17 April 2013

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights express grave concern over the continued attacks on students in Bahrain and the violations to their safety resulting from attacks at school facilities.

On 16 April 2013, riot police stormed the Jabreya Secondary School for Boys and fired tear gas extensively inside the school area after students staged a protest demanding the release of a fellow student who was arrested one day earlier from the school.

On Monday 15 April 2013, Hassan Humidan (17 years old) a student at Jabreya Secondary School, was called to the school administration office, and from there police officers arrested him and took him away in front of his fellow students. His family has not been able to obtain any information on his whereabouts since his arrest. His father stated that he has asked about Hassan at the local police station and at the criminal investigation department, and that both denied having Humaidan in custody (in Arabic: alwasatnews.com/3874/news/..)

Security forces at the school gate at time of arresting Humaidan

On Tue 16 Apr 2013 as the news of the arrest of Humaidan spread throughout the school, his colleagues organized a spontaneous peaceful stand in front of the school administration office in protest against the way their fellow student was arrested.

Students peacefully standing before the security attack

The school administration responded by allowing the riot police handle the situation and turn the school into a conflict zone by firing an excessive amount of tear gas to disperse the student gathering, which caused suffocation among the students and the teachers; injuries were reported among the students. (video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp8wqKT5-jM&feature=youtu.be") Two students were reported to have been arrested from the scene: Ahmed Sudaif and Hussain Saeed.

Videos: Tear gas inside the school: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6O3iWeGS8g&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=per7j1vRNW4

Photos of the tear gas attack on the school

One of the reported injuries

One of the school staff suffering suffocation

According to reports, Mohamed Jaber, a father of one of the students at the school, says he came to pick up his son but police instructed him and other parents to leave. (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22164287

The practice of raiding schools by security forces to arrest students and teachers has been ongoing since March 2011 and dozens of students were arrested and subjected to ill-treatment without any accountability (see BCHR report: http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4466). In recent cases, entire school buses were detained and taken to police stations with all the students onboard, as in December 2012 when primary school students were taken to police stations and threatened with arrest for allegedly chanting with political slogans (see: http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/5581). In January 2013 another case was recorded where a school bus was stopped at Burhama checkpoint and several students were detained briefly before they were released.

In addition to the violence against students, the school code of conduct has been used to deprive school students from their right in receiving formal education when their freedom of expression is in conflict with the government views. Students as young as 8 years-old have been suspended from their studies for chanting political slogans (see: http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/5597).

The Ministry of Education has threatened to take further actions against the school students accused of “disturbing” the education process after the events at Jabriya school (see: http://manamavoice.com/news-news_read-12871-0.html. The BCHR fears that arbitrary procedures would be taken against the students to deprive them from their right to education, or that the school might witness more classroom arrests.

The Ministry of Education represented by the Minister Majid Al Nuaimi (an ex-military official at Bahrain Defence Force) is fully responsible for all the violence and disturbances that were witnessed in Bahraini schools due to the policies and poor decisions made by the Ministry which further complicated the situation. The school as an educational establishment should implement more respectful solutions and a commitment to upholding the child’s right to safety in education, instead of using the security forces to respond to students who are considered minors under the age of 18.

No action has been taken to secure the safety and neutrality of the school environment since the start of the pro-democracy movement in 2011. On the contrary, the Minister responsible for violating rights of the students since 2011, Majid Al Nuaimi, and who is responsible for the arbitrary arrests from the classrooms and ill-treatment of students, is still in his position.

Rather than condemning the Bahraini regime’s human rights violations against children, the state parties of the United Nations Committee of the Rights of the Child elected Bahrain to a seat in the committee. Additionally, Bahrain was elected as the Vice-President of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) (see: http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/5005.

The BCHR calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the UN and all other allies and international institutions to put pressure of the Government of Bahrain to immediately:

1) release all detained students and to drop all the false charges against them;

2) put an end to the practice of raiding schools with the security forces and work to secure a healthy and safe educational environment for the students;

3) commit to international treaties related to human rights which states that the right to education is ensured to all students without discrimination and without politically motivated acts;

4) return suspended students to their schools immediately and to compensate them accordingly in line with educational, emotional, and material loss;

5) initiate an independent investigation into the events that happened in Bahraini schools and particularly the attacks on students inside and outside their schools;

6) uphold all articles of conventions and treaties signed by the Kingdom of Bahrain in relation to Children’s rights - particularly in relation to the protection from torture, arbitrary arrest and the conditions of trials and detentions in specialist establishments;

7) commit to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in relation to freedom of expression, and not to attack or arrest students based on the fact that they expressed their opinions;

8) dismiss the Minster of Education, Majid Al Nuaimi, and hold him responsible for the deterioration of the situation in schools, the inability to provide a suitable environment for education, and his role in promoting sectarianism which further complicated the situation in the schools;

9. Suspend Bahrain membership in the UNESCO IBE until it takes measurable steps to stop all the violations in the education sector.

15 April 2013

Four NGOs, including the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the Bahrain Press Association, the Campaign Against Arms Trade, and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights have submitted a series of letters to F1 race organisers, drivers, sponsors and broadcasters to ask them to reconsider their participation in the event that is scheduled for this Sunday, April 21st.

Link to all four letters.
The full text of the letter addressed to Formula One teams is below:
Dear Formula One team,

We are writing to ask you to rethink your commitment to the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix and pull out of the race. If the race goes ahead, it will be taking place in a country whose government continues to commit gross human rights violations, from arbitrary arrests to torture. Bahrain’s jails contain hundreds of political prisoners, police use excess force with impunity, and opposition members have been stripped of their citizenship.

Given the global controversy and public outcry, last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was an embarrassment to the sport and all those who took part. The race was used by the Bahrain government to broadcast a false picture of normality to the outside world, whilst also preventing entry to journalists who wanted to see the reality on the ground.

The 2012 race was held under conditions which effectively amounted to martial law. In the weeks preceding it, many activists and protest leaders were arrested, some of whom subsequently spent months in jail. Foreign journalists were attacked, arrested, and even deported. During the weekend of the race, a young man, Salah Abbas Habib, was shot dead by security forces. His body, bearing marks of torture, was dumped on a rooftop.

The situation in Bahrain has not improved since last year. If anything, it is getting worse. The Bahrain government has made many pledges of reform, but it is doing nothing to implement them. In November 2012, a report by the Project on Middle East Democracy found that only three of the twenty-six recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry have been fully implemented. In the same month, Amnesty International released a report describing the human rights situation in Bahrain as, “Reform shelved, repression unleashed”. In February 2013, Human Rights Watch visited Bahrain and found there to be “no progress on reform”. In the same month, police killed two protesters.

The race is scheduled to take place at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) on 21 April 2013. In 2011, at the height of the government crackdown, many permanent members of BIC staff were dismissed from their jobs, arrested and tortured. To date, there has been no justice for these Formula One workers. By continuing to race on this track, Formula One is facilitating the culture of impunity through which the authorities have operated.

Nabeel Rajab, the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said last year of the Formula One teams: “We would prefer it if they didn’t take part. I am sure the drivers and teams respect human rights.” These words sadly fell on deaf ears. Nabeel is now serving a two-year sentence related to peaceful protests, which a United Nations Special Rapporteur called, “another blatant attempt by the Government of Bahrain to silence those legitimately working to promote basic human rights.”

We hope you do not repeat last year’s mistake. If you do, you will be once again allowing a repressive regime to hijack your sport for political purposes, whilst it also unleashes further repression to try and silence its critics. We therefore urge you to respect human rights and cancel your plans to participate in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Sincerely,

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Bahrain Press Association (BPA) Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)

The Bahrain Center for Human rights expresses grave concern regarding the recent harsh sentences passed by the criminal court on two children who stood for trial under the internationally criticized terrorism law. Ebrahim Al Muqdad and Jehad Sadeq were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment based on confessions reportedly extracted under torture. Both children have already been in prison for more than 8 months.

On 4 April 2013, the High Criminal Court issued a verdict sentencing Jehad Sadeq Aziz Salman (16 years old) and Ebrahim Ahmed Radi al-Moqdad (15 years old) to 10 years imprisonment under the vague terrorism law for alleged charges of “burning an armoured vehicle”, along with another five persons who were sentenced between 10 and 15 years imprisonment. The families were not allowed into the courtroom for the reading of the verdict. Ebrahim and Jehad were tried at the criminal court instead of a juvenile court. Lawyer Zahra Masood, who represented Jehad Sadeq in this case wrote:

“The case lacks any evidence except confessions taken under duress. To add to that, the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were contradictory and there was no visual evidence of the charges.”

Furthermore, the court refused to investigate the claims that the confessions were taken in absence of a lawyer, the torture, and that the defendants do not know each other. Both Ebrahim and Jehad denied all charges. They are both imprisoned in an adult detention centre with prisoners who are convicted in criminal cases.

The two children were arrested on the 23rd of July 2012. They were both subjected to enforced disappearance after an attack using excessive force by riot police on a pro-democracy peaceful protest in Bilad Al Qadeem. The families of Ebrahim, Jehad Sadeq and others who had disappeared did not know the whereabouts of their sons for up to 48 hours, and when approaching different police stations in the area, they were told repeatedly that they did not know anything about them. On the 25th of July 2012, after 48 hours of search, both families received calls from their sons who told them that they were in the Dry Dock prison.

Ebrahim al-Moqdad told his family and a member of the BCHR documentation team in a phone call that he was beaten at the time of his arrest and that the security forces attempted to strip him of his clothes and sexually assault him but he resisted. A gun was pointed at him and another gun was put against his ear and the trigger was pulled. Ebrahim did not know that the gun was empty of bullets. He added that he was then taken to a burnt armoured vehicle where he was given a script to read while being videotaped; confessing to burning it.

Ebrahim al-Moqdad was interrogated at Qudhaibiya police station by officer Isa Al Majali, who was been accused of torture in several cases, who reportedly insulted and cursed him. He was blindfolded the entire time, handcuffed and was made to lay on the ground and not allowed to move, sit or sleep. On the 25th of July 2012, Ebrahim was taken to the CID for further questioning and he said that they threatened him to not speak about the torture and threats he had endured. Finally, he was taken to the public prosecution department where he was interrogated without the presence of his lawyer; the lawyer was called to attend hours after the completion of the investigation.

Jehad Sadeq said that he was beaten with the butt of a gun and slapped during his arrest by riot police. He was taken to Qudhaibiya police station where the same officer, Isa Al Majali, interrogated him. Jehad was reportedly slapped, insulted and cursed by Al Majali and was made to stand in a corner for hours. In the public prosecution department he was forced to sign papers without being allowed to contact a lawyer. He was then taken to the Dry Dock prison.

Ebrahim and Jehad were kept in detention for almost 2 months before their trial started. They were charged under the terrorism law which is condemned by many international organizations including the UN experts for many reasons including:

“The definition of terrorism is overly broad since there is no requirement of specific aim to commit a terrorist act and some acts are deemed to be “terrorist” without the intention of causing death or serious bodily injury – thus this definition goes against several human rights instruments” (see http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/3449 )

Ebrahim Al Muqdad’s mother has expressed concern regarding the health of her son. She told the BCHR that Ebrahim is suffering from calcium and vitamin deficiency, thyroid problems, osteomalacia (bone softening) and idiopathic scoliosis which causes him chronic pain and may lead to complications without treatment. His mother appeals for her sons release to receive proper medical treatment that is needed for his conditions.

We would like to remind the authorities in Bahrain of articles in the Convention on the Rights of the child which the Government of Bahrain acceded in 1992:

Article 37: "States Parties shall ensure that:

(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age;" (b) "No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time". Also, article (40) states that Every child alleged as or accused of having infringed the penal law has at least the following guarantees: “(iii) To have the matter determined without delay by a competent, independent and impartial authority or judicial body in a fair hearing according to law, in the presence of legal or other appropriate assistance; (v) If considered to have infringed the penal law, to have this decision and any measures imposed in consequence thereof reviewed by a higher competent, independent and impartial authority or judicial body according to law;” Although, Bahrain is a signatory of the covenant of the right of the child, however, it continues to violate children’s rights through the use of excessive force, detention and torture.

The government of Bahrain continues to ignore the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC.C.BHR_.CO_.2-3.doc) which stated several times, most recently after the May 2011 review in which the committee recommended:

(b) “Raise the age of full criminal responsibility to 18 years and accord protection of juvenile justice to all children below 18 years and over the newly established minimum age;”

(d) “Ensure that all cases of children in conflict with the law are treated by specialized judges, in specialized courts; “

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and all other close allies and international institutions to put pressure on the Government of Bahrain to:

• Immediately release Ebrahim Al Muqdad, Jehad Sadeq and all other detained children and political prisoners

• Set up a fact-finding commission representative of local civil society and NGO’s to investigate all cases regarding the arrest, detention and torture of children

• Hold all officials who have been and continue to be involved in the ongoing human rights violations, including torture and violations of child rights, accountable; including high level officials and members of the ruling family

• Immediately provide adequate medical care for prisoners of conscience

• Respect, uphold and implement the treaties and conventions that Bahrain is signatory to; including the International Convention for the Rights of the Child

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights, with the help of a medical consultant, gathered information and cases about the situation of medical services in Bahrain and the limited access to medical care. The report covered the following aspects of the medical situation in Bahrain: 1. The updated situation of the medics case 2. The role of the Bahrain Medical Society 3. The militarization of the hospitals 4. Medical access for people injured by security forces 5. Medical access for political prisoners 6. Conclusion 7. Recommendations Link to the full report. In this report, we found evidence of continuous violations committed by the Government of Bahrain that included the breach of the Geneva Convention and the breach of medical neutrality. The evidence also concludes that the medical services have been militarized and are used as a tool to target civilians. Changes in the health policies have been politicized to serve a political agenda. Recommendations have been made at the end of the report which are crucial to reforming the current situation of medical services in Bahrain.

April 8th, 2013

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses grave concern about the continued targeting of minors and the use of the internationally condemned terrorism law against them. This comes at a time of the ongoing culture of impunity and the apparent complicity of the public prosecution.

Security forces arrested the minor Hussein Hashem Fardan (17 years old) on Sunday evening 31 March, 2013 reportedly after an ambush carried out by civilian clothed police in a civilian cars. According to the sources who spoke to the BCHR, Hussein and his friends were stopped while they were at one of the petrol stations – AL-Noor station – in Sitra industrial area. One of Hussain’s friends who was with him at the time and released later on, stated that a man in civilian clothing walked up to the car they were in and put a gun to Hussain’s head, threatening to empty all bullets in his head if any of them attempted to resist. The civilian clothed police surrounded the station until they took Hussein and those with him to the criminal investigations building.

The witness stated that their faces were covered since beginning of their detention, and that they were beaten in the car that took them to the CID building. At the CID, Hussein was reportedly severely beaten with plastic hoses and kicked in the abdomen and the face. To add to that, he was reportedly sexually assaulted and threatened with raped until he collapsed. He was then forced to sign papers of unknown content. After that, he was transferred to the Central Police Station where officer Turki Al Majed, named in several other cases as being heavily involved in torture and other human rights violations, works, and who had reportedly previously threatened Hussain with arrest and torture. At the Central Police Station he was also reportedly tortured and forced to sign papers without reading them.

The lawyer of the detainee Hussein Hashem - Zahra Masood - reported in her twitter account that she was present at the public prosecution to attend the interrogation with her client, who seemed to be scared and confused as it was the first time for him to be detained, and as he had reportedly previously received threats of arrest and revenge from officer Turki Al Majid. The lawyer also confirmed witnessing marks from beatings on his face and swelling in the head, which confirmed reports that he was subjected to ill-treatment at the CID building; where he was questioned before being transferred to the public prosecution.

At the public prosecution building, an investigation was held with Hussein Fardan and he was charged with detonating a bomb for terrorist purposes. Hussein denied the accusations against him and told the prosecutor about being beaten with a plastic hose to confess, adding that he was threatened by the interrogators to have him back to the building of investigations and to torture him in the event of his denial of the charges against him. Despite the clarity of the marks of beatings on the body of Hussein Fardan, the prosecutor refused to take any steps to protect Hussein from further abuse, renewing his detention for 15 days pending investigation. The General Attorney refused to open an investigation into the allegations made by the minor Hussein Fardan about being subjected to abuse and ill-treatment. After that, Hussain was returned to the Central Police Station.

On Wednesday, 3 April 2013, and specifically at 9:30am, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights received information stating that the minor Hussein Fardan was taken back to the Public Prosecution again without contacting his lawyer, and when the lawyer went to inquire about the reason for taking Hussein to the prosecution again, they denied his presence there.

The family of Hussein Fardan reported that this was not the first time Hussein Fardan was wanted; as the authorities have been targeting him since 2010. Hussain was 13 years old at the time. The house of Hussein Fardan was raided more than 10 times, at different periods including 6 raids in November 2012. In one of the raids, a group of civilians vandalized the contents of Hussein’s room and took his clothes. When his brother inquired about the reason of their actionns, he was threatened to be beaten and they left the house.

Photo of Hussein’s room after being vandalized during a house raid

Based on the above, Bahrain Center for Human Rights calls on the United States, the United Kingdon, the United Nations, and all other allies and relevant institutions to put pressure on the Government of Bahrain to:

1. Immediately release Hussein Fardan who is a minor, as well as all other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

2. Immediately annul the law of terrorism, which has been criticized internationally for being very vague and used specifically during politically motivated cases.

3. To immediately set up an independent committee from civil society to look into the claims and allegations of torture made by civilians.

4. Put an end to the culture of impunity and hold accountable all officials for violations committed, including those in high positions and members of the ruling family.

Photo: Marks of beatings on one of the minors’ back

Photo: Cigarette burns on victims arm

Photo: Marks of beatings on the arm of one of the victims 

Photo: Marks of beatings on the victim

 

Similar incidents happened this week in AlMuqsha village where a young man was abducted and reportedly severely beaten in the police jeep where he was forced to chant “the king is a crown on my head” and then was dumped in a farm in Karrana. The Bahraini Authorities continue to claim to the local and international human rights organizations that their interrogation rooms are fully equipped with recording cameras to assure that no illegal activities are conducted by the police forces while interrogating. Yet, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights continues receive and document cases of alarming incidents both inside and outside the official premises including farms and stables that have turned into torture centers. In many cases citizens are being abducted, severely beaten sometimes to the extent of torture, then dropped off in different areas without being taken to police stations.

 

It is important to note here that the Ministry of Interior called the BCHR and asked that the victims of abductions report to the MOI for investigation. While the BCHR passes the message to the victims and their families, we understand why victims refuse to report to the MOI due to the continuous culture of impunity, which fails the victims, and at times even turns them into the culprits. The BCHR has previoulsy documented cases in which victims who came forward with complaints then themselves faced targeting, harassment and at times even trials. 

 

Based on the above, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights calls on the US, UK, the United Nations and all other allies and international institutions to put pressure on the Government of Bahrain to:

 

- Conducting prompt and impartial investigations in the cases of abduction and mistreatment.

 

- Immediately put an end to all forms of torture and verbal assaults.

 

- End the culture of impunity and hold accountable all those accused of conducting, overseeing or enabling torture and mistreatment; including senior government officials who, if not directly supervising the violations, are involved in the protection of the violators.