International concerns over sentencing activists and 20 medical professionals by the military court in Bahrain – BCHR

US Statement on the sentencing of 20 medical professionals by the National Safety Court in Bahrain

We are deeply disturbed by the sentencing today of 20 medical professionals by the National Safety Court in Bahrain. We understand that the cases can be appealed and transferred to a civilian appellate court. We continue to urge the Bahraini Government to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings, including a fair trial, access to attorneys, and verdicts based on credible evidence conducted in full accordance with Bahraini law and Bahrain’s international legal obligations. …more

Bahrain: Activist Bears Signs of Abuse
Concerns About Ill-Treatment in Military Court Hearings for 14
May 10, 2011 – Human Rights Watch

(Washington, DC) – A prominent rights activist who was active in Bahrain’s pro-democracy street protests appeared before a special military court on May 8, 2011, bearing visible signs of ill-treatment and perhaps torture, Human Rights Watch said today.

The activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, was one of 14 defendants, most active with opposition political movements, charged with attempting to “topple the regime forcibly in collaboration with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country.” His wife and daughter spoke with him briefly after the court session, the first time they had been allowed to see him since he was arrested and badly beaten on April 9. They observed multiple facial injuries, and he told them he had four fractures on the left side of his face, including one in his jaw that had required four hours of corrective surgery.

“It appears that Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s jailers tortured him during the month they held him in incommunicado detention,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Torture or ill-treatment is a serious crime, and Bahraini officials who did or authorized this treatment need to be held accountable.”

Human Rights Watch has documented the routine use of torture by Bahraini security officials during similar interrogations in political and security-related cases.

The National Safety Lower Court postponed resuming the trial until May 12 to allow defense lawyers to meet with their clients, and in some cases to appoint their own lawyers. The case was brought by the military prosecutor, and a military judge presides over the sessions. Bahrain’s police and military have operated under martial law, termed a “state of national safety,” since March 15.

The 13 defendants who appeared before the special court with al-Khawaja are Abd al-Wahab Hussain, Ebrahim Sharif, Hassan Mushaima, Abd al-Jalil al-Singace, Mohammed Habib al-Saffaf (al-Moqdad), Saeed Mirza Ahmed, Abd al-Jalil al-Moqdad, Abd a-Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan, Al-Hurr Yusif Mohammed, Abdullah Isa al-Mahroos, Salah al-Khawaja, Mohammed Hassan Jawad, and Mohammed Ali Ismael.

Seven others being tried in abstentia in the same case are Akeel Ahmad al-Mafudh, Ali Hassan Abdullah, Abd al-Ghani al-Khanjar, Saeed Abd al-Nabi Shihab, Abd al-Rauf al-Shayeb, Abbas al-Umran, and Ali Hassan Mushaima. Several are in hiding, presumably in Bahrain, while others have been living abroad.

Prior to the May 8 court session, Bahrain’s military public prosecutor, Col. Yusif Rashid Feleyfel, had formed an investigative committee composed of several public prosecutors who questioned the 14 suspects, the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) announced.

Prosecutors have accused the defendants of a variety of national security crimes under Bahrain’s 1976 Penal Code and the 2006 Counterterrorism Law. These alleged crimes include “organizing and managing a terrorist group for the overthrow and the change of the country’s constitution and the royal rule,” “seeking and correspond[ing] with a terrorist organization abroad working for a foreign country to conduct heinous acts” against Bahrain, funding a foreign terrorist organization, insulting the army, “broadcasting false news and rumors” that threatened public security, inciting sectarianism, and organizing and participating in rallies without having obtained the necessary permits.

“Some of these charges, like insulting the army, should not be crimes at all, and it looks like at least in Abdulhadi-al-Khawaja’s case the authorities have tried to beat a confession out of him rather than come up with evidence to support these charges,” Stork said. …more

Bahrain: UN voices concern at sentences given to medical staff, activist

Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
30 September 2011 –

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights office today voiced concern at the harsh sentences handed down this week by a court in Bahrain to medical professionals, teachers and others as a result of pro-democracy protests earlier this year.

The sentences range from three years’ imprisonment to the death penalty, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told a news conference in Geneva. The Court of National Safety, effectively a military court, also upheld the sentences of 21 others.

“For such harsh sentences to be handed down to civilians in a military court with serious due process irregularities raises severe concerns,” said Mr. Colville, who noted that the court is headed by three judges, all of whom are appointed by the chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, and cases are prosecuted by military public prosecutors.

Mr. Ban voiced concerns about due process irregularities in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

“The Secretary-General calls for the release of all political detainees and reiterates his appeal to the Bahraini authorities at the highest level to ensure the application of due process and respect for international human rights norms,” the statement said. “This will contribute to conditions for national dialogue, reconciliation and reform as sought by all the Bahraini people.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) also spoke out today, with a spokesperson stressing that health-care workers must be able to carry out their duty to treat injured people, regardless of their political affiliation, and even in times of conflict.

Fadéla Chaib told reporters that health-care workers should never be punished for doing what is morally and ethically required, and that medical facilities must also be protected.

OHCHR understood that defendants have had limited access to lawyers and that lawyers had insufficient time to properly prepare the defence of their clients in most cases. Also, the court has not been investigating torture allegations and does not permit recording of the proceedings, all of which caused serious concern.

“We call on the Government to ensure that every detained person is charged with a recognizable criminal offence and has enough time to prepare a defence case,” said Mr. Colville.

The Government, which has been has engaged in a violent crackdown against protesters calling for greater democracy, has announced that all cases will be referred to civilian courts in October.

While OHCHR welcomes this announcement, it said that it is unclear how appeals by those who have been convicted in military courts will be handled in the civilian courts.

The Office has spoken out repeatedly in recent months over harsh sentences issued by the court against protesters with charges ranging from participating in an illegal gathering, or expressing hatred of the Government, to actual crimes such as murder and destruction of property. …source

BPA: Announces the Release of its Report on Abuses Against Media People
2 October 2011 – SCHR

LONDON – Bahrain Press Association “BPA”, the London-based association concerned with defending Bahrain media and press people, announced today the release of its first report documenting the outrage practiced by the Bahraini regime against scores of media people.

The bi-lingual report, a first-of-its-kind, is 60-page long and sheds light on the press status in Bahrain amid the brutal crackdown against pro-democracy protesters since February onwards for those people who had been covering the protests. The report documents the unjustified reaction of the Bahraini regime against 129 media people, most of which were Bahraini nationals and some foreigners, which led to arbitrarily detain them depriving them the basic human rights along with the killings of two of them while in custody. For fear of further reprisal, a significant number of journalists chose to flee their home and prefer living in exile.

“The report is a joint effort of many people from both inside Bahrain and abroad. It goes by the title ‘Word Leading to Death’.” The BPA said. “As part of the Arab sprig waves spreading in the Middle East, Bahrain has seen thus far many abuses in terms of human rights and the report depicts the brutal harassment faced by media people covering pro-democracy protests.”

The report will be followed by another one to be released by the year end. It has been released with a two-fold-purpose. One is that it calls on all concerned human rights organizations to intervene and use all possible means to put pressure on the Bahraini regime to stop abusing media people. And the other thing is to institute investigations and take appropriate actions against all people responsible and ensure justice is in place to prevent any possible recurrence of violations in the future.

BPA Report HERE

Convicted Bahraini doctors, nurses urge U.N. to investigate their protest-linked jail sentences
by News Source on October 1, 2011

The Associated Press reports:

Bahraini doctors and nurses convicted of links to anti-government protests and sentenced to long prison terms appealed to the U.N. chief Saturday to investigate their claims of abuse and judicial violations in the trial.

The medical professionals — whose sentences range from five to 15 years — are appealing the security court’s ruling and speaking out against the wider crackdown by the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers against protests for greater rights by the Shiite majority.

The trial has been closely watched by rights groups that have criticized Bahrain’s prosecution of civilians at the special security court, which was set up under martial law-style rule that was lifted in June. The U.N. human rights office and the U.S. State Department are among those questioning the use of the court, which has military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges.

The doctors and nurses worked at the state-run Salmaniya Medical Center close to the capital’s Pearl Square, which became the epicenter of Bahrain’s uprising, inspired by other revolts across the Arab world. The authorities saw the hospital’s mostly Shiite staff — some of whom participated in pro-democracy street marches — as protest sympathizers, although the medics claimed they treated all who needed care.

“During the times of unrest in Bahrain, we honored our medical oath to treat the wounded and save lives. And as a result, we are being rewarded with unjust and harsh sentences,” said a statement released by the medics after the court’s ruling.

The group was convicted Thursday on charges that include attempting to topple the Gulf kingdom’s rulers and spreading “fabricated” stories. In a separate trial, the security court sentenced a protester to death for the killing of a police officer during the clashes that began in February. …source

‘Bahrain views West silence, green light’
Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights – PressTV

A human rights activist tells Press TV that the Bahraini regime considers Western silence on the brutal human rights violations in the country as a “green light” to continue with violence.

“Maybe they [Bahrain’s Al Khalifa regime] received a quit criticism or silence from European countries and the United States government. And they understood that as a green light that they could do anything,” President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab said in an interview with Press TV on Monday.

He further added that Bahrain is still receiving both economic and political support from the US and Saudi Arabia despite its brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in the kingdom.

Rajab said this silence is the main reason why Bahrain feels it can act like a super power.

Since mid-February, anti-government protesters have been staging regular demonstrations in Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.

On March 14, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.
…source