Cairo in 13/9/2010
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists follows with deep concern and disturbance the Bahraini authorities’ torture of a number of activists, politicians, lawyers and some religious figures on the back drop of expressing their views, demanding for political reform and defending human rights. The human rights activists namely Abdul Galil Sincece, Sheikh Mohammed Habib Mekdad, Shaikh Saeed Noori, Abdul Ghani Al Haggar as well as Dr. Mohamed Saeed, a member of Bahrain Center, were subjected to very cruel and degrading physical and mental torture
Cairo in 13/9/2010
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists follows with deep concern and disturbance the Bahraini authorities’ torture of a number of activists, politicians, lawyers and some religious figures on the back drop of expressing their views, demanding for political reform and defending human rights. The human rights activists namely Abdul Galil Sincece, Sheikh Mohammed Habib Mekdad, Shaikh Saeed Noori, Abdul Ghani Al Haggar as well as Dr. Mohamed Saeed, a member of Bahrain Center, were subjected to very cruel and degrading physical and mental torture in violation with the provision of Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights concerning the right of integrated body. In addition to their placement in solitary confinement and their exposure to all forms of physical torture starting by beating, kicking, hanging by hands and feet to the deprivation of sleep, food and drink leaving clear signs of torture on their bodies which were neglected by the prosecution during the investigation. The security authorities tried to evade the crime of torture claiming that the activists had tried to flee and the security aborted the attempt!
Meanwhile, the Bahrain News Agency published the name and picture of the activist Nabeel Ragab, Chairman of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, on its website as a supporter of terrorism and shortly after the Agency dropped the news of the site, which confirms the existence of an official policy to distort the image and reputation of activists and the insistence to prosecute and intimidate them to prevent them from practicing their peaceful activities in violation with the terms and provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Defenders.
Moreover, the authorities imposed the state of emergency in the country, which led to the arrest of over two hundred people whom places are still unknown and are deprived from contacting any of their relatives or lawyers, which is a violation of the provisions of Article 14 of the same Covenant on the right of the detainee who shall immediately inform his relatives and defenders.
The Program believes that the acts of the Bahraini authorities are flagrant violation of all international conventions and international legal norms that aim at muzzling and intimidating activists and preventing any advocacy of democratic reform or defense of human rights in Bahrain.
Besides, the Program emphasizes that the events in Bahrain, followed closely by coordinators and correspondents of APHRA, are a major rebound of the official political discourse in the Kingdom which is completely different from reality. Furthermore, we stresses the full solidarity with our fellow activists in Bahrain and we regard what happened as a great crime that should not remain covered or bypassed, and we as activists shall work with all peaceful means to solidify with the activists and to release them unconditionally.
The Program calls upon the Kingdom of Bahrain to:
1. Release all detainees and human rights defenders and to guarantee the practice of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
2. Immediately halt all security prosecution and stop the siege on the Shiite villages.
3. Immediately open an urgent investigation on the circumstances of these crimes and to hold accountability to those responsible regardless of their positions and responsibilities.
4. Submit the criminals to trial and hold them accountable for what they have done.
Address the King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – Kingdom of Bahrain:
Fax: 0097358764176
Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Prime Minister)
Fax: 0097328391753
Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Tel: 0097355527172 – Fax: 0097360312172