against background of torture and intimidation
As the trial of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja enters its final stages before a military court Front Line is reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on the basis that he has been detained because of his legitimate exercise of the rights of freedom of association and freedom of expression. Front Line Executive Director Mary Lawlor attended the hearing.
against background of torture and intimidation
As the trial of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja enters its final stages before a military court Front Line is reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on the basis that he has been detained because of his legitimate exercise of the rights of freedom of association and freedom of expression. Front Line Executive Director Mary Lawlor attended the hearing.
Full Text of Press Release
01 June 2011 For Immediate Release
Bahrain – Show trial of prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja continues before military court against background of torture and intimidation
As the trial of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja enters its final stages before a military court Front Line is reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on the basis that he has been detained because of his legitimate exercise of the rights of freedom of association and freedom of expression.
Front Line’s Executive Director, Mary Lawlor, attended the trial in Manama today.
“Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja is an innocent man who has been imprisoned and brutally tortured. His “crime” is to call for equal justice and human rights for all the citizens of Bahrain. I was today denied the chance to testify on behalf of Abdulhadi and it is increasingly clear to me that the pretense of legal process in this trial is a sham”.
The Danish, Swedish, French, US and UK embassies observed the hearing as did the National Human Rights Commission and the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS). The trial was presided over by a judge in military uniform with 2 civilian judges who said nothing.
Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja has been held in detention in Bahrain since 9th April and has reportedly been subjected to torture which resulted in his requiring a 4 hour operation in a military hospital following injuries to his head. At a previous hearing the Judges refused to listen to his complaints of an attempted rape and refused again to order an investigation into the allegations of torture. There are also reports of at least four deaths in custody in the last 2 months amongst those detained by the Bahraini security forces.
Abdulhadi Al-khawaja, who until February 2011 was Regional Protection coordinator for the Middle East with Front Line, is currently on trial as part of a group of 21 individuals facing a variety of charges including ”organising and managing a terrorist organisation” and “attempt to overthrow the government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country”.
No credible evidence has been presented against him.
Front Line believes that these charges are politically motivated and considers his trial proceedings to fall grossly short of international fair trial standards. So far the defendants have been denied the right to present witnesses for the defence or to cross examine witnesses for the prosecution.
“While the recent promise of the King to “comprehensive serious dialogue on reforms — without preconditions” is welcome this promise lacks credibility given that similar promises have been made in the past without the commitment ever being honoured.. There can be little hope of a credible dialogue when human rights defenders are being held in incommunicado detention and tortured – when doctors and nurses who treated the wounded in hospital during the recent unrest have been arrested and ill treated and when prominent human rights defenders have either to go into hiding or run the risk of midnight raids on their home” said Ms Lawlor.
“The Government of Bahrain must honour its legal obligation to protect the human rights of all its citizens. They should start with the immediate release of all human rights defenders currently in detention and end the use of torture’, she concluded.