By Geoffrey bew
Published: 20th December 2007
AN international organisation has backed calls for legal proceedings against a Bahrain human rights activist to be dropped. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights president Mohammed Al Maskati was summoned to the Lower Criminal Court earlier this month to answer charges of “activating an unregistered association before issuing the declaration of registration”.
By Geoffrey bew
Published: 20th December 2007
AN international organisation has backed calls for legal proceedings against a Bahrain human rights activist to be dropped. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights president Mohammed Al Maskati was summoned to the Lower Criminal Court earlier this month to answer charges of “activating an unregistered association before issuing the declaration of registration”.
The 1987 Law of Organisations criminalises the formation of any group without the approval of authorities and the Social Development Ministry is said to have been requesting them to stop their activities or face prosecution.
Local activists claimed the ministry’s actions were contrary to the Bahrain government signing of the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights.
Mr Al Maskati’s case was adjourned until January 21 and, if found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a BD500 fine.
Now the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture and the International Federation for Human Rights, has called for urgent intervention in the situation.
It has urged the authorities to end its judicial action against Mr Al Maskati and ensure all members of his society are able to carry out their work freely.
A statement from the organisation said the legal proceedings “illustrate a determination to control and silence independent organisations and to limit the presence of non-government organisations (NGOs) in Bahrain”.
The world’s largest coalition of NGOs has called for people to write to the country’s leadership demanding action.
The youth society won praise earlier this for its campaign to teach villagers how to prevent violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
It also launched an investigation to expose the perpetrators of websites offering sex to customers in Bahrain and the Gulf.
The society was created as a spin-off from the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, which the government disbanded in 2004 for allegedly breaching the societies law.
geoff@gdn.com.bh
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? Gulf Daily News