radiofree.asia

Category: Newsletter

  • Joint Statement: Bahrain Must Immediately Release Human Rights Defender Ali AlHajee

    24 human rights organisations call for the immediate release of Bahraini activist Ali AlHajee, detained on 28 February 2025 for “misusing social media.” His arrest is part of a broader crackdown on activists, especially around Formula 1 events. See the full statement below:

    Joint Statement: Bahrain must immediately free detained human rights defender Ali AlHajee

    We, the undersigned human rights organisations, call for the immediate release of human rights defender Ali AlHajee, who was detained by Bahraini authorities following a police summons on Friday, 28 February 2025, and is currently held under investigation at Dry Dock Prison on charges of “misusing social media.” AlHajee’s social media account on X was primarily used to share posts pertaining to human rights.

    Ali AlHajee is a Bahraini human rights defender and former political prisoner who was imprisoned in Bahrain for more than ten years until his release in June 2023.

    On Friday, 28 February, which marked the last day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain, AlHajee received a written police summons issued by the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Crime Detection and Forensic Science. Shortly after, AlHajee received a phone call from an official at the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) instructing him to report to the gate of the CID building in Adliya immediately and on his own. After willingly obeying the summons, AlHajee was questioned about his human rights work, especially his social media posts on X (formerly Twitter).

    The next day, AlHajee was arrested, and Bahrain’s Public Prosecution ordered him to be detained for seven days pending investigation on charges of “misusing social media.” Both his prolonged interrogation and detention order occurred without the presence of his lawyer, according to his family.

    If formally charged, he faces imprisonment under Bahrain’s draconian laws restricting freedom of expression, particularly Article 168 of Bahrain’s Penal Code, which allows authorities to punish “any person who deliberately disseminates false reports, statements or malicious rumours, or produces any publicity seeking to damage public security.”

    Ali AlHajee’s arrest is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of crackdowns by Bahraini authorities around Formula 1 races in the country. The 2025 Formula Bahrain Grand Prix race kicks off on April 13.

    In 2023, four Bahraini activists were arrested, threatened, verbally abused and forced to sign a pledge restricting their right to protest in the future after they held a protest near the Bahrain international circuit during the F1 race. During last year’s F1 testing in Bahrain, the son of one of these activists was arbitrarily detained following a house raid. At the same time, AlHajee’s arrest is a concerning reversal from the government’s recent steps to release those detained for exercising their internationally recognised human rights, including more than 600 political prisoners in 2024.

    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, raised concerns on 3 March 2025 about AlHajee’s detention by authorities regarding his human rights work, stating that he “should be immediately released & the authorities should show they are serious about creating an enabling environment for HRDs.”

    We echo the concerns raised by Ms Lawlor and demand Ali AlHajee’s immediate release. In light of the above, we further call on: 

    • Bahraini authorities to immediately release him and drop all charges related to his legitimate human rights work. In the meantime, we urge them to ensure he has access to a lawyer of his choice and that his family is allowed to visit him.
    • Bahrain’s allies and business partners in the UK, US, and EU to raise concerns about Ali AlHajee’s detention and demand his immediate release. We also urge Formula 1 leadership to support this call.

    Background:

    Ali AlHajee was previously convicted on charges related to peaceful protests and spent more than ten years in prison from 2013 to 2023. He was released on 2 June 2023 under Bahrain’s alternative sentencing laws. Even after his conviction was officially suspended, AlHajee continued to be targeted by Bahraini authorities and was subjected to a travel ban and briefly detained on 14 November 2023. He was then unfairly prosecuted for requesting authorities to lift his travel ban and tried on spurious charges of “entering a prohibited area.” However, he continued to highlight abuses against political prisoners and campaign for greater freedom and accountability in Bahrain after his release.

    Signed by: 

    1. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
    2. ALQST For Human Rights
    3. Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
    4. ARTICLE 19
    5. Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR)
    6. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
    7. CIVICUS
    8. DAWN
    9. FairSquare
    10. Freedom House
    11. Front Line Defenders
    12. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
    13. Human Rights First
    14. Human Rights Watch
    15. IFEX
    16. Index on Censorship
    17. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
    18. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
    19. MENA Rights Group
    20. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
    21. PEN America
    22. Rafto Foundation for Human Rights
    23. The FreeAlKhawaja Campaign
    24. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    The post Joint Statement: Bahrain Must Immediately Release Human Rights Defender Ali AlHajee appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • The Week: A newsletter against fascism #shorts


    This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • The Week: A newsletter against fascism #shorts


    This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • RFA’s Weekly Newsletter

    Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • ADHRB Raises Alarm Over Cuts to Electricity and Water for Protesting Prisoners in Jau Prison and Denial of Medical Care, Urging Immediate Action

    ADHRB expresses its deep concerns about the recent reports of escalating human rights violations occurring at Jau Prison in Bahrain. The recent escalation of cutting electricity and water to protesting prisoners during extremely hot summer days, in retaliation for demanding their rights while denying them medical care, is extremely worrisome. ADHRB holds the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and his government responsible for these dangerous events. We also hold Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and the Jau Prison administration accountable for this dire situation. ADHRB urgently calls on them to immediately cease these retaliatory measures, restore electricity, water, and food to prisoners, meet the prisoners’ demands, investigate violations, and hold perpetrators accountable. Furthermore, ADHRB calls on the international community to act promptly to end this dangerous situation before it is too late.

    Background:

    On 25 March 2024, political prisoner Husain Khalil Ebrahim died inside Jau Prison after enduring years of medical neglect. As a result, since 26 March 2024, political prisoners in Buildings 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Jau Prison have been protesting their mistreatment, particularly medical negligence. Their demands include the unconditional release of all political prisoners, especially prominent elderly political prisoners and opposition leaders suffering from medical neglect, such as Mr. Hasan Mushaima and Dr. AbdulJalil AlSingace, and the immediate and unconditional release of all sick prisoners suffering from medical neglect.

    Retaliatory Measures:

    In response, the Jau prison administration has taken various retaliatory measures, including:

    • Intermittent cuts to electricity, water, and food supplies.
    • ADHRB has learned from some human rights activists that on 24 April 2024, security forces stormed Ward 3 in Building 5 to forcibly end a sit-in, resulting in the assault and injury of many prisoners.
    • Increased retaliatory actions such as solitary confinement, suspension of family visits and contacts, cessation of television broadcasts, and suspension of daily newspapers.
    • Denial of access to personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and other necessities from the canteen.
    • Restriction of prisoner movement to courts or hospitals, with those who leave being reclassified to Building 2, which houses foreign criminal inmates who do not share the same language, culture, and religion as Bahraini political prisoners, effectively isolating them. As a result, prisoners experiencing serious health issues are avoiding medical appointments to prevent being transferred to isolation in Building 2, which houses foreign criminal inmates.

    Escalation and Retaliation:

    The situation in Jau Prison has recently escalated significantly. On 30 June 2024, the Prison administration denied dinner to the protesting prisoners in Building 7. The following day, 1 July 2024, ADHRB learned from prisoners’ families that meals were entirely withheld as retaliation for the sit-in organized inside the prison corridors. The administration deprived detainees of dinner and breakfast, delayed lunch provision, and provided it in extremely small quantities. The families also informed ADHRB that military and security forces surrounded the protesting buildings, and prison forces threw dozens of meals in the trash instead of distributing them to the prisoners. They added that, on orders from the Jau Prison director, Hisham AlZayani, trash removal was prohibited, leading to large accumulations of waste inside the buildings, wards, and cells, posing a health threat to the prisoners. Furthermore, they confirmed that the water supply to Building 9 was also cut off as a retaliatory measure.

    Further Escalation:

    On 10 July 2024, the situation worsened when the administration cut off electricity and water in Buildings 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Consequently, the air conditioners stopped working during extremely hot summer days, with real temperatures exceeding 50°C. Families of political prisoners reported to ADHRB that the food supply was significantly reduced, and prisoners were denied medical treatment, all following orders from Director Hisham AlZayani to forcefully end the ongoing sit-in. In response, ADHRB has learned from human rights activists that prisoners in Building 10 initiated a hunger strike due to the poor conditions and deprivation of meals. The power cut exacerbated the suffering of prisoners with asthma, kidney disease, and heart disease. For instance, ADHRB has learned from prisoners’ families that prisoners in Ward 1 of Building 7 suffered extreme heat, 24 hours after electricity and water were cut off in poorly ventilated cells. Despite serious health attacks, prisoners who left their buildings to receive medical care were transferred to isolation in Building 2, which houses foreign criminal inmates. As a result, prisoners are avoiding medical appointments to prevent being transferred to isolation.

    The mothers of political prisoners reached out to official government bodies, including the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), the Prisoners’ Commission, and the Ombudsman. They also contacted several MPs to raise their demands and complaints with government officials and seek action to resolve the issue. Their last move was on 18 July 2024, when they visited the Jau Prison building to complain about the recent retaliatory measures and demand their children’s rights. The head of the prison police department attempted to interrogate them about the source of the leaked reprisal news, casting doubt on its validity and calling it subversive. She claimed all services were available in prison, accused prisoners of cutting electricity wires, and threatened to bring in security forces to expel and pursue the mothers.

    Call to Action:

    ADHRB urgently calls upon the Bahraini authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and the institutions that claim to protect the rights of prisoners, such as the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), the Ombudsman, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and others to:

    1. Immediately cease all retaliatory measures against prisoners.
    2. Restore electricity, water, and adequate food supplies to all prisoners.
    3. Ensure the provision of adequate medical care and sanitation to all prisoners.
    4. End the isolation of political prisoners in Building 2 and return them to the buildings where other prisoners of conscience are housed.
    5. Unconditionally release all political prisoners, especially those in need of medical attention.
    6. Investigate all these violations and hold perpetrators accountable.

    ADHRB also urges the international community to act promptly by applying pressure on the Bahraini government to protect the rights and well-being of all prisoners.

    The post ADHRB Raises Alarm Over Cuts to Electricity and Water for Protesting Prisoners in Jau Prison and Denial of Medical Care, Urging Immediate Action appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Bahrain: Joint Letter on Human Rights Situation to Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council

    Re: Upcoming 56th Session of the Human Rights Council

     

    30 May 2024

    Your Excellencies,

    Ahead of and during the upcoming 56th Session of the Human Rights Council, we urge you and your delegation to raise concerns over the human rights situation in Bahrain, particularly regarding the continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and opposition leaders in Bahrain, many of whom have been wrongfully imprisoned since 2011.

    Thirteen years since Bahrain’s popular uprising, systemic injustice has intensified and political repression targeting dissidents, human rights defenders, clerics and independent civil society has effectively shut any space for the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression or peaceful activism in the country. Despite a series of legal reforms and the creation of new national human rights institutions, based on recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, an independent panel commissioned by the King in response to international concern over the suppression of the 2011 protests, most of these measures have had little impact in practice.

    The recent royal pardon issued by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 8 April 2024, on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr and the King’s Silver Jubilee, was a significant move. The pardon included the release of more than 650 political prisoners, marking a change in state policy from previous royal pardons, according to research conducted by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. While the gesture is notable, Bahrain authorities must cease unjustly prosecuting their critics in the first place.

    We also express concern that this pardon excluded many who played significant roles in the 2011 pro-democracy uprising, with an estimated 550 political prisoners remaining behind bars.

    As Eid al-Adha approaches on 16 June 2024, and ahead of HRC56, we see a critical window of opportunity to advocate for further releases. We request that your governments continue to monitor the situation in Bahrain and raise concerns with Bahraini authorities at the highest level, publicly and privately. We further call on you to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals imprisoned for their political beliefs and the retrial of those convicted and sentenced to death following unfair trials in full compliance with international fair trial standards.

    Cases of Concern

    We bring to your attention specific cases of individuals who remain unjustly imprisoned in Bahrain, in violation of their human rights and despite widespread international condemnation.

    • Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a Bahraini-Danish human rights defender, has been arbitrarily detained since 2011 for his role in peaceful demonstrations. Bahraini authorities have subjected Al-Khawaja to severe physical, sexual, and psychological torture, and his health has deteriorated significantly during his prolonged imprisonment.
    • Abduljalil Al-Singace, an award-winning human rights defender and blogger, remains arbitrarily detained since 2011 after being sentenced to life in prison on charges of “plotting to overthrow the government”. He is now approaching three years since he began a solid-food hunger strike after authorities confiscated his research manuscripts, sustaining himself only on multivitamin liquid supplements, tea with milk and sugar, water, and salts. Despite his disability and hunger strike, he continues to be denied adequate medical care.
    • Hassan Mushaima, an opposition leader aged 76, is serving a life sentence solely for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression. Over the past few months, his health has deteriorated. He continues to be denied access to adequate healthcare and remains arbitrarily detained. Since they were transferred to Kanoo Medical Center in 2021, Al-Singace and Mushaima have been held in prolonged solitary confinement and denied access to sunlight.
    • Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of dissolved opposition party Al-Wefaq, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 on politically motivated charges related to espionage. He has been imprisoned since 2014 on a separate conviction related to speeches he delivered in 2014 against parliamentary elections that his party boycotted. Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience and called his conviction “a travesty of justice.”

    Over a decade ago, the Human Rights Council issued a statement of concern “about guarantees of due process in the trials of 13 political activists who had their sentences, including life sentences, upheld in January 2013.” We note that of the “13 political activists” referenced, ten remain arbitrarily detained, including some of those listed above.

    In 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists documented the imprisonment of journalists, including Ali Mearaj and Hassan Qambar, who were excluded from the recent releases.

    Additionally, twenty-six individuals in Bahrain remain on death row at risk of imminent execution, many of whom allege torture and unfair trials. Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, who have now spent over a decade unlawfully detained, were sentenced to death in an unfair trial marred by torture allegations.

    Conclusions and Recommendations

    In light of the above, we respectfully urge your delegation to take a proactive stance in the lead-up to Eid al-Adha and during the upcoming session and:

    • Call on Bahrain to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights.
    • Address these developments in your national capacity and jointly with other states, including during the Interactive Dialogues with the Special Rapporteurs and Independent Expert on health, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, independence of judges and lawyers and international solidarity.
    • Issue a statement raising concern about individual cases of human rights defenders and opposition leaders who continue to be arbitrarily detained in Bahrain in violation of international law.

    With assurances of our highest consideration.

    Sincerely,

    1. Access Now
    2. ALQST
    3. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
    4. Amnesty International
    5. Article 19
    6. Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR)
    7. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
    8. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
    9. DAWN
    10. English PEN
    11. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
    12. Fair Square
    13. Femena
    14. Freedom House
    15. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
    16. Human Rights First
    17. Human Rights Sentinel
    18. Human Rights Watch
    19. IFEX
    20. Index on Censorship
    21. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
    22. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
    23. MENA Rights Group
    24. No Peace Without Justice
    25. PEN America
    26. PEN International
    27. Rafto
    28. Redress
    29. Scholars at Risk
    30. The #FreeAlKhawaja Campaign
    31. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
    32. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

    The post Bahrain: Joint Letter on Human Rights Situation to Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • True Heroes Films (THF) latest newsletter

    It deals with the following topics:

    Cities of Rights – 75th UDHR Anniversary: The city of Utrecht wants to be city of human rights

    Mohammadi Narges is one of the most recognised Human Rights Defenders in the world. She has received 8 major human rights awards according to THF’s digest of human rights awards but no media outlets got it right…

    More on the toolkit (available on website) to create workshops for youth about filmmaking and human rights.

    HURIDOCS 40th anniversary

    More on ISHR‘s #Right2DefendRights campaign for the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on HRDs .

    Please feel free to spread the word!

    https://mailchi.mp/2aebd6e2cb43/true-heroes-insights-2-2023?e=ed48709ac7

    This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards.

  • Urgent Medical Care Needed For Imprisoned Bahraini Opposition Leader

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), along with 15 other human rights organizations, signed a letter calling on the King and Crown Prince of Bahrain to urgently and unconditionally release prominent political dissident in Bahrain, Professor Hassan Mushaima. In the letter, it called for ensuring that the 75 years old political activist imprisoned for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression receives urgent and appropriate medical care, in light of the serious threat to his health.

    King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,

    Crown Prince and Prime Minister, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

    11 December 2023

    Subject: Deteriorating health of imprisoned opposition leader Hassan Mushaima

    Your Majesties,

    We, the undersigned, are writing to you urgently regarding Mr. Hassan Mushaima, a 75-year-old Bahraini political activist who is imprisoned for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression. Mr. Mushaima is currently serving a life sentence in Bahrain and his family fears that he is nearing end-stage kidney failure. He requires urgent medical treatment that he is currently not receiving, despite being held at Kanoo Health Center, a medical facility. Additionally, Mr. Mushaima has been denied access to his medical records after he learned that he has severe kidney damage. In light of the serious threat to Mr. Mushaima’s health and wellbeing, we respectfully urge you to secure his immediate and unconditional release, and, in the meantime, ensure he receives proper medical care and access to his medical records.

    Serious health decline 

    On 30 November 2023, Mr. Mushaima’s doctor, working for the Ministry of Health at Kanoo Health Center, indicated that his kidneys are significantly damaged and that he might soon need dialysis. According to his family, when Mr. Mushaima insisted on knowing the details of the damage, the doctor told him that they could not disclose this information without permission from the Interior Ministry.

    His family is highly concerned about his declining health and the lack of information he has been provided about his diagnosis and health crisis.

    This concern is heightened by the fact that Mr. Mushaima also has multiple chronic medical conditions, including gout, diabetes, and fluctuating blood pressure. Despite these serious medical conditions, he has faced systematic medical negligence during detention and authorities have prevented him from accessing adequate treatment for years.

    Most recently, he was forced to wait for months to be seen by a nephrologist, was denied access to a dentist for tooth pain, and was also denied treatment for hearing loss in his right ear. He has also not been referred to a neurologist to check tremors in his hands. Mr. Mushaima is in remission from lymphoma cancer, but over the last two years, prison authorities have denied him access to the regular cancer screenings and other specialized medical care that he requires.

    Alarmingly, on 15 November 2023, Mr. Mushaima’s diabetes medications were changed due to the adverse effects on his kidneys, and his new medications are causing him to have unstable blood sugar levels, according to his doctor. In a telephone call on 6 December 2023, Mr. Mushaima told the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy that despite his unstable blood sugar levels, he has not been provided with an insulin pump or another medical device to regulate his insulin levels. Mr. Mushaima and his family are deeply concerned about his worsening health as a result of authorities’ denial of needed medical care.

    Mr. Mushaima was imprisoned solely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and he should never have been behind bars. As Mr. Mushaima’s health deteriorates, it is now more imperative that he be released immediately and unconditionally. In the meantime, he should be provided with adequate medical treatment.

    Sincerely,

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    Amnesty International

    ARTICLE 19

    Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)

    CIVICUS

    Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

    European Centre for human rights and Democracy (ECDHR)

    FairSquare

    Freedom House

    Human Rights First

    Human Rights Watch

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

    REDRESS

    The Freedom Initiative

    The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

    Background 

    Hassan Mushaima is a leading Bahraini opposition figure, a founding member of the dissolved political party, Al-Wefaq, and the former leader of Al-Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, a political organization, in Bahrain. In 2011, he was arrested for his role in the pro-democracy uprisings in Bahrain and was sentenced to life imprisonment in a mass trial alongside other leading opposition figures and human rights defenders.

    Mr. Mushaima has been a victim of what has been described by Human Rights Watch as a “highly functional injustice system”, which used physical and psychological torture at the hands of authorities and gross violations of his right to a fair trial. The harrowing torture that Mr. Mushaima was subjected to resulted in severe health complications, requiring numerous surgeries.

    Amnesty International considers Mr. Mushaima to be a “prisoner of conscience”, and calls for his release have been echoed by UN experts as well as UK and European Union members of parliament. His case was most recently highlighted in the UN Secretary-General Report on Reprisals, which was presented at the 54th Human Rights Council Session.

    Since July 2021, he has been held at Kanoo Medical Centre, where he has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, which amounts to torture under international law, and denied access to sunlight. He has described being detained in his room as “worse” than solitary confinement as he has been kept in complete isolation, with the exception of family visits.

    The post Urgent Medical Care Needed For Imprisoned Bahraini Opposition Leader appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Urgent Medical Care Needed For Imprisoned Bahraini Opposition Leader

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), along with 15 other human rights organizations, signed a letter calling on the King and Crown Prince of Bahrain to urgently and unconditionally release prominent political dissident in Bahrain, Professor Hassan Mushaima. In the letter, it called for ensuring that the 75 years old political activist imprisoned for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression receives urgent and appropriate medical care, in light of the serious threat to his health.

    King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,

    Crown Prince and Prime Minister, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

    11 December 2023

    Subject: Deteriorating health of imprisoned opposition leader Hassan Mushaima

    Your Majesties,

    We, the undersigned, are writing to you urgently regarding Mr. Hassan Mushaima, a 75-year-old Bahraini political activist who is imprisoned for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression. Mr. Mushaima is currently serving a life sentence in Bahrain and his family fears that he is nearing end-stage kidney failure. He requires urgent medical treatment that he is currently not receiving, despite being held at Kanoo Health Center, a medical facility. Additionally, Mr. Mushaima has been denied access to his medical records after he learned that he has severe kidney damage. In light of the serious threat to Mr. Mushaima’s health and wellbeing, we respectfully urge you to secure his immediate and unconditional release, and, in the meantime, ensure he receives proper medical care and access to his medical records.

    Serious health decline 

    On 30 November 2023, Mr. Mushaima’s doctor, working for the Ministry of Health at Kanoo Health Center, indicated that his kidneys are significantly damaged and that he might soon need dialysis. According to his family, when Mr. Mushaima insisted on knowing the details of the damage, the doctor told him that they could not disclose this information without permission from the Interior Ministry.

    His family is highly concerned about his declining health and the lack of information he has been provided about his diagnosis and health crisis.

    This concern is heightened by the fact that Mr. Mushaima also has multiple chronic medical conditions, including gout, diabetes, and fluctuating blood pressure. Despite these serious medical conditions, he has faced systematic medical negligence during detention and authorities have prevented him from accessing adequate treatment for years.

    Most recently, he was forced to wait for months to be seen by a nephrologist, was denied access to a dentist for tooth pain, and was also denied treatment for hearing loss in his right ear. He has also not been referred to a neurologist to check tremors in his hands. Mr. Mushaima is in remission from lymphoma cancer, but over the last two years, prison authorities have denied him access to the regular cancer screenings and other specialized medical care that he requires.

    Alarmingly, on 15 November 2023, Mr. Mushaima’s diabetes medications were changed due to the adverse effects on his kidneys, and his new medications are causing him to have unstable blood sugar levels, according to his doctor. In a telephone call on 6 December 2023, Mr. Mushaima told the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy that despite his unstable blood sugar levels, he has not been provided with an insulin pump or another medical device to regulate his insulin levels. Mr. Mushaima and his family are deeply concerned about his worsening health as a result of authorities’ denial of needed medical care.

    Mr. Mushaima was imprisoned solely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and he should never have been behind bars. As Mr. Mushaima’s health deteriorates, it is now more imperative that he be released immediately and unconditionally. In the meantime, he should be provided with adequate medical treatment.

    Sincerely,

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    Amnesty International

    ARTICLE 19

    Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)

    CIVICUS

    Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

    European Centre for human rights and Democracy (ECDHR)

    FairSquare

    Freedom House

    Human Rights First

    Human Rights Watch

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

    REDRESS

    The Freedom Initiative

    The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

    Background 

    Hassan Mushaima is a leading Bahraini opposition figure, a founding member of the dissolved political party, Al-Wefaq, and the former leader of Al-Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, a political organization, in Bahrain. In 2011, he was arrested for his role in the pro-democracy uprisings in Bahrain and was sentenced to life imprisonment in a mass trial alongside other leading opposition figures and human rights defenders.

    Mr. Mushaima has been a victim of what has been described by Human Rights Watch as a “highly functional injustice system”, which used physical and psychological torture at the hands of authorities and gross violations of his right to a fair trial. The harrowing torture that Mr. Mushaima was subjected to resulted in severe health complications, requiring numerous surgeries.

    Amnesty International considers Mr. Mushaima to be a “prisoner of conscience”, and calls for his release have been echoed by UN experts as well as UK and European Union members of parliament. His case was most recently highlighted in the UN Secretary-General Report on Reprisals, which was presented at the 54th Human Rights Council Session.

    Since July 2021, he has been held at Kanoo Medical Centre, where he has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, which amounts to torture under international law, and denied access to sunlight. He has described being detained in his room as “worse” than solitary confinement as he has been kept in complete isolation, with the exception of family visits.

    The post Urgent Medical Care Needed For Imprisoned Bahraini Opposition Leader appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Joint Letter: Make any meeting with King Hamad contingent on tangible human rights reforms

    14 July 2022

    Dear Mr. President,

    We are writing to raise serious concerns about your confirmed participation in the upcoming Jeddah Summit on 15 and 16 July given that the leaders attending this summit are some of the most brutal authoritarian rulers today. We understand that one-on-one bilateral meetings between heads of state often accompany summits such as this, and we urge you in the strongest of terms not to entertain such a meeting with the King Hamad bin Isa Al Kahlifa  of Bahrain unless the country demonstrates concrete progress on human rights, as outlined in our below requests.

    We fear that unconditionally affording Bahrain’s King an in-person meeting will serve to legitimize the continued repression of his ruling dictatorship in Bahrain. 

    When King Hamad personally met with President Trump in 2017, it was followed by the deadliest attack on peaceful protestors in Bahrain’s recent history. Trump emboldened Bahrain’s rulers by publicly promising that “there won’t be strain with this administration.” Less than 48 hours later, Bahrain security forces opened fire on a peaceful sit-in, killing five people in the deadliest incident of political violence since the 2011 Arab Spring pro-democracy protests. We are thus concerned that your upcoming visit has the potential to trigger further repression and could act as another offer of a blank check for human rights abuses. 

      During last year’s Summit for Democracy, you rightly emphasized that democracy around the world is “essential to meeting the unprecedented challenges of our time” and launched the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, with the aim to bolster “Democratic Reformers” and “defend human rights globally”. We believe your visit represents a U-turn to this pledge.


    Prominent political leaders & human rights defenders arbitrarily detained

    Political opposition leaders and human rights defenders who called for democratic change in 2011 remain behind bars after over a decade having endured torture, ill-treatment, and systemic medical negligence. In spite of upcoming elections set to take place in November this year, Bahrain has failed to take any steps to build confidence in the election process. 

    Further, there is no indication of any political will to unconditionally release the most prominent arbitrarily detained political opposition leaders and human rights defenders. This is in spite of the unanimous and persistent calls by the international human rights community, including UN Special Procedures. 

    Dr Abduljalil AlSingace, blogger, human rights defender and opposition activist imprisoned in 2011, began a  hunger strike on 8 July 2021 to protest the confiscation by Jau prison authorities of an apolitical book on Bahraini dialects that he spent the last four years researching and writing. He has now been on hunger strike for more than one year, most of which he has spent in a hospital due to his deteriorating health.

    Other human rights defenders and opposition activists in prison include Hasan Mushaima, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Sheikh Mohamed Habib AlMuqdad, Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulwahab Husain, Ali AlHajee, and Naji Fateel.

    As you may know, last November marked ten years since the publication of the government-commissioned Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which revealed shocking accounts of torture, military trials of civilians, and state-sanctioned killings. The report noted that “many detainees were subjected to torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse while in custody”. The Bahraini King vowed to implement its recommendations in 2011. More than a decade later, this promise has yet to be fulfilled; no senior officials have been held accountable and those subjected to torture still languish unlawfully behind bars. 


    Shrinking Civil Society and Curtailed Freedom of Expression

    Since 2017, Bahrain’s civil society has faced intimidation and harassment, and come under sustained attack, including in reprisal for engaging with the UN. All independent media outlets have been outlawed and all political opposition parties dissolved, with many of their leaders imprisoned and the country scoring a paltry 2/40 for political rights on Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2022 report. There are at least ten journalists are currently imprisoned for their work in Bahrain, which is ranked 167/180 on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2022 World Press Freedom Index. The CPJ has documented retaliation against an imprisoned journalist Mahmoud al-Jaziri for his reporting on the risk of COVID-19 in prison, and with the closure of Al-Wasat newspaper in 2017 the government has all but stamped out independent media. 

    Use of the Death Penalty in breach of international law
    Furthermore, Bahrain abandoned a de facto moratorium on the death penalty in 2017 and has since conducted six executions, five of which were condemned as arbitrary by the former UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Agnes Callamard, in 2017 and 2019 respectively. According to research by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Reprieve, there are 26 inmates on death row, all of whom face imminent execution and nearly half of whom were convicted on the basis of confessions allegedly extracted under torture in cases related to political unrest. In May 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found death row inmates and torture survivors Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa arbitrarily detained and called for their immediate release and compensation. Yet, they remain in prison unable to even hold the hands of their family members during visitations. 

    Key Requests

    Ahead of your trip to Jeddah, we urge that you consider meeting with independent civil society organizations to discuss how to prioritize human rights issues. During your participation at the Jeddah Summit, make any meeting with the Bahrain King conditional upon the following:

    • The unconditional release of political opposition leaders arbitrarily detained;
    • The immediate return of Dr Abduljalil AlSingace’s confiscated research to his family members, the adequate provision of  medical treatment to him and his immediate and unconditional release;
    • For clemency to be granted to torture victims on death row; and 
    • Halt all executions of individuals sentenced to death based on confessions obtained under torture. 

    We would be delighted to provide any further information or assistance that you may require regarding considerations around human rights in Bahrain and would be happy to attend a meeting with your office to this effect. We thank you in advance for taking our concerns and requests into consideration ahead of your visit to Saudi Arabia and we look forward to receiving a response from you.

    Yours sincerely,

    Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) 

    Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)

    PEN America

    Reprieve 

    The post Joint Letter: Make any meeting with King Hamad contingent on tangible human rights reforms appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix 90 lawmakers slam F1 & FIA for “actively facilitating sportswashing” of Gulf human rights abuses

    On 16 March 2022, 90 politicians have Written to President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, stating that the FIA and Formula 1 (F1) are “actively facilitating sportswashing in Gulf countries” and their failure to raise abuses committed by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE creates a “stark double standard” in comparison to the FIA’s position on the war in Ukraine, calling on the FIA to “apply the same moral standards” everywhere and adopt a human rights policy.

    The letter comes days ahead of the F1 Gulf Air Grand Prix in Bahrain, with the following race set to take place in Saudi Arabia, and highlights the participation of Gulf states in the ongoing military campaign waging a “catastrophic” war in Yemen. Politicians commended Ben Sulayemen on the FIA’s s condemnation of the Russian war in Ukraine, but called upon him to ensure that the FIA take a “public stance” on the 7-year-long war in Yemen too. The FIA was told to “publicly sympathise with these victims”, as they had done with victims in Ukraine

    The letter’s signatories include members of the UK, EU, Spanish, French, Irish, Italian, and German parliaments, and was sent by Brendan O’Hara MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf.

    Signatories raised cases of individual victims to human rights violations in Gulf states where F1 races, including that of opposition leader and human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil AlSingace, who has been wrongfully imprisoned for 11 years this week and on hunger strike for over 250 days in Bahrain. The cases of arbitrarily detained children and death row inmates Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa in Bahrain were also raised in the letter.

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), commented: “This landmark call adds to the mounting pressure on F1 and FIA to take human rights seriously. One rule for Europe and another for the Middle East simply cannot stand any longer. Their hypocrisy has been laid bare as lawmakers have rightly united to demand that they act. This call shows there is a clear international consensus that the FIA will be on the wrong side of history if they continue to turn a blind eye to the egregious abuses of their business partners in the Gulf.”

    Lord Scriven, Liberal Democrat Peer and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, commented: “For years, many have called for F1 and the FIA to do the right thing but our demands have fallen on deaf ears. F1 has taken a clear human rights stance and cancelled their contract with Russia. Why, then, have they not applied the same standards to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE? The FIA must put an end to their blood-stained business with Bahrain and its abusive Gulf neighbours, and cancel F1 races there. The FIA should finally put their morals where their mouth is and take action to end their role in sportswashing deplorable human rights violations in the Gulf.”

    Jeed Basyouni, Head of Reprieve’s work in Middle East and North Africa, commented: “Lawmakers across Europe are urging FIA and F1 not to allow next week’s races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to sportswash their horrific human rights violations. By choosing to race in the Gulf, FIA and F1 have a responsibility to speak out. A failure to do so will be seen as an effective endorsement of the torture and execution of pro-democracy protesters and child defendants in the countries they have chosen as partners.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), commented: “The FIA and F1 have taken a principled stance against the atrocities perpetrated by Russia. To not take the same stance on atrocities perpetrated by the Gulf states would send the message that our lives matter less.”

    “I was tortured at the hands of Bahraini officials and members of my family are imprisoned, in retaliation for my human rights work, including urging F1 to adopt a human rights policy, which F1 has still failed to apply. My case is just one example among thousands of the repression within Bahrain and across the Gulf.”

    The post Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix 90 lawmakers slam F1 & FIA for “actively facilitating sportswashing” of Gulf human rights abuses appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Rights groups condemn F1’s “double standard” for racing in Bahrain amidst “continued institutionalized repression”

    15 March 2022 – 27 NGOs wrote to the CEO of Formula 1 (F1), Stefano Domenicali, to condemn the company’s “clear double standard” on Ukraine in comparison to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Rights groups raised concerns over F1’s failure to engage with rights groups in spite of “continued institutionalized repression” in Bahrain, whilst calling on F1 to use their platform to secure redress for victims in Bahrain, reconsider their policy on racing in Gulf states due to their role in waging war in Yemen, and evaluate their contract with Bahrain, said the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) today.

    Husain Abdullah, Executive Director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), commented: “When Formula 1 finally adopted a human rights policy, it failed to make any meaningful impact on the victims who have suffered due to the staging of their races in the Gulf. We once again call upon F1 to refrain from sportswashing and to stand up for the victims of abuse and war in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen once and for all, just as they have done in Ukraine.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Advocacy Director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, commented: “Formula 1 must uphold values of peace and unity everywhere, particularly in the countries where they are racing. At present the F1 races in the Gulf are only enabling Bahrain and Saudi to sportswash their abysmal human rights records which continue to deteriorate. How long will F1 fans allow their sport to be exploited by abusive regimes? Rewarding Bahrain with one of the longest contracts in racing history speaks volumes about how they dismiss human rights concerns and prioritise profit. This hypocrisy must end.”

     Full list of signatories to the letter:

    1. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

    2. ACAT-France

    3. ALQST for Human Rights

    4. Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain

    5. Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK

    6. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

    7. CIVICUS

    8. Democracy for the Arab World Now

    9. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights

    10. FEMENA

    11. Football Supporters Europe

    12. Global Legal Action Network

    13. Gulf Centre for Human Rights

    14. Human Rights Sentinel

    15. ILGA World

    16. International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims

    17. International Service for Human Rights

    18. International Trade Union Confederation

    19. MENA Rights Group

    20. Scholars at Risk

    21. Sport & Rights Alliance

    22. The Army of Survivors

    23. Transparency International Germany

    24. WHRD MENA Coalition

    25. Women’s March Global

    26. World Organisation Against Torture

    27. World Players Association, UNI Global Union

    The post Rights groups condemn F1’s “double standard” for racing in Bahrain amidst “continued institutionalized repression” appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • The Focus On Russia Distracts From What The US Government Is Doing

    The current escalation of the conflict between the United States and Russia, two nations with the most nuclear weapons, places the world in great danger of a major war. It is the people of Ukraine who are bearing the brunt of this violence, which the United States government claims is “unprovoked,” but comes after more than eight years of direct intervention in the country, including a coup in 2014 led by the US. It is the people of the world who will need to rise up together to demand an end to this and all wars.

    Ukraine is being targeted by the United States as part of a plan to surround Russia militarily through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Russia has the largest land mass of any country, including the longest border with the Arctic Ocean.

    The post The Focus On Russia Distracts From What The US Government Is Doing appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Joint statement on the UAE’s adoption of Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime

    24 January 2022 – We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to express our deep concern regarding the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) recent adoption of a new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime, which severely threatens and unduly restricts the right to freedom of expression (both online and offline) and the rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly in the UAE.

    The new Cybercrime Law, adopted by Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021, went into effect on January 2, 2022, replacing the Emirates’ former Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on Combatting Cybercrime. However, the new text does not address the problematic provisions of its predecessor and, on the contrary, further restricts civic space and free speech within the UAE and maintains the criminalisation of acts that are protected under international law.

    We are concerned that the overbroad and vague terminology used, particularly on “national security” related issues, provide the authorities with excessive discretion to criminalise and impose lengthy prison sentences on individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The law further enables the criminalisation of the work of journalists, whistleblowers, activists and peaceful critics, subjecting those engaged in lawful activities to harsh prison sentences and excessive fines. As such, we call on the Emirati authorities to immediately repeal the law or sufficiently amend its provisions so that it is brought into line with international human rights standards.

    Vague and overbroad definitions

    Under article 1 of the new law, “unlawful content” is defined as content “that intends to harm the State’s national security or sovereignty or any of its interests […] or decrease public confidence in […] State authorities or institutions,” among others. This vague definition does not meet the criteria of legal clarity and predictability and is not formulated with enough precision to allow individuals to regulate their conduct accordingly. The use of overbroad and imprecise terms such as harming “national security” and decreasing “public confidence” in the State enables the authorities to effectively outlaw all kinds of online speech that may be critical of the authorities or the UAE’s rulers. Indeed, article 53 of the Law imposes an excessive fine ranging between 300,000 and 10,000,000 Dirhams (approximately USD 81,678 to USD 2,723,000) on any individual that uses the internet or an electronic account to store or share “unlawful content.”

    All the more concerning, similar to the provisions of the 2012 Law on Combatting Cybercrime, article 20 of the new text imposes a life sentence against any individual who “creates or manages an electronic website or oversees it and publishes information, programs or thoughts that include, aim or call for changing the ruling regime in the country,” thus effectively silencing, criminalising and prohibiting any form of political opposition within the UAE.

    Shrinking civic space and press freedoms

    Article 22 of the law prohibits and imposes a prison sentence on the use of the internet to share with any organisation or association, documents, reports, or data that may “harm the State’s interests, its governmental agencies, reputation, prestige or standing.” Article 43, moreover, criminalises and punishes with imprisonment, defamation and causing insult to others, which when directed against a public official is considered, under the same article, to be an aggravating circumstance of the crime. However, articles 22 and 43 do not delineate the maximum nor minimum prison sentences attributed to such acts. We are thus concerned by both the use of such vague and overbroad terms and the absence of a maximum sentence which effectively enables the authorities to impose disproportionate punishments for acts that are protected under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    Further, we are concerned that the UAE authorities will use this provision to target journalists and human rights defenders working to shed light on human rights violations taking place within the Emirates. We recall that the article 22, originally included in the 2012 Cybercrime Law, was also used by the Emirati judicial authorities to sentence Emirati human rights defender, Ahmed Mansoor, to 10 years in prison. Mansoor remains arbitrarily detained to date.

    In addition, article 25 of the 2021 Law criminalises “mocking” or “causing harm to the reputation, prestige, standing of the State, its authorities, institutions, founding leaders, flag, or currency”. Article 28 penalises using the internet to publicise information or documents that “include offending a foreign country.” In light of the authorities’ ongoing repression against Emirati human rights defenders, peaceful critics, and political dissidents, we believe that these aforementioned provisions will only embolden the Emirati authorities to silence any form of dissent or exercise of the right to free expression in the country, protected under article 30 of the UAE’s Constitution.

    We are additionally concerned that the new Cybercrime Law will enable the authorities to stifle the work of journalists in the UAE. For example, article 19 prohibits the publication and sharing of any content, data or information that “does not comply with media content standards issued from the competent authorities” and subjects such acts to a prison sentence not exceeding one year. Under article 44 of the Law, furthermore, a prison sentence not exceeding six months is imposed on anyone who “violates the privacy of an individual and the sanctity of their private and family life” by using the internet or any electronic device to “publicise news, digital images, photographs, scenes, commentaries, data or information, even if they were true, with the intention of causing harm to the individual.” We fear that this would enable the Emirati authorities to use the pretext of “the privacy of an individual and the sanctity of their private and family life” to criminalise criticism or restrict all forms of journalism that may be critical of any government or public official.

    Criminalisation of “fake news”

    Furthermore, article 52, titled “spreading rumours and fake news”, imposes a maximum prison sentence of one year, on the use of the internet or any electronic device to share “false rumours” that contravene with “what has been officially announced” by the State. It also criminalises “broadcasting controversial propaganda that seeks to incite public opinion, disturb public security […] or cause damage to the public interest, national economy, public order or general health.” The prison sentence, moreover, is increased to two years if any of the acts are directed against “any of the State’s authorities or institutions or if it was committed during periods of pandemics, crises, emergencies or disasters.” The criminalisation of vague and imprecise acts, such as “inciting public opinion or “disturbing public security,” which may be subject to a broad interpretation by the judge, does not meet the criteria of legal clarity and predictability. The use of such overbroad terminology could thus be used to target human right defenders, whistleblowers, journalists or activists seeking to disseminate information that may not fall in line with the political interests of the State or its rulers. This will only serve to restrict the UAE’s already-shrinking civic space.

    The right to freedom of peaceful assembly

    Lastly, similar to the 2012 Law on Combatting Cybercrime, the new 2021 Law criminalises lawful acts protected under the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Article 26, for example, criminalises using the internet to “plan, organise, advertise or call for a protest or march” without first obtaining approval from the competent authorities. Just as concerning, the law imposes a fine ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000 Dirhams (approximately USD 54,450 to USD 272,260) on such acts, in addition to a prison sentence, without properly delineating the maximum prison terms attributed for such acts. Here, we recall that the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions have maintained that freedom of peaceful assembly “is a right and not a privilege and as such its exercise should not be subject to prior authorization by the authorities.” As they additionally affirm, “where there has been a failure to properly notify [the authorities], organizers, community or political leaders should not be subject to criminal or administrative sanctions resulting in fines or imprisonment.” As such, organising an assembly without obtaining approval from the authorities should, a fortiori, not result in any penal sanctions or fines.

    Conclusion

    In light of all of the problematic provisions contained within the 2021 Cybercrime Law and the severely harsh consequences this law will have on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, while contributing to the further shrinking of civic space in the UAE, we call on the Emirati authorities to repeal the law or to significantly amend it and bring it into line with international human rights standards and laws.

     

    Signatories:

    Access Now

    ALQST for Human Rights

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    ARTICLE 19

    Association for victims of torture in UAE (AVT-UAE)

    CIVICUS

    Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

    Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC)

    European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

    International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE)

    International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR)

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    MENA Rights Group

    Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

    The post Joint statement on the UAE’s adoption of Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Rights groups urge the US to call for the release of Bahraini hunger striker Dr Abduljalil AlSingace

    17 January 2022 – Today, a coalition of 27 human rights organisation including the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Amnesty International and Committee to Protect Journalists have written to leaders in democratic countries including the the President Biden and the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

    The human rights organisations are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of respected Bahraini academic, blogger, and human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil AlSingace, who is serving a life sentence for his peaceful role in Bahrain’s 2011 uprising. He is currently on day 194 of a hunger strike protesting the confiscation of academic research, which he spent the last 4 years in prison writing by hand. Most of the hunger strike he has spent in a hospital due to his deteriorating health.

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of Americans for Human Rights & Democracy in Bahrain (ADHRB), commented: “The United States have claimed to be centering human rights in its foreign policy but they have yet to call for the release of Dr AlSingace. This is a test case on how the US reacts to their closest allies when they infringe upon human rights. We will be judging these commitments through actions and not words.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), commented: “It has been more than six months of persistent demands to the Bahraini government to return Dr AlSingace’s research to his family. These calls have been met with deaf ears and it is now high time that leaders in democratic States, in particular Bahrain’s closest allies, the UK and US, put pressure on Bahrain’s highest authorities to alleviate Dr AlSingace’s suffering and to prevent irreversible damage that may threaten his life.”

    • The organisations note that “The prolonged and arbitrary confiscation of Dr AlSingace’s book is an unjust punishment and Bahraini authorities must ensure the protection of his rights, including the return of his intellectual property and the resumption of his weekly video calls to his family.”
    • The letter ends by calling on international authorities to: “call for Dr AlSingace’s immediate and unconditional release, for his work to be immediately handed over to his family, and for the release of all those imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, opinion and expression, including human rights defenders, opposition activists, and journalists.”
    • The letter also notes the other human rights defenders and activits imprisoned in Bahrain including “dual national Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and Swedish-Bahraini Sheikh Mohamed Habib AlMuqdad, as well as the Secretary-General of the dissolved Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society (Al-Wefaq), Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulwahab Husain, Hasan Mushaima, Ali AlHajee, and human rights defender Naji Fateel.”

    The below is the letter sent to the President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

    Dear President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken,

    We, the undersigned human rights organizations, are writing to call for the immediate and unconditional release of respected Bahraini academic, blogger, and human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil AlSingace, who is serving a life sentence for his peaceful role in Bahrain’s 2011 uprising. He turned 60 on 15 January 2022 and has been in prison for over a decade in violation of his rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

    We are further concerned that Dr AlSingace has been on hunger strike for over 190 days since 8 July 2021 to protest the confiscation of his academic research on Bahraini culture. In addition to the health consequences of not eating solid food for more than six months, Dr AlSingace also suffers from chronic medical conditions including post-polio syndrome, requiring crutches or a wheelchair since birth.

    During last month’s Summit for Democracy, President Biden emphasized that democracy around the world is “essential to meeting the unprecedented challenges of our time” and launched the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, with the aim to bolster “Democratic Reformers” and “defend human rights globally”. This case is an opportunity for the White House to substantiate its commitment to centering human rights in its foreign policy. In line with this, we kindly urge you to take immediate and appropriate measures to raise Dr AlSingace’s case with the Bahraini authorities at your earliest convenience.

    Other human rights defenders and activists in prison include dual national Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and Swedish-Bahraini Sheikh Mohamed Habib AlMuqdad, as well as the Secretary-General of the dissolved Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society (Al-Wefaq), Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulwahab Husain, Hasan Mushaima, Ali AlHajee, and human rights defender Naji Fateel.

    Last November marked ten years since the publication of the government-commissioned Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which revealed shocking accounts of torture, military trials of civilians, and state-sanctioned killings. The report noted that “many detainees were subjected to torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse while in custody”.

    The BICI report documented how police subjected Dr AlSingace to nightly beatings for two months while placed in solitary confinement, how authorities targeted his disability by confiscating his crutches, making him “stand on one leg for prolonged periods” and, horrifically, pushing his crutch “into his genitals”, and how authorities “threatened him with rape and made sexually explicit comments about his wife and his daughter”.

    The Bahraini King vowed to implement its recommendations in 2011. More than a decade later, this promise has yet to be fulfilled; no senior officials have been held accountable and those subjected to torture still languish unlawfully behind bars.

    Dr AlSingace began his hunger strike on 8 July 2021 to protest the confiscation by prison authorities of an apolitical book on Bahraini dialects that he spent the last four years researching and writing. He has now been on hunger strike for more than 190 days, most of which he has spent in a hospital due to his deteriorating health.

    In July 2021, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Ombudsperson declared that AlSingace’s work could not be given to his family until a “legal decision” was made. In November 2021, a legal decision clarified the apolitical nature of the book. Despite this determination, Dr AlSingace’s research remains in the hands of authorities and as a result, he has continued his hunger strike.

    Towards the end of November 2021, authorities arbitrarily suspended Dr AlSingace’s weekly video calls to his family. In response, Dr AlSingace escalated his hunger strike by refusing to take IVs, supplementary vitamins, and oral medication. Family members report that he has since lost a considerable amount of weight, appearing even more fragile and pale. His sugar levels remain low and his immunity is weakened due to a low white blood cell count.

    Despite Dr AlSingace also suffering from medical conditions including severe intermittent headaches, a prostate problem, arthritis in his shoulder joint, tremors, numbness, and diminished eyesight, he has not received the expected medical care. Dr AlSingace reports that he has still not been informed of the outcome of an MRI scan taken over two months ago and that no progress has been made on giving him a CT scan as requested by his doctor.

    Dr AlSingace’s numerous requests to receive adequate medical treatment whilst in a medical facility have been repeatedly ignored in spite of his fragile condition; this rejection amounts to deliberate failure to provide medical treatment in line with Bahrain’s obligations under international law.

    According to an expert opinion by the US-based Dr Qasim Omran, despite being detained in the Kanoo Medical Centre medical facility, Dr AlSingace is receiving treatment that is “not […] appropriat[e]”. Prison authorities are refusing his previous requests for painkillers and for over two months, Dr AlSingace has been excluded from daily medical check-ups by his doctor, the on-duty doctors, and the chief nurse, except in rare emergency situations.

    Hunger striking prisoners must be able to effectively exercise their right to health. They should have adequate access to qualified health professionals providing health care in compliance with medical ethics, including the principles of confidentiality, autonomy, and informed consent. A person’s hunger strike must not prejudice any other aspect of their health care.

    Over the past decade, there has been an international consensus calling for the release of Dr AlSingace. More recently, on 22 June 2021, Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders issued a statement raising alarm at the prolonged imprisonment of Dr AlSingace and calling for his release along with other human rights defenders imprisoned in Bahrain. Since Dr AlSingace’s hunger strike, similar calls have been made by members of the UK and EU Parliaments, Members of the US Congress, 16 leading international NGOs, and over 100 global academics.

    The prolonged and arbitrary confiscation of Dr AlSingace’s book is an unjust punishment and Bahraini authorities must ensure the protection of his rights, including the return of his intellectual property and the resumption of his weekly video calls to his family.

    We urge you to call for Dr AlSingace’s immediate and unconditional release, for his work to be immediately handed over to his family, and for the release of all those imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, opinion and expression, including human rights defenders, opposition activists, and journalists.

    Please consider taking the following urgent actions:

    • Raise concerns with your Bahraini counterparts over Dr AlSingace’s inadequate medical treatment and their failure to give his confiscated research to his family;
    • Raise your concerns through relevant diplomatic channels;
    • Make public and private representations, including posts on social media to raise the profile of this case and push for a resolution.

    Yours sincerely,

    1. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
    2. Amnesty International
    3. Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR)
    4. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
    5. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
    6. CIVICUS
    7. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
    8. Danish PEN
    9. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
    10. English PEN
    11. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
    12. FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
    13. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
    14. Human Rights First
    15. Human Rights Sentinel
    16. IFEX
    17. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
    18. MENA Rights Group
    19. No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ)
    20. PEN America
    21. PEN Canada
    22. PEN International
    23. Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
    24. REDRESS
    25. Scholars at Risk
    26. Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
    27. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    The post Rights groups urge the US to call for the release of Bahraini hunger striker Dr Abduljalil AlSingace appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Open Letter to President Biden: The Summit for Democracy

    Open Letter to President Biden

                                                                                              December 6, 2021

    President Joseph R. Biden

    The White House

    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

    Washington, DC 20500

    Dear President Biden:

    On the eve of the Summit for Democracy, I am writing this open letter to you to propose a new and transformative path forward for the United States and all countries that value and seek to advance democracy and human rights.  I commend you for putting democracy and human rights at the forefront of US rhetoric when talking about international relations and there is no better time than now to address this critical issue head on.

    Authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights violations are increasingly prevalent around the globe — growing stronger in problem countries and gaining new footholds in countries that have avoided them in the past.  To stop and reverse this trend, I encourage bold, innovative, collaborative, and decisive action by the US and its allies who value living in a world where freedom and liberty are realities for citizens, not just memories.

    I want to share with you my experience as the Executive Director of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.  First, I applaud the fact that the Government of Bahrain was not invited to participate in the Summit for Democracy.  Bahrain is a serial, chronic, and unrepentant abuser of the rights of its people that has repeatedly side-stepped opportunities to improve its reprehensible record on human rights and anti-democratic abuses.  The Kingdom of Bahrain is rightly a focus of a forum dedicated to promoting democracy and human rights, not a participant.

    I believe that Bahrain provides a useful case study in what does not work when trying to encourage improvements and I believe Bahrain should be embraced by your Administration as a test case for a new approach to promoting democracy and human rights globally.

    For more than a decade, the US State Department has repeatedly and consistently described in stark terms the egregious violation of the human rights of the people of Bahrain at the hands of their government.  The State Department’s 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bahrain says:

    Significant human rights issues included: torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; harsh prison conditions, including lack of sufficient access to medical care in prisons; arbitrary detention; political prisoners; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; restrictions on freedom of expression, the press, and the internet, including censorship, site blocking, criminal libel, and arrests stemming from social media activity; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association; overly restrictive laws on independent nongovernmental organizations; restrictions on freedom of movement, including revocation of citizenship; restrictions on political participation; and significant restrictions on workers’ freedom of association.

    Major human rights non-governmental organizations have consistently corroborated these grave, ongoing, and unmitigated violations of human rights by the Government of Bahrain.

    Despite undisputable evidence to the contrary, at his Senate confirmation hearing on October 5, 2021, Steven Bondy, your nominee to be ambassador to Bahrain, responded to a question by Senator Tim Kaine about the Bahraini government’s human rights record by saying, “If we were to rewind ten years ago, as you said, when there was quite a bit of strife in the [Bahrain], we would have to say that the trendlines since then have been exceedingly positive.”

    It is incomprehensible that the person nominated to be the US’ top diplomat in Bahrain would publicly state that anything about the Government of Bahrain’s human rights record is “exceedingly positive.”  It is precisely this kind of signal given to the Government of Bahrain by Mr. Bondy that emboldens anti-democratic behavior and human rights violations against peaceful civilians.  The type of ambivalent approach to fundamental rights and freedoms articulated by Mr. Bondy must be abandoned and replaced with a coherent and effective US strategy.

    Despite indisputable evidence that Bahrain continues to be a major violator of human rights and democratic standards, the US has failed to exercise potential points of pressure available to it to affect change.  The US continues to sell the Bahrainis arms, Bahrain enjoys a free trade agreement with the US, and no Bahraini official has been sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act.   Why?  Because the US has created a scenario that has made it dependent on Bahrain as a base for the US fifth fleet and other military assets.

    The solution I propose is that you proactively and consciously reduce US dependency on Bahrain by removing the elements in the relationship that lead the US to compromise our principles and turn a blind eye to clear and obvious human rights violations, anti-democratic actions, and blatant corruption.  As you have stated, “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it, renew it.”  This is nowhere truer than in Bahrain.  Now is time to defend, fight for, strengthen and renew Bahraini democracy and human rights.

    Materials describing the Summit for Democracy indicate that participating national leaders are expected to announce specific actions and commitments to meaningful internal reforms and international initiatives that advance the Summit’s goals.  As the host, please be bold with your commitments.  I ask that you change the direction of current US policy and announce a new and paramount U.S. commitment to promoting democracy, ending human rights violations, holding their perpetrators accountable, shining a bright light on corruption, and prosecuting those guilty of it, coupled with a new policy of disentangling our national interests from the whims and fortunes of chronic human rights abusers.

    Mr. President, based on its demonstrated lack of commitment to human rights and democratic principles, I urge you to announce a five-year plan to disentangle the United States from its relationship with Bahrain, starting immediately.  The plan would include removing all US security forces from Bahrain, suspending all weapons sales to Bahrain, suspending the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, and commencing rigorous investigations into Global Magnitsky Act enforcement focused on Bahraini officials at all levels of government.  These actions are entirely appropriate and even overdue given the callous and notorious abuses perpetrated by the Government of Bahrain, and authoritarian dictatorship, against its own people.

    The disentanglement plan would only be paused if Bahrain completely meets each of a set of benchmarks in human rights and democracy, which would include, at a minimum: release all political prisoners and do not arrest any more people for peaceful political activity, permit the political opposition to exist in Bahrain, begin a dialogue with the political opposition, permit the media to operate freely in Bahrain, hold perpetrators of torture and other human rights abuses accountable regardless of how high in the Bahraini government they are, repeal laws that perpetuate the repressive police state in Bahrain, and permit United Nations and other neutral observers unfettered access to the country.

    To be clear, the optimal outcome of this policy in relation to Bahrain would not be US disengagement from Bahrain, but rather a shift to democracy and human rights by the Government of Bahrain that results in strengthened relations between the two countries and enhanced security for both the US and Bahrain.  However, the US must be genuine and resolute in its commitment to fully enforce the policy of disentanglement if the Government of Bahrain does not fully meet all of the established human rights and democracy benchmarks.  I believe that this approach could be a model for US relations with numerous other countries.

    I ask that you commit at the Summit for Democracy to a path of clear and unwavering leadership in promoting human rights and democracy by establishing consistent consequences for egregious violators like the Kingdom of Bahrain.  By bravely enforcing the consequences even when there are crosscutting interests — whether they be security, economic, historic affinity, or concerns of allies — the US can restore itself as a beacon of hope for oppressed people in countries like Bahrain.

    Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you and I look forward to meaningful outcomes from the Summit for Democracy.

    Sincerely,

    Husain Abdulla

    Executive Director,

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

    Find The PDF Version HERE

    The post Open Letter to President Biden: The Summit for Democracy appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • The election of Mr Ahmed Al Raisi to the presidency of Interpol and the growing influence of the UAE over the organisation

     

    Mr Jürgen Stock

    Secretary General, INTERPOL

    200 Quai Charles de Gaulle

    69006 Lyon, France

    November 29, 2021

     

    Dear Mr Jürgen Stock,

    We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to express our deepest concern over the election of Mr Ahmed Al Raisi, the General Inspector of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Interior, to the presidency of INTERPOL during the 89th General Assembly.

    As you are already well aware, a high number of concerns have been raised over the past few months by civil society organisations, members of the EU, French, British and German parliaments, as well as by victims of torture in the UAE who have filed complaints against Mr Al Raisi in several countries.

    We believe Mr Al Raisi’s election as president is going to severely damage INTERPOL’s reputation and undermine its ability to carry out its mission effectively and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also sends a chilling message: that the international police organisation can be presided by the representative of an autocratic regime, himself accused of torture.

    Previous concerns have been raised over the lack of transparency and oversight in the election process. In this regard, we welcome the recent adoption by the General Assembly of Resolution No. 2 amending the procedures relating to the nomination and election of Executive Committee candidates, with the aim to ensure greater transparency and integrity. Though we are disappointed that such reforms were not adopted before the election of Mr Al Raisi, we believe this is a step in the right direction.

    We also note with interest that the Executive Committee will adopt a code of conduct no later than the 90th General Assembly. However, we believe that the delineation of a code of conduct for the Executive Committee by the members themselves presents various conflicts of interests, which may severely threaten the legitimacy and impartiality of the said code of conduct.

    In addition, we fear that the election of Mr Al Raisi represents a continuation of the UAE’s efforts to maintain and gain greater influence over the functions and operations of INTERPOL:

    In particular, we find the recent reports about a proposal of the Emirati authorities to the French government to fund and host the executive management of INTERPOL to be extremely worrying. We urge you, as Secretary General of INTERPOL, to reject any proposal made in that regard.

    Furthermore, the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World, which was established for the sole purpose of channeling UAE governmental funds to INTERPOL, remains the second biggest voluntary contributor of the organisation as of 2020. As a member of the Foundation’s Board, you cannot ignore the allegations of “undue influence” that have been raised over the past few years. In addition to the torture accusations faced by Mr Al Raisi, the INTERPOL Foundation’s President and Board Member Mr Elias Murr has also recently been accused of torture in a complaint filed against him in Switzerland, as reported by the Lebanese Press Agency.

    We believe that as long as this relationship between the Foundation and INTERPOL continues, the organisation will suffer from interference by the Emirati authorities. We therefore urge you to resign from the Foundation’s Board, and to reject funds coming from the Foundation.

    In light of the above, we kindly request that you share the aforementioned concerns with INTERPOL’s Member States.

    We thank you for your consideration and remain available should you wish to discuss this matter.

    Sincerely,

    Signatories:

    L’Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT-France)

    ALQST for Human Rights

    Association of Victims of Torture in the UAE (AVT-UAE)

    Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    CIVICUS

    Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

    Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC)

    European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

    Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor)

    FairSquare

    Freedom Forward

    The Freedom Initiative

    Safeguard Defenders

    MENA Rights Group

    SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties

     

     

    The post The election of Mr Ahmed Al Raisi to the presidency of Interpol and the growing influence of the UAE over the organisation appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Indigenous People’s Day Reminds Us To Acknowledge And Support Indigenous Struggles

    Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. Across the country, a growing number of cities and states are recognizing this day in place of the traditional Columbus Day. This change reflects the growing awareness that holidays like Columbus Day are used to rewrite the past and uphold institutions of white supremacy, racism and settler colonialism. As Justin Teba writes, in Albuquerque, they issued a proclamation to recognize this as a day ” to reflect upon the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples on this land.”

    I can only write from the perspective of a settler, but I do want to highlight a few of the current struggles. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the history of the founding of the United States, to join in struggle with those who are oppressed and to transform our society to end these devastating institutions.

    The post Indigenous People’s Day Reminds Us To Acknowledge And Support Indigenous Struggles appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Ten Years Later: Lessons For Today From The Occupy Movement

    To mark the tenth anniversary, I spoke with Bill Moyer of the Backbone Campaign (click here for that interview) and Chris Hedges, a noted author and host of On Contact (click here for that interview), about the political and economic environment in 2011 that gave rise to the Occupy Movement, the lessons learned and what is happening now. The Occupy Movement had a tremendous impact that is still being felt today but we continue to face many serious crises.

    This is a good time to reflect upon what Occupy/October2011 did right and how that could inform our current organizing. Here are a few of the lessons.

    The post Ten Years Later: Lessons For Today From The Occupy Movement appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • UAE: Appeal for UAE to release detained human rights activists ahead of Dubai Expo

    Your highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan,

    As the Expo Dubai 2020 opens for six months starting on 1 October 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the motto “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future through sustainability, mobility and opportunity”, we the undersigned call on the Emirati authorities to demonstrate their commitment to these values by releasing all imprisoned human rights defenders and activists, detained in violation of their right to freedom of expression.

    We further call on the UAE authorities to comply with international standards for prisoners, including by allowing regular family visits, access to healthcare and regular consultations with their lawyers, and ending the practice of holding them in solitary confinement.

    Approaching ten years behind bars, the group of pro-democracy advocates, known as the “UAE 94”, remain unjustly jailed for signing an online petition calling for political reform in 2011. Following a grossly unfair mass trial, 69 members of the UAE 94 were sentenced to between seven and 15 years, including eight in absentia. They are held in Al-Razeen prison, a maximum-security facility in the desert of Abu Dhabi, where activists, government critics and human rights defenders are commonly held. They face arbitrary and unlawful disciplinary measures, such as solitary confinement, deprivation of family visits, and intrusive body searches.

    Sentenced to seven years in prison, four of these political prisoners remain imprisoned even after completing their sentences, according to Emirati activists. Abdullah Al-Hajiri, Omran Al-Radwan Al-Harathi and Mahmoud Hasan Al-Hosani completed their sentences in 2019, and Fahd Al-Hajiri in 2020. Instead of being granted release, these prisoners were transferred to a so-called Munasaha centre, a “counselling centre” within Abu Dhabi’s Al-Razeen prison facility. Three UAE 94 prisoners currently serving 10-year sentences are human rights lawyers Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken and Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori, and Sheikh Mohammed Abdul Razzaq Al-Siddiq.

    Prior to the authorities’ arbitrary dissolution of the UAE’s Jurists Association in 2011, Dr. Al-Roken and Dr. Al-Mansoori served terms as its president. In 2012, they were arbitrarily arrested for signing the 2011 reform petition and for their dedicated work as human rights lawyers defending victims of repression. Detained in Al-Razeen prison, the men reported that they were tortured, as well as subjected to arbitrary disciplinary measures such as denial of family visits, according to Emirati activists.

    In 2011, Dr. Al-Roken bravely defended five human rights activists in a case known as the “UAE5”. Among them were prominent human rights activist and poet Ahmed Mansoor and academic Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith. Although the defendants in the case were pardoned by presidential decree at the time, both Mansoor and bin Ghaith were given 10-year prison sentences in subsequent cases, which involved grossly unjust trials on spurious charges.

    Ahmed Mansoor serves on the advisory boards of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division and won the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015. Since his second arrest in March 2017, he has been held in solitary confinement in a 4 x 4 meter cell with no bed or mattress in Al-Sadr prison, Abu Dhabi. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2018. In protest, he went on two hunger strikes in March and September 2019, which have severely impacted his health. His condition has been further exacerbated by the denial of adequate medical care.

    Economist Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith has faced similar mistreatment in prison, where he had to resort to three separate hunger strikes to attempt to bring attention to his unjust conviction and inhumane detention conditions. Dr. Bin Ghaith, a lecturer at the Abu Dhabi branch of Paris-Sorbonne University, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his online criticism of the Emirati and Egyptian authorities. Despite his hunger strikes, prison authorities have consistently denied Dr. Bin Ghaith appropriate medical care, including his prescribed blood pressure medication.

    In September 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for “the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmed Mansoor, Mohammed al-Roken and Nasser bin Ghaith as well as all other human rights defenders, political activists and peaceful dissidents.” The resolution insists that the Emirati government “guarantee that human rights defenders in the UAE are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities in all circumstances, both inside and outside the country, without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including judicial harassment.” This is far from being the case: the UAE authorities have squashed dissenting voices to such a degree in recent years that it can now be said that there are no human rights defenders left in the country, and freedom of expression and civic space are virtually non-existent.

    In light of the upcoming Dubai Expo, and the UAE’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022, we urge the Emirati government to consider using this opportunity to prove to the international community a true commitment to human rights by unconditionally releasing all jailed human rights defenders. In particular, we urge the authorities to free all prisoners who have been denied release after the completion of their sentence. Their ongoing detention constitutes an outrageous violation of both domestic and international law.

    Pending their release, we appeal to Your Highness to ensure that prisoners are granted access to basic amenities in their cells such as a bed, blankets in winter and air conditioning in summer, to have regular family visits, and to be allowed outside their cells to have contact with other prisoners in the canteen or the yard, as provided for by the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. With the spotlight on the UAE from October 2021 to March 2022, the Emirati government has a unique opportunity to show good-will and a commitment to international law by addressing the aforementioned human rights abuses, including by releasing from prison our jailed friends and colleagues.

    Sincerely,

    Signed:

    ALQST for Human Rights

    Amnesty International

    Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC)

    European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

    CIVICUS

    FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    Front Line Defenders

    Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)

    Human Rights Watch

    Innovation for Change Middle East and North Africa (I4C MENA)

    International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE)

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    MENA Rights Group

    World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    The post UAE: Appeal for UAE to release detained human rights activists ahead of Dubai Expo appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Stop US Sanctions: ‘You Don’t Feel Them, But They Are Killing Our People’

    This month, the Sanctions Kill coalition (Popular Resistance is a member) released its report: “The Impact and Consequences of US Sanctions.” The 35-page report was written in response to the Biden administration’s January call for a review of the US sanctions to determine if they ‘unduly hinder’ the ability of targeted nations to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

    To date, there is no word on whether that review has been conducted, but given that the State Department and Treasury are tasked with conducting it, the same institutions that impose sanctions, the Sanctions Kill coalition had no confidence their report would challenge the US’ current foreign policy path of escalating economic war on 39 countries, or a third of the world population.

    The post Stop US Sanctions: ‘You Don’t Feel Them, But They Are Killing Our People’ appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Martin Ennals Foundation reaches out: today

    Martin Ennals Foundation, together with the Geneva Academy, IBAHRI, and ODAGE, is organizing a high-level panel discussion on how to effectively defend human rights lawyers in authoritarian times. Today 24 June at 13h30 Geneva time. With Belarussian human rights activist Tatsiana Khomich, sister of political prisoner Maria Kalasnikova; Xu Yan, wife of 2021 Martin Ennals Laureate Yu Wensheng of China; and Turkish human rights lawyer Ayşe Acinikli. You will also have the opportunity to hear Diego García-Sayán, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC and ISHR Director Phil Lynch.  

     Register for the event here >>

    The MEA has also started an occasional newsletter with in this summer edition:

    After a successful campaign, nominations for the 2022 Martin Ennals Award are now closed. We are excited by the high-quality nominations and thank those who contributed to our search for the next generation of human rights heroes.   Meanwhile, our support for human rights defenders continues through the Martin Ennals programs.

    Director Isabel de Sola shares how education is paving the way for a more sustainable human rights movement. She informs about the Foundation’s education project – a program aimed at familiarizing students with the concept of human rights and the causes promoted by our Defenders.

    Programme Officer Cristina Rendón writes “It takes a village to protect defenders”.  Because the three 2021 awardees were unable to communicate freely with the Martin Ennals Foundation, we had to reinvent our “Geneva Residency” programme by extending its activities to the support networks of our awardees. We learned about the importance of building a strong network of allies who can support defenders, in the good times and the bad

     https://www.martinennalsaward.org/upcoming-event-defending-human-rights-lawyers-in-authoritarian-times/
     

    This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards.

  • UN Calls on Bahrain to Investigate Violent Attack at Jau Prison and Release Dissidents

    30 April 2021 – A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issue a statement today condemning “the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force” against a prisoners holding a “peaceful sit-in” at Bahrain’s Jau Prison on 17 April, calling for a “thorough and effective investigation”, for prisoners currently held incommunicado to be able to call their lawyers and families and for prisoners “detained for expression of critical or dissenting views” to be released, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy stated today.

    The statement noted that riot police who entered the prison to suppress the protest “threw stun grenades and beat detainees on their heads injuring many of them.” The spokesperson continued that 33 protesters have been held incommunicado since the protest was suppressed, “in violation of both national and international law.” BIRD can confirm that an additional 27 inmates have been reported missing after being assaulted during the attack, meaning that at least 60 inmates are currently subject to enforced disappearance.

    The statement added that the sit-in at the prison was held to protest against deteriorating conditions of detention following the death of Abbas Malallah on 6 April, who “died after reportedly being denied timely access to essential health care.” The UN has raised concerns about medical negligence in Bahrain’s prisons “for years,” but noted it has “become a chronic problem during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    At 29 April, 10 British parliamentarians wrote an urgent letter to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab highlighting the enforced disappearances at Jau Prison and accusing the UK government of “bargaining with inmates’ lives by promoting a false narrative circulated by Bahrain” based on “unsubstantiated assurances from discredited Bahraini bodies.” Bahrain’s UK-backed human rights oversight bodies, whose independence has been questioned by the UN Committee Against Torture, have denied any wrongdoing by Jau Prison authorities.

    On the same day, over a dozen families attended the US Embassy in Manama and UN Resident Mohamed Zarkani in order to deliver letters urging them to ““take immediate steps to ascertain the wellbeing and whereabouts of [their] children and family members.”

    Signatories expressed disappointment at the the lack of action from President Joe Biden on human rights in Bahrain, stating that while the administration promised to “place human rights at the core of foreign policy in the Middle East”, in fact “the extent of repression in Bahrain has only intensified in recent months, with no evidence that either your embassy or the White House have taken action to curb the abuses of your Bahraini allies.”

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, stated: “With international pressure mounting, Bahrain is clearly subjecting inmates to enforced disappearance after for fear that they will expose the horrific abuse they went through. Rather than attempting to conceal their failures, Bahrain should allow these inmates to call their families and launch an investigation into the torture they experrienced.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, stated: “The world’s foremost human rights body has now called on Bahrain to immediately disclose the fate of the assaulted inmates, while the US and UK government’s have remained silent. Human rights should never be subordinated to geopolitics; such silence will only embolden Bahrain to continue its brazen breaches of international law.

    The post UN Calls on Bahrain to Investigate Violent Attack at Jau Prison and Release Dissidents appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Nicaragua: Building The Good Life (Buen Vivir) Through Popular Revolution

    As I traveled in Nicaragua on the recent Sanctions Kill delegation, one thing was clear, social transformation (revolution) requires both political power and participation by the people. Without political power, revolutionary programs will not have the material resources they require. Without the participation of the people, revolutionary programs, even with resources, cannot be put into practice and defended.

    Right now, Nicaraguans have both and they are making great progress in building a new society or as it is often referred to in Latin America, ‘Buen Vivir,’ (the good life). They are demonstrating what we mean when we say “transforming society to put people and the planet over profits.”

    The post Nicaragua: Building The Good Life (Buen Vivir) Through Popular Revolution appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Peace Delegation Visits Nicaragua To Explore Impact Of US Sanctions

    For the next two weeks, I am in Nicaragua on the first delegation organized by the Sanctions Kill coalition and the Friends of the ATC (Asociacion de Trabajadores del Campo – Association of Rural Workers) to study the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States on Nicaragua and learn about the Sandinista Revolution. The ATC is a member of the global movement of peasant workers, Via Campesina, that was born in Nicaragua. The NICA Act, passed by the US Congress in 2018, is the beginning of the US’ economic war on Nicaragua after the US-backed coup attempt against the democratically-elected President Danial Ortega failed earlier that year.

    Learn more about the sanctions being imposed by the United States on 39 countries representing a third of the world’s population using the new Sanctions Kill toolkit.

    The post Peace Delegation Visits Nicaragua To Explore Impact Of US Sanctions appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Attacks On The Rights Of Transgender People Are Rising; Fight Back

    A growing and coordinated attack on the rights of transgender people is taking place through state legislation and sadly it is receiving support from people across the political spectrum. The attack is successful because its proponents are using myths about transgender people to cloak their efforts under a veneer of feminism and concerns about children’s health. In reality, this attack is anti-feminist and threatens the well-being and lives of not only the transgender community, particularly the youth, which is one of the most vulnerable communities in our society, but also of all of us.

    It is necessary to understand where this attack is coming from and the facts that dispel these myths so we can all take action to protect the rights of transgender people. The media is largely silent about what is happening. We need to raise awareness and halt these bills.

    The post Attacks On The Rights Of Transgender People Are Rising; Fight Back appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • 15 Rights Groups Urge Biden Administration to Place Human Rights “at the Centre” of US-Bahrain Foreign Policy

    5 March 2021 – The Biden administration should act on the president’s campaign promises by restoring human rights “as a key feature of American diplomacy” in Bahrain and the wider Arab Gulf, in light of a dramatic deterioration in the country’s rights record during the previous U.S. administration, 15 human rights groups including the American for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Amnesty International and Freedom House stated in an open letter sent to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on 4 March.

    The advent of the Trump administration in 2017 “heralded an unprecedented government crackdown” in Bahrain which continues to this day, with Bahrain’s rulers “emboldened” by President Trump’s public disdain for international human rights norms. In the interceding period, Bahrain has reinstated the death penalty and conducted six executions, outlawed independent media and political opposition parties and targeted political leaders, human rights defenders and other civil society figures. Trump also significantly increased arms sales to Bahrain, with exports totalling $8.5 billion during his administration, despite Bahrain’s involvement in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, described by the UN as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”.

    The Biden administration should urge Bahrain to rescind restrictions on civil society, take genuine steps towards justice reform and the restoration of civil rights and reinstate restrictions on arms sales to Bahrain pending an improvement in the country’s rights record. U.S. officials should should also request visits with Bahraini political prisoners and publicly call for the release all those imprisoned in Bahrain for peacefully exercising their right to free expression, peaceful assembly and association, in particular the jailed leaders of Bahrain’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising including Hassan Mushaima, Abduljalil AlSingace, Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, Sheikh AlMuqdad and Abdulwahab Husain.

    Read the full letter here.

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director at Americans for Democracy and Human Rights (ADHRB), commented: “The Trump era will be remembered as the bloodiest period since Bahrain’s 2011 uprising, demonstrating what happens when Bahrain’s Western allies indulge dictators and turn a blind eye to abuses. If the human rights situation in Bahrain is to improve, the Biden administration must hold the Bahrainis to account and make it clear that human rights are back on the agenda.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at BIRD, commented: “While the U.S professes its support for human rights around the world, geopolitical concerns have always trumped ideals when it comes to U.S policy in Bahrain. It has been a decade since Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising and its leaders remain in exile or behind bars. Until U.S policy in Bahrain focuses on resolving the consequences of 2011 and pushing for democratic reform, the political crisis in the country will remain unresolved.”

    The post 15 Rights Groups Urge Biden Administration to Place Human Rights “at the Centre” of US-Bahrain Foreign Policy appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Small Acts Can Become A Power No Government Can Suppress

    The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed in the House this past week and now heads to the Senate, where it will no doubt be changed before it becomes law some time in mid-March. The current unemployment benefits expire on March 14.

    While we don’t know what the final bill will look like, at least now we can get an idea of what is in it. Overall, as expected, the provisions in the bill will help to provide some financial assistance to some people, but they won’t solve the crises we face. And the Biden administration is backtracking on promises made on the campaign trail.

    As Alan Macleod writes, Biden has abandoned raising the minimum wage, ending student debt and the promised $2,000 checks. His focus is on forcing people back to work and school even as new, more infectious and more lethal variants of the virus causing COVID-19 threaten another surge in cases and deaths.

    The post Small Acts Can Become A Power No Government Can Suppress appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Kuwait: End Discrimination and Provide Nationality for Bidoon Population

    The Government of Kuwait must cease human rights violations against its own Bidoon population. Since Kuwait gained independence in 1961, the government has perpetrated a continuous system of institutionalized discrimination, repression, and degrading treatment against the Bidoon, a stateless minority. These acts violate fundamental human rights of the Bidoon, as well as international law obligations of the Kuwaiti government itself.

    According to current estimates, there are more than 100,000 Bidoon people in Kuwait. The term “bidoon” is derived from “bidoon jinsiyya” which translates to “without nationality” in Arabic. The Bidoon originate from nomadic tribes native to the Arabian peninsula. Before the country gained independence, they  were treated equally and enjoyed the same freedoms and rights as Kuwaiti citizens; now, continued government persecution of the Bidoon has created great inequality between the two populations. At the time of independence, the majority of Bidoon did not attain Kuwaiti citizenship, which has led to the present-day issue of statelessness.

    Three main factors contribute to why the Bidoon lack Kuwaiti nationality or have trouble obtaining nationality. First, many Bidoon are unable to prove residential ties to Kuwait that pre-date 1920. Second, since the time of Kuwaiti independence, when Bidoon failed to register as citizens, the Bidoon population has grown significantly. Because citizenship is passed through the father to the child, generational statelessness is created for children born to male Bidoon. Finally, during Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, many Bidoon joined the Iraqi forces; this led to the perception of the Bidoon as foreign agents, and further stigmatized the entirety of the Bidoon population in Kuwait.

    There is one further essential reason that prevents Bidoon from attaining Kuwaiti nationality: The Government of Kuwait purposely withholds citizenship from the Bidoon. In fact, the Bidoon have been declared illegal residents by the government, despite repeated promises to confer formal citizenship upon them. This classification was made in 1986, despite the fact that the Bidoon of Kuwait do not have ties to any other countries. A number of issues result from this classification.

    As illegal residents, the Bidoon cannot fully interact in Kuwaiti society. Individuals are barred from being employed and children are denied education. Furthermore, there is the constant possibility, and consequential fear, of arbitrary arrest or deportation. Kuwaiti law does not help this situation, as there are no laws that require judicial review prior to deportation; as such, authorities are free to deport any Bidoon at their own discretion. Freedom of movement is further restricted due to the fact that civil identification cards, driving licenses, and other travel documents are not issued to Bidoon. In practice, this also means that Bidoon cannot travel abroad without risking a denial of entry upon return to Kuwait. Instead, Bidoon are issued security cards, which the government has said do not constitute proper proof of identification. Social stigma in the form of rejection, threats, or extortion also results in the use of these cards.

    The Government of Kuwait’s treatment of its own Bidoon population violates basic human rights that are afforded by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other international law obligations. The UDHR prescribes that everyone has the right to a nationality. We call on the Government of Kuwait to issue nationality to the Bidoon population, and to end its discriminatory and harmful practices.

    The post Kuwait: End Discrimination and Provide Nationality for Bidoon Population appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • Urgent Solidarity With Haiti Is Needed

    A long-brewing crisis in Haiti, created through intervention by the United States, United Nations and allied western imperialist countries, has now come to a head. The Biden administration is openly backing a violent, corrupt and fraudulent leader, Jovenel Moïse, and maintaining the policies of previous presidents, including Donald Trump, in Haiti.

    Activists in Haiti have reached out to the Haitian diaspora in the United States and to organizations that support respect for self-determination and human rights for their solidarity. Listen to my interview with filmmaker and political activist Wilkenson Bruna on Clearing the FOG this week (available on Monday).

    The crisis in Haiti will not end until sufficient pressure is placed on the United States to change its positions.

    The post Urgent Solidarity With Haiti Is Needed appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.