Fadhel Abbas – Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

Bahrain Solidarity Day

Sayed Alwadaei — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:47:19 +0000

15 December 2016 – This past year the Government of Bahrain drastically increased its suppression of Bahraini civil and political society. Today, Bahraini human rights organizations stand in solidarity with the people of Bahrain in the face of systematic human rights abuses in proclaiming the first Bahrain Solidarity Day.

In 2011, hundreds of thousands of people rose up in support of democracy and human rights in Bahrain. After enduring decades of structural inequalities, corruption, and repression, nearly half the country’s citizen population gathered to demand reform. The government responded swiftly, and severely. Riot police flooded the streets, employing excessive and indiscriminate force to disperse the demonstrations and suppress the movement. Assisted by a Saudi and Emirati forces, Bahraini authorities violently put down the peaceful uprising, leading to thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries, and dozens of deaths.

Since 2011, the Bahraini authorities have taken steps to institutionalize this repression by passing broad, wide-ranging laws that have created a legal framework, which is now used to target human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society at large.

Following the repression of the 2011 pro-democracy movement, King Hamad established the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in July to analyze Bahraini authorities’ violations during the pro-democracy movement. On November 2011, the BICI commission handed over their finalized report to King Hamad, outlining 26 recommendations for key reforms for the Government of Bahrain, all of which the government accepted, yet today, the vast majority of these recommendations remain unfulfilled.

This past summer, the government unleashed a new campaign of repression as it arrested prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, who faces 15 years in prison for exercising his freedom of expression, and took steps to permanently dissolve Al-Wefaq, the country’s largest political opposition society. Nabeel remains in prison in poor conditions, after his trial was postponed multiple times. His next hearing is scheduled for 15 December 2016, where he could face up to fifteen years in prison for tweets. Al-Wefaq’s Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman recently had his 9-year sentence upheld in regards to a peaceful speech he gave. Since the dissolution of Al-Wefaq, in June 2016, the authorities have increased their harassment of almost all major political societies.

Fadhel Abbas, the Secretary-General of Al-Wahdawi, is currently serving a 3-year prison sentence for calling the Saudi war in Yemen, in which Bahrain is a belligerent, unconstitutional. The National Democratic Action Society – Wa’ad – has been under threat, with their leader banned from travel and repeatedly subject to police questioning in the past year. Ebrahim Sharif, the former Secretary General of Wa’ad, served 4 years in prison following his arrest, torture and prosecution by military court in 2011; he served another year in prison after he called for sustained peaceful opposition in July 2015, and was charged again in November 2016 after he criticised Prince Charles of the United Kingdom’s visit to Bahrain. These latest charges were later dropped, following international pressure.

The government has likewise subjected civil society to similar widespread harassment. Bahraini authorities have summoned more than 75 Shia religious leaders and clerics for interrogation. Many have been charged and imprisoned for taking part in the peaceful sit-in in Diraz, which began on 20 June 2016 following the arbitrary denaturalization of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, Bahrain’s leading Shia cleric.

Harassment of human rights defenders and activists include interrogations and restricting their freedom of movement. Since June, the government has employed the practice of travel bans to restrict civil society from leaving the country and participating in international human rights conferences and meetings, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council. On 29 August 2016, the authorities stopped the Head of International Relations and Women & Children’s Rights Advocacy at BCHR, Nedal Al-Salman, at Bahrain International Airport. She was attempting to travel to Geneva via Doha to attend meetings at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). Nedal has since been summoned and charged with “illegal gathering.” The government prohibited Hussain Radhi, a member of the BCHR Documentation Section, from travelling across the King Fahd Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, on 23 August 2016. Officials at the passport office informed Radhi that the Department of Cybercrime at the CID had issued the ban, and he has since been charged with crimes related to tweets. Additionally, the government has targeted human rights lawyers like Mohamed Al-Tajer, a well-respected human rights lawyer and outspoken advocate, with travel bans and criminal charges for his free expression.

Such restrictions on activists, human rights defenders, opposition figures, and religious leaders constitute clear violations of the right to freedom of speech, expression, assembly, and movement.

Stifling civil society, dissolving legitimate peaceful political opposition groups, imprisoning activists for peaceful speeches, sentencing individuals who call for human rights, and passing vague and broad laws to suppress free speech and expression does not signify progress for Bahrain.

We, in the Bahraini human rights community, remain deeply concerned with the human rights situation in Bahrain. We call on the Government of Bahrain to take active steps to overturn the repressive measure taken this summer. We call for the release of all activists and prisoners of conscience and demand the Bahraini government hold all human rights violators accountable.

Today we stand in solidarity with all those in Bahrain who continue to call for human rights and dignity for all in Bahrain.

Signed,

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights

Al Wefaq Chief Ali Salman Unfair 9-Year Sentence Upheld

Sayed Alwadaei — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:08:43 +0000

12 December 2016 – An appeals court today upheld the arbitrary 9-year sentence against opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman following an extended and flawed re-trial. The Bahraini government ordered a retrial of the leader of Al-Wefaq in October, but these free expression-related convictions upheld today reflect Bahrain’s continued failure to adhere to international standards of human rights. It comes days after the UK Prime Minister, UK Foreign Secretary and US Defence Secretary were in Bahrain for security talks. We, the undersigned, condemn Sheikh Ali Salman’s imprisonment on politically motivated charges related to free expression and call for his immediate release.

Sheikh Ali Salman is the leader of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the largest political group in the country. He was arrested in December 2014 and in June 2015, a criminal court sentenced him to four years in prison on a litany of charges including inciting hatred against the regime. In his initial trial, the court acquitted him on the more serious charge of inciting revolution.

The prosecution appealed his acquittal, and on 30 May 2016 the higher appeals court changed its previous decision, convicting him of inciting revolution and increasing his sentence to nine years. Specifically, the court sentenced him to 7 years on the three charges of “inciting change of the regime,” “inciting hatred against a sector of society,” “inciting criminal activities,” and sentenced him to 2 years on a fourth charge of “insulting a statutory body.” This decision came on the day former Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond visited Bahrain and met with the country’s King, where he publicly praised Bahrain’s”commitment to continuing reforms”. The Court of Cassation ordered today’s retrial of the appeal in October 2016, which reconfirmed the May 2016 judgement.

The United Nation Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared Sheikh Salman was arbitrarily detained by the Bahraini government. The decision, which cites both free expression and due process concerns, requests that the Bahraini government release Sheikh Salman immediately, and provide him with an enforceable right to compensation against the government.

Al Wefaq is the largest political party in the country and won over 60% of the vote in the 2010 General Election, winning 18 of 40 seats, and which was recently dissolved by the Bahraini government. Al Wefaq’s 18 MPs resigned from the largely powerless National Assembly in protest of the Bahraini government’s violent response to Arab Spring protests in 2011, and subsequently participated in reconciliation dialogues with the government. However, these dialogues collapsed in 2014, and Al Wefaq’s opposition bloc chose to boycott that year’s general election, the first after the Arab Spring. Sheikh Ali Salman’s arrest came just a month after the November 2014 elections.

The Bahraini Ministry of Justice ordered the dissolution of Al-Wefaq following court proceedings in June 2016. The society’s accounts have been frozen and physical property repossessed. In September, the government announced it would liquidate Al-Wefaq’s property at auction, but has yet to carry out these measures.

In addition to Al-Wefaq and Sheikh Ali Salman, the Bahraini government has targeted additional opposition political figures and societies. Fadhel Abbas, the Secretary-General of Al-Wahdawi, is serving a 3-year prison sentence for calling the Saudi war in Yemen, in which Bahrain is a belligerent, unconstitutional. The National Democratic Action Society – Wa’ad – has been under threat, with their leader banned from travel and repeatedly subject to police questioning in the past year. Ebrahim Sharif, the former Secretary General of Wa’ad, served 4 years in prison following his arrest, torture and prosecution by military court in 2011; he served another year in prison after he called for sustained peaceful opposition in July 2015, and was charged again in November 2015 after he criticised Prince Charles of the United Kingdom’s visit to Bahrain. These latest charges were dropped following pressure from the United Kingdom.

The government has subjected major political leaders to repeated judicial harassment since before 2011. Among those currently imprisoned are most members of the “Bahrain 13” – a group of high-profile political leaders and activists, including Hassan Mushaima, leader of the Haq Movement. Like Ebrahim Sharif, an original member of the Bahrain 13, authorities arrested, tortured, and prosecuted these activists on politically-motivated charges. A military court convicted the Bahrain 13 in 2011, and a civil appeals courts upheld the sentences in 2012.

International Context

The court’s decision to sentence Sheikh Ali Salman to 9 years in prison comes days after two major security conferences held in Bahrain. Last week, UK Prime Minister Theresa May was in Bahrain for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders Summit. She did not raise human rights concerns in her speech, instead telling GCC leaders: “I want to leave no-one in any doubt about the scale of my ambition or the extent of my determination to establish the strongest possible trading relationships between the UK and the Gulf.”

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was also in Bahrain for a separate security forum, the Manama Dialogue, during which he declared that “Britain is back from East of Suez”, alluding to the UK’s colonial past in Bahrain. He also failed to address human rights.

Additionally, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter also travelled to the Manama Dialogue and met with Bahrain’s King Hamad last week. While the US has previously called for Sheikh Ali Salman’s release, the Secretary of Defense does not appear to have raised the case during his visit.

The Bahraini government is empowered by its allies’ continued silence in the face of escalating repression. The penal code criminalises free expression by setting punishments for, among other ‘crimes’, “insulting statutory bodies”, “insulting the King” and “insulting the flag of Bahrain” – legislation that the authorities have used to restrict nearly all independent activities relating to politics, civil society, and human rights.

NGO Condemnation

Bahrain has violated Sheikh Ali Salman’s freedom from arbitrary detention, right to a fair trial, and right to political participation, as defined under articles 2, 9 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and articles 9, 14, 25 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

We, the undersigned, condemn this upheld sentence and call on Bahrain to:

Release Sheikh Ali Salman immediately, dropping all charges
Reverse the decision to dissolve Al-Wefaq
Halt the harassment of political and civil society figures in Bahrain
Release all political prisoners

We call on Bahrain’s allies, the United Kingdom and United States to:

Condemn Sheikh Ali Salman’s unfair trial and call for his release
Call for the release of all political prisoners
Use political leverage to the benefit of human rights in Bahrain

Signed,

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights

NGOs urge Obama Administration to address Human Rights at Manama Dialogue

Sayed Alwadaei — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 14:22:10 +0000

9 December 2016 – NGOs yesterday sent a letter today to President Obama, calling on his administration to address human rights violations with Bahraini officials during the Manama Dialogue this weekend. Please see the text of the letter below.

8 December 2016

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

This month, U.S. officials will participate in your administration’s final Manama Dialogue to discuss security challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa. In Bahrain, systematic repression of human rights has only served to erode domestic stability and regional security. We urge you to seize this critical and final opportunity to publicly address the United States’ key concerns regarding human rights and stability in Bahrain.

In May 2011, following the violent suppression of the pro-democracy uprising in Bahrain, you stated: “The only way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can’t have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail.”

Yet, major political opposition societies have been silenced by the Bahraini government and almost all major political opposition leaders are in prison. Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman of the largest opposition society, Al Wefaq, is currently sentenced to four years in prison for giving peaceful speeches. The government has since dissolved Al Wefaq, a move that your administration has cited as “not consistent with [Bahrain’s] commitment to… pursuing unfulfilled reforms.” Another political prisoner of conscience, Fadhel Abbas Mahdi Mohamed, former leader of the Al Wahdawi opposition society, has been sentenced to three years in prison for his society’s peaceful criticism of the war in Yemen. Additionally, the government has recently put an arbitrary travel ban on Radhi al-Musawi, the current Secretary General of another major opposition society, Wa’ad National Democratic Action Society.

Bahraini authorities have also attempted to silence civil society. Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and a prominent human rights defender, has been arrested for critical tweets and now faces charges that could lead to 15 years in prison. Ghada Jamsheer, president of the Women’s Petition Committee, is also in jail for tweeting about corruption. Bahrain recently began targeting human rights lawyers like Mohamed al-Tajer with criminal charges in relation to peaceful expression. In addition, the Bahraini government has targeted a number of Shia religious clerics and, more broadly, placed travel bans on a wide number of civil society activists, including medics, journalists, lawyers, unionists, and human rights advocates working in non-governmental organizations.

Mr. President, as your administration comes to a close, we urge you to use this year’s Manama Dialogue to publicly and privately recognize the role of recent heightened repression in undermining US and regional security. We call on the Government of Bahrain to urgently reverse course and fully implement the reforms it committed to in 2011 in line with international human rights standards.

Sincerely,

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
Amnesty International USA
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR)
Human Rights First (HRF)
Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Bahraini Opposition Activist Fadhel Abbas Sentenced to Three Years in Prison on Appeal

Sayed Alwadaei — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:37:32 +0000

27 October 2016 – The Government of Bahrain yesterday decreased the sentence of Fadhel Abbas, former Secretary-General of the al-Wahdawi Political Society. Courts originally sentenced Abbas to five years in prison, following a June 2015 conviction on charges violating Abbas’ right to free expression. However, following his appeal, a court has now reduced Abbas’ sentence from five years to three years in prison.

We, the undersigned, condemn the imprisonment of Fadhel Abbas for exercising his right to free expression and call on the Government of Bahrain to ensure his immediate release.

On 26 March 2015, the Government of Bahrain arrested Abbas for public statements made by the al-Wahdawi Political Society condemning the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen. Authorities claimed that such statements “attempted to exploit the situation through division.” Abbas’ trial before the High Criminal Court commenced on 27 April 2015, and the court issued its final verdict on 28 June 2015, sentencing Abbas to five years in prison on charges of “spreading false information.” Abbas appealed the sentence, and his first appellate trial took place on 11 October 2015. The authorities did not allow him to be present.

“The Bahraini government’s decision to arrest and imprison Fadhel Abbas for public statements about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a clear violation of his rights to freedom of speech,” said ADHRB Executive Director Husain Abdulla. “The peaceful expression of criticism or political opinion is a criminal act in Bahrain, and the authorities continue to demonstrate that they will systematically target anyone who speaks out against government abuses.”

Abbas is just one of many political activists, human rights defenders, and religious leaders prosecuted by the Government of Bahrain for voicing their opinion. In June 2016, Bahraini authorities arrested human rights defender and president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab for tweets. Authorities charged Rajab with “disseminating false rumors in a time of war,” “insulting a neighboring country,” and “insulting a statutory body” under articles 133, 215 and 216 of the penal code. The charges, which could garner a 15-year prison sentence, stem from tweets in which he criticized the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen and documented systematic torture in Bahrain’s Jau Prison. After the New York Times published an editorial by Rajab in September, the authorities brought an additional charge of “undermining the prestige of the state” that could add another year to Rajab’s sentence. Rajab’s next hearing will be on 31 October 2016, when the court could sentence him to up to 15 years in prison.

The Government of Bahrain has also prosecuted the leaders of other political societies on charges related to free expression. In December 2014, Bahraini authorities arrested Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the now-dissolved Al-Wefaq Political Society, for delivering speeches in which he peacefully criticized the government. Courts originally sentenced Sheikh Ali Salman to four years in prison. However, in May 2016, following the prosecution’s appeal, judges reversed Sheikh Ali Salman’s previous acquittal on a charge of attempting to “overthrow” the government. Finding him guilty on the previously-acquitted charge, the court increased his total prison sentence to nine years. On 17 October, the Court of Cassation ordered a retrial for Sheikh Ali Salman on the same charges. Over the summer 2016, the Government of Bahrain closed Al-Wefaq Political Society and auctioned off the organization’s assets.

Bahraini authorities have also targeted former Secretary-General of Waad Political Society, Ebrahim Sharif. Authorities have repeatedly arrested Sharif on charges that violate his right to free expression. Most recently, Bahraini officials arrested Sharif on 12 July 2015 for charges related solely to a speech in which he peacefully criticized the government. A court sentenced him to one year in prison. That arrest came just three weeks after Sharif had served time for a previous sentence stemming from his involvement in the 2011 pro-democracy movement. Though Sharif completed his one-year term and is now out of prison, the prosecution is reportedly seeking to appeal in order to increase the original sentence, in a move mirroring the increased sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman. Sharif’s next hearing is scheduled for 7 November 2016.

The charges against Fadhel Abbas, Nabeel Rajab, Sheikh Ali Salman, and Ebrahim Sharif violate their rights to free expression under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty to which Bahrain acceded in 2006. Under Article 19 of the ICCPR, “everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression… regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of [their] choice.” Additionally, Recommendation 1722(h) of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), whose proposed reforms King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa claims have been fully implemented, calls on the Government of Bahrain to drop charges and commute sentences of all persons convicted of crimes related to free speech. On the contrary, the government continues to punish activists and human rights defenders for exercising their basic human rights to free expression, assembly, and association.

The undersigned organizations call on the Government of Bahrain to:

Immediately release Fadhel Abbas, Nabeel Rajab, and Sheikh Ali Salman, and drop all charges against them, as they violate the right to freedom of expression;
End the judicial harassment of Ebrahim Sharif for charges that violate his rights to freedom of expression;
Release all prisoners of conscience who are currently imprisoned for charges related to their free expression, assembly, and association.

Signed,

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)

Bahrain Institute for Rights & Democracy (BIRD)

European Center for Democracy & Human Rights (ECDHR)

Bahraini Court of Appeal Increases the Sentence of Al-Wefaq’s Sheikh Ali Salman to Nine Years in Prison

Sayed Alwadaei — Mon, 30 May 2016 11:55:39 +0000

Manama – 30 May 2016, the Bahraini Court of Appeal toughened the sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, to nine years in prison, instead of originally a four years’ imprisonment sentence. The court convicted him of “attempting to overthrow the regime”, the same charge from which he was previously acquitted.

We, the undersigned NGOs, strongly condemn the Government of Bahrain’s increasing Sheikh Ali Salman’s sentence – over free expression related charges – in a trial that lacked due process. We express grave concern over the authorities’ continued prosecution and targeting of the country’s political opposition figures, which undermine efforts exerted by these figures to democratize Bahrain.

Sheikh Ali Salman is the Secretary-General of the largest legally permitted political society in Bahrain, Al-Wefaq. On 28 December 2014, Bahraini security forces arrested Sheikh Ali Salman, just two days after his re-election as the society’s Secretary General – when he delivered a speech calling for reforms in the country’s political system.

Six months later, on 16 June 2015, the Criminal Court sentenced Sheikh Ali Salman to four years in prison for “publicly inciting hatred, inciting civil disobedience of the law, and insulting public institutions” in his speeches and acquitted him of “attempting to overthrow the regime”. Although the main evidence on which the court based the conviction was Sheikh Ali Salman’s speeches, the judge refused the defense team’s request to present supporting evidence, including the recordings of the very speeches he was prosecuted over.

Today, nearly one year later, the Court of Appeal has not only upheld the four-year imprisonment sentence of Sheikh Ali Salman, but it has also further punished him for “attempting to overthrow the regime” – the charge which the criminal court had previously acquitted him of. Regardless of clear and persistent evidence, demonstrating Sheikh Ali Salman’s peacefulness in action and in speeches, the Government of Bahrain has chosen to escalate its action against him, and extend his sentence. He is now continuing to serve this sentence in Bahrain’s Central Prison at Jau.

The Bahraini Government’s actions are a clear indication of its total disregard for the potential implementation of real political reforms, and for engagement with other political societies and figures in any form of dialogue. The authorities targeting of opposition political figures and their societies appears to be a part of its determined policy to further stifle the opposition, and maintain the status quo for its own agenda.

In September 2015, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared that Sheikh Ali Salman had been arbitrarily detained by the Government of Bahrain. The decision, which cites both free expression and due process concerns, requests that the Bahraini government release Sheikh Salman immediately, and provide him with an enforceable right to compensation against the government.

Sheikh Ali Salman is one of three opposition political societies’ Secretary Generals currently in detention over charges in violation of their right to freedom of expression. Fadhel Abbas, the Secretary General of the Democratic Unity Gathering Society (Al-Wahdawi), was sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing the killing of civilians in the war on Yemen. On 12 July 2015, Ebrahim Sherif, former Secretary-General of Wa’ad Society, was re-arrested shortly after his release following five years in prison. This second arrest was due to a speech he delivered at a public event, in which he mentioned the authorities were committing human rights violations, and called for political reform.

The government of Bahrain’s prosecution, sentencing, and detention of prominent Bahraini political figures is in direct violation of international human right conventions, to which Bahrain is a signatory. These include the right to freedom of expression and to freedom of association, as set forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Article 19 and Article 22.

We call on the government of Bahrain to:

Reverse the sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman and release him immediately, and unconditionally;
Cease targeting Sheikh Ali Salman and other political activists in Bahrain, and guarantee their freedom of expression; and
Ensure that political societies and activists are able to conduct their work in a safe and enabling environment, without fear of reprisal.

Signatories,

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)

European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

Justice Human Rights Organization (JHRO)

Construction begins at Royal Navy Bahrain base despite rights controversies

Sayed Alwadaei — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 01:00:50 +0000

31 October 2015 – Construction began today on Britain’s new Royal Navy base in Bahrain, despite ongoing controversies.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa were pictured today ceremonially digging spades into the ground at the site of the new base. Bahrain is spending £15m constructing the base, with the British expected only to pay running costs.

The Foreign Office’s press release states: “The beginning of construction work at Mina Salman Port marks a watershed moment in the UK’s commitment to the region.”

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy: “All the British government’s policies show is a commitment to military expansion at the cost of human rights. Bahrain continues to systimcally arbitrarily arrest, torture and silence any critic of the government. This new base is totally inappropriate.”

Since the announcement of the new base in December 2014, Bahrain arrested political leaders Sheikh Ali Salman, Fadhel Abbas and Ebrahim Sharif and sentenced each for the exercise of their free speech. Courts have also sentenced six to death in the last year, despite credible allegations of torture and fabricated evidence. A prison riot in March 2015 led to the collective punishment and torture of hundreds of inmates.

The new base has not gone uncontested in Britain. In September, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised the UK’s “uncritical” support of Bahrain. He said that “it does not help our national security” to “give such fawning and uncritical support to regimes like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain who abuse their own citizens and repress democratic movements.”

The new Royal Navy base in Bahrain, announced by Mr Hammond at the Manama Dialogue last year, was an immediate source of controversy. Fifty-six Members of Parliament criticised the news in an Early Day Motion, Lead by Mr Corbyn.

Champions for Justice: Bahrain’s Imprisoned Politicians

Sayed Alwadaei — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 14:30:31 +0000

Last year marked the first general elections to be held in Bahrain since the pro-democracy uprising of 2011. Since the election, which has been named amongst the worst elections in 2014 alongside those in Syria and Afghanistan, the Government of Bahrain has infringed on the freedoms of political opposition societies across the political spectrum. Al-Wefaq, the largest political society in Bahrain who boycotted the election, was the first to see high-profile arrests and trials on charges related to free expression. The government soon placed other societies, including the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad) and Democratic Unity Gathering Society (al-Wahdawi), under similar pressures.

This month, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) call attention to leaders of the political opposition imprisoned in the past year. Their situations remain significant: Bahrain cannot reasonably claim to have instituted reforms or conducted a national reconciliation dialogue when leaders from the political opposition are imprisoned.

Ebrahim Sharif is the former Secretary-General of the secular nationalist party Wa’ad. He is a member of the “Bahrain 13”, a group of political prisoners arrested in relation to their activities during 2011’s democratic movement. In June 2011, a military court sentenced Sharif to five years imprisonment, despite evidence that he was tortured in detention. A civilian appeals court upheld the sentence in 2012. In June 2015, Sharif was released on a royal pardon near the end of his prison term, when he was already eligible for parole. However, he was rearrested just 19 days later, on 13 July, following a speech he gave after his release from prison. In the speech, he stated: “We are for democracy, we are for a constitution which gives wide authorities to the parliament, we are for a government elected by the parliament, we want a constitutional monarchy.” The Public Prosecution has charged him with “inciting violence” and “promoting overthrow of the government.” His next trial hearing is on 12 October 2015.

Fadhel Abbas served as the Secretary-General of the Democratic Unity Gathering Society (al-Wahdawi) prior to his arrest on charges related to freedom of expression. On 26 March 2015, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) announced that Bahrain would be joining Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in conducting air strikes in Yemen. On the same day, the MOI warned that it would take steps against anyone expressing opinions “against the approach that Bahrain has taken.” The MOI arrested Abbas later that day in relation to a statement that al-Wahdawi published on Twitter calling Bahrain’s involvement in the war unconstitutional. , After Abbas’s arrest, the MOI undertook steps to dissolve al-Wahdawi on the grounds that it had been “undermining national security.” On 28 June 2015, Bahrain’s criminal court sentenced Abbas to five years in prison for “spreading false information that could harm the military operations of Bahrain and its allies” in Yemen. Abbas is currently serving his sentence in Jau Prison. His next appeal court hearing is 10 October 2015.

Sheikh Ali Salman is the Secretary-General of al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest licensed political society. Salman was an opposition leader at the forefront of the national dialogues between 2011 and 2014, during which he has consistently called for a stronger parliament and the release of political prisoners, while emphasizing that peaceful resistance is the only means to achieving reform in Bahrain. On 28 December 2014, officers arrested Sheikh Salman after summoning him for questioning. After more than two weeks in detention without being formally charged with a crime, the Public Prosecution charged him with inciting hatred, civil disobedience and promoting overthrow of the government, in addition to a litany of other charges. A Human Rights Watch study of Salman’s public speeches in question found no basis for the charges. On 16 June 2015, a criminal court sentenced him to four years in prison. His next appeal court hearing is 14 September 2015.

Sheikh Salman is not the only member of al-Wefaq to be targeted by the government. In August, police arrested al-Wefaq member and former Member of Parliament (MP) Sheikh Hasan Isa on his return from a foreign trip and he remains in police custody. In January, ex-MP Sayed Jameel Kadhem received a six-month sentence for disturbing the general elections after he accused the government of attempting to bribe candidates. Majeed Milad, the former elected president of the Manama Capital Municipal Council, a board member of al-Wefaq, and a key member of the 2013 National Dialogue, was detained on 1 July and has been put on trial for “inciting disobedience of the law,” for calling for peaceful protests. His trial resumes on 13 September.

BIRD, ADHRB and BCHR remind the Government of Bahrain that democracy cannot be achieved if political criticism is treated as a criminal act. In highlighting the cases of these three political leaders, we also remember all other prisoners of conscience in Bahrain sentenced on charges related to the exercise of their free speech and association. Freedom of expression, along with the rights to self-determination and political participation, is guaranteed under Articles 1, 19, 22 and 25 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bahrain acceded in 2006.

We call on the Government of Bahrain to honour the provisions of the ICCPR and respect its citizens’ right to freedom of speech, association, and political participation, by immediately releasing all persons charged or sentenced on politically-motivated charges and decriminalizing criticism and free speech.

NGOs Condemn Arrest of Former al-Wefaq MP Sheikh Hasan Isa

Sayed Alwadaei — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:03:33 +0000

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) express concern over the recent arrest of Sheikh Hasan Isa, a prominent member of the opposition political group al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. His arrest is the latest in a series of such detentions undertaken by the government against opposition political figures. We condemn this arrest as both yet another act of suppression of free speech and a further attack against peaceful political opposition. We therefore call on the government to lift all restrictions against the legitimate and peaceable work of all political societies in Bahrain.

On 18 August 2015, government security forces arrested Sheikh Hasan Isa as he returned from vacation with his family. A former member of parliament for al-Wefaq National Islamic Society representing Sitra, Sheikh Hasan resigned his parliamentary position following a government assault on peaceful protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in February 2011, but maintained active membership in the political society. Upon his arrest, security forces transported him to the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID), a facility run by the Ministry of Interior known for human rights violations including substantial numbers of cases of reported torture. They held him there without charge for over 48 hours in direct violation of Bahraini domestic criminal law. Sheikh Hasan’s family has not been informed of the reason for his arrest, and the government has thus far denied Sheikh Hasan access to his attorney.

Sheikh Hasan Isa’s arrest is the latest in a campaign of government attacks against Bahrain’s peaceful opposition. The Government of Bahrain has also arrested and prosecuted other prominent political opposition figures, including al-Wefaq Society’s Secretary-General, Shaikh Ali Salman, who was recently sentenced to four years in prison for acts of peaceful speech; former Secretary-General of Wa’ad political society Ebrahim Sherif, who was re-arrested for exercising free speech and criticizing the government; Secretary-General of the Democratic Unity Gathering Society Fadhel Abbas, who was sentenced to five years in prison over a statement in which his society condemned the war in Yemen; and al-Wefaq’s General Secretariat member Majeed Milad, who was arrested for a speech in which he demanded fair electoral districts, a democratic State, and self-determination for the people. The government has also summoned other political leaders for interrogation over similar accusations, chiefly including al-Wefaq General-Secretary’s Political Assistant Khalil Marzooq.

BCHR, ADHRB, and BIRD believe that the arrest of Sheikh Hasan Isa is in contravention of international legal protections, including his right not to be deprived arbitrarily of liberty as set forth in Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 17 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Based on the above, BCHR, ADHRB, and BIRD urge the Bahraini government to:

Immediately release and drop all charges against Sheikh Hasan Isa, and all other prisoners of conscience detained on charges of free expression;
Take concrete steps towards resuming a national dialogue, including the release of all members of the Bahrain 13, other prominent opposition leaders including Sheikh Ali Salman, and human rights defenders like Naji Fateel; and
Cease all reprisals taken against individuals peacefully exercising their right to free expression as guaranteed by Articles 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On the United Nations and its Member States to:

Publicly call on the Government of Bahrain to unconditionally release and drop all charges against Sheikh Hasan Isa;
Pressure the Government of Bahrain to end all harassment of political opposition leaders and take concrete steps towards resuming national dialogue;
Adopt a resolution on Bahrain in the United Nations Human Rights Council, compelling the Government to urgently implement all recommendations made by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and Second Cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations;

On the United States to:

Reapply and immediately put into effect the recently lifted arms suspension on the Bahrain Defense Force and National Guard;

On the United Kingdom to:

Reassess the current program of assistance to the Government of Bahrain in light of the ongoing abuses;
List Bahrain as a Country of Concern in the next FCO Human Rights Report;

On the European Union to:

Condemn the re-arrest of Sheikh Hasan Isa and adopt the recommendations outlined in the European Parliament’s Urgent Resolution of 9 July 2015 on Bahrain.