Ali Abdulemam, one of our featured activists in the Political Prisoner Campaign, appeared in court on October 28th , nearly 2 months after his arrest on September 4th, 2010. These are proceedings that are counter to Bahraini law, which requires that prisoners be brought before a prosecutor within 15 days of arrest.
Clearly his imprisonment has violated law, and he is not the only one to receive such unjust treatment.
Ali Abdulemam, one of our featured activists in the Political Prisoner Campaign, appeared in court on October 28th , nearly 2 months after his arrest on September 4th, 2010. These are proceedings that are counter to Bahraini law, which requires that prisoners be brought before a prosecutor within 15 days of arrest.
Clearly his imprisonment has violated law, and he is not the only one to receive such unjust treatment. In September the Bahrain Ministry of Justice announced a crackdown on opposition groups: Bahrain Freedom Movement, Haq Movement, and Al-Wafa Islamic Movement. Ali was among some two dozen activists that were arrested in September that have only just now seen the inside of a courtroom, and according to trial observers, faced serious abuses while detained.
It is believed that the arrests were done in an attempt to silence the opposition prior to parliamentary elections. In response, the opposition groups have called for a boycott of the elections. The first round was held on October 23rd; the second round held one week later on the 30th. According to an article released by Change.org, the groups cited, “manipulation of election through votes cast by military service members and thousands of naturalized foreigners who live outside Bahrain,” the “legalization of dictatorship,” corruption and “the plundering of national treasury and lands” and “the absence of international and local monitoring.”
Ali Abdulemam, similar to the other detained opposition leaders, was arrested on allegations of disseminating false information, likely based on his pro-democracy publications on his blog: http://www.bahrainonline.org. He was held incommunicado for the first part of his arrest, also a violation of Bahraini law. During the series of trials, including his, on October 28th, there were many reports of torture and sexual abuse reported by those detained.
Ali and the other political prisoners in Bahrain face a second round of court hearings on November 11th. During that time, we must ensure that the judge allows detainees to:
-Be examined by a doctor to document any signs of torture;
-Be transferred to a different prison where the possibility of torture is less likely;
-Be able to contact their families and seek assistance of council; and
-Be granted the right to meet with their lawyers outside of the courtroom and in advance of their pending trial.
The World Youth Movement for Democracy and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights calls on its members and supporters of democracy throughout the world to contact the Bahraini embassy and urge them to release Ali and the other political prisoners. Contact your nearest Bahraini embassy (click here to email the Bahraini ambassador to the US) the Ministry of Justice, the king and the prime minister. It is critical that we act now so that our message is heard before the upcoming trial!
Please see sample letter to send to Bahraini authorities.
To read the full details on the trial by observer, Mohammed Al-Maskati, go to: http://humanrights.change.org/blog/view/interview_tortured_human_rights_activists_on_trial
To read the full background on Ali’s case, go to: http://www.wymdonline.org/Ali%20Abdulemam.html
More information , contact :
Mr.Mohammed Al-Maskati – President of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.
Cell Phone : +973 36 43 7088
Email : mohdmaskati@byshr.org, info@byshr.org