THE OBSERVATORY
for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
BHR 002 / 0509 / OBS 071
May 13, 2009
THE OBSERVATORY
for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
BHR 002 / 0509 / OBS 071
May 13, 2009
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Bahrain.
Brief description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) of the abduction and attack suffered by Mr. Jaafar Kadhim, who works for the Committee of Activists and Prisoners of Conscience.
According to the information received, on May 7, 2009 at 8.45 pm, while Mr. Jaafar Kadhim was driving close to the Jidhafs Medical Centre, west of the capital Manama, his car was stopped by two cars, and he was pulled from his car, his eyes were blind folded and he was taken for a 10-15 minutes by five or six men in plain clothes drive to an unknown area where he was severely beaten until he lost consciousness.
He regained consciousness in his car, covered in his blood. He managed to find his way to the nearby house of a friend, from where he was transferred to the hospital by ambulance. He was visited the next day by the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Bahraini press coverage of Mr. Jaafar Kadhim’s abuse has been limited to one article in the Al Wasat independent newspaper published on May 9, in which a spokesperson for the Director of the Northern Governorate Police stated that Mr. Jaafar Kadhim was a victim of robbery.
Mr. Jaafar Kadhim has worked for the Committee of Activists and Prisoners of Conscience since December 2007 and has helped to organise peaceful marches and protests for the rights of detainees. During 2007-2008, he hosted meetings for relatives of detainees with many visiting foreign journalist and international human rights organisations, including an Amnesty International delegation. Following these activities, he was arbitrarily arrested on February 4, 2009 by security forces and released, without charges, on February 9, 2009.
Since his release, Mr. Jaafar Kadhim has helped BCHR and Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) in documenting recent cases of torture and assisting families of 19 detainees, who have remained in prison despite the royal pardon issued on April 12, 2009, which allowed the release of 178 activists, including several human rights defenders.
Mr. Jaafar Kadhim is currently at Salmania Public Hospital where he is being treated for severe injuries in the head, the face and the back.
The Observatory is extremely concerned by the attack suffered by Mr. Jaafar Kadhim. The Observatory fears that Mr. Jaafar Kadhim was subjected to this attack because of his human rights activities, especially the rights of detainees and the documentation of torture cases. The Observatory urges the Bahraini authorities to carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into all the above-mentioned facts, in order to identify those responsible for the assault, and bring them in the shortest delays before a competent and impartial tribunal.
Actions requested :
Please write to the authorities of Bahrain urging them to :
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Jaafar Kadhim and all human rights defenders in Bahrain;
ii. Order an immediate, effective, thorough and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned assault against Mr. Jaafar Kadhim, the result of which must be made public, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a civil competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by the law;
iii. Ensure that adequate, effective and prompt reparation, including adequate compensation, proper medical care and rehabilitation, is granted to Mr. Jaafar Kadhim;
iv. Put an end to all acts harassment against human rights defenders in Bahrain;
v. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular its Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, Article 11, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to the lawful exercise of his or her occupation or profession”, as well as Article 12(1) that provides “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
vi. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Bahrain.
Addresses:
• Cheikh Hamad bin Issa AL KHALIFA , King of Bahrain, Fax : +973 176 64 587
• Cheikh Khaled Bin Ahmad AL KHALIFA, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tel : +973 172 27 555; fax : +973 172 12 6032
• Cheikh Khalid bin Ali AL KHALIFA, Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Tel : +973 175 31 333; fax : +973 175 31 284
• Permanent Mission of Bahrain to the United Nations in Geneva, 1 chemin Jacques-Attenville, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, CP 39, 1292 Chambésy, Switzerland. Fax: + 41 22 758 96 50. Email: info@bahrain-mission.ch
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Paris-Geneva, May 13, 2009
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
FIDH
International Federation for Human Rights
17, Passage de la Main d’Or
75 011 Paris, France
OMCT
World Organisation Against Torture
Case postale 21 – 8 rue du Vieux-Billard
1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland