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Détention de Saeed Al-Samahiji

Statut: 
Libéré
À propos de la situation

Le 3 janvier 2017, les autorités bahreïnies ont libéré le Dr Saeed Al-Samahiji de la prison Jaw. Le défenseur purgeait une peine d'un an de prison.

Le 7 septembre 2016, la cour d'appel a confirmé la décision prise le 7 avril 2016 par le tribunal de première instance de Manama concernant la condamnation à un an de prison de Saeed Al-Samahiji. Il est accusé d'avoir "insulté un pays voisin (l'Arabie Saoudite) dans le but de menacer la sécurité nationale", d'avoir "publiquement appelé à participer à des manifestations et marches non autorisées" sur les réseaux sociaux. Il est actuellement détenu dans la prison Jaw dans le sud de Manama.

À propos de Saeed Al-Samahiji

Saeed Al-SamahijiSaeed Al-Samahiji est ophtalmologiste; il avait étendu ses services médicaux aux manifestants blessés pendant le soulèvement populaire au Bahreïn en 2011. Depuis avril 2013, le défenseur travaille sur les cas de personnes déchues de leur nationalité bahreïnie, il assiste étroitement les familles des personnes tuées pendant les grandes manifestations, et il soutient ouvertement la question des droits humains sur internet.

8 Janvier 2017
Libération du Dr Saeed Al-Samahiji

Le 3 janvier 2017, les autorités bahreïnies ont libéré le Dr Saeed Al-Samahiji de la prison Jaw. Le défenseur purgeait une peine d'un an de prison.

9 Septembre 2016
Confirmation de la peine d'un an de prison prononcée contre Saeed Al-Samahiji

Le 7 septembre 2016, la cour d'appel a confirmé la décision prise le 7 avril 2016 par le tribunal de première instance de Manama concernant la condamnation à un an de prison de Saeed Al-Samahiji. Il est accusé d'avoir "insulté un pays voisin (l'Arabie Saoudite) dans le but de menacer la sécurité nationale", d'avoir "publiquement appelé à participer à des manifestations et marches non autorisées" sur les réseaux sociaux. Il est actuellement détenu dans la prison Jaw dans le sud de Manama.

Saeed Al-Samahiji a été arrêté le 4 janvier 2016 à cause de commentaires publiés sur son compte Twitter, dans lesquels il condamne l'exécution de 47 prisonniers politiques en Arabie Saoudite, dont le cheikh Nimr al-Nimr, un religieux Chiite populaire.

Il a plusieurs fois été victime d'acharnement judiciaire en représailles à ses activités en faveur des droits humains. En octobre 2012, il avait été condamné à 10 ans de prison par un tribunal militaire, pour avoir soutenu des personnes blessées lors des manifestations qui avaient secoué le Bahreïn à ce moment-là. Cette peine avait été réduite à un an par la Cour d'appel et il avait été libéré en avril 2013. Le 11 décembre 2013, il avait été condamné à un an de prison pour avoir insulté le Roi du Bahreïn. Cette condamnation a été confirmée par la Cour d'appel le 3 avril 2014 et le défenseur a été arrêté en juillet la même année afin de commencer à purger sa peine d'un an de prison.

Front Line Defenders condamne fermement la condamnation de Saeed Al-Samahiji, car elle est uniquement due à son travail légitime et pacifique pour la promotion et la protection des droits humains au Bahreïn.

18 Avril 2016
Bahrain – Human rights defender Saeed Al Samahiji sentenced to one year in prison

On 7 April 2016, Lower Ninth Court in Manama sentenced Bahraini human rights defender Dr Saeed Al-Samahiji to one year in prison. He was charged with “insulting a neighbouring country (Saudi Arabia). for the purpose of threatening national security”, “publicly inciting to non-compliance with the laws and institutions in Bahrain” and “publicly calling for participation in unlicensed demonstrations and marches” on his Twitter account.

He is currently detained in Jaw prison in south of Manama, the capital. His lawyer will appeal the decision after Al Samahiji denied all the charges brought against him.

Saeed was arrested on January over tweets posted on his account in which he condemned the mass execution of 47 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a popular Shia Muslim cleric.

Gulf countries have prosecuted its citizens over criticism of other GCC states or their rulers since 2012, following the ratification of the Gulf Cooperation Council joint security agreement by five Gulf countries allowing them to interfere in domestic affairs of states parties.

8 Février 2016
Trial of human rights defender Saeed Al Samahiji postponed until 17 February 2016

Bahrain's Ninth Minor Criminal Court postponed the trial of human rights defender Dr Saeed Al Samahiji until 17 February 2016. On 4 February 2016 the human rights defender was present in court, but his lawyer requested the presence of prosecution witnesses and the session was rescheduled.

Al Samahiji was arrested in the early morning of 4 January 2016, at his house in Isa Town, in the Southern governorate of Bahrain, on charges of 'insulting a neighbouring country for the purpose of threatening national security', and 'inciting illegal demonstration and assemblies'. During his arrest, Al Samahiji's house was inspected by police and his mobile phone was confiscated. His arrest was made in relation to recent tweets posted by the human rights defender, in which he condemned the mass execution of 47 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric. He is currently detained at El-Hod El-Gaf prison.

On 11 January 2016, the general prosecution for the Southern governorate of Bahrain renewed the detention of human rights defender Dr Saeed Al Samahiji for 15 days pending investigation. His trial began on 31 January 2016.

Al Samahiji has repeatedly been subjected to judicial harassment in retaliation for his human rights activities. On 11 December 2013, he was sentenced to one year imprisonment for insulting the King of Bahrain. This sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 3 April 2014, in a judgement providing for the suspension of the sentence subsequent to the payment of a fine of 200 Bahraini Dinars. In October 2012, he was sentenced by military court to ten years' imprisonment, in connection with his support for persons injured during the protests occurring in Bahrain at the time. This sentence was subsequently reduced to one year by the Criminal Court of Appeal.

13 Janvier 2016
Detention of Dr Saeed Samahiji renewed

On 11 January 2016, the general prosecution for the Southern governorate of Bahrain renewed the detention of human rights defender Dr Saeed Al Samahiji for 15 days pending investigation.

The human rights defender was arrested on charges of 'insulting a neighbouring country for the purpose of threatening national security', and 'inciting illegal demonstration and assemblies'.

Al Samahiji was arrested in the early morning of 4 January 2016, at his house in Isa Town, in the Southern governorate of Bahrain. During his arrest, Al Samahiji's house was inspected by police and his mobile phone was confiscated. His arrest was made in relation to recent tweets posted by the human rights defender, in which he condemned the mass execution of 47 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric. He is currently detained at El-Hod El-Gaf prison.

Al Samahiji has repeatedly been subjected to judicial harassment in retaliation for his human rights activities. On 11 December 2013, he was sentenced to one year imprisonment for insulting the King of Bahrain. This sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 3 April 2014, in a judgement providing for the suspension of the sentence subsequent to the payment of a fine of 200 Bahraini Dinars. In October 2012, he was sentenced by military court to ten years' imprisonment, in connection with his support for persons injured during the protests occurring in Bahrain at the time. This sentence was subsequently reduced to one year by the Criminal Court of Appeal.

5 Janvier 2016
Arrest and detention of human rights defender Dr Saeed Al Samahiji

On 4 January 2016, the criminal prosecutor for the Southern governorate of Bahrain ordered the detention of Dr Saeed Al Samahiji for 7 days pending investigation.

The human rights defender was arrested on charges of 'insulting a neighbouring country for the purpose of threatening national security”, and “inciting illegal demonstrations and assemblies".

Al Samahiji was arrested in the early morning of 4 January 2016, at his house in Isa Town, in the Southern governorate of Bahrain. During his arrest, Al Samahiji's house was inspected by police and his mobile phone was confiscated. His arrest was made in relation to recent tweets posted by the human rights defender, in which he condemned the mass execution of 47 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric. He is currently detained at El-Hod El-Gaf prison.

Al Samahiji has repeatedly been subjected to judicial harassment in retaliation for his human rights activities. On 11 December 2013, he was sentenced to one year imprisonment for insulting the King of Bahrain. This sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 3 April 2014, in a judgement providing for the suspension of the sentence subsequent to the payment of a fine of 200 Bahraini Dinars. In October 2012, he was sentenced by military court to ten years' imprisonment, in connection with his support for persons injured during the protests occurring in Bahrain at the time. This sentence was subsequently reduced to one year by the Criminal Court of Appeal.

8 Avril 2014
One year prison sentence upheld against human rights defender Dr Saeed Al Samahiji

On 3 April 2014 a Bahraini Court of Appeal ruled to uphold a sentence of one year's imprisonment issued by the Third Criminal Court in Bahrain against human rights defender and medic Dr Saeed Al Samahiji.

On 3 April 2014, the Court of Appeal affirmed the sentence issued against Dr Saeed Al Samahiji by the Third Criminal Court on 11 December 2013. The ruling imposed a year's prison sentence and a fine of 200 Bahraini Dinars on the human rights defender for insulting the King of Bahrain. The charge arose from a speech made by Dr Saeed Al Samahiji on 1 September 2013 at a funeral of a young man reportedly killed by the police. The human rights defender stated that he considered the King responsible for the death, as well as that of 50 other people killed by the police, and that he hoped that the King would one day leave power.

Dr Saeed Al Samahiji had previously been sentenced to ten year's imprisonment by a military court in October 2012. The sentence was reduced to one year by the Criminal Court of Appeal, and the human rights defender was released in April 2013. Dr Saeed Al Samahiji was one of a group of medics sentenced to for their support of persons injured in the protests occurring in Bahrain at the time.