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Bahrain: Letter from Abdulhadi Al Khawaja in prison details impact of brutal beating and need for medical treatmentposted on: 2011/06/27

Former Front Line Protection Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Abdulhadi Al Khawaja has been sentenced to life imprisonment after an unfair trial before a military court in Bahrain. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was badly beaten during his arrest and according to credible reports has been subjected to further ill treatment since then. In this letter Abdulhadi Al Khawaja describes his injuries, the treatment received to date and his need for ongoing medical treatment.

Prison Letter from Abdulhadi Al Khawaja

To whom it may concern,

I, the undersigned, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, detained since 9/4/2011 in the crackdown following events of February 14th, send this letter regarding my health situation.

Due to the severe beating I received upon my arrest by security forces on the 9th of April I had to undergo surgeries in the Military Hospital (BDF).

Bahrain: Human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja receives life sentence after unfair trial marred by serious and credible allegations of tortureposted on: 2011/06/23

Former Front Line Protection Coordinator for the Middle East and prominent member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was sentenced to life imprisonment on 22 June 2011 by a military court in Bahrain. Front Line deplores and condemns the life sentence passed and the sentences handed down to the other 20 activists at the same court sitting including the 15 year prison sentence passed in absentia on blogger and founder of Bahrainonline.org Ali Abdulemam and calls for both men to be acquitted. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was viciously assaulted and arrested on 9 April 2011and since his arrest he has been reportedly subjected to torture, ill treatment and attempted sexual assault. Fair trial procedures have been grossly and continuously violated throughout his detention and court hearings.

Bahrain: Human rights defenders from across the Middle East speak out on behalf of Abdulhadi Al Khawajaposted on: 2011/06/22

In reaction to the trial and sentencing of human rights defenders and former Front Line Protection Coordinator for the Middle East, Abdulhadi al Khawaja, human rights defenders from across the Middle East have spoken out on his behalf.

Further Information

1. Waleed Sulais – Saudi Arabia

At an early age, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja became a human rights defender. His sole concern was that people live in freedom, justice and equality, within a legal framework that would protect them from unfairness and arbitrariness.

Al Khawaja worked with many rights defenders for over fifteen years. Until moments prior to his arrest, he still held that ultimate sacrifices are necessary for the welfare of millions of people.

Abdulhadi taught that human rights defenders ought to do good to those who do evil to them, and that rule of law should prevail.

Freedom for the human rights defender, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja.

2. Suad Al Gedsi - Yemen

I know Abdulhadi in person very well. He is an exceptional rights activist, working independent from any sect or political party.

Bahrain: Front Line condemns life sentence for the organisation's former Protection Coordinator Abdulhadi Al Khawaja posted on: 2011/06/22

Front Line, the Dublin based International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders deplores and condems the life sentence passed against the organisation's former Protection Coordinator for the Middle East and prominent member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja. Front Line also condemns the 15 year prison sentence passed in absentia on blogger and founder of Bahrainonline.org Ali Abdulemam and calls for both men to be acquitted.

Further Information

Today's verdict and the fact that the trial took place before a military court whose procedures fall far short of internationally recognised fair trial standards underlines the determination of the Government of Bahrain to secure a conviction at any cost” said Mary Lawlor, Executive Director of Front Line in Dublin today.

Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and the 20 other defendants were tried before the State of Safety Court which has consistently refused to address repeated and credible allegations of torture in pre-trial detention and during the trial itself.

Values?

It was inspiring to listen to Thomas Hammarberg in Dublin on Wednesday. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe was hugely impressive in a question and answer session that ranged from bullying on social networking sites, to the rights of Roma and Irish Travellers, to the situation of human rights defenders in Chechnya and Serbia.

One of the most powerful points he made was about what he described as a crisis in European values. He spoke about the difficulties posed by the arrival of 23/24,000 migrants in Italy from Tunisia. Migrants who mostly will not have a legitimate fear of persecution and will therefore eventually be returned to Tunisia. In spite of the relatively small numbers it has sparked racist rhetoric from Berlusconi and moves to close borders within the European Union.

At the same time the fragile new Government in Tunisia has accepted 260,000 to 270,000 refugees from Libya without closing the border. Who would you be more proud of?

Not those who run Formula 1 motor racing. F1 lives in a parallel universe where ethics are aerodynamic and sponsored by multinationals.

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Bahrain: Show trial of prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja continues before military court against background of torture and intimidation posted on: 2011/06/01

As the trial of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja enters its final stages before a military court Front Line is reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on the basis that he has been detained because of his legitimate exercise of the rights of freedom of association and freedom of expression.

Bahrain: UPDATE - Violence, harassment and intimidation of human rights defendersposted on: 2011/06/01

On 31 May 2011 Mr Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and vice-president of FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), was summoned by the office of the military prosecutor to present himself at their offices at 6pm on the same day. He was interrogated for more than 5 hours before being released.

Further Information

The interrogation was in connection with three charges: Disseminating abroad false and malicious news and statements about the internal situation of the country (Article 134 of the Penal Code of 1976); publicly inciting for the hatred of a sect of people and denigrating them (Article 172 of the Penal Code of 1976) and; broadcasting false and malicious news, statements and rumors (Article 168/A of the Penal Code of 1976. An additional charge of insuting the king of the country was apparently brought against Mr Rajab during the investigation. The interrogation focused on his television statement and interviews and on his writings on twitter. Mr Rajab has stated that he was treated courteously during and after the interrogation.

Bahrain: Violence, harassment and intimidation of human rights defendersposted on: 2011/05/31

Human right defenders in Bahrain are being subjected to ongoing violence, harassment and intimidation. The latest spate of attacks on human rights defenders in the country have included malicious interrogation by the office of the military prosecution of Mr Abdulla Al-Derazi, the Secretary General of Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS); the imposition of a travel ban on Mr 'Issa Al-Ghayeb, the Deputy Secretary General of BHRS, and lawyer Mr 'Issa Ibrahim, BHRS board member; and a dawn attack by tear gas on the house of Mr Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and vice-president of FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights).

Bahrain: Attack on the medical profession as doctors and nurses are arrested, detained, abducted and ill-treatedposted on: 2011/05/26

The medical profession in Bahrain has been targeted by the authorities following the recent protests calling for political reform in the Kingdom. On 3 May 2011, the Military Public Prosecution charged 24 doctors and 23 nurses and paramedics of various offences based on "investigation results" and "confessions of some of the defendants". Serious violations against the medical profession in contravention of Bahraini and international standards have included arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, abduction, beating and verbal abuse. Scores of medical personnel have been held in incommunicado detention during which they were reportedly tortured and ill-treated apparently to force them to confess to charges leveled against them.

Obama, Cameron and Bahrain

Let us welcome President Obama's condemnation of repression in Bahrain even if it is long overdue and was qualified by weasel words about legitimate Government concerns and Iranian interference. He rightly said "mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens." Talking more generally he also said "the truth cannot be hidden," and "repression will fail, and tyrants will fall."

David Cameron's unwise decision to welcome Bahrain's Crown Prince to Downing Street may also turn out to have a positive side. There was widespread criticism across the UK media from the Telegraph and Mail to the Guardian. The highlight was the Independent's front page banner headline "Cameron embraces tyranny" over a picture of him shaking hands with the Prince on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

One must hope that the media coverage delivered a blunt message to Bahrain's rulers in a way that British and US Government diplomacy has so far failed to do. The Crown Prince had previously been positioned as an advocate of dialogue and reform and might still play a positive role.

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