To the left: Head of National Security Apparatus Shaikh Khalifa Bin Abduallah – To the right: Mr. Abdul-Redha Mohammed
6 June 2010
A 64-year-old Bahraini human rights defender with heart condition, Mr. Abdul-Redha Mohammed, was prevented from leaving Bahrain to London on June 1st, 2010 to rejoin his children. Mr. Abdul-Redha was told by immigration officers at Bahrain Airport that he is under no travel ban, but he will not be able to proceed to his flight pending his reporting to the National Security apparatus (NSA).
To the left: Head of National Security Apparatus Shaikh Khalifa Bin Abduallah – To the right: Mr. Abdul-Redha Mohammed
6 June 2010
A 64-year-old Bahraini human rights defender with heart condition, Mr. Abdul-Redha Mohammed, was prevented from leaving Bahrain to London on June 1st, 2010 to rejoin his children. Mr. Abdul-Redha was told by immigration officers at Bahrain Airport that he is under no travel ban, but he will not be able to proceed to his flight pending his reporting to the National Security apparatus (NSA). Upon enquiry, the Ministry of Justice and the Chief Prosecutor Office have both told BCHR lawyer on June 2nd, 2010 that there is no official travel ban order against Mr. Abdul-Redha.
Over the last four months, Mr. Abdul-Redha has been under mounting pressure and constant movement surveillance by intelligence patrols as a means to acquiesce to a meeting with the Head of National Security apparatus, Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdulalh Al Khalife, at a place and time of the latter’s choosing. Other pressure and harassment tactics included threatening phone calls but most importantly the sacking of his brother Ali Mohammed from his duties as a consultant at the Ministry of Information.
On May 1st, 2010, secret agents dressed as civilians came to Mr. Abdul-Redha’s family house to seize him by force but he was not home. On May 12th, 2010, his brother Ali was summoned by the Security Minister, and was personally held responsible for not being able to persuade his brother Abdul-Redha to “cooperate” with the NSA. Two days later, Mr. Ali received a phone call from the Ministry of Information dismissing him from his duties there.
Background:
As a well-known political dissident in the early eighties, Mr. Abdul-Redha was targeted by the security authorities but managed to flee the country and escape arrest. However, his house was searched and members of his family were under continued harassment and reprisals in the years that followed, specially his wife (Rabab) who was subject to maltreatment and in one case was beaten on the head by a frying-pan. While in exile, Mr. Abdul-Redha was a co-founder and active member of the Committee to Defend Political Prisoners in Bahrain and later a co-founder and the Secretary General of the Denmark-based Bahrain Human Rights Organization. Since 2002, after the general amnesty in Bahrain Mr. Abdul-Redha has been visiting Bahrain regularly but continued to reside in Copenhagen. Since 2002 Mr. Abdul-Redha, has worked closely with the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights which, despite being officially banned in September 2004, remained active in Bahrain. Apparently, the authorities in Bahrain suspect Mr. Abdul-Redha of being behind BCHR activities at the international level.
Mr. Abdul-Redha told BCHR that the current situation has its antecedents in receiving numerous phone calls on behalf of the then Head of NSA, currently Head of National Security, to agree to meeting with them. About a year ago, the Head of NSA flew to Copenhagen to meet with Mr. Abdul-Redha in a futile attempt to buy him off through a bribery offer that will see him settling in Bahrain. Shocked and insulted, Mr. Abdul-Redha turned the offer down. Upon his most recent visit to his home country on February 5th, 2010, Mr. Abdul-Redha has been subjected to mounting pressure and severe and harassment for once again turning down the Security Minister’s offer of a private meeting at a private location at the upscale Amwaj Islands. Mr. Abdul-Redha remained unwavering in not accepting to meet with security officials in private, and that he would only agree to such meeting if it were in a public place or through an official summon should he be accused of any breach of law.
For more information please call:
Nabeel Rajab At +97339633399
Mr. Abdul-Redha Mohammed at +97339122020