ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #399
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** Bahrain
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** Spanish MEP Tables Question in the European Parliament Regarding EP Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Bahrain
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A Spanish Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, tabled a question in the European Parliament (EP) to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy regarding the Urgent Motion Resolution 2021/2578 (RSP) on the human rights situation in Bahrain. The Resolution was passed by the European Parliament on the 11th of March with an overwhelming majority and deals specifically with the cases of death row inmates and human rights defenders in Bahrain.

MEP Estaràs Ferragut, who tabled the question, was elected to the European Parliament in 2009 and is a member of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats). She currently serves as vice-chairwoman of the EP Committee on Petitions and as a full member of the EP Committee on Legal Affairs. She is also a member of the EP’s delegation to the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

Read full article here ([link removed])


** Profile in Persecution
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** Sami Jaafar Abaas AlShaikh
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Sami Jaafar Abbas AlShaikh was a 21-year-old university student and accountant when he was first arrested by authorities during an ambush in Ma’ameer in January 2019 and again in December 2019. In both cases, Sami’s convictions were based upon weak evidence and false confessions extracted through torture. Since his arrests, Sami’s health has greatly deteriorated due to his contraction of COVID-19 and subsequent medical negligence on behalf of prison authorities. He is currently held in Jau Prison.

On 29 January 2019, officers in civilian clothing and riot police surrounded and arrested Sami in the Ma’ameer industrial area without presenting an arrest warrant nor giving a reason for the arrest. From the moment of his arrest, officers beat and tortured Sami, passing by the fire station, the civil defense building, and finally reaching the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). Sami arrived at the CID almost completely naked as his clothes had been torn from all the beating he was subjected to.

For the first two days of his arrest, Sami was disappeared as authorities refused to disclose his location to his family and he was unable to contact them. For 14 days after his arrest, CID officers interrogated Sami without a lawyer and tortured him to extract a confession. The officers punched him, beat and kicked him in sensitive areas, forced him to stand for long periods of time, and threatened to assault his wife if he denied the charges made against him before the Public Prosecution Office (PPO). Sami confessed to the charges when officers threatened to bring in his wife.

Read full article here ([link removed])


** GCC in the Wire
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- Saudi Arabia, Iran meet in effort to reduce Middle East tensions (NPR) ([link removed])
While the conflict between Hamas and Israel continues, there's a potentially big shift taking place between two other adversaries in the region. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been in secret talks in an effort to reduce tensions. Now, these discussions are in their infancy, and as NPR's Jackie Northam reports, there are plenty of long-simmering contentious issues that need to be worked out.

- Blinken discusses Gaza in calls with Qatari, Egyptian, Saudi foreign ministers (Reuters) ([link removed])
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in phone calls with the Qatari, Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers, the State Department said on Sunday.

- Lessons for the Next US Ambassador to Bahrain (Human Rights First) ([link removed])
It looks like Steven Bondy is to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain. President Joe Biden has nominated him for the post, and assuming he passes the Senate confirmation hearings, he'll take up residence in Manama in what - hopefully - might be a period of transition in the Bahraini government.

- Israel-Gaza: conflict stalls Arab-Israeli rapprochement (BBC) ([link removed])
The worsening conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is causing considerable embarrassment for those Arab governments that recently normalized relations with Israel.

- LNG shipments from Qatar to UAE to resume, signaling improving ties (Reuters) ([link removed])
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that loaded cargo from Qatar is signaling the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as its destination, the first such shipment since mid-2017, reflecting improving ties between the countries.

- Saudi Arabia's King Salman receives phone call from Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa (Arab News) ([link removed])
Saudi Arabia's King Salman discussed in a phone call with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa issues of common interest and relations between both Kingdoms, state news agency SPA reported.

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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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