ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #353
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** Bahrain
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** Landslide Call by 60 MEPs to the King of Bahrain to Release All Political Prisoners
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On the 17th of June 2020, 60 MEPs sent a letter to the King of Bahrain demanding the release of the rest of political detainees in Bahrain, who had been left out of the prior prison release on March 17th 2020.

The Bahraini government cited that the reason for the original release of 1,486 prisoners on March 17th was because of the threat posed by the spread of coronavirus amongst the prison population. The release of notable human rights defenders such as Nabeel Rajab is a welcome sight yet many other regime political opponents remain behind bars, despite the increasing number of coronavirus positive cases.

The letter explicitly states concern for the cases of:

“ […] Mr. Hassan Mushaima and Mr. Abdulwahab Husain, the leaders of the opposition in Bahrain. We also are concerned about reports of lack of medical care to Professor, blogger, and human rights defender Dr. Abduljalil Alsingace and political prisoners Shaikh Abdulla Isa Al-Mahroos also known as Shaikh Mirza Almahroos. Some other important political prisoners include Shaikh Abduljalil Almiqdad and Shaikh Ali Salman. Among these prisoners are leading and prominent human rights defender Mr. Naji Fateel, in addition to other imprisoned EU nationals Mr. Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and Shaikh Mohammad Habib Almiqdad.”
Read the full article here. ([link removed])


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** Spanish MP Joan Baldoví tables a second set of Parliamentary questions relating to Bahrain’s record of Human Rights Abuses
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On the 27th of May, MP Joan Baldoví, member of the Coalició Compromís, tabled a series of questions to the Spanish parliament in relation to the state of political prisoners and reports of grave human rights violations committed by the regime. This was a follow-up session, a second time that his concerns were raised in the chamber. This is due to the unsatisfactory government response that Mr Baldoví had received from the initial time his concerns were raised.

As part of a renewed push to shed light on the crimes committed by Bahrain’s own Minister of Interior, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, MP Baldoví posed three specific questions demanding answers as to how the Spanish government has taken steps to condemn such atrocities. The MP opened the session my maintain that Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa “has not been held accountable for the crimes of torture and extrajudicial killings that took place under his command”. Baldovì explicitly mentioned that another authority figure of the regime, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, had been directly accountable for torture and had not been charged or reprimanded by the regime. This reconfirms the deep-rooted culture of impunity in Bahrain, that even grave crimes such as torture are permissible at the highest echelons of power.
Read the full article here. ([link removed])



** Profile in Persecution
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** Husain Mohamed AlDerazi
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Husain was a 16-year-old student when he was arrested with his brother on 15 January 2019. Forces arrested him at his family’s house at 2:20 a.m. An arrest warrant was not presented at the time of the arrest. Husain was investigated for 20 days, during which he was not allowed contact with his family. He was tried and sentenced to five years in prison, and currently remains in the New Dry Dock Detention Center.

On 15 January 2019, at around 2:20 a.m., Husain was arrested at his family’s house. The house was raided while all family members were sleeping. The forces were officers in black uniforms and officers in civilian clothing with pectorals, in addition to other officers and armed individuals led by Lieutenant Salman AbdulGhani Mulla Murad. They directly entered Husain and his brother’s room and arrested them after hitting and threatening his brother. The forces told Husain’s family that they were from the National Security Agency (NSA). They searched the house for three hours using instrumentation. The forces seized two mobile phones and laptops, as well as a computer and memory cards, a watch, and a circuit testing device, among other things. Although a warrant existed, it was never presented to Husain’s family.

The officers took pictures of Husain and transferred him to the Investigations building in Jau Prison, where he then remained for 13 days. On the first day, Husain was able to call his family to inform them that he was at the Criminal Investigations Directorate. After that, the only information that Husain’s family obtained came from another detainee. He told them that Husain was with him in the bus from the moment of his arrest and their transfer to the Criminal Investigations Directorate. According to him, they passed through the same stages during the two-week detention period at Jau Prison but were unable to see each other as they were blindfolded most of the time. Husain’s lawyer was not allowed to attend the interrogations. Only 20 days after his arrest was Husain able to contact his family again.

Read the full report here. ([link removed])


** ADHRB at the UN
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** ADHRB calls on Bahrain to implement the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review, including ending the culture of impunity
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ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 under item 6 of the General Debate raising concerns on the ongoing lack of UPR implementations in Bahrain.

Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB’s oral intervention at HRC43 on the struggle for self determination in Bahrain
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ADHRB has delivered an oral interventions at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 under item 8 of the General Debate on the struggle for self determination in Bahrain
Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB’s oral intervention at HRC43 on the struggle of the citizens of Bahrain to establish Democracy and Rule of Law in Bahrain
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16 june – ADHRB has delivered an oral interventions at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 under item 8 of the General Debate on the struggle of the citizens of Bahrain to establish Democracy and Rule of Law in Bahrain.
Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB’s oral intervention at HRC43 on Institutional Racism and Police Brutality in the United States
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ADHRB has delivered an oral interventions at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 under item 9 of the General Debate on Institutional Racism and Police Brutality in the United States.

Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB’s oral interventions under the urgent debate on police brutality and racism in the United States
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On 18 june, ADHRB has delivered an oral interventions at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 The Urgent debate of the General Debate on police brutality and racism in the United States.
Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB calls on the Human Rights Council to pass a resolutions on racial discrimination and police brutality in the United States
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ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 The Urgent debate to pass a resolutions on racial discrimination and police brutality in the United States
Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])

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** ADHRB deliver an intervention at HRC43 on racial discrimination practices in Bahrain
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ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the resumption of the United Nation Human Rights Council 43 The Urgent debate on racial discrimination practices in Bahrain.

Watch the video and read the full statement here. ([link removed])


** Around the Gulf
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** The Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality: What Canada’s Arms Export to Saudi Arabia Means For Its Commitment to Human Rights
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Canada is regarded on the international stage as a beacon for human rights, liberty and the rule of law. It holds a rigorous stance towards exporting weapons and arms: that there shall be no trade with a country where there is evidence that these arms are used against a civilian population. However, a recent decision made by the Canadian government raises questions as to whether this humanitarian stance is sincere or just rhetoric until superseding economic interests arise.

On April 9 2020, the Trudeau administration announced that it would lift the suspension on arms exports to Saudi Arabia. This renegotiated trade deal will supposedly operate under the terms that Canada could delay or cancel permits without penalty if it discovered Saudi Arabia was not using the vehicles for their stated purpose”. In addition, every permit would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. As the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Philipe Champagne and the Minister of Finance Bill Morneau stated, unfreezing the export ban was necessary to secure jobs within the country; as in many other countries, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has led to massive loss in employment all across Canada. According to arms control advocate Cesar Jaramillo of the Canadian peace research institute Project ‘Ploughshares’, this controversial decision comes as no surprise.

Read the full article here. ([link removed])


** GCC in the Wire
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** - Fighting reportedly erupts in Yemen’s UNESCO heritage site (AP) ([link removed])
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Fiery clashes convulsed Yemen’s remote Socotra archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Friday as an armed unit funded by the United Arab Emirates battled government security forces for control of the island’s capital, the Yemeni government and witnesses said.



** - Saudi pressures former intelligence official’s family, seeks access to documents ([link removed]) (REUTERS) ([link removed])
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As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved to tighten his grip on power over the past few years, detaining senior royals and opponents, one person has eluded him: a former top-ranking intelligence official who was close to a key rival to the throne.



** - Yemen separatists seize remote Socotra island from Saudi-backed government (REUTERS) ([link removed])
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Southern separatists have seized control of Yemen’s island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea, deposing its governor and driving out forces of the Saudi-backed government which condemned the action as coup.


** - Qatar World Cup stadium workers struggle to secure salaries (AP) ([link removed])
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Migrant workers building a World Cup stadium in Qatar have been struggling to secure pay they are owed, a human rights group and the Qatari government said Wednesday, highlighting ongoing labor issues in the country.


** - 24 organizations urge UN chief to blacklist Saudi coalition (AP) ([link removed])
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Two dozen human rights and humanitarian organizations urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday to reconsider his decision to take the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government off a global blacklist of parties whose actions have killed or injured children in conflict.


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- Coronavirus: Bahrain contact-tracing app shares data with gameshow ([link removed]) (BBC) ([link removed])
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Bahrain’s “BeAware” coronavirus contact-tracing app is offering an incentive to get people to download the app. Users are entered into Bahrain TV's Are You At Home? gameshow, where they can win 1,000 Bahraini dinars if they are found to be at home and obeying the lockdown rules. Amnesty International says it has found serious privacy and security concerns in both Bahrain and Kuwait's contact-tracing apps.


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Are you a victim of a human rights abuse in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, or other GCC states?

Document your case with the Special Procedures of the United Nations through
** ADHRB's UN Complaint Program ([link removed])
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