2 June 2011
Al-Khalifa’s regime cracked down on students and academics at the University of Bahrain in the aftermath of a brutal clash on the campus on March 13. The University recently reopened in a very strict and secure environment, targeting students and staff involved in pro-democracy movement.
The University of Bahrain, the leading university in the country, recently reopened after almost two months of closure following a violent clash with pro-democracy protestors that damaged and ransacked the campus on March 13. The University President Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi has declared that the physical damage to the institution is more than BHD 350,000 ($228,000).
2 June 2011
Al-Khalifa’s regime cracked down on students and academics at the University of Bahrain in the aftermath of a brutal clash on the campus on March 13. The University recently reopened in a very strict and secure environment, targeting students and staff involved in pro-democracy movement.
The University of Bahrain, the leading university in the country, recently reopened after almost two months of closure following a violent clash with pro-democracy protestors that damaged and ransacked the campus on March 13. The University President Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi has declared that the physical damage to the institution is more than BHD 350,000 ($228,000).
The state-run University reopened with extra security measures and protocols installed across the campus, including a large number of security cameras and security guards. Students and academic staff, who must wear an identification card at all times, were allowed to re-enter the campus only after signing a code of conduct seen as pledge of loyalty to the government. Those refusing to sign were prevented from continuing their studies and/or employment at the University. A number of students decided to boycott classes in response to the regime’s crackdown on pro-democracy protestors and the drastic security measures implemented on the campus.
Bahrain News Agency also reported that 200 students, academics and university staff have been dismissed from their position at the University. The University’s Probe Committee decided to fire them for their alleged links with the anti-government protests.
Since the beginning of the pro-democracy protests, the regime has launched a violent crackdown on protestors. Several opposition leader and human rights activists have been arrested as well as members of the elite such as doctors, lawyers and journalists who voiced their support to the protest. It has been reported that a number of protestors have been killed and some have disappeared.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please respectfully urge the Bahraini authorities to:
1. Stand by their obligations as a signatory of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to guarantee freedom of opinion and expression (Art. 18, 19).
2. Adhere to the 1997 UNESCO recommendations on the implementation of internationally recognized standards of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, social responsibility and related higher education (Recommendation Concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel).
3. Re-examine the circumstances of the students, academics and university staff dismissals.
APPEALS TO:
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 1766 8884
His Excellency Dr Majid bin Ali Al-Naimi
Minister of Education
Ministry of Education Building
Al Istiklal Street
P.O. Box 43
Isa Town Central
Kingdom of Bahrain
Fax: +973 1768 7866
COPIES TO:
Bahraini Ambassador to your country of residence.
Contact details can be found on the website of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
PLEASE ALSO SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Programme Officer,
Network for Education and Academic Rights
90 London Road,
SE1 9LN
London, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7021 0884
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7021 0881
contact@nearinternational.org
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