Bahrain
The situation for Bahrain's media has deteriorated in the past year as ongoing demonstrations have been met with curtailment of both civil liberties and media freedom. On a fact-finding mission in late 2011, IMS together with its international partners found a number of human rights violations related to the Bahraini authorities' handling of protests and demonstrations since February 2011, including an ongoing suppresion of the media and civil society with journalists and human rights defenders facing military trials, life imprisonment, torture and harassment.Archive
- Al-Khawaja's daughter: "They have signed his death certificate"
- IRCT warns Bahraini government of imminent danger to Al-Khawaja's life
- Freedom of expression deteriorates further in Bahrain
- International push for the release of Al-Khawaja continues
- Until 'freedom or death' in Bahrain
- Bahrain: Human rights defender enters 50th day on hunger strike
- Forty-five rights groups call on King to free Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, whose life is at risk in prison
- Bahrain: Masking suppression of the media
- Bahrain: Prominent human rights defender on hunger strike
- Justice Denied in Bahrain: Freedom of Expression and Assembly Curtailed
- Promises for reform in Bahrain unfulfilled, while situation deteriorates
- International delegation to Bahrain: End violations of freedom of expression and human rights
- Debate on Bahrain: Shouting in the dark
- Bahrain upholds life sentence for prominent human rights defender
- Seminar on human rights in Bahrain
- Human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja receives life sentence in Bahrain
- Bahraini authorities are urged to give human rights defender fair trial
- Limited access for foreign journalists in Bahrain
- Storytelling with Soundslides in Bahrain
Bahrain: Prominent human rights defender on hunger strike
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Longtime IMS partner and former head of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja has begun a hunger strike after 10 months of imprisonment
According to the human rights organisation Front Line Defenders, the hunger strike has begun in protest against "the arbitrary arrest and detention of peaceful protesters and continued human rights violations in Bahrain".
Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2011 accused of "plotting to overthrow the regime."
- The striking prisoners are serving prison sentences handed down after grossly unfair trials, says Front Line Defenders, who work to protect human rights defenders.
In a statement released on Monday 30 January, they called on the Bahraini authorities to immediately release Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and drop all charges brought against him.
Together with five other international rights organisations, IMS visited Bahrain late in 2011 represented by Danish lawyer Tyge Trier. Seeing Al-Khawaja who holds dual Danish-Bahraini citizenship Trier responded:
- Seeing Al-Khawaja full of stamina and dignity made a great impression on me. It is very distressing to see a Danish citizen imprisoned in Bahrain because he defended his rights.
Bahrain a "forgotten country"
Based on their visit to Bahrain the organisations released a report last week calling out the Bahraini authorities for failing to deliver on promises of reform, despite a highly touted commission of inquiry:
- Rights violations continue on a daily basis, and people are still jailed on long sentences, including prominent human rights activists jailed for life. Yet the world has not been paying attention to this forgotten country during a year of turmoil in the region, said the report.
As the report was released, Maryam Al-Khawaja, daughter of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and International Coordinator for Bahrain Center for Human Rights said:
- The report adds yet another grave image to the range of testimonies on inhumane conditions that prevail in Bahrain. Imprisonment, kidnappings, torture and killings still make up the order of the day. Like everywhere else in the Arab world, Bahraini citizens have stood up to dictatorial suppression and violations of their most basic rights. Despite guarantees of reform, the regime continues its heavy suppression.
Download the full report "Justice Denied in Bahrain: Freedom of Expression and Assembly Curtailed". For more information on the case of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, see Front Line Defenders' website or contact Helle Wahlberg on hwa[snabela]i-m-s.dk or +45 32887005
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