On 22 May 2010, Bahraini courts sentenced, in separate proceedings, human rights defenders Ms Zainab Al-Khawaja and Mr Naji Fateel.
Zainab Al-Khawaja was sentenced to three months in jail on charges of taking part in an illegal gathering and insulting a police officer. The human rights defender was arrested on 27 February 2013, during a peaceful sit-in to protest authorities’ refusal to hand over the body of a man who was killed during a demonstration on 14 February 2013. Zainab Al-Khawaja had been serving two sentences on charges of alleged participation in an unauthorised demonstration and unlawful entry to Pearl Roundabout and was due to be released this month. The latest sentencing means she will be in detention until the end of August.
Zainab Al-Khawaja is a prominent human rights defender and blogger who has been active in calling for political reform and democracy in Bahrain. She is currently in detention in Hoora Detention Centre. The human rights defender has also been campaigning since April 2011 for the release of her father, Mr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a prominent human rights defender and former Front Line Defenders Protection Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. For more information on her arrest and trial please see the urgent appeal from 1 March 2013.
In a separate trial, Naji Fateel was sentenced to six months imprisonment on charges of attending illegal gatherings. He had initially been charged with the establishment of a group for the purpose of disabling the constitution under article 6 of the controversial Terrorism Act. The human rights defender was arrested on 2 May 2013 and held incommunicado for three days, during which time it is reported that he was tortured.
Naji Fateel is a board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), and a blogger who has been active in reporting human rights violations in Bahrain. For more information on his arrest and trial, please see the urgent appeal and subsequent update issued on 2 May 2013 and 10 May 2013.
Front Line Defenders reiterates its serious concern about the arrest, trial and sentencing of human rights defenders Zainab Al-Khawaja and Naji Fateel, as it believes that they were targeted solely on account of their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights. Front Line Defenders reiterates its deep concern about the reported torture of Naji Fateel and the consistent failure of the authorities to investigate allegations of torture in detention.
Further information on the current situation in Bahrain can be found on our dedicated site www.bahrainhrd.org.
Source: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/22811