporters. With the U.S. being muted over the past few months about abuses in Bahrain, it has much work to do to help people in the region establish universal rights—including the right to elect representatives. Human Rights First is calling for immediate U.S. government action in support of human rights and human rights defenders in Bahrain. http://www.humanrightsﬁrst. org/201120/05//bahrainis-await-u-sresponse-to-government-abuse/

‫ﺍﻻﺗﺤﺎﺩ ﺍﻷﻭﺭﻭﺑﻲ‬ European Union

Catherine Ashton European Unions High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

  

          “   “        “       “                                      

                           "                                                                    " http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/egypt/press_ ar.htm_1_20110317/corner/all_news/news/2011

294





11A392

11A470

  

  

          "                                                                    "

                 “            “ “    “ “  “    “             “

http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/egypt/press_ ar.htm_1_20111002/corner/all_news/news/2011

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/egypt/press_ ar.htm_5_20111201/corner/all_news/news/2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬



295

                               " http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/egypt/press_ ar.htm_2_20110414/corner/all_news/news/2011

3082   "          

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America

  "    "

 

          

   "" ""            

 

                    "  "         ""     

                                         

       "  "                    296

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                                     

297

                                                                              

                              

                                    

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America                                                                            "   "                                                                          

                                                         

  

 –

             298

       ”          

   “”        

                                           

 

 –

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

          “  ”              ”  

299

                                  

                   "  "                                           ““  –  ”   “”  “           

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America                           "          " "   "               ""  "        "          "  "      "                      ""                         

  

    ""  "        "              "" "  "  "           "                  ""       " " http://www.nobles-news.com/news/news/index. php?page=show_det&id=90979&select_page=37

      CNN     300

  "   "             "      ""       "   "     

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                             

301

    ""     

     "     "                  

 ""       CNN    "           "  ""  ""  "CNN     "                   "      "                  

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America           ""                  

    "" CNN             ""   

     ""                       

 "    "     

            "         CNN                      "   "     "       "  "  

"  "            "                                    "  "                                       302

    CNN                                        "    " Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Payne, McGovern and Baldwin denounce human rights abuses in Bahrain. Congressman Donald M. Payne, Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, came together with Congressman James McGovern and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to issue the following statement:

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“We would like to express our deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain and our support for the aspiration and peaceful struggle of the people of Bahrain. We are troubled by the deteriorating health of prominent human rights activist and nursing mother, Zainab al-Khawaja, who began a hunger strike on April 9th 2011 to raise attention to the violent arrest of her father, husband and brother-in-law.

303

Activists who speak out against the Bahraini government’s repressive campaign have endured arrests and threats to themselves or their families. Over the last two weeks, at least four protesters have died in police custody. We are deeply concerned with Bahrain’s

attempt to stiﬂe peaceful political opposition, including the attack on Bahrain’s largest opposition group, the Shiite bloc al-Wafaq. The violent crackdown by Bahraini security forces on protesters and arbitrary arrests of political dissidents must not fall on deaf ears. The United States must not allow political alliances to prevent us from denouncing human rights abuses, particularly when they are perpetrated against peaceful demonstrators. Bahrain must ensure the security of detainees and we urge the Administration to insist on the release of those detained for peacefully opposing the Bahraini regime. We also call for an independent international investigation into the deaths of government-held protesters. The United States must continue to support the democratic aspirations of all people http://www.abusaiba.org/forum/showthread. php?t=30177

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America             “”      ”                                “” ” ”“  “ ”  “   

   CNN             "                                          "        "                                                  http://arabic.cnn.com/2011/middle_ east/315//clinton.middle_east/index.html

304

                                                                                         http://www.bna.bh/portal/news/4569777

             "                          "      "                          

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

http://abraronline.net/ar/index. php?option=com_content&view=article& id=5799:201125-17-19-17-05-&catid=83:200917-15-15-27-03&Itemid=197

305

     

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America

 

                                                                                              



               "      "                                                   http://www. washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/5/asenate-intelligence-committee-member/says-a-rece

306

 

  

"   "

                     ""            

http://www.wired.com/ ..‫ﺭﺍﺑﻂ ﺍﳋﺒﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻻﳒﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ‬ nokia-siemens-spy-/08/threatlevel/2011 /systems

 

       “                    “              

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

   “     “

307

           

 ""                                                 " "              "  "              

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America   “                    “    “         “    “         “     “        “     “                                  “

                                     “   “                   “  “             “          “                “                                       “           “  308

                                                                ““

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

“                  “

309

                        “   ““       “           “                “              “ http://thecable. .. /05/10/foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011 congress_gears_up_to_ﬁght_arms_sales_to_ bahrain

  

 “           “

     

 “ “   http://news. ..

           

nurse.com/article/20111005/ frontpage#./-1/110170005/NATIONAL02 To0lzBMvj44.twitter

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America

                         ""                                                                                                        

Speed TV                                                 " " http://formula-one. speedtv.com/article/f1-turkey-on-standby/for-2012-bahrain-axe-report

                                                     

310

              

                    ""  

                

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                                 

311

                          

     ""                                                        "" ""                                                  

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America

                           "                       "         "                         " http://www.globalresearch. ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26630

                             

                                      ""           "   "         "    "     "       "             

312

                                   

          "  "

           

                            

                                           

  

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

  "      "

313

     "             "  

                 

                                                   

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬ United States Of America



         " "  ""                   "   "                         

           "      "            

                        " " " "                           "        "            ""                       ""                        

314

                                                                    " "                  "     "      http://www.nytimes.com/201116/09//

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

world/middleeast/repression-tearsapart-bahrains-social-fabric.html?_ r=1&pagewanted=all?src=tp

315

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                                                                              

                 "     "

    ""  ""   " " "   " 

                               

             316

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                                                               

 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬



317

              "            "  "



    |

Recep Tayyip Erdogan| Turkish Prime Minister I do not want to Karbala in the region and recent events in Bahrain may lead to Karbala



    http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ 91cb--4a18-ar/6137fd6c-8131/2011/009/MDE11 64e6fb89ce8b/mde110092011ara.pdf

 http://www.amnesty.org/ar/library/asset/ -ar/40d6fa8f-464f-416d-84c0/2011/009/MDE11 3ea391629a09/mde110092011en.pdf

                                      

 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬



319



Recep Tayyip Erdogan| Turkish Prime Minister I do not want to Karbala in the region and recent events in Bahrain may lead to Karbala



‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous            

             "

             –  

 "      "

                                    

     

               –    –            

                           "    "        

                          

        "  "

      " "                        

              320

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                         UPI-/25/11/http://arabic.upi.com/News/2011 /19851322202683

  

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                                        

321

                

             "  "        "   "      "      "      "                                   "  http://www.ipsinternational.org/arabic/nota. asp?idnews=2330

                         

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous  ""  

  

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc. do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+MOTION+P72F%2FEN%0+DOC+XML+V0+0541-RC-2011

 ““                                    

  1                          2                    3                        4             5                         6                       

 ““                          ““         ““                               “  “ 322

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous     14              15     “       16          16               17             18            14  20

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news&action=art icle&id=5951

323

                               13 15   7                   8                   9        10                     11                             12               13

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous  “      “     “ “              22

    “     “         “   “  “ “ “         “ “  “ 

        “   “ 1969”                                   “ “        “       “                          “ “      “       “   324

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                  

“    “

  155 

“                    “  “          “

                                http://news.nurse.com/article/20111005/ frontpage#.To0lzBMvj44./-1/110170005/NATIONAL02 twitter

 6

     4  ‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

http://pomed.org/wordpress/wp-content/ Bahrain-Arms-Sale-Letter-Final1.pdf/09/uploads/2011

325

          “                          

                                   ““ “                  “  “           “  “ “           

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous  https://twitter.com/#!/USAbilAraby

          20     Bahrain#         Bahrain#           1

  ““                   ““   “ “ ““  “   “  1

       “           “ 

              ““  14      929              15                                             “14“            http://aphra.org/main/ar/art.php?id=11&art=738

 2  326

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous

                  20 

“ “            

13    10 15           

30

 1

     24/09/http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2011

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                                           

327

    “           “

     20       “  “                “   “    

 – –         100                 

            21          “  “ “    “ 30

    

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                                              25   2006 27 2005       “              ““  “   –          –   “   “    19      

  –  –          500 201125    “                         “                             15  “                               “        27            470  60    ““    20 30           328

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous               6            500             400 60  29         20 

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

  19            120     13                     ““  “  “  

329

                           

  “ “ ““ “   “                                                             10       17 11  “ “            14           12    27       ““         

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous 17  ““    2011  12       19            “       “  ““            12   ““                    13                 

                          400                    ““           63                                12          200527               31         27    330

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬ Miscellaneous                                                           “ “ 27                  “        “ http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news&action=art icle&id=5965

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

                         

331

 40   75  30 1  21     5                         3                          15                                  

“ ““   “           “

                  

‫اﻟﻔﻬﺮس‬

‫‪332‬‬

‫ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺪﻣﺔ‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ‬

‫‪6‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻔﻮ ﺍﻟﺪﻭﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪14‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻫﻴﻮﻣﻦ ﺭﺍﻳﺘﺲ ﻭﻭﺗﺶ‬

‫‪164‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺃﻃﺒﺎﺀ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬

‫‪236‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻣﺮﺍﺳﻠﻮﻥ ﺑﻼ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬

‫‪258‬‬

‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﻓﺮﻭﻧﺖ ﻻﻳﻦ‬

‫‪266‬‬

‫ﺃﻭﻻ‬ ‫ﻣﻨﻈﻤﺔ ﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﻹﻧﺴﺎﻥ ً‬

‫‪270‬‬

‫ﺍﻻﺗﺤﺎﺩ ﺍﻷﻭﺭﻭﺑﻲ‬

‫‪294‬‬

‫ﺍﻟﻮﻻﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ‬

‫‪296‬‬

‫ﺃﻗﻮﺍﻝ ﻣﺘﻔﺮﻗﺔ‬

‫‪316‬‬

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬

‫‪333‬‬

334

‫ﻣﻮاﻗﻒ وﺑﻴﺎﻧﺎت دوﻟﻴﺔ‬ 335

Tel: +973 17 406 020 I Fax: +973 17 406 024 P.O. Box: 1553 I Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain www.alwefaq.org I

info@alwefaq.org