EU should call for the release of human rights defenders and peaceful protest leaders in Bahrain in the context of EU-GCC ministerial meeting in Manama

A year ago, on 25 June 2012, the EU adopted its Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy, in which it pledged to “place human rights at the centre of its relations with all third countries, including its strategic partners” and “to throw its full weight behind advocates of liberty, democracy, and human rights throughout the world.”

The undersigned organisations deplore that the EU has failed to make explicit calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the human rights defenders, Twitter activists and bloggers, and leaders of peaceful protests – several of those hold EU citizenship – who have been jailed in recent months in Bahrain solely for peacefully exercising and promoting human rights. They call on the EU to turn the abovementioned important pledges into concrete action. The EU should act in line with the European Parliament resolution of 17 January 2013 on the human rights situation in Bahrain which called on the EU Member States and the EU High Representative to “actively push for the release of the imprisoned activists” and in this connection “to ensure the adoption of Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on the human rights situation in Bahrain, which should include a specific call for the immediate and unconditional release of the imprisoned activists.”

The continued systematic crackdown by the authorities in Bahrain on human rights defenders and peaceful opposition activists has dramatically worsened in the last two years. Since the eruption of protests in February 2011, the Bahraini authorities responded with harsh measures against protesters, civil society leaders, human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists. In the first half of 2013 alone, several cases have been reported to the international mechanisms including the UN system that include arrests, detention, ill-treatment, unfair trials, and physical attacks on human rights defenders and activists. The undersigned organisations would specifically like to highlight the cases of human rights defenders Naji Fateel, Zainab Al-Khawaja, Nabeel Rajab, and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in its November 2011 report concluded that the abuses during the arrests “could not have happened without the knowledge of higher echelons of the command structure” of the security forces. The government has so far failed to implement the key recommendations of the BICI, and has not brought to justice anyone responsible for abuses at any rank in the chain of command or independently investigated all deaths of protesters and allegations of torture.

The government of Bahrain accepted either fully or partially, 156 of 176 recommendations during its recent Universal Periodic Review, but for the most part it has denied that human rights violations have occurred and has avoided putting its commitments into practice. Instead the government continues to suppress freedom of expression, assembly and association and harass, imprison and detain opposition activists, peaceful demonstrators, and human rights defenders for peacefully exercising their rights

We, the undersigned organisations urge the EU High Representative, and EU Member States to collectively and publicly insist that Bahrain release those currently detained and imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights, including those holding EU citizenship, ahead of the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting of 30 June in Bahrain, and that they use that meeting to further drive home their message and pursue releases.

Mary Lawlor
Executive Director
Front Line Defenders

Lotte Leicht
EU Director
Human Rights Watch

Brigitte Dufour
Director
International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)

Khalid Ibrahim
Director
Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR)

Karim Lahidji
President
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

Gerald Staberock
Secretary General
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)


ANNEX

Examples of prominent human rights defenders and activists imprisoned for peaceful activities in Bahrain

Naji Fateel

Human rights defender, Mr Naji Fateel, board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, was arrested without warrant by security men in civilian clothes at his home in the village of Bani-Jamra at dawn of 2 May 2013 and held incommunicado for three days, during which time it is reported that he was tortured. He was allegedly subjected to severe torture at the Criminal Investigation Directorate. According to reports he was subjected to electrical shocks to his genitals, left foot and back in addition to simulated drowning, severe beatings, threats to publish his wife’s photographs (taken from a camera confiscated by the security forces when his house was raided), insults, hanging by his hands from the ceiling, sexual harassment and threats of rape, standing for hours, and sleep deprivation. He was taken to the Ministry of Interior hospital twice for treatment due to the torture.

Naji Fateel had been arrested last year on 14 February 2012 while he was participating in a peaceful march toward the Pearl Roundabout area, the now restricted centre of the 2011 protests for rights and democracy. He was previously detained between December 2007 and April 2009, a period during which he was also reportedly tortured.

On 22 May 2013, Naji Fateel was sentenced to six months imprisonment on charges of attending illegal gatherings. In another case, he is charged with the establishment of a group for the purpose of disabling the Constitution under Article 6 of the controversial Terrorism Act.

Zainab Al-Khawaja

On 22 May 2013, dual Danish-Bahraini national, Ms 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 in May 2013. The authorities have taken Zainab Al-Khawaja to court for charges in more than 13 cases. The latest sentencing means she will stay in detention until the end of 2013. It is feared that Zainab Al-Khawaja will be sentenced to further periods of imprisonment.

Zainab Al-Khawaja, is a renowned Bahraini activist who has been active in the human rights and pro-democracy movement in Bahrain. Since February 2011 she has helped to spread the protesters’ demands and exposed the Bahraini authorities’ repression on Twitter.

Nabeel Rajab

Mr Nabeel Rajab is a prominent human rights defender who was sentenced to three months in prison in July 2012 for a tweet before being acquitted of the charge in appeal, and then to three years in prison for participating in and calling for a peaceful protest. His sentence was later reduced to two years in prison. Nabeel Rajab has been held in prison since 9 July 2012, and is detained in isolation from the rest of prisoners of conscience. The health of Nabeel Rajab is reported to be deteriorating as he is suffering from chronic back pain and has reportedly no access to proper medical care or medications.

Nabeel Rajab was awarded the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award in 2011, presented annually by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC. He also won the British Silbury Prize in 2011 for his humanitarian and human rights activities.

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja

Danish-Bahraini prominent human rights defender, Mr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, was sentenced on 22 June 2011 by the National Safety Court – a military court – to life imprisonment for his peaceful human rights activities. On 7 January 2013 Bahrain’s highest court upheld the convictions against 13 leading activists for their role in anti-government demonstrations in 2011, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns about the lack of fairness and due process afforded to these activists. The court ruling came more than a year after the government’s pledge to implement the recommendations of the BICI, which called on authorities to “commute the sentences of all persons charged with offences involving political expression not consisting of advocacy of violence” and to overturn convictions imposed after grossly unfair trials.

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was subjected to a severe level of torture starting from the time of his arrest on 9 April 2011. He is being held in Jaw prison.

Abdulhadi and Zainab Al-Khawaja started a hunger strike on 17 March 2013 protesting their ill-treatment. The prisons authorities had tried to force Abdulhadi and Zainab Al-Khawaja to wear prison uniforms designed for convicted criminals, which they refused as they are prisoners of conscience who were solely targeted for the peaceful exercise of their rights to free expression, association and assembly. The authorities decided not to allow them to have any visits. They both ended their hunger strike on 29 March 2013 due to the deteriorated health of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. However, both are still denied visitation right.