Bahrain: Arrest and incommunicado detention of human rights defender Naji Fateel

Bahrain: Arrest and incommunicado detention of human rights defender Mr Naji Fateel
front line defenders 2 May, 2013

On 2 May 2013 at dawn, police arrested human rights defender Mr Naji Fateel at his home in the village of Bani Jamra in north-west Bahrain. He is being held without formal charges at a location which is still unknown.

Naji Fateel is a board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and a blogger who has been active in reporting human rights violations in Bahrain. The human rights defender gives daily speeches during marches in villages in which he discusses the importance of documenting violations and calls for people to form monitoring committees. He also publishes his opinion twice daily on his twitter account. Naji Fateel attended the Front Line Defenders 2010 Dublin Platform.

Naji Fateel has previously been arrested on charges of illegal assembly and taking part in a demonstration unauthorised by Bahraini officials. The demonstration was an exercise of the right to peaceful assembly. On this occasion the human rights defender was interrogated and tortured whilst in detention. Front Line Defenders issued an urgent appeal on his behalf on 16 February 2012. He was released on bail on 17 April 2012. Naji Fateel’s home has been raided on several occasions last year as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. He has also been subjected to death threats on account of his work in defence of human rights.

Front Line Defenders expresses its concern at the arbitrary arrest and detention of Naji Fateel, and worries that, given the precedent, the human rights defender is at risk of being tortured whilst he is being held incommunicado. Front Line Defenders believes that continued international silence on the arrests of human rights defenders has emboldened the Bahraini authorities to take these measures against Naji Fateel, who is being held solely as a result of his legitimate and peaceful human rights work. …source