Health of Bahraini strikers deteriorate, AI calls on Saudis to drop execution
As native Bahraini political prisoners enter the second month of their hunger strike, fears are steadily growing for their well-being after scores were transferred to hospital after collapsing. At least three detainees from Bahrain’s Jau Prison have been hospitalized this week: Hussein Ali Mahdi, Hassan Ali Al-Attiyah, and Abdul Aziz Abdul Redha were all rushed to the hospital this week. There are no official details about their condition, but Abdul Aziz vomited blood. Political prisoner, Ibrahim Al Mo’min has been subjected to horrific attack during his one week isolation. His family has repeatedly called for his transfer to a safe place, but the khalifis have refused. Meanwhile Ahmed Jaffar who had been handed by Serbia to the khalifi torturers two years ago has spent three weeks on hunger strike in his isolated cell and rushed to hospital recently. The family of Ahmed Mohammed Kadhem Al Usfoor who is on hunger strike is extremely worried about him. They have not heard from him for several weeks. Ali Abdul Halim Umran, from Nuwaidrat, has been isolated for ten days and his health is deteriorating.
The UN Human Rights Council has spoken out about the hunger strike. It said: We are deeply concerned for the wellbeing of several hundred prisoners on hunger strike over conditions in Jau prison. We welcome the authorities’ invitation to visit the country and are ready to provide guidance and support in line with international standards. It is unlikely that the regime will allow anyone from the international human rights bodies to meet the prisoners. Eamon Gilmore, the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights tweeted: I share the concern of UN Human Rights about the continued prisoner hunger strike in Bahrain, and the humanitarian situation of all involved, including Abdul-Hadi Al Khawaja whose case I have followed for many years
Human Rights Watch has also issued a statement urging the regime to address the grievances of the political prisoners. It said: “Bahrain should take urgent steps to address the grievances of hundreds of prisoners now on hunger strike and ensure that prisoners are treated humanely, as required under international law. The authorities should also release anyone serving a prison term solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, starting with prominent human rights defenders Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Abduljalil al-Singace.”
The Bahraini National Initiative Against Normalization, which groups 25 civil society organizations and campaigns against the khalifi ties with Tel Aviv, has strongly condemned the Israeli foreign minister’s ‘provocative’ visit to the country this week. Several protests were held in anger at the khalifi policy of abandoning the Palestinian cause and tarnishing Bahrain’s reputation by siding with the occupiers. The organizations warned that visits by Israeli officials are intended to detach Bahrain from its natural position of support for the Palestinian people – a policy widely rejected by the Bahraini public.
On Wednesday 30th August a coalition of 19 advocacy groups demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken exert pressure on the United Arab Emirates to “immediately and unconditionally release” Ahmed Mansoor and other imprisoned human rights advocates before COP28, the UAE-hosted United Nations climate summit, kicks off in Dubai this November. “We realize that U.S. relations with the UAE are multifaceted, including strategic military and political ties,” the groups, including Amnesty International USA, Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), and Human Rights Watch (HRW), wrote to the diplomat. “Unfortunately, U.S. government’s attention to the UAE’s terrible human rights record has long been woefully lacking.”
Amnesty International has called on the Saudis to drop death sentences on a teacher. It said: Drop “ludicrous’ conviction and death sentence against retired teacher Mohammad al-Ghamdi whose conviction was based solely on his peaceful social media activity.“
Another officer from the Saudi Royal Protocol, Thamer al-Zahrani has defected to the West to join the increasing circle of Saudi exiles. In the last few months, defections from police, Royal guards, Royal Protocol and security services have become a new phenomenon that will intensify the pressure on the regime.
Human rights groups have pointed to what they called “worrying escalation” in the targeting of members of the Huwaitat tribe in the context of the Neom project in North Western Arabia. Security forces have recently broken into several houses in the areas where Neom project is located, and cut access to essential services.
A revised civil US lawsuit has accused X (twitter) of assisting Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on dissent. A security breach by three Saudi agents exposed the identities of thousands of anonymous users, some of whom were subsequently detained and tortured. The legal filing says that the network disclosed user data to the Saudi authorities “significantly more often” than to the US, UK and Canada, and ignored “the red flags” of a systemic crackdown on dissent on the platform by Saudi authorities dating from December 2014, when it was infiltrated by three Saudi agents.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
6th September 2023