Bahrain- Human Rights defender Said Yousif Al-Muhafdha on trial for a tweet, still in detention
11 January, 2013 – Guldf Center for Human Rights

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) calls for the immediate release of human rights defender Said Yousif Al-Magadha, the Vice President and Head of Documentation Unit of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), who is in detention since 17 December 2012 and is due for trial on 9 January 2012 for a tweet.

Al-Muhafdha was arrested while monitoring a protest in Manama on 17 December 2012, without any arrest warrant. He was charged with “disseminating false news over twitter” in relation to a tweet about a shotgun injury that was recorded couple of days prior to the tweet. On Wednesday 09 January 2013 he is due to stand for the first session on a trial facing the above mentioned charges.

This is the 2nd time Al-Muhafhda gets arrested while doing his duty as a human rights defender in reporting and documenting the violations of the security forces against the peaceful protesters. His arrest and the trial associated with it both clearly violate the spirit of article 6 of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted on 9 December 1998 which says “The right to receive and disseminate human rights information, and to draw public attention to human rights issues.”

It’s the belief of the GCHR that Said Yousif Al-Muhafdha is being detained mainly to hinder his legitimate human rights activities. The Bahraini government has used similar methods against the other leading human rights defenders who are currently imprisoned including the co-founders of the GCHR Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab.

The GCHR calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the UN and all other close allies and international institutions to put pressure on the Bahraini authorities to:

Immediately release detained human rights defender Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafdhah and drop all charges against him. The GCHR believes that these measures have been taken against him solely due to his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights, and freedom of expression in accordance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
2. Immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience and activists including leading human rights defenders Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and Nabeel Rajab.
3. Immediately stop all actions that restrict freedom of opinion and expression, or prevent the transmission of information online.
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
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Thousands of Bahrain Arab Spring Protesters Denounce Government
12 January, 2013 – Democracy Chronicles

Bahraini security forces keep watch during clashes with Shiite Muslim protesters in the village of Malikiyah on January 7, 2013. Thousands of Shiites have demonstrated near Manama in a new protest against an appeals court upholding jail terms for 13 activists on charges of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s monarchy, witnesses said.

Bahraini security forces keep watch during clashes with Shiite Muslim protesters in the village of Malikiyah on January 7, 2013. Thousands of Shiites have demonstrated near Manama in a new protest against an appeals court upholding jail terms for 13 activists on charges of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s monarchy, witnesses said.

Thousands of Shiites demonstrated near Manama on Saturday in a new protest against an appeals court upholding jail terms for 13 activists on charges of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s monarchy, witnesses said.

“We will not resign ourselves to it” and “we will not forget the prisoners,” shouted demonstrators during the peaceful protest that was monitored by a heavy security presence. Some carried photos of those convicted.

On Monday, the Court of Cassation upheld sentences ranging from between five years and life in prison against the 13, who took part in 2011 anti-government protests.
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