• Changing the charges relating to communication with foreign bodies and organizations
• Increase in arrests, including arrest of young children
• Closure of more opposition websites
• Prevention of human rights activist from leaving the country to participate in the Bahrain event at the Human Rights Council in Geneva
19 September 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its deep concern at the continuous and rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain; with the increase in arbitrary arrests, including children aged no more than 10 years of age, and late night raids. Detainees continue to be held in secret and isolated locations and are still prohibited from seeing their families and lawyers. The BCHR believes that questions should be raised as to the intentions behind the changes in the phrasing of the charges put against the detained political and human rights activists, as well as the continued official global media campaign on the supposed ‘terrorist network’ as a means of justifying their repression against innocent civilians.
On Saturday the 18th of September 2010, Layla Dashti a human rights activist, was prevented from leaving the country whilst heading to Geneva to participate in meeting on the Bahraini situation in the United Nations Human Rights Council.
• Changing the charges relating to communication with foreign bodies and organizations
• Increase in arrests, including arrest of young children
• Closure of more opposition websites
• Prevention of human rights activist from leaving the country to participate in the Bahrain event at the Human Rights Council in Geneva
19 September 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its deep concern at the continuous and rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain; with the increase in arbitrary arrests, including children aged no more than 10 years of age, and late night raids. Detainees continue to be held in secret and isolated locations and are still prohibited from seeing their families and lawyers. The BCHR believes that questions should be raised as to the intentions behind the changes in the phrasing of the charges put against the detained political and human rights activists, as well as the continued official global media campaign on the supposed ‘terrorist network’ as a means of justifying their repression against innocent civilians.
On Saturday the 18th of September 2010, Layla Dashti a human rights activist, was prevented from leaving the country whilst heading to Geneva to participate in meeting on the Bahraini situation in the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Continued Systematic Torture and Arbitrary Arrests
Persistent human rights violations are taking place as the security onslaught undertaken by the Bahraini authorities continues. One month on from the arrests, detainees are still prohibited from their basic rights as they are not allowed to see their lawyers or families. To add to that, there are reliable reports that the detainees are subjected to systematic torture.
On the 8th of September 2010, renowned blogger Ali Abdulemam was taken to the public attorney late at night with no lawyer present. This has raised fears that this is a deliberate attempt by the public prosecutor to hide the effects of torture, a ploy that has been previously used. The charges put forward to him by the public prosecutor were; establishing and maintaining an internet forum (Bahrainonline) which “spreads false news”[1], as well as receiving funding for the website from one of the opposition figures accused in the alleged terrorist network . The second accusation in particular raises many eyebrows as such websites require no more than $200 annually to run.
Last week the house of Hassan Mushaima – the General Secretary for the Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy – was raided only hours after his appearance on television where he was speaking about the current situation in Bahrain. His son Mohamed, 21 years of age, was arrested, revealing the extent of intolerance the authorities have when being criticized. Mohamed’s arrest is a clear attempt to blackmail his father. It is worth noting that Hassan Mushaima is currently in London receiving treatment for cancer.
The Attorney- General, Ali Fadhel Buainain[2], spoke last week to the Bahrain News Agency informing them of the detainees’ safety whilst emphasizing that there was no ill-treatment or torture , particularly singling out the case of Jaffar Al-Hesabi (a British citizen). This statement was released after great pressure from the British media and human rights groups. The lack of information or reference to the 200+ detainees (Bahraini nationals) currently being held is a clear statement from the authorities of their ruthlessness, and nothing has been done to reassure the families of those being held.
Changing the declared charges against detainees after they were published with the consent of the Ministry of Interior
The lack of substance to the charges against political activists, defenders of human rights and religious clerics in the so-called terrorist network is further confirmed by the constant change in the charges against its alleged members based on the reactions of local and international communities. On the 4th of September the media began reporting on the allegations as being based on “communication with third-party and providing false statements” and “contacts with foreign bodies and political parties abroad, urging them not to support the illegal group” and “coordination and organization of the leaders of the illegal group with international organizations and bodies”. After a wave of international criticism by various institutions and human rights organizations, the prosecution later issued a statement announcing the withdrawal of charges linking the alleged network to any foreign parties. It instead rephrased[3] the charges accusing its members of attempting to set up an organization which aims to overthrow the government and carry out acts of sabotage and destruction and raise funds for terrorist organizations .
The center believes that the retreat from some of the charges related to links with the outside or changing the charges against the detainees came after international pressures on the government. It is also based on the fact that the initial charges are tantamount to incriminating the exercise of basic rights, and that such exercise is part of human rights and in line with international standards which allow the documentation of local violations of human rights and submitting them to the international organizations and mechanisms in relation to human rights. The repeated changing of charges and the images of the accused also indicate the lack of credibility of the case as a whole, its fragility and the baseless charges directed against activists and human rights defenders.
Arrests have continued unabated since the beginning of the campaign and exceeded the 250 arrests documented by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. The Center believes that there are other detainees whose cases have not been documented due to the state of fear which the citizens suffer from and their reluctance to resort to human rights bodies and the closure of public news sources such as websites which are sources for information. Among the detainees, two children from Al-Dair village; Mohammed Ali, 10 years who is in fifth grade, and Aymen Jaffer, 11 years, who were both arrested on 31st August.
Mohamed Ali, 10 years old
Most of the detained were attacked and severely beaten at the time of their arrest. An example of that was when several young youths who were in a small farm in the village of Bani Jamra got arrested. Amongst these detained youths was Mohamed Jafar Mohamed from Bani Jamra, whose baseball cap was found at the location of arrest, surrounded by blood. The whereabouts and condition of the youths is still unknown.
On the left, Mohamed Jafar Mohamed, and on the right is his cap surrounded by blood located at the place of arrest.
Whilst arrests are ongoing, there has also been an increase in kidnapping cases in several areas across the kingdom. Those kidnapped are reportedly sexually harassed, stripped of their clothes, photographed naked, and tortured. The BCHR will disclose no further information with regards to these abductions and urges any person who is abducted and abused to report these violations to us along with any evidence such as images or documents.
Elsewhere, security services published reports on Tuesday 14th of September detailing an alleged act of terrorism where four parked cars were deliberately set ablaze outside a residential building belonging to security personnel in Hamad Town. On the same day, local media published pictures of new defendants as part of another ‘terrorist network’ that allegedly plotted to detonate several explosive devices across the country during the days of Eid. The Bahraini authorities are clearly attempting to exaggerate the current state of affairs across the country in a desperate attempt to make it appear that the country is under terrorist attack, and hence justifying the hundred of arrests that have taken place in the past month.
Whilst rejecting the use of violence in all forms, especially that which may endanger the safety of others and damaging public and private property, the BCHR would like to make clear the obvious bias that exists within the information issued by the security services and media. There is clearly no neutral way of ensuring that the information provided by the security services is credible.
The BCHR would also like to point out that publishing pictures of detainees is a clear violation of the principle that the accused is always innocent until proven guilty.
More Closure of Websites
Concurrent with this campaign, the Bahraini authorities blocked more political websites, even those licensed by the government. The website of the opposition party Al-Wefaq, which is the biggest Shia opposition group with 17 of the 40 seats in the House of Representatives, was also blocked at a time that the party was preparing to launch its campaign for the upcoming elections. The Islamic Action Society’s, which is the second biggest Shia party in Bahrain, website remains blocked, along with Mr Abdul Wahab Hussein’s website, a leader of the opposition whose policies were targeted in this crackdown. The national publications of both Al-Wefaq and Islamic Action Societies have also been blocked.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights reiterates its call to the Government of Bahrain and the parties concerned, including associations, local and international organizations, to pressure the Bahraini authorities to commit to the following requests:
1. The immediate release of all activists and defenders of human rights, whose arrests are related to exercising their fundamental rights of freedom of expression, and their right to attend peaceful gathering. These are rights that are guaranteed to them by international law.
2. To immediately cease the psychological and physical torture of detainees; ensuring the detainees’ right to see their lawyer and family is fulfilled, whilst also investigating allegations of torture, and bringing perpetrators to justice.
3. The immediate cessation of the terrorism law, which goes against the international standards of human rights, as well as being rejected by the United Nations and other international organizations.
4. To stop the organized media campaign which incites hatred and drives the country towards sectarian tension.
5. To stop the publication of names and photographs of detainees in Bahraini newspapers, adhering to the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
6. For the local authorities to operate on the principle of equality, applying the law to all without exception, and providing the accused with the right to a fair trial.
7. To find a solution to the root of the problem, to address these problems accordingly to decrease the ever increasing tensions which currently exist, and to begin a process of political reform, finding viable solutions to outstanding legal files relating to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
8. To stop harassing human rights defenders and to provide these same defenders with the legal environment which allows them to freely conduct their activities in accordance to the Declaration of Private International Defenders of Human Rights.
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[1]bna.bhalwasatnews.com/2928[2] alwasatnews.com/2924[3]