
One of Bahrain’s
most prominent human rights defenders, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is
serving a life sentence for his human rights work, has protested unfair prison
regulations. We, the undersigned, call for his release from prison, and barring
that, for improved standards in Jau prison.
Al-Khawaja is the
Founder and Former President of both the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), as well as the former MENA Protection Coordinator for Front Line
Defenders. He has been held in Jau prison, since his sentencing in 2011, along
with other human rights defenders and activists including blogger Dr Abduljalil
Al-Singace who collectively make up the Bahrain 13.
In the past
year, Al-Khawaja and other prisoners of conscience have protested repeatedly about
the deteriorating conditions in prison, which mimic the general deterioration
of conditions in Bahrain for human rights defenders and civil society.
Since 16 October, all of the prisoners’ belongings have been
confiscated, reportedly for the purposes of being searched. When Al-Khawaja and
others asked for the confiscated items to be returned, they were told “they are
still under investigation." On 10 November, the prison authorities restricted
all access to television, radio, books, and there are no independent newspapers
available. Now, the only newspapers prisoners infrequently receive are
government-backed. In addition, family visits have been further restricted so that
prisoners are barely able to have a meaningful conversation. At the same time,
all phone calls are closely monitored. Meanwhile, prisoners have also lost access
to pens or paper, and all daily activities have been cancelled.
This complete restriction from all
independent outside information, and increased restrictions on limited family
contact leaves the prisoners feeling completely cut off from the world while
facing further constraint in their daily lives. These steps have reportedly
come at the direction of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior.
The undersigned are gravely concerned about
Al-Khawaja’s claims that the main purpose of these restrictions is “primarily
an act of retribution and secondarily for the of isolation - what the authorities are doing
is tantamount to psychological warfare.”
After he sent a letter to
the Ministry of Interior in November about the conditions in prison, Al-Khawaja
was also denied the right to make any phone calls until 17 December, which the undersigned groups believe appears to be a reprisal
against him for raising his complaint.
In Al-Khawaja’s letter to
the Ministry of Interior, he expressed that:
1. Even in oppressive
countries that arrest, torture and try people, the authorities do not come back
after six or seven years to retaliate against the prisoners who are essentially
being held hostage because of things happening outside the prison and even
outside the country.
2. What is happening is not
a sign of strength and courage, but rather evidence of weakness and fear. It is
proof that the person in power is feeling unstable, and because he cannot face
the world he retaliates against people he's already holding hostage.
3. If you think that your
actions will affect our determination and spirit, then you are committing a big
mistake. On the contrary, it only strengthens our will and makes us more intent
on continuing down the path we've chosen because it reaffirms the righteousness
of our cause.
Al-Khawaja and the other
high profile activists and human rights defenders have sent many letters of
protest about these and previous prison restrictions, including the denial of
medication and proper access to healthcare. We the undersigned are
alarmed at reports that restrictions to proper medical care are ongoing despite
numerous complaints by prisoners as well as international NGOs, the United
Nations and other governments.
Yet every letter the
detainees send receives a response dismissing their complaints by contending
that the prison authorities are acting "according to the regulations."
According to Bahrain’s
prison rules, male prisoners have the right to two hours of family visits a
month (one hour bi-weekly) and a three-hour monthly visit for their spouses. In
addition to violating their own prison rules, the government of Bahrain’s
treatment of Al-Khawaja is in violation of a number of international legal
principles.
In particular,
the prison authorities have failed to meet the standards set forth by the
United Nations in the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
(known also as the Nelson Mandela Rules). Rule 43 states that collective
punishment is prohibited as torture or cruel treatment, and that the
restriction of family contact cannot be used as punishment and can only be
limited as strictly necessary for maintenance and order of the prison.
The
interference with family visits, the confiscation of paper and writing
instruments, and the revocation of phone use is in violation of Rule 58, which
provides that prisoners are entitled to contact with their family, in writing,
telecommunications, and in-person visits.
The removal of
the television, radio, and newspapers is in violation of Rule 63, which
requires that prisoners be informed regularly of important news items. The
confiscation of books is also in violation of Rule 64, which states that every
prison should keep a library for the use of prisoners. Bahrain has failed to
meet each of these minimum standards.
The current
situation in Bahrain is dire. Human rights defenders are in jail, banned from
travel, are in exile or are being intimidated to prevent them from working.
Many human rights defenders have been called for interrogation and some have
been abused and tortured, leading to some even announcing their intention to
quit their human rights work.
We the
undersigned call on the authorities in Bahrain to:
Signed by:
Americans for
Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
Arabic Network
for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
Bahrain Center
for Human Rights (BCHR)
Bahrain
Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
Cairo Institute
for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation
FIDH, under the
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Front Line
Defenders
Gulf Centre for
Human Rights (GCHR)
International
Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
PEN
International
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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