Bahrain Human Rights Defenders are Targets of Regime Brutality and Harsh Criminal Punishment

Bahrain: Human Rights Defenders are Targeted by the Government Due to Their Peaceful and Legitimate Human Rights Activities
14 February, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

On the second anniversary of the Bahraini uprising for human rights and democracy, The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) renew their calls for the immediate release of all the detained human rights defenders in Bahrain. We call for the immediate release of the co-founder of both the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja who worked for years locally and on the international level to promote and defend human rights in MENA region and Bahrain in particular. We call also for the immediate release of the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the newly elected –while in prison- General Secretary of the GCHR Board, Nabeel Rajab, who have been targeted for his peaceful human rights activities especially after the crackdown on protesters during February and March 2011. We call as well to put an end to the ongoing crackdown on all other human rights defenders and activists who are either in jail, in exile, in hiding or awaiting trials that probably will be resulted in prison sentences against them.

On Feb 14, 2011 the Bahraini people took to the streets demanding freedom, human rights recognition, and democracy for their own country. The peaceful protesters were met with sever repression that included the use of excessive force against. As a result of that many innocent citizens either lost their lives or got wounded. Also, during the same period from 16 March to the end of May 2011, the country was placed under the state of National Security, giving full power to the army and security forces. This was the time when some human rights defenders such as Nabeel Rajab have played vital roles in reporting and documenting and publishing information about the massive human rights violations in Bahrain and the indiscriminate attacks on people. By talking directly to the media, using the social media networks at time of travel ban, communicating with international human rights organizations and the UN various human rights bodies, Nabeel Rajab and his colleagues were able to keep the eyes on Bahrain and expose the violations to the world, which have eventually resulted in a sufficient pressure that succeed in both ending the emergency status and the set up of Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) by order from the King of Bahrain himself. …more