Bahrain

Italian MP Laura Boldrini sent a Letter to the rector of la Sapienza University of Rome, a well-known and highly respected Italian University, calling for a suspension of the collaboration between the educational institution and the Bahraini authorities under the “King Hamad Chair in Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful co-existence”. This chair was established in November 2018 and entails direct funding to La Sapienza from the Bahraini government.

The letter details the different measures already taken by MP Laura Boldrini, the Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights, a sub-committee of the Foreign Affairs Commission in the Italian Chamber of Deputies. It notably mentions the hearing held on June 14 to which ADHRB participated, the letter addressed to the King on May 13 concerning the death penalty and the condition detentions of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders and the European Parliament Resolution of 11 March 2011 on the human rights situation in Bahrain. All those initiatives confirm the ongoing, widespread and systematic violations of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain including arbitrary detentions, unfair trials, torture and discrimination against the Shia majority.

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Mahmood Nooh AlSaeed was 30 years old when he was arrested. Prior to his arrest, Mahmood was being persecuted for his political participation in peaceful demonstrations since 2011. Mahmood has been subjected to severe medical negligence, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He is currently held at Jau Prison where his health continues to deteriorate.

On 14 January 2017 at approximately 1 p.m., riot police, Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID), and National Security Agency (NSA) officers, aided by civilian cars and a helicopter, raided the village of Ma’ameer. Mahmood was staying with two of his close friends at their house when it was raided. While trying to escape, Mahmood fell from the three-story house and remained lying on the ground for a long time until Special Security officers arrested him without presenting a warrant. While no reason for the arrest was stated when it took place, Mahmood’s father had received a summons to have Mahmood appear before court; however, neither Mahmood nor his lawyer attended the court sessions held before his arrest. As a result, the judgments were issued in absentia against Mahmood, and his family only knew about them through the parents of other defendants involved in the same cases. Mahmood was being persecuted for his participation in the peaceful protests calling for democracy since 2011. In the same year, Mahmood was seriously injured in the head and the face, and in 2014, he was injured with shotgun pellets by Special Security Forces during violent repression of a demonstration in his town.

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- Saudi Arabia: Sudanese Media Personality Jailed for Critical Tweets (Human Rights Watch)

A Saudi court sentenced a Sudanese media personality and journalist to four years in prison on June 8, 2021, for “insulting the state’s institutions and symbols” and “negatively speaking about the kingdom’s policies” among other vague charges, Human Rights Watch said today.

- UAE: Safety of imprisoned activist Ahmed Mansoor at risk behind bars (IFEX)A prominent Emirati human rights defender may face retaliation after a private letter he wrote detailing his mistreatment in detention and flagrantly unfair trial was published in the regional media, Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) said today. United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities have held Ahmed Mansoor, 51, largely incommunicado, isolated him from other prisoners, and denied him a bed and mattress since imprisoning him in March 2017.