Ali Abdulemam
Escape From Bahrain: Ali Abdulemam Is Free
Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam flees to UK
Ali Abdulemam Testimony
My safety and the safety of my family were threatened. I was forced to sign statements without being permitted to read them.
Rebels and their sacred beliefs were publicly defamed on the government-owned television channel. Since the moment of my arrest there has always been one question bouncing back and forth in my memory in search of an answer: Why do they hate us so much?
Ali Abdulemam is a blogger and free speech activist who has been targeted by the Bahraini authorities since he started 'Bahrain Online' - the first online forum for Bahrainis to express their opinions freely. Ali Abdulemam spent nearly two years in hiding in Bahrain after being sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. In May 2013 he escaped from Bahrain and he is currently safe in the United Kingdom.
In 2011 Bahrainis initiated protests, as part of what became known as the 'Arab Spring', aimed at promoting reforms in the country and demanding full rights for all citizens. Human rights defenders, medical workers, journalists and others were rounded up in the crackdown that followed, with many ultimately facing trials on trumped up charges and imprisonment.
