ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #382
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** Bahrain
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Bahraini Refugee imprisoned for life following Dutch violation of international law
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In 2017, Bahraini national Ali Mohammed al-Showaikh fled Bahrain due to rumours that he may be wanted for various crimes. He ended up in the Netherlands where he immediately sought asylum, which was subsequently denied. Because of this denial, the Netherlands bears a significant level of responsibility for the treatment Al-Showaikh experienced after he was deported back to Bahrain. The actions of the Dutch government are in clear violation of international law, as well as Dutch national law.

Al-Showaikh fled Bahrain for fear of persecution for his participation in the peaceful pro-democracy marches and protests in 2011. After the government denied his asylum request, Al-Showaikh pleaded with the government to deport him to any country other than Bahrain out of fear of being subjected to torture, forced to sign a false confession, or subjected to an unfair trial. Following his deportation from the Netherlands to Bahrain, Al-Showaikh was arrested at the airport and was disappeared for 11 days. He was interrogated by the Bahraini authorities who used torture techniques to extract a false confession from him. al-Showaikh was then sentenced to life imprisonment in an unfair trial with no proper legal representation. His Bahraini citizenship was revoked, and he received a fine of 500 Bahraini dinars. He was tried under the Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts Law which has been criticized for being too broad and for being used extensively by Bahraini authorities to target human
rights activists.

Read the full article here ([link removed])


** Profile in Persecution
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Jaafar Husain Isa
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Jaafar Isa was a 24-year-old activist when he was brutally arrested without a warrant in a pre-planned ambush in his village of Bani Jamra in December 2013. He was subjected to severe and continuous torture and mistreatment both after his arrest and during his time in prison. He also suffered multiple health crises because of the lack of hygienic standards in his cells. He remains in Jau prison to this day.

On 9 December 2013, Jaafar was arrested during a pre-planned ambush that surrounded six houses in Bani Jamra. A helicopter plane, armored vehicles, police cars, riot police, Commandos forces, and officers in civilian clothes tightened control on the village in order to arrest him. During the arrest, they beat and kicked him to the point of unconsciousness. He was then transferred to a building under construction in the village of Budaiya, where they continued to torture him, then to the Central Investigation Department (CID) where he was subjected to enforced disappeared for 11 days; his parents were unaware of his whereabouts.

During his enforced disappearance at the CID, he was subjected to the most severe types of torture at the hands of CID officers and officers who oversaw his arrest. After being treated at the hospital for his torture wounds he was taken back and tortured again. Jaafar was eventually coerced into confessing because of the torture he endured. He was then transferred to Dry Dock Detention Center. It is important to note that Jaafar was always threatened before arrest by state security agents because of his political activism and his participation in the activities of the democratic movement. When his family was first allowed to visit him a month after his arrest, signs of torture were still evident on him as he could not sit down, and he told them that he had been tortured in his sensitive areas and was still suffering from pain and consequences resulting from the torture.

Read the full article here ([link removed])


** GCC in the Wire
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- Qatar calls for Gulf talks with Iran (France 24) ([link removed])

Qatar has called for Gulf Arab countries to hold talks with Iran, the foreign minister said in an interview aired Tuesday, after Doha reconciled with its neighbours following a rift.

- US calls Bahrain, UAE ‘major security partners’ (AP) ([link removed])

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates “major security partners” early Saturday, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations.

- Dramatic drop in Saudi executions after laws changed in 2020 (AP) ([link removed])

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia, for years one of the world’s most prolific executioners, dramatically reduced the number of people put to death last year, following changes halting executions for non-violent drug-related crimes, according to the government’s tally and independent observers.

- Three wounded by projectile fired from Yemen, Saudi civil defence says (Reuters) ([link removed])

CAIRO (Reuters) - Three civilians were wounded on Sunday by a projectile fired by Yemen’s Houthi movement into a border town in Saudi Arabia’s southerly Jazan region, the Saudi civil defence unit tweeted.

- Kuwait's cabinet submits resignation in standoff with parliament (Reuters) ([link removed])

DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah presented the resignation of his cabinet to the country’s ruler on Wednesday, days before the premier was due to be questioned in parliament over his choice of ministers and other issues.

- U.S. Rush to Declare Houthis Terrorists Threatens to Halt Aid to Yemen (New York Times) ([link removed])

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s rush to declare Houthi rebels in Yemen a terrorist organization leaves humanitarian aid workers and commercial importers vulnerable to criminal penalties, officials said Monday, risking future shipments of food, medical supplies and other assistance to the impoverished country.
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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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