Bahraini political prisoners persecuted, Newcastle Utd’s Saudi link scrutinised
Last week, another Bahraini scholar has been thrown in jail without a proper reason. Sheikh Ali Al-Awainati was detained after returning to the country from abroad. According to local monitoring network (Rasid). It is now a week since the cleric was detained and he remains behind bars.
The political prisoners at the notorious Jau prison have continued their protests against their ill-treatment, lack of medial care and disruption of family visits. Prison officials sought the help of Sheikh Hassan Isa, a detained cleric to convince the prisoners to go back to their cells. Meanwhile other political prisoners have also continued their strikes. They are getting the lion share of the regime’s brutal moral failures and are paying the price with their health and freedom. The family of Hassan Abdul Hussain Al Asfoor is extremely worried for what amounts to “enforced disappearance”. They have not heard from him for more than one month. The wife of Mohammed Yousuf Hassan has also complained that she had not heard from her husband for over a month and is extremely worried for his well-being. The brother of Mujtaba Sadiq has also said that the family had not heard from him for more than one month. Political prisoner, Abbas Abdul Hussain Al Saib’ei who is serving 15-year prison sentence has not contacted his family for more than two months and his family fears for his life.
A senior cleric has, once again, been prevented from attending a pre-arranged medical appointment. Sheikh Abdul Jalil Al Miqdad was supposed to see a consultant on 5th April but prison officials did not take him to the doctor. This is part of a pattern to deny senior figures medical treatment in the hope that they will die inside the prison. He has been protesting outside his cell to get medical care.
Mohammed Hassan Al Najjar, one of the eldest political prisoners has told his family in a phone call yesterday that he would continue his protest as his health continues to deteriorate. He suffers from several ailments and pains and has developed hernia. His daughter, Fatima has appealed for medical treatment to her father who is continuing his hunger strike since his appointment for surgery was cancelled last week.
Yesterday marked 12 years since prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was brutally arrested. He was later tortured and sentenced to life in prison – and is now said to be at risk of heart attack or stroke as his health deteriorates in detention. Abdulhadi was recently rushed to hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing, yet he has since been prevented from seeing a doctor several times. The regime is now putting his life at risk by denying his right to medical care and keeping him imprisoned. Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders tweeted: Ahead of the anniversary of the arrest of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in Bahrain, I call on the Government to release him.
Saudi Arabia has carried out the first known execution during Ramadan. Denigrating this time of year which traditionally provides brief reprieve from the execution chamber shows how emboldened they have become by the world turning a blind eye to their atrocities. This crime has raised fears that others could be killed in the holy month. Authorities have escalated court cases of death row defendants who committed “crimes” as children. Saudi detainee, Hilal Hussein Al-Qurashi has lost sight in his right eye inside the prison. He has also developed diabetes, hypertension, and other health issues, because of deliberate medical negligence at Al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh.
The anti-capital punishment network Reprieve has asked its members to urge the Chairman of Newcastle United to investigate the Saudi human rights records. It said: The legal team for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund submitted a document in a US court that states that the Chairman of Newcastle United is “a sitting minister of the Saudi government.” The Premier League’s Chief Executive, Richard Masters, said when the takeover of Newcastle United was happening that he had “legally binding assurances” that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would not have any control over the club. In November 2021 he said: “If we find evidence to the contrary, we can remove the consortium as owners of the club.” So let’s remind Richard Masters of his words and ask him to act. Child defendants’ lives are at stake. Saudi Arabian authorities have executed 15 people for childhood “crimes” since 2011. And our client, child defendant Abdullah al-Howaiti, currently faces a death sentence.
On 4th April the website of DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now) published an article titled: U.S. Congress: Don’t Meet with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. It said: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, an agent for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and her firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (Akin Gump), are contributing to, and benefiting from, human rights abuses in the UAE by lobbying for military support for its repressive, authoritarian government, omitting material information about its deplorable record. DAWN urges members of Congress to publicly pledge not to meet with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – or any other lobbyist representing abusive governments in the Middle East – to act urgently to ban their access to U.S. government officials and to ban U.S. officials from working for foreign governments after they leave office.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
12th April 2023