UK urged to stop appeasing khalifis, investigate UAE activist death
Pressure is mounting on UK’s prime minister to speak out against the horrendous human rights situation in Bahrain after he had received its crown prince and prime minister, Salman al-Khalifa. Press reports said the visit was kept “secret” for “security reasons” citing Downing Street sources. The brief meeting which lasted 40 minutes was followed by another meeting with foreign secretary Dominic Raab. Although economic deals were said to be behind the visit, political and security considerations could not be ruled out. Bahraini victims of torture knew of the visit at the last minute and hurried to Downing Street to show their disgust that UK’s PM should shake the blood-stained hands of his guest. Media reports reflected the general feeling of anger caused by the meeting. The Middle East Eye carried the headline: ‘Sickening’: Rights groups slam Boris Johnson’s meeting with Bahrain crown prince. The Mail online published an article titled: Human rights campaigners claim Boris Johnson’s joke about ‘flogging buses’ to the leader of Bahrain is offensive.
Among those who protested against the meeting outside Downing Street was human rights activist, Sayed Ahmad Al Wadaei. Within hours his 17 years old brother-in-law was summoned to Al-Khamis police station in Bahrain. His parents were refused entry to the police station and his lawyer was not permitted to attend the interrogation. Trumped up charges are likely to be levelled against him such as illegal gathering or breaking Covid-19 regulations. This is how Mr Johnson’s allies exact revenge on those opposing their dictatorship.
A cross-party group of MPs wrote to foreign secretary Dominic Raab asking him to speak out against Bahrain’s use of the Death Penalty at meeting with the khalifi PM. A strong letter was handed to Downing Street signed by four MPs: Hilary Benn, Andy Slaughter, Kim Johnson and Caroline Lucas.
On 22nd June Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, called on Bahrain to immediately release three human rights defenders suffering long term detention as a result of their legitimate promotion and protection of human rights in the country. She said she had received reports that Mr. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja had suffered facial fractures, while Mr. Naji Fateel and Mr. Abduljalil Al-Singace had been placed in solitary confinement and denied basic medical care and their right to practice their religion. It was also reported that Mr. Abduljalil Al-Singace had been forced to make confessions and his religious books were taken away. “The fact that their health continues to deteriorate in prison is very concerning,” she said. “I urge the State to conduct an impartial and independent investigation into the allegations of torture while in prison.”
The wife of political detainee, Hussain Aman has expressed grave concerns for the life of her husband who has not been heard from since 10th June. He had been infected by Covid-19 and banned from contacting his family. His wife contacted all relevant bodies but received no re-assuring news.
On behalf of Bahraini Physicians in the Diaspora, Dr Ali Al Faraj who resides in UK and works as a senior Psychiatry Consultant appealed to the khalifi dictators to provide adequate protection and care to stop the spread of Covid-19. He urged them to find alternative vaccines to the Chinese one that has not been effective in preventing the spread of the disease. He also called for urgent mass vaccinations, proper control of the borders against visitors from highly infected countries and re-engage the native Bahraini doctors who had been punished by the khalifis in 2011 for treating the victims of regime’s terror. He also addressed the dire situation of the political prisoners and called for their release to avoid further deaths inside the torture chambers.
Another political prisoner, Nidal Abdulla, 21, has been transferred to hospital after his condition deteriorated due to Covid-19 infection. Despite pleas from other inmates for him to be transferred to hospital as he struggled for breath, it took the khalifi prison authorities two hours to transfer him to the hospital. His condition is unknown.
A United Nations human rights watchdog has called on Bahrain to release and compensate two activists facing death sentences, saying they are being arbitrarily detained. “Taking into account all the circumstances of the case, particularly the risk of harm to the physical and psychological well-being of Mr. Ramadhan and Mr. Moosa, the appropriate remedy would be to release both men immediately and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in a report published Thursday and dated May 31.
Political activists in the West who oppose some GCC regimes have been terrified by the sudden death of a young woman activist from the United Arab Emirates. They have urged the British police to probe the death in Oxfordshire of an “at risk” UAE dissident and vocal critic of Saudi Arabia to rule out anything “untoward” campaigners say. Alaa al-Siddiq, 33, a prominent human rights activist, is understood to be the victim of a fatal car crash in Oxfordshire on Saturday night 19th June. Ms al-Siddiq was the executive director of a UK-based non-profit organisation advocating for greater freedoms and human rights in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region. They fear the “accident” is not as it seems and that it is likely that it had been engineered with the help of Israelis. They accept that a car accident had happened but they want all mitigating circumstances to be revealed and examined. There have been several incidents involving attacks on activists from these countries, including physical attacks, arson and horrific liquidation as was the case of Jamal Khashoggi.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
23rd June 2021 (info@vob.org, www.vob.org)