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Category: Newsletter

  • The Antiwar Movement Must Not Go Back To Sleep During The Biden Presidency

    On Saturday, members of the administrative committee of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), on which I serve, spoke on a webinar about the importance of building and strengthening the antiwar, anti-imperialist movement during Biden’s presidency. UNAC was founded during the summer of 2010 as it became clear that the antiwar movement in the US was faltering under the nation’s first black president. Peace groups allied with the Democrats were reluctant to criticize the president and donations declined as people wrongly assumed the new Nobel Peace Prize winner was pro-peace.

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  • Bahrain: Joint Letter to EU Ahead of Meeting With Bahraini Delegation 

    Re: EU-Bahrain Cooperation Agreement Must Depend on Human Rights Improvements

    Find PDF version

    Joseph Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

    Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Representative for Human Rights

    Your Excellencies,

    In light of the meeting between Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the European External Action Service currently scheduled to take place in Brussels on 10 february 2021, we are writing to raise concerns about the deterioration of the human rights situation in Bahrain, following a year in which Human Rights Watch reports that the Bahraini government has “escalated repression” against critics.

    As the informal EU-Bahrain Human Rights Dialogue originally scheduled for November 2020 has been indefinitely postponed, it is vital that human rights concerns are placed at the center of your conversations with Bahraini officials during this upcoming meeting.

    Bahrain’s Crackdown on Political Opposition and Civil Society

    Bahrain’s February 2011 Arab Spring uprising was an event which many hoped would herald a new era of democracy in the country. However, since the government’s violent suppression of the protests, promised reforms have failed to materialise. The leaders of the protest movement, some of them now elderly, continue to languish in prison.

    Since 2017, authorities have outlawed all independent media and dissolved all political opposition parties. Among the most prominent prisoners currently incarcerated are high-profile political opposition leaders, activists, bloggers and human rights defenders sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the 2011 pro-democracy protests. These include Hassan Mushaima, Abduljalil AlSingace, Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, Sheikh Mohammed Habib AlMuqdad and Abdulwahab Husain. In 2018, the leader of Bahrain’s largest opposition bloc, Sheikh Ali Salman, was sentenced to life in prison following trials on speech charges and spurious accusations of espionage.

    Over the last four years, political activists have borne the full brunt of political repression in Bahrain, facing arbitrary arrest and lengthy prison terms, and in some cases torture, for opposing the government. Hundreds have been arbitrarily stripped of citizenship, while activists and journalists who continue their work from exile risk reprisals against family members who remain in the country.

    According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least six journalists are currently imprisoned for their work in Bahrain, while the country has fallen to a lamentable 169/180 on the Reporters Without Borders 2020 World Press Freedom Index. Bahrain scored a paltry 1/40 for political rights in Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020 report.

    In addition, Bahrain’s government has increasingly turned to repressive cyber crime legislation to further restrict civic space, with prominent defence lawyers, opposition leaders and human rights defenders prosecuted over their social media activity since 2018. As Amnesty International has reported, Bahrain’s authorities have used the COVID-19  pandemic as a pretext “to further crush freedom of expression.”

    Medical Negligence and Mistreatment in Jau Prison

    Bahrain’s prisons remain overcrowded and unsanitary, and human rights groups have called on the government to release those imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression in light of the threat posed by COVID-19. Prisoners are frequently subjected to humiliating treatment and denied adequate medical care, in violation of Bahrain’s international human rights obligations. These include Hassan Mushaima and Dr Abduljalil AlSingace, who suffer from a range of chronic medical conditions, as well as human rights activists Ali AlHajee and Naji Fateel.

    Other prominent prisoners include two European-Bahraini dual citizens, the Danish-Bahraini Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and the Swedish-Bahraini Sheikh Mohammed Habib AlMuqdad, both of whom are considered prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International, having been prosecuted and sentenced to life imprisonment for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment including denial of medical care.

    In April 2011, security forces violently arrested Al-Khawaja and broke his jaw, leading to surgery for four broken bones in his face. Security officers tortured Al-Khawaja directly after his major jaw surgery, while blindfolded and restrained to a military hospital bed, which forced the doctor to ask the security officers to stop as it would undo the surgical work. Almost ten years later he still suffers from chronic pain and requires additional surgery to remove the metal plates and screws that were used to reattach his jaw.

    AlMuqdad, who was tortured by methods including severe beating and electrocution, suffers from multiple health problems, including a hernia likely caused by his torture, but is being denied proper health care. As of January 2021, in addition to the need for urgent surgery to repair the hernia, AlMuqdad is in need of heart surgery to unblock his coronary arteries and examination by a urologist to diagnose a prostate problem. The prison administration continues to delay the surgeries and specialist appointments, blaming the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    Death Penalty and Arbitrary Killings

    In 2017, Bahrain abandoned a de facto moratorium on the death penalty and has since conducted six executions, five of which were condemned as arbitrary by UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Agnes Callamard, in 2017 and 2019 respectively. According to recent research by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Reprieve, 26 death row inmates currently face imminent execution in the country, nearly half of whom were convicted on the basis of confessions allegedly extracted under torture in cases related to political unrest.

    These include Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, whose death sentences were upheld in July 2020 despite credible evidence that both men were convicted on the basis of confessions obtained under torture. Independent experts at the International Committee for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims concluded that investigations by Bahrain’s human rights oversight bodies into the torture of the two men “fail[ed] to meet the minimum professional standards and the minimum international legal standards”, while the Bar Human Rights Council of England and Wales warned that “upholding the convictions would be wholly inconsistent with Bahrain’s international obligations”. Both men are at risk of imminent execution. Three UN human rights experts warned on 12 February 2020 that carrying out these death sentences would constitute an arbitrary killing.

    Our Requests

    Bahraini authorities have engaged in widespread violations of human rights enshrined in both Bahrain’s national legal system as well as in multiple international human rights treaties to which Bahrain is a state party.

    Furthermore, a prevailing culture of impunity has allowed suspected perpetrators of serious human rights violations to avoid accountability. In light of the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Bahrain, we therefore ask that during the meeting the EEAS:

    • Urges the unconditional and immediate release of all those imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, including Hassan Mushaima, Abduljalil AlSingace, Abdulwahab Husain and Sheikh Ali Salman;
    • Urges for the unconditional and immediate release of Danish-Bahraini Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and Swedish-Bahraini Sheikh AlMuqdad;
    • Calls for an independent review of the cases involving those facing the death penalty, including the cases of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa; as well as for the ultimate revocation of their death sentences;
    • Urges Bahraini authorities to reinstate a moratorium on the death penalty;
    • Pressures Bahrain to end the use of torture and other -ill-treatment and to tackle the culture of impunity by holding suspected perpetrators accountable and ensuring effective mechanisms for victims to receive justice and restitution;
    • Urges Bahrain to rescind its arbitrary bans on opposition parties, civil society groups and independent media and encourage the development of civic space in Bahrain;
    • Urges the Bahraini Government to ensure its respect to, and protection of, the right to freedom of expression, and to take necessary steps to ensure freedom of the press; and
    • Persuades Bahrain’s government to take concrete and measurable steps towards justice reform and respect for human rights.

    Sincerely,

    1. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
    2. Amnesty International
    3. Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK
    4. ARTICLE 19
    5. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
    6. CIVICUS
    7. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
    8. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
    9. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
    10. Freedom House
    11. Global Legal Action Network (GLAN)
    12. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
    13. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
    14. Index on Censorship
    15. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
    16. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
    17. PEN International
    18. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
    19. Reprieve
    20. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

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  • Several Paris-based NGOs call upon the Mairie de Paris to cease all form of support for Bahrain “sport-washing” campaign

    Since 2011, the Bahraini government violently represses any form of opposition and violates the human rights of its population. A number of political opponents have been sentenced to death by the authorities because of their involvement in the pro-democracy movement. Yet since July 2020, the Kingdom of Bahrain also owns 20% of the shares of the Paris Football Club. The City of Paris is one of the club’s oldest partners. While the Council of Paris is preparing to vote on renewing the yearly subvention the City allocates to the Club, several Paris-based human rights NGOs, including ADHRB, have decided to call upon the City of Paris to integrate a dialogue on human rights and the death penalty to its relationship with the club. The Paris FC regularly intervenes for free with many young Parisians through diverse socio-educational programs.

    Read The declaration HERE

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  • 16 MEPs Urge Bahrain to Release EU-Bahraini Dual Nationals and End Death Penalty Ahead of Brussels Meeting

    25 January 2021 – The European Union should hold Bahrain to their human rights commitments by raising the case of European-Bahraini dual citizens and restore their moratorium on the death penalty, 16 MEPs have urged in an open letter delivered last Friday to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, ahead of his meeting with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister tomorrow.

    Read the full letter here.

    Danish-Bahraini Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and Swedish-Bahraini Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al Muqdad are serving life sentences for peacefully expressing their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association during Bahrain’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Along with other prisoners of conscience like Hassan Mushaima, they have been subjected to torture, mistreatment and systemic denial of medical care.

    Since the suppression of the pro-democracy movement in 2011, Bahrain’s government has overseen a severe deterioration in the human rights situation in the country, including a dramatic rise in the use of the death penalty. Six individuals have been executed in Bahrain since 2017, five of which were condemned as arbitrary by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, in 2017 and 2019 respectively. 26 death row inmates currently face imminent execution, nearly half of whom were convicted on the basis of confessions allegedly extracted under torture in cases related to political unrest.

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) commented: “Bahrain’s government must not be allowed to benefit from friendly relations with Europe while they continue their violent crackdown on dissent, including through a startling rise in the use of the death penalty. The EU must be firm that human rights abuses will not pass without consequence.”

    Abdulla added: “The EU must always stand against human rights violations when dealing with foreign states, particularly when EU nationals are involved. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and Sheikh Al Muqdad should not have served a moment in prison and this important intervention by EU lawmakers makes it clear to Bahrain that their immediate and unconditional release is long overdue.”

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  • Open letter to President Biden on Bahrain

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) Executive Director Husain Abdulla sent a letter to President Joseph Biden on making human rights and democratization as priority of US policy when it comes to US-Bahrain relations. The full letter (PDF version):

    January 20, 2021

    President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

    The White House

    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

    Washington, DC  20500

    Dear Mr. President:

    I am writing to extend my most sincere congratulations to you as you assume the office of President.  I encourage you from your very first day in office to review and revise US policy on one of the most pressing and intertwined human right and national security challenges facing the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain.

    I had to leave my home country of Bahrain over twenty years ago, fleeing an oppressive government where freedom of expression and peaceful dissent did not have a place. While I was able to enjoy all the freedoms and benefits of democracy that America offers, my people in Bahrain are still suffering under a brutal dictatorship.

    The situation in Bahrain represents a serious and ongoing violation of human rights that should be intolerable to the United States under any circumstances.  However, the political instability created within Bahrain by the systematic, violent, and unceasing repression of its people is also a direct threat to US security interests in the Persian Gulf Region and globally.  Improvements in human rights in Bahrain are directly linked to US security interests and should be pursued as a priority by the Biden Administration, including through multilateral institutions.

    The human rights violations perpetrated by the Government of Bahrain are undisputed.  The US State Department reports an ongoing litany of abuses by the Government of Bahrain, including allegations of torture, arbitrary detention, political prisoners, and restrictions on freedom of expression and political participation.  Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other human rights groups have identified thousands of individuals who have been arrested, imprisoned, executed, fined, or otherwise repressed by the Government of Bahrain.  Hundreds of Bahrainis have had their citizenship revoked and thousands of political prisoners languish in Bahraini prisons.  Men, women, the elderly, and children as young as 12-years-old have been targeted by the government of Bahrain.

    However, current US policy to Bahrain largely turns a blind eye to repression of human rights and deep-seeded social instability in Bahrain due to the mutual benefits the two countries enjoy based on the location of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.  These benefits are also indisputable, but maintaining a one-dimensional relationship with Bahrain builds untenable security risks into the relationship for the US.  These risks can be substantially reduced or eliminated by if Bahrain begins a path that includes an end to political repression, including release of all political prisoners, accountability for human rights violators, and a path to free and fair elections.  If Bahrain continues its human rights violations, the US should consider relocating the Fifth Fleet to a more suitable location.

    For the security of both countries, the US should immediately begin to develop policies and programs focused on holding officials of the Government of Bahrain accountable for their systematic human rights violations against the people of Bahrain, to meeting its commitments to international human rights standards, and repairing the damage caused by a decade of brutal repression.  This path will strengthen the relationship and security interests of the two countries and enhance Bahrain’s status as a sustainable, dependable, and desirable ally and partner of the US.  It will also visibly reinforce the American commitment to universal human rights at a time when this is needed around the globe.

    I am confident that through development of a more mature, holistic US policy toward Bahrain, the US will be able to uphold its commitment to human rights while not only maintaining, but enhancing, its national security interests in the Persian Gulf Region, and globally.  I ask that you conduct a thorough review of US policy and develop and implement a set of policies and programs toward Bahrain targeted at better achieving sustainable US interests in both human rights and security.   At a minimum, this plan should include:

    • Clear and consistent messaging from all levels of the U.S. Government encouraging the Government of Bahrain to adhere to its human rights commitments and enact meaningful reforms including the release of all political prisoners, accountability for torture and other serious human rights crimes, and a timetable for free and fair elections.
    • A high-level team from the US State Department visiting Bahrain to evaluate the human rights situation, meet with political prisoners and opposition leaders like Mr. Hasan Mushaima, the leader of the political opposition in Bahrain, make recommendations for the Government of Bahrain to come into compliance with international standards of human rights, and recommend policies and mechanisms for the US to encourage human rights improvements in Bahrain.
    • A clear policy and timeline to transition the current political system of dictatorship in Bahrain to a representative democracy.
    • A contingency plan for relocating the US Fifth Fleet if the stability of the Bahraini regime continues to erode.
    • A review of Bahrain participation in International Military Education and Training (IMET) program which has provided at least $2.4 million in assistance for nearly 900 Bahraini officers since Fiscal Year 2014 while the Bahraini military has been implicated in human rights abuses against its own people.
    • A review of more than $20 million in Foreign Military Financing and more than $28 million in DoD military grant assistance since Fiscal Year 2014 to Bahrain while the Bahraini military had been implicated in human rights abuses against its own people.
    • A Global Magnitsky Act investigation into to Bahrain to hold accountable Bahraini government officials implicated in political repression and other rights violations, including the torture and arbitrary detention of political leaders and human rights defenders.
    • Renewed prohibition of U.S. arms sales to Bahrain.
    • Full compliance with the intent of the “Leahy Law” to avoid U.S. complicity with human rights violations including a thorough review to 1) determine if Bahraini security force units are ineligible for transfers and 2) verify that U.S.-origin weapons are not enabling human rights abuses in Bahrain.
    • Prioritize human rights and democracy promotion funding for Bahrain, including through the Democracy Fund and the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
    • Publicly call for Bahrain to fully cooperate with all United Nations human rights procedures and commitments including ongoing access for the Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Unusual, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to visit Bahrain and conduct a full investigation into practices in the country that may concern his mandate and establishment of a permanent country mission to Bahrain by the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, including a full reporting and capacity-building mandate.

    Thank you for your commitment to human rights, Mr. President.  I look forward to your immediate and sustained actions to improve the human rights situation for the people of Bahrain.

    Sincerely,

    Husain Abdulla

    Executive Director

    Cc

    Secretary of Defense-designee Lloyd Austin

    Secretary of State-designee Antony Blinken

    Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor

     

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  • Bahrain: Open letter to Danish Prime Minister to take immediate action to free Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja

    22-January-2021

    Dear Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen,

    We the undersigned, more than 100 organisations from around the world, are appealing for your assistance to secure the release of prominent human rights defender and dual Danish-Bahraini citizen Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja from prison in Bahrain, where he is serving a life sentence for his peaceful political and human rights activities in violation of his right to freedom of expression. As he completes the tenth year of his imprisonment, we appeal to you directly as head of the Government of Denmark to renew and strengthen efforts to ensure his immediate and unconditional release so he can be reunited with his family and receive much needed medical treatment and torture rehabilitation in Denmark.

    An internationally-recognised human rights defender, Al-Khawaja is the co-founder of both the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), for which he was also the former President, and he worked as MENA Protection Coordinator for Front Line Defenders from 2008 until early 2011.

    He was arrested on 9 April 2011 for his role in organising peaceful protests to defend people’s rights and to demand political reform during the popular movement which began in February 2011. Security forces violently arrested Al-Khawaja, as detailed in a report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), published in November 2011 at the request of the Bahraini king. It says, “Immediately after the arrest, the detainee received a hard blow to the side of his face, which broke his jaw and knocked him to the ground. He was taken to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) clinic and then the Bahrain Defence Forces (BDF) Hospital where he had major jaw surgery for four broken bones in his face.” Al-Khawaja was subjected to additional severe physical, psychological and sexual torture in detention (as described in the BICI report, as Case No. 8.)

    Security officers tortured Al-Khawaja directly after his major jaw surgery, while blindfolded and restrained to a military hospital bed, which forced the doctor to ask the security officers to stop as it would undo the surgical work. Almost ten years later he still suffers from chronic pain and requires additional surgery to remove the metal plates and screws that were used to reattach his jaw. Despite continuous requests, including through Danish diplomats, his medical records were not shared with the family for a second opinion and recently the authorities claimed that the records had “gone missing”.

    In June 2011, Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life imprisonment following unfair trials in courts that did not comply with Bahraini criminal law or international fair trial standards.

    In a recent call, Al-Khawaja listed four concerns, including that prison authorities placed restrictions on phone calls with his family whom he hasn’t seen in person since January 2020      due to Covid-19, and confiscated hundreds of his books and reading materials. He also stated that prison authorities are arbitrarily denying him proper medical treatment and refusing to refer him to specialists for surgeries he requires. Denying a prisoner adequate medical care violates the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

    Finally, Al-Khawaja continues to protest his arbitrary detention. Since his arrest, Al-Khawaja has undertaken six hunger strikes (of liquids only), including one lasting 110 days in 2012, to protest conditions in Jau Prison and his unjust imprisonment. Shortly after his arrest, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Al-Khawaja’s arrest is arbitrary, as it resulted from his exercise of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, and called for his release.

    In March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bahrain released 1,486 prisoners, 901 of whom received royal pardons on “humanitarian grounds.” However, Al-Khawaja and other prominent human rights defenders and activists – many of whom are older and/or suffer from underlying medical conditions – were not among those released.

    We appreciate the efforts of Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, who supported resolutions at the European Parliament when he was a member, in 2014 and 2017, calling for Al-Khawaja, as well as other human rights defenders detained in Bahrain as a result of their peaceful and legitimate human rights work, to be freed.

    Today, we the undersigned organisations appeal to you personally to facilitate negotiations between your government and the government of Bahrain to secure the immediate and unconditional freedom of a Danish citizen who has been unjustly detained for almost a decade so that he can receive proper medical treatment and be reunited with his family.

    Sincerely,

    ACAT – Belgium (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Česká Republika (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Germany (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Italy (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Luxembourg (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Spain-Catalonia (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – Switzerland (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – UK (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    ACAT – USA (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

    Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR)

    Aflami

    Al-Haq

    Al-Marsad-Arab Human Rights Centre in Golan Heights

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)

    Amnesty International

    Arab Women Organization of Jordan

    Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)

    ARTICLE 19

    Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)

    Association of Caribbean Media Workers

    Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)

    Bahrain Human Rights Society

    Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)

    Bahrain Press Association

    Botswana Centre for Human Rights (DITSHWANELO)

    Btselem

    Bytes for All – Pakistan

    Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

    Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

    CARAM Asia

    Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)

    Center for Rights and Development (CEDAL) – Peru

    CIVICUS

    Civil Society Institute – Armenia

    Citizen Observatory – Chile

    CODESA – Western Sahara

    Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) – UK

    Committee for Legal Action (CAL) – Chile

    Community Development Services (CDS)

    Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE)

    Czech League of Human Rights

    Dakhla Bay Network for Association Work & Development

    Danish PEN

    Ecological Action – Ecuador

    Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

    English PEN

    European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

    Finnish League for Human Rights

    Free Media Movement (FMM)

    Freedom Now – Morocco

    Front Line Defenders

    German PEN Center

    Global Focus

    Globe International Center

    Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)

    Hellenic League for Human Rights

    Human Rights Association (IHD) – Turkey

    Human Rights Foundation of Turkey

    Human Rights Sentinel

    Human Rights Watch

    HUMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement

    Independent Journalism Center – Moldova

    Initiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey (IFoX)

    Innovation for Change – Middle East and North Africa Hub

    INREDH – Ecuador

    International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    International Media Support (IMS)

    International Organisation for Women Detainees

    International Press Centre (IPC)

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    Iraqi Al-Amal Association

    Iraqi Journalists Rights Defence Association

    Iraqi Network for Social Media – INSM Network

    Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR)

    Iraqi Observatory for Press Freedoms

    José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective (CAJAR) – Colombia

    Lao Movement for Human Rights

    Latvian Human Rights Committee

    Legal Action Committee (CAJ) – Argentina

    Maharat Foundation

    Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)

    Media Institute of Southern Africa – Zimbabwe (MISA-Zimbabwe)

    Media Watch, Bangladesh

    MENA Prison Forum

    Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy

    Moroccan Association for Human Rights

    Mwatana for Human Rights

    National Commission for Human Rights, Dominican Republic (CNDH-RD)

    National Human Rights Movement (MNDH) – Brazil

    National Forum of Human Rights

    No Borders Humanity Organization (NBH)

    Nophotozone

    Norwegian Helsinki Committee

    Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)

    Pariwartan Sanchar Samuha

    PAX for Peace

    PEN Canada

    PEN International

    PEN Iraq

    Portuguese League for Human Rights – Civitas

    Protection Organization for Digital Rights

    Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)

    Rays of Hope Support Initiative

    Rural Media Network Pakistan

    Sisters’ Arab Forum for Human Rights

    South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

    Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Researches

    Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)

    Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH)

    Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State

    Wlad Al-Bilad Network for Development

    World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)

    World Human Rights Forum

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

    Yemen Organizations for Defending Rights & Democratic Freedoms

    Yemeni Institute for Strategic Affairs

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  • 18 Rights Groups urge US President Elect Joseph Biden to ensure the return of Democracy and Human Rights to the center of American foreign policy in Bahrain

    On 16 December 2020, 18 human rights groups including Americans for Democracy and Human Rights (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), and Freedom House have written to the president elect of the United States, Joseph Biden, congratulating him on his election and urging him to “ensure the return of democracy and human rights as the center of American foreign policy” amidst the deteriorating political situation in Bahrain.

    Read the letter HERE

    The letter presents the systemic attack on human rights defenders which has only worsened since Bahrain outlawed all political opposition parties in 2017. It highlights the cases of unjustly imprisoned opposition leaders and HRDs who serve lengthy sentences in overcrowded and unsanitary prisons, suffer torture and ill-treatment, and are “punitively denied adequate medical care”. Signatories highlighted the heightened vulnerability of “aging political leaders who suffer underlying health conditions”, such as the leader of the political opposition Mr. Hasan Mushaima, amidst the outbreak of Coronavirus.

    Signatories also document the “crackdown on civic and press freedoms” where repressive cybercrime legislation is used to target civil society figures. Between June 2018 and May 2019, at least 21 individuals were arrested, detained, or prosecuted for online activity, which even includes following accounts “deemed malicious by the government”. There have been more instances of arbitrary attention since the start of the pandemic, whereby the government outlawed criticism of its policy. Even in prison, political prisoners face harassment for speaking up against the government’s insufficient measures with regards to the pandemic in prison, such as journalist Mahmoud Al-Jaziri who was placed in solitary confinement.

    The letter brings attention to the increased use of the death penalty in Bahrain, where 27 individuals are currently on death row, and 25 of them are “at imminent risk of execution”. Nearly half were convicted based on coerced confessions produced under torture, with the most recent cases being Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa.

    Signatories concluded with raising policy recommendations which focus on releasing political opposition figures who had been imprisoned for peacefully exercising their “freedom of expression, assembly, and association”, ensuring just compensation for victims of government abuse, overturning the ban on opposition groups, “restoring human rights conditions on any arms sales or military support to Bahrain”, expressing USA’s willingness to relocate the Fifth fleet if Bahrain persists in its violation of human rights, and imposing MaGnitsky Act sanctions against Bahraini officials who committed human-rights-related crimes.

    Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB): “This letter sends a clear message to the upcoming Biden Administration that serious change is needed in US foreign policy toward Bahrain where establishing democracy, rule of law, and end of systematic human rights violations need to be on top of the agenda when it comes to US-Bahrain relations. Business as usual with Bahrain is no longer acceptable by these international rights groups.”

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  • Joint statement: ICJHR and 8 international organisations call for the release of prominent human rights defender Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken

    (GENEVA) On Human Rights day which is observed every year on 10 December, the International Center for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR), in conjunction with a coalition of 8 NGOs, called on the UAE authorities to immediately release human rights defender and lawyer Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken.

    Eight years have passed since Dr. Mohamed Al-Roken was arrested and convicted by the Federal Supreme Court to 10 years imprisonment, with additional administrative control measures, in an unfair trial and forbade him from practicing his profession as a lawyer, and his enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment was never investigated. On November 22, 2013, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a position confirming the arbitrary nature of the detention of Dr. Al-Roken and 60 other defendants in the “UAE 94” trial.

    The signatories expressed their deep concerns at the continued arbitrary and unlawful detention of Dr. Al-Roken who has been in UAE jails since 2012 and his health conditions in light of the Corona pandemic.

    ICJHR and its partners including; Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L),  MENA Rights Group, The Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA-IROL), World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, ALQST for Human Rights,  have urged the UAE authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken and to ensure his physical and psychological integrity.

    Read the full statement below

     

     

     

     

     

     

    HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

    Joint statement

    UAE: Call for the release of human rights defender and lawyer Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken

    December 10, 2020

    Eight years have passed since the unjust arrest of Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken by the UAE State Security services. On July 2, 2013, the Federal Supreme Court convicted and sentenced Dr. Al-Roken to 10 years imprisonment with additional administrative control measures and forbade him from practicing his profession as a lawyer. He has been denied the basic right to a fair trial and his enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment was never investigated. On November 22, 2013, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion recognizing the arbitrary nature of the detention of Dr. Al-Roken and 60 other defendants in the ‘UAE94’ trial (A/HRC/WGAD/2013/60).

    Dr. Al-Roken is a prominent Emirati human rights defender and lawyer, and the former President of the Emirates Jurists Association. He has previously urged the UAE authorities to undertake political policy and legal reforms in the country. He has advocated to halt the violation of human rights and encouraged the government to join International covenants, agreements and related protocols protecting human rights. Moreover, he provided legal assistance to victims of human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates, including to other human rights defenders.

    In recognition of his courageous human rights work, Dr. Al-Roken was awarded the 2017 Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize.

    Dr. Al-Roken was arrested on July 17, 2012 as part of the massive crackdown of the ‘UAE94 Group’, and he was charged with conspiracy against the government, after calling for political reforms in the country and signing an online reform petition in March 2011 to demand an elected national council with full supervisory and legislative powers. Following his arrest, Dr. Al-Roken was detained in solitary confinement at an undisclosed location for 8 months, without access to his lawyer and his family.

    Consequently, the signatories below express their concern about the situation of Dr. Al-Roken and his current detention conditions in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

    Consequently, the signatories urge the UAE authorities to:

    1. Immediately and unconditionally, release human rights defender and lawyer Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken.
    2. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken, and disclose his health status.

    Signatory organisations:

    International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR)

    ALQST for Human Rights

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

    International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE)

    International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

    Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L)

    MENA Rights Group

    The Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA-IROL)

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

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