His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P. O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, Kingdom of Bahrain
Fax: + 973 17668884
Re: Request to Allow International Travel for Chair person of CARAM Asia, Mr. Nabeel Rajab
Your Majesty,
We are urging you to allow the Chair Person of CARAM Asia, Mr. Nabeel Rajab, who is also the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) to travel internationally. We are also writing to express our grave concerned about the unfounded media accusations against Nabeel that linked him to a “terrorist network”.
CARAM Asia is a regional NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It is an open network of NGOs and CBOs, consisting of 38 members covering 18 countries in Asia and the Middle East. Nabeel Rajab was democratically elected last year by our membership of independent NGOs and CBOs from Asia as Chair of the organisation. As Chair of our regional network, he has to travel often to ensure the smooth operation of the network.
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P. O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, Kingdom of Bahrain
Fax: + 973 17668884
Re: Request to Allow International Travel for Chair person of CARAM Asia, Mr. Nabeel Rajab
Your Majesty,
We are urging you to allow the Chair Person of CARAM Asia, Mr. Nabeel Rajab, who is also the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) to travel internationally. We are also writing to express our grave concerned about the unfounded media accusations against Nabeel that linked him to a “terrorist network”.
CARAM Asia is a regional NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It is an open network of NGOs and CBOs, consisting of 38 members covering 18 countries in Asia and the Middle East. Nabeel Rajab was democratically elected last year by our membership of independent NGOs and CBOs from Asia as Chair of the organisation. As Chair of our regional network, he has to travel often to ensure the smooth operation of the network.
Nabeel Rajab, president of the BCHR, an independent group whose legal standing the government does not recognize, was stopped at the border on September 27, 2010, and told by authorities that he would not be allowed to cross. He had been on his way to a meeting in Saudi Arabia. On September 26, authorities prevented Abd al-Hadi al-Khawaja, the former president of the BCHR and the current Middle East and North Africa director for the international human rights organization Frontline, from boarding a plane at Bahrain International Airport.
Together with the Human Rights Watch, we also dismayed that the September 1 edition of the pro-government Bahraini daily Al Watan featured a lead article alleging that Nabeel Rajab and Abd al-Hadi Khawaja, the president and former president respectively of the BCHR, are linked to a “terrorist network” that the newspaper alleged had been responsible for attacking persons and property in Bahrain as well as plotting to carry out sabotage in the country. Accompanying this article, both on the front page and inside pages of Al Watan, is a graphic display with their photos as well as photos of other alleged participants in this network. The article further accuses Rajab and Khawaja of providing “false information” to “international organizations” to prompt interventions that harm Bahrain’s reputation – an evident reference to human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch. This crude and unfounded attack on Rajab and Khawaja is particularly distressing and according to a public letter written by Human Rights Watch, there is a prevailing climate of suspicion, of suspicion, prejudice, and anger generated by media attacks against human rights defenders in the country. (The letter by Human Rights Watch:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/09/03/letter-his-majesty-shaikh-hamad-bin-isa-al-khalifaregarding-torture-human-rights-ac)
Bahrain had acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), in 2006, which provides: “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.”
We believe that your majesty and the Kingdom of Bahrain are committed to respect and protect the human rights of all Bahrainis and urge you to rescind the travel ban against internationally recognised human rights defenders such as Nabeel Rajab and allow him to join our meetings outside of Bahrain.
CARAM Asia is not alone in its support of Mr. Rajab. Other prominent human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Frontline and International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) have all used our Chair reports as well as his commentary on human rights concerns within Bahrain.
We, the following organization and Individual endorse the statement:
1. NEPAL – NIDS (Nepal Institute of Development Studies)
2. BANGLADESH – OKUP ( Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program)
3. BANGALADESH – RIGHTS JESSORE
4. INDONESIA – SP ( Solidaritas Perempuan)
5. HONGKONG – ATKI ( Association of Indonesia Migrant Workers)
6. HONGKONG – PILAR ( United Indonesians Against Overcharging)
7. PHILIPPINES – Migrante International
8. JAPAN – JASA ( Japan AIDS & Society Association)
9. PAKISTAN – LHRLA (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid)
10. PAKISTAN – AMAL( Human Development Network)
11. BANGLADESH – IMA ( International Migrants Alliance)
12. SRI LANKA – HDO (Human Development Organization)
13. CAMBODIA – ( CARAM Cambodia)
14. Nepal – PUORAKHI
15. SRI LANKA – CDS ( Community Development Services)
16. MALAYSIA – TENAGANITA
17. MALAYSIA – CARAM Asia ( Coordination of Action Research on AIDS & Mobility)
18. HONGKONG – SJHIVCTR ( St.John’s Cathedral HIV Education Centre)
19. PHILIPPINES – DAWN (Development Action for Women Network)
20. HONGKONG – AMCB ( Asian Migrants Coordinating Body)
21. HONGKONG UNIFEL (United Filipinos)
22. SINGAPORE – HOME (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics)
23. BANGLADESH – BOMSA
24. THAILAND – RAKS THAI FOUNDATION
25. INDIA – DAWN