Washington- September 7, 2010
Freedom House is deeply concerned about the ongoing crackdown against human rights activists, political opposition, and religious minorities in Bahrain leading up to the October parliamentary elections.
Yesterday’s arrest of leading pro-democracy blogger Ali Abdulemam comes amidst one of the harshest sectarian crackdowns by the Bahraini government in years. The repressive campaign has included censorship of the media, as well as the arrest and reported torture of political opposition and other human rights activists. Since early August, nearly 200 activists have been detained, many without access to family or legal counsel.
Washington- September 7, 2010
Freedom House is deeply concerned about the ongoing crackdown against human rights activists, political opposition, and religious minorities in Bahrain leading up to the October parliamentary elections.
Yesterday’s arrest of leading pro-democracy blogger Ali Abdulemam comes amidst one of the harshest sectarian crackdowns by the Bahraini government in years. The repressive campaign has included censorship of the media, as well as the arrest and reported torture of political opposition and other human rights activists. Since early August, nearly 200 activists have been detained, many without access to family or legal counsel.
“The government of Bahrain is blatantly quashing any opposition prior to the election in October and attempting to cover it up by muzzling the media,” said Paula Schriefer, acting executive director at Freedom House. “Freedom House demands the Bahraini government release Ali Abdulemam and all other the detainees immediately, without further harm.”
Yesterday, it was reported that authorities had arrested Abdulemam on charges of spreading “false news” on BahrainOnline.org portal, one of the most popular pro-democracy outlets in Bahrain. The portal, along with other opposition sites, is censored in Bahrain and journalists have been banned from reporting on the recent detentions. Many of the detainees have reportedly been tortured, including leader of the Shiite opposition party Haq, Abdeljalil Al-Singace. Al-Singace was charged over the weekend, along with dozens of others, with attempting to overthrow the government.
Parliamentary elections in Bahrain are scheduled for October 23, 2010. The al-Khalifa family, which belongs to Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim minority, has ruled the Shiite-majority country for more than two centuries. Shiites are underrepresented in government and face various forms of discrimination. After a slight opening of the political climate in 2006, when opposition members participated in parliamentary elections for the first time, fear of growing Shiite political power has increased tensions between the Shiites and the ruling Sunni minority over the last few years, sparking periodic government crackdowns.
Bahrain is ranked Not Free in Freedom in the World 2010, Freedom House’s survey of political rights and civil liberties, and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2010.
For more information on Bahrain, visit:
Freedom in the World 2010: Bahrain
Freedom of the Press 2010: Bahrain
Countries at the Crossroads 2010: Bahrain
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.