| Bahrain Trial Observation Mission Report 8 pages / 220 KB |

08 May 2018 - As the
appeals trial in the case against prominent human rights defender Nabeel
Rajab
unfolds before the Court of Cassation, the NGO coalition that mandated an international
trial observation mission in February demands Bahraini authorities release him immediately
and unconditionally, as his detention conditions are putting his life at risk.
On 08 May 2018, the Court
of Cassation, which has the final say in the case, postponed Nabeel Rajab’s
case to 20 May 2018 for closing arguments.
On 21 February 2018, Nabeel Rajab was sentenced
to five years in prison for tweeting about rights violations committed by the
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and poor conditions in Bahrain’s Jaw prison. This is
on top of a two-year sentence for media interviews upheld by the Court of
Cassation on 15 January 2018. A trial observation mission mandated in February
2018 by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), the Observatory for
the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a partnership of FIDH and the World
Organisation Against Torture - OMCT), Front Line Defenders, English PEN, and the
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) concluded that the trial proceedings in the
twitter case were unfair, noting in particular that neither Nabeel Rajab nor
his lawyer were allowed to speak during a two-minute sentence hearing.
The mission
report, which looks at Nabeel Rajab’s trial process and its compliance with
international human rights treaties, condemns his sentence and detention
conditions, which are the latest illustration of the abusive tactics Bahrain’s
authorities have been using for years to silence him. Nabeel Rajab’s health has
been severely impacted by his detention conditions and the lack of medical care
received.
The
observer, an Irish Barrister-at-Law, commented that as a lawyer, she “found the
experience both unusual and unsettling,” saying that the fact that someone
could be sentenced to a five-year prison term without his legal team having
uttered a single word in his defence was astonishing. The observer witnessed a
significant military presence to the extent that court officials and indeed some
lawyers seemed to be personally familiar with military officials, which raises
concerns over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. “As a lawyer
it should be my right to be able to enter a court room and to observe the legal
process of that jurisdiction. Whilst I was not prevented from doing so I did
feel that my presence was not welcomed or appreciated either upon arrival at
the airport or at the court buildings,” she concluded.
Behind the smokescreen of Bahrain’s flourishing economy, the
Kingdom is hiding numerous rights violations and relentless efforts to silence
those who are shedding light on these abuses - of which Nabeel
Rajab’s sentence and detention conditions are a key example, states the report.
In view
of these elements, our organisations urge the authorities of Bahrain to release
Nabeel Rajab immediately and unconditionally, as his detention is arbitrary,
and his prison conditions amount to ill-treatment and are endangering his life,
as well as to guarantee in all circumstances his physical and psychological
integrity and that of all human rights defenders in Bahrain.
The full report with recommendations is available online in English and Arabic.
Nabeel
Rajab is BCHR’s President, GCHR Founding Director, FIDH Deputy Secretary
General, and a member of the Human Rights Watch MENA Advisory Board. He has been imprisoned under particularly harsh
conditions since his arrest on 13 June 2016.
Press
contacts:
GCHR: Khalid Ibrahim - Tel: +961 70159552, or khalid@gc4hr.org
FIDH: Maryna Chebat - Tel: +33 6 48 05 91 57, or mchebat@fidh.org / Rabie Naim (Arabic) – rnaim@fidh.net
OMCT: Delphine Reculeau – Tel: +41 22 809 49 39, or
dr@omct.org
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