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
Bahraini authorities are urged to give human rights defender fair trial
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Human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja has been detained by the Bahraini authorities since 8 April. He was arrested following his participation in demonstrations against the regime and has been subjected to torture, according to the organisation FrontLine
A long-term partner of International Media Support (IMS), and former President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja stands accused of organising and managing a terrorist organisation" and "attempt to overthrow the government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country" by the Bahraini authorities.
According to Abdulhadi Alkhawaja's daughter Maryam Alkhawaja, masked police broke into his home in Manama, Bahrain at around 3 am on April 9. Abdulhadi Alkhawaja was arrested along with two sons-in-law.
Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who holds dual Bahraini and Danish citizenship, led the IMS-supported Arab Working Group's monitoring of Bahraini media's coverage of the country's elections in October 2010. The Arab Working Group, a network of Arab human rights organisations, has carried out media monitoring in a number of Arab countries over the years using an internationally approved methodology. Media play a key role during elections in providing citizens with accurate information about their electoral choices and the election process and by mapping out the type of coverage produced, the aim is to create public debate around media coverage. The media monitoring results in Bahrain showed a clear preference for the ruling party.
- Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is a key player in the fight for human rights and a free and fair media in Bahrain," says Jesper Højberg, executive director of International Media Support.
- We urge the Danish government and international community to do everything in their power to ensure that the Bahraini authorities give him a fair trial. The Bahraini government must abide by the international human rights treaties they have ratified and signed.
IMS remains in close contact with Abdulhadi Alkhawaja's family and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow his case closely..
For more about Abdulhadi Alkhawaja's case, see FrontLine's website.
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