April 7, 2008

The government has done little to institutionalize in law protection of basic rights in the aftermath of the important reforms decreed by the king, Shaikh Hamad bin `Isa Al Khalifa in 2001-02. New laws have been adopted containing provisions that undermine freedom of assembly, association and expression. The Human Rights Council, in its review of Bahrain�s human rights record, should assess this legislation and recommend steps to bring existing legislation, especially in the areas of freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and accountability for grave crimes such as torture, into compliance with international human rights standards.

http://www.fidh.org/spip.php?article5400

Monday Recommendations to the Government of Bahrain on the occasion of the 1st Universal Periodic Review Session, April 20087 April 2008

Recommendations to the Government of Bahrain on the occasion of the 1st Universal Periodic Review Session, April 2008

Issued by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in Bahrain, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS)

1.Equality and non-discrimination

Overview on Main Human Rights Concerns in Bahrain
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
10 December 2007

Content:
• Political Background and Main Concerns
• Sectarian Discrimination: Main Source of Conflict, Violations and Unrest
• "Al Bander-Gate": Maintaining Sectarian Division and Penetrating NGO’s
• Failure of the National Assembly to Promote Human Rights - Restrictive Laws
• Women Rights and Female Migrant Domestic Workers
• Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials

Arbitrary detention and unfair trials in Bahrain during 2006

This Report is released by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights
November 2007

Preface:

The year 2006 has witnessed an extreme decline in public freedoms in Bahrain, especially in regards to freedom of expression and opinion and the freedom of assembly.

20.07.2007 - 09:38 CET | By Dana Moss
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Al Sharkawi and Al Shaer, two democracy activists in Egypt who used the internet to coordinate activities, were detained for several weeks last year following their participation in a peaceful pro-reform protest. They were finally freed last July, but their plight highlights the dangers faced by bloggers across the Middle East.

Such events also underscore the growing importance of the blogosphere, the threat regimes sense emanating from online activism and the blogosphere's need for European support.

Bloggers have proved themselves vital in the political arena. In Egypt the Kifaya movement, an opposition group championing democratic governance, used blogs to provide publicity, mobilize and organize protests. Equally crucial is the role of online activism in pursuing those scandals which the state-owned media chooses to sideline. Bahraini bloggers exposed the arrest of human rights activists such as Abdulhadi al Khawaja of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10127994.html

05/26/2007 11:40 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: The US authorities are exerting psychological pressure on Juma Al Dossari, a Bahraini detained at Guantanamo Bay who attempted to kill himself 13 times, by placing him near a man who thinks he is Jesus Christ and another man who spends most of his time yelling incoherently, his lawyer has said.

"[Al Dossari] is being held in horrific conditions at Guantanamo's Mental Heath Unit [MHU] as he has been for over a year. At MHU, Juma has almost no opportunities for meaningful human interaction," Joshua Colangelo-Bryan said.

BCHR cautiously welcomes the release of Leaflet Detainees; calls for repeal of Penal Code of 1976 and Press Law

Bahrain Center for Human Rights
26 February 2007
Ref: 07022601

From Monsters and Critics.com

Middle East News
Heavy clashes between protests and police in Bahrain
By DPA
Feb 23, 2007, 9:59 GMT

Sitra, Bahrain - Several Shiite villages in Bahrain witnessed heavy clashes between protesters and anti-riot police on overnight Friday, leading to the arrest of at least 10 people.

The most serious of the clashes took place in Sitra, south of the capital Manama, where more than a 100 protesters blocked village roads and set fires.

The protesters also burned a car and exploded two gas cylinders during the clashes, which lasted well into the early morning hours.

Gulf Daily News
By rebecca torr
Published: 13 February 2007

A HUMAN rights committee is calling for the immediate release of all "activists and detainees of conscience", following the arrests of nine Bahrainis.

Six were arrested for staging a sit-in at Tubli and the other three following a clash with security personnel at the King Fahad Causeway.

Both incidents happened last Friday.

The six were protesting over the imprisonment of two Bahraini men who were sentenced last month for distributing subversive literature during the national elections.

Dentist Mohammed Saeed Al Sahlawi, 35, was sentenced to one year in prison, while insurance sales executive Hussain Abdulaziz Al Habshi, 32, was jailed for six months.

Two sentenced to jail for circulating 'detrimental article'
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10100945.html

01/31/2007 09:58 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: A Bahraini court yesterday sentenced two activists to prison for possessing and distributing leaflets containing an article deemed detrimental to public interest. The verdict was immediately condemned by Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest opposition society, as "unjust and incompatible with the reforms".

Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Sahlawi, a 35-year-old dentist, was sentenced to one year while Hussain Abdul Aziz Al Habshi, an insurance employee, 32, was given six months by the lower criminal court in a trial that drew criticism from several international organisations.