UN: Release two Bahraini HR activists, 53 groups support US Saudi resolution
In response to an official complaint by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) about the continued imprisonment of Naji Fateel, a senior human rights activist,, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) said “There is no legal basis which justifies Mr. Fateel’s arrest and detention. The Working Group thus considers that Mr. Fateel was deprived of his liberty on discriminatory grounds, namely his political or other opinions, contrary to articles 2 (1) and 26 of the Covenant and articles 2 and 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His detention is arbitrary according to category V. Paragraph 121.” It added: “The Working Group urges the Government to ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Mr. Fateel, including the allegation that he was tortured, and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights.”
The United Nations Human Rights body tweeted: We’re deeply concerned at reports of worsening health of detained rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, serving life imprisonment for exercising rights to freedom of assembly and expression. We call on the government to provide urgent medical care and immediately release him.
Protests have continued in several Bahraini towns and villages over past few days calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the political prisoners. People from Sanabis, Abu Saiba, Demstan, Sehla and Ma’amir raised banners calling for political reforms in addition to the release of the political detainees. The political prisoners at Bloc 6, Row 1 have continued their protest against the ill-treatment by the prison officials headed by Hisham Al Zayyani. They have not contacted their families and some of them are in virtual solitary confinement. They refused to go back to their cells and insisted on their demands including adequate family visits and contacts in addition to proper medical care and reasonable daily period outside their cells.
A growing number of families of Bahraini detainees are pleading for news about their loved ones amid reports that more than 100 inmates in Jau Prison’s building 6 haven’t had any contact with the outside world since March 8. The family of Mujtaba Sadiq is extremely concerned for his welfare, having not heard from him for over three weeks. The mother of Mohsin and Abbas Al Majed has expressed similar worries about her two detained sons from whom she has not heard for several weeks. The family of Yousuf Hussain Yousuf is extremely worried about him, having not heard from him for almost four weeks. He suffers sickle cell disease for which he had been hospitalised at the military hospital few weeks ago.
Regime’s courts have sentenced Sayed Mahmood Sayed Ahmed Mahfoud to six months imprisonment for demanding political reforms. The khalifi torture apparatus has summoned at least six native Bahrainis for interrogation. Most of them are fathers of martyrs who continue to mourn their murdered sons. Among them are Jamil Al Sami’e, father of martyr Abbas and Hajji Abdul Nabi Al Hawwaj, The six had gathered last week at graves of martyrs and recited verses of the holy Quran for their souls. They were interrogated for more than three hours on Monday 3rd April for gathering at the graves of martyrs and reciting Quranic verses there.
More than 50 groups have urged passage of US Senate 502B Resolution on Saudi Arabia. They expressed strong support for S.Res.109, Senator Chris Murphy and Senator Mike Lee’s resolution requesting a report on human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2304). The resolution will reassert Congress’s crucial oversight role, require the executive branch to document the litany of destabilizing human rights abuses carried out by the Saudi government and justify its continued security assistance to Riyadh despite these abuses, and force a long overdue public conversation about the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
After three months the fate of a Sudanese journalist has finally been cleared. Hisham Abbas Omar had been detained by Saudi authorities in January and subsequently sentenced to six months jail term. He is accused of sedition because of his writings that did not please the House of Saud.
Saudi political detainee, Mohammed al-Faraj no longer faces execution but his life remains at risk. He is a child defendant whose so-called “crimes” include going to his uncle’s funeral aged 9. Although his life has been saved, he’ll spend 5 more years in prison. Mohammed should never have been arrested. The brutal Saudi regime stole his teenage years in breach of international law. Reprieve, which campaigns against the capital punishment said: “In April 2020, the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission announced a Royal Decree stating that child defendants would no longer face the death penalty. They repeated this claim in April 2022. But it was a lie.”
Human rights bodies have urged the Saudi authorities to lift the travel bans they had imposed on many peaceful activists and their family members. So far they have failed to respond.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
5th April 2023