Mohamed Hassan
From the beginning, no information was given to me about the process. I was caught by surprise and found myself in a position that required me to do a lot in a very constrained environment and in a very limited period of time. This made it hard for me to explain the situation to anybody.
Mohamed Hassan is a human rights defender and blogger, who has been an active voice for reform in Bahrain since the 2011 uprising. Originally blogging anonymously, months later "Safy" began using his real name and photo despite the risks to HRDs reporting violations in Bahrain. Mohammed Hassan also acted as a media contact point for various foreign news stories, which included coverage of anti-government protests and police crackdowns in Bahrain. The support Mohamed Hassan provided to international media has previously made him a target for the Bahraini authorities. He had previously been interrogated and arrested on three previous occasions in 2012.
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.
