Bahrain

"The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) welcome the initiative of the Bahrain authorities to release 178 activists and human rights defenders, considering it a step in the right direction and hoping that none of the detainees had been excluded. The BCHR and the BYSHR congratulate the released citizens and their parents, and would like to thank everyone who participated, since December 2007 until now, in acting to release those detainees" 

In a joint statement issued by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Human Rights Watch and ARTICLE 19 the organisations expressed their concern about the deteriorating situation for human rights defenders in Bahrain. "Blogs and social networking websites have been censored, union leaders have been slapped with defamation suits and human rights activists are facing up to 10 years or even life in prison" said the statement. 

Human rights defenders in Bahrain are facing increasing repression. The authorities have sought to target independent human rights defenders and their organisations and restrict human rights activities. Human rights defenders have been subjected to intimidation, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, fabricated judicial proceedings, threats and harassment. In 2009 human rights defenders in Bahrain are clearly facing a series of severe violations of their legitimate rights to promote, protect, and defend human rights in Bahrain.