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Bahrain: Free Imprisoned Rights Defenders and Activists
Amid the global threat posed by COVID-19, Bahraini authorities should release human rights defenders, opposition activists, journalists and all others imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, a coalition of 21 rights groups said today.
On March 17, 2020, Bahrain completed the release of 1,486 prisoners, 901 of whom received royal pardons on “humanitarian grounds.” The remaining 585 were given non-custodial sentences. While this is a positive step, the releases so far have excluded opposition leaders, activists, journalists and human rights defenders – many of whom are older and/or suffer from underlying medical conditions. Such prisoners are at high risk of serious illness if they contract COVID-19, and thus ought to be prioritized for release.
Read the full statement here.
Rights Groups to Bahrain: Respect Religious Freedom and end Systematic Discrimination
Twenty-two international religious rights group written to the King of Bahrain raising serious concerns regarding ongoing religious freedom violations in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in particular against the kingdom’s Shia Muslim citizens and surrounding important Shia religious dates and events, as well as political marginalization based on religion. The letter which was released today led by Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain and supported by leading international religious rights groups called for an end of the systematic deep rooted religious discrimination policies in Bahrain.
In the letter, the rights groups Bahrain’s asserts that discrimination against its Shia citizens also manifests in the political arena, where systematic gerrymandering has ensured that Shia citizens are less represented in government. Shia areas that are densely populated have the same number of parliamentary representatives as less populated Sunni areas. In addition, combination of overt religious discrimination through arrest and detention of religious leaders and disrespect for religiously significant days, and political disenfranchisement based on religion has deepened the marginalization of Bahrain’s Shia population. The rights groups urge the Bahraini government to release clerics from prison.
Read the full statement here.
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Hasan Abdulghani Farhan
Born in 1993, Hasan Abdulghani Farhan was a footballer with the “Sitra” club. At the age of 19, during his second year of secondary school, he was arbitrarily detained and denied of his human rights by Bahraini authorities. At the time of publishing, Hasan has been in Jau Prison for approximately seven years. On 11 December 2012, Hasan was staying at a family member’s apartment when authorities located and surrounded the building with a helicopter, riot police cars, and masked officers in civilian clothing. Despite having no warrant, officers raided the apartment and Hasan was beaten up and arrested. Hasan was wanted on charges of arson, and a summon was sent to his home the day of the arrest.
Read the full report here.
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