…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end

20 July, 2014 – Urgent

Isa Haider Alaali is a 19 year old who has spent ELEVEN months in prison, six in Bahrain and  five months in Harmondsworth and Campsfield
Detention Centres.

If he returns to Bahrain he will be in the terrible Jaw Prison, with severe overcrowding and abuse and little food or water. He will be tortured as he REFUSED to become an INFORMER. The Khalifas are putting pressure on the British Government to stop activists getting asylum in Britain. 108 have got asylum since February 2011 out of 185 applications with 20 pending.

We got a last minute APPEAL against his Deportation on 21st May 2014. 

Isa was detained and tortured three times for a total of six months after attending a peaceful demonstration in Bahrain and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on 23rd March 2014.   He arrived in U.K. on 14th February 2014 and applied for political asylum immediately. He was sent to Harmondsworth Centre under the Fast Track Scheme and was there for five months. He is no longer under the Fast Track Scheme and is now at
Campsfield, Kidlington.   He had NO ACCESS TO A LAWYER FOR THREE WEEKS and only saw his lawyer a day before his first interview. So he had no chance to prepare his defence, or know that he needed to translate his documents.

– 11th March, his application for asylum was refused although the Home Office HADN’T SEEN A TRANSLATION of his DOCUMENTS. 

-14th March – appeal to  the Upper Tribunal.   24th March, the refusal is quashed. at the First Tier Tribunal.  Home Office  challenges the authenticity of the documents, still not translated.  

-24th April – The Appeal was refused but Judge recognises importance of the new documents.

Isa was due to be deported to Bahrain on 22nd May. The Immigration Official brought DEPORTATION PAPERS FOR ANOTHER DETAINEE! My M.P. Zac Goldsmith, who has been supportive of Isa’s case followed this up, but the Home Office deny it.

A last minute appeal on the evening of 21st May at the  High Court stopped his deportation.

He has had TWO BAIL HEARINGS which were postponed because the surity was on a business trip and then the lawyer did not tell the surities what documents to bring! Asylum seekers are allocated a lawyer, however inefficient or over worked and can’t change him.

The Harmondsworth Detention Centre video, through which  the asylum seeker talks to the court was NOT working. 

The U.K. Government supports the Bahrain regime  and tried to stop an Opposition Resolution being passed at the Geneva UNHCR meeting in June on the grounds that “reform” is taking place.   An Interim Statement on Bahrain’s Human Rights abuses was signed by 48 countries. A list of 1400 high priority prisoners, children, women and the sick and injured was presented to the Bahrain Crown Prince nearly three months ago,  but nothing has happened.

This case reflects badly on the U.K. Government,  the Immigration System and the country. Isa has been denied his chance for a fair hearing
through incompetence and lack of concern.

Please contact Theresa May, your MP or US Congress Person about his case.

Lawyers attempt to save Abdul finishes on 24th July 2014
15 July, 2014

Abdul is being persued for his international Human Rights work and exposing on T.V. what is going on in the “Arab Spring.” Please support Abdul as his case shows how the Khalifa regime works. Abdul is in Frankfurt Prison, Maine, Number 1. He will be tortured to confess to the offences for which he has been acquitted or new offences if extradited. His wife Fatima and four children are in a refugee camp in Trier, Germany. This is urgent. Janet

Abdul Ilah Al Mahoozi was detained on 10th July 2014 at Frankfurt Airport. He is t
hreatened with deportation to Bahrain by 24th July for offences for which he has been acquitted.
Abdul is a 33 year old architect who worked for the Manama Municipality. He is married to Fatima and has four children. A building collapsed on 11th January 2013 and killed migrant workers. He had already fined the owner stating the building was unsafe and should not house workers.
There have been many buildings collapsing in Manama with workers killed and the health and safety record in the city is poor.

Abdul was charged with the manslaughter of the migrant workers but acquitted on 6th March 2013. Other defendants were jailed. On 14th March 2013 the Bahrain Government put out a red notice on him for the same offence, although he had already been cleared. He was acquitted by the First Criminal Court in Case 1982/2013 and is innocent.

He was also accused of being a member of the Al Imam Army and acquitted of that in Case 2013/6254. The Fourth High Criminal Court issued a final and unappealable verdict on 3rd November 2013 stating that Abdul was innocent of any charges.

The Bahrain Government is persueing Abdul because he is a human rights activist who works in Iraq and Iran and has often appeared on television talking about the Arab Spring. This illegal warrant for his arrest aims to stop Abdul practising his freedom of speech and supporting Bahrainis fighting for freedom and democracy. The Government thinks that anyone asking for changes and democracy is attacking the Khalifa regime and inciting violence and hatred. They are unfortunately supported by the US and UK Governments who pretend to see non-existent reform.

The Public Prosecution should state that Abdul Ilah Al Mahoozi has been acquitted of all the offences and request Interpol to release him as the arrest request is no longer valid.

The Bahrain Government must start to practice justice and equality in the law, so that those who have committed torture and killed civilians should be imprisoned and the largely innocent victims freed. The Crown Prince received a list of 1200 priority prisoners to be freed from the U.N. but nothing has happened.

I hope you will campaign for Abdul. Dr Wolfgang Koberer is the lawyer who will handle the Interpol case and is an expert in this field. Tim Kliebe, will handle the asylum case. Please write to your M.P., M.E.P. or Congressman about Abdul.

You can also contact The Bahrain Minister of Interior and the German Home Secretary.

Time is short, Abdul needs to win his case for asylum by 24th July 2014. Yours Sincerely, Janet Salmon
I have campaigned for Bahraini detainees for 3,5 years.

I want to tell you about the decline in justice and the legal procedures in Bahrain, where people including children are detained, tortured, forced to sign unseen confessions and jailed for long periods. All you get from Mr Robertson and his predecessor Mr Burt, The U.K. Ministers for the Middle East and Northern Africa is their “concern” and that they talk quietly to the Khalifa regime about “due process.” There is no due process.

Mohamed Abdulla Tajer, (25) was detained on August 6th 2013. He was targeted to stop the well known defence lawyer Mohamed Tajer persueing political cases and defending “terrorists.” He was sentenced to SEVEN years today. He was charged with “attacking” the police but actually defended young ladies attacked by police on a demonstration. The accuser is an officer at the notorious Samaheej police station. The police accusations are based on secret sources and difficult for the defence lawyers to question. The police officer brought the person he claimed was the “victim” of the attack to identify Mohammed which he duly did.

The other defendants Sayed Ali, (34) Sayed Hussain (36) and Mohamed Oun Ali (26.) all got seven years. Mohamed Tajer the lawyer has tried to see his client Mohammed three times but failed. On 2nd December Mohammed denied all charges and said he was tortured to confess. The Prosecutor said he couldn’t drop all the charges against Mohammed or the fact he’d been tortured, but offered to state he’s been punched ONE TIME. After 2nd December 2013 session he was forced to sign more papers to incriminate himself to avoid further torture. He missed two court sessions because the prison bus was late and prisoners are always abused and strip searched beforehand at the prison. He never saw his lawyer before sentencing. He has been in Dry Dock Prison but will now move to Jau Prison.

Mohamed has hemorrhoids but the Prison Authorities won’t allow the operation. He only gets painkillers. When he attended Salmanya Hospital in February he was told he needed medicine, a proper diet and salt and water baths –impossible in the overcrowded, unhygienic prison where there are 5 beds for 12 men and no clean water. He is a quiet, reserved young man who works in an office, targeted to put pressure on his relative Mohamed Tajer
. Please help Mohammed by raising his case with your M.P. and Congressman. It is time the U.S. and U.K. Governments put pressure on the Khalifas to improve the legal system and prison conditions as a prelude to negotiations.

Redha al Ghasra and eight people escaped from prison recently. They were picked up and he is now being extensively tortured. He had seconds on the phone to his parents to say he was fine and sounded terrible. He was sentenced to 42 years and received none of the normal prisoner privileges. He has been in solitary confinement for weeks. In a previous escape, he dressed up as a woman and when captured was tortured in the road, in front of the people.

His family demonstrated outside the CID building and were threatened that if any picture was taken, they couldn’t see their son. His Mum’s poster says:

Sayeeda Warsi, will your Government continue to silently accept the repeated systematic torture of my son and thousands of Bahrainis?

The Ghasra family have had 70 raids on their home and two of Redha’s brothers are in exile. So what is your Government going to do? Will it ignore what is happening to the Bahrainis, like the plight of the Jews in the Second World War, or do something honourable and intercede?

Rihanna al Mousawi, 3 men sentenced on 29th April – URGENT

A terrible year for Rihanna al Mousawi who was arrested in April 2013 for “planning to bomb” the FI Race. Public Security Chief General Tariq Hassan accused her and Nafeesa al Asfoor of attempting “ a dry run to test the security measures at the F.I. by carrying in a cushion. She was tortured and her 16 year old son Husein was threatened with torture. She was taught a “fabricated tale” several times and beaten on her head if she made a mistake.

She was threatened with rape if she changed her story and forced to stand naked in a doorway. She was interrogated for 3 hours by the Attorney Genera Fahed Albuainain. Seven hooded men showed her photos of Naji al Fateel, Hadi Al Moussawi and Hisham al Sabbagh, demanding if she knew them. She was accused of going to the Lebanon to receive training in weapons. Rihanna thought she’d be accused of campaigning for detainees at the FI protest but finds herself accused of membership of the “14th February Coalition” and plotting to bomb the F.I.

At the first court session she bravely spoke about her torture but Judge Ali Al Deraini laughed and dismissed it. He allowed the prosecution to make their case, but not the defence or defendants. The defence lawyers petitioned to have the Judge removed for bias, but failed. Rihanna was sentenced to 5 years in the 14th February Coalition case. The defence lawyers demanded the investigation of Rihanna’s torture claim at 16th April session, The Judge refused. She’ll be sentenced on 29th April 2014 on the “bomb” charge and get the result of the 14th February Coalition Appeal.

Three other prisoners will be sentenced on 29th April:

Hussain Hubail, photographer, arrested on 31st July 2013, heart problems, collapsed 5 times/can go to St George’ s Hospital for treatment if released. Badly tortured, accused of inciting regime hatred and attending demonstrations
Jassim alNouami, online activist, arrested 31st July 2013, beaten for 3 days, accused of publishing false news, attending demonstrations and using social media, not in Bahrain on those dates. Mum & sisters threatened with rape.
Ahmed Mushaima, student, son of General Secretary of the Haq Party Hasan Mushaima, arrested 28th December 2013, has Blount’s disease, accused of attending a demonstration on 13th February 2013.

The Bahraini people need international pressure, economic boycotts and a cut in transport links. The Khalifa regime will only stop killing and detaining its citizens if there is a price. Obama and Cameron will do nothing because of arms sales and Saudi Arabia. Please tell me what you can do to help Rihanna, Hussain, Jassim and Ahmed.

Rihanna al Mousawi was arrested in April 2013 for “planning to bomb” the FI Race. Public Security Chief General Tariq Hassan accused her and Nafeesa al Asfoor of attempting “ a dry run to test the security measures at the F.I.” by carrying a cushion under Nafeesa’s dress.

What happened to her after the FI races ? She was tortured and her 16 year old son Husein was threatened with torture. She was taught a “fabricated tale” several times and beaten on her head if she made a mistake.
She was threatened with rape if she changed her story and forced to stand naked in a doorway. She was interrogated for 3 hours by the Attorney Genera Fahed Albuainain and then allowed to phone her family briefly.

She suffered a further interrogation by seven hooded men holding up photos of Naji al Fateel, Hadi Al Moussawi and Hisham al Sabbagh, demanding whether she knew them. She was accused of going to the Lebanon to receive training in weapons. Rihanna thought she’d be accused of campaigning for detainees at the FI protest but finds herself accused of membership of the “14th February Coalition” and plotting to bomb the F.I.

At the first court session she bravely spoke about her torture but Judge Ali Al Deraini laughed and dismissed it. He allowed the prosecution to make their case, but not the defence lawyers or defendants. The defence lawyers petitioned to have the Judge removed for bias, but failed. In the 14th February Coalition case Rihanna was sentenced to 5 years.

At 16th April 2014 Session the defence lawyers demanded that Rihanna’s torture claim should be investigated. The Judge refused. There will be no further defence evidence and she will be sentenced on 29th April 2014 for both the “bomb” charge and get the result of the 14th February Coalition Appeal.

The International Trade Union Movement must act. The I.L.O. has managed to reinstate 190 Bahrain Trade Unionists but we need pressure, economic boycotts and a cut in transport links. The Khalifa regime will only stop killing and detaining its citizens if there is a price. Obama and Cameron will do nothing because of arms sales and Saudi Arabia. Please tell me what can you do to help Rihanna al Mousawi?

Mohamed Abdulla Tajer, (25) Lawyer Mohamed Tajer’s cousin has been detained since August 6th 2013 and will be sentenced on 23rd April 2014. He is charged with attacking the police. The person who accused him and the other defendants is an officer at the police station. The police accusations are based on secret sources and therefore difficult for the defence lawyers to question. The police officer brought the person he claimed was the victim of the attack to identify Mohammed which he did, as is always the case.

The other defendants Sayed Ali, (34) Sayed Hussain (36) and Mohamed Oun Ali (26) are from the same area so Mohammed so knows them slightly. Mohamed Tajer the lawyer has tried to see his client Mohammed three times, but failed. On 2nd December he denied all charges and said he was tortured to confess. The Prosecutor said he couldn’t drop all the charges against Mohammed or the fact he’d been tortured, but offered to state he’s been punched ONE TIME. After 2nd December 2013 session he was forced to sign more papers to incriminate himself to avoid further torture.

Mohamed has hemorrhoids and needs an operation but the Prison Authorities won’t allow It. The only treatment he gets is painkillers. When he attended Salmanya Hospital he was told he needed medicine, a proper diet and salt and water baths –impossible in the overcrowded, unhygienic prison environment. He is a quiet, reserved young man who is being attacked to put pressure on his relative who works as a
human rights lawyer. There are many prisoners with medical problems that remain untreated. Please help Mohammed by getting the US and UK Governments to put on pressure.

Hugh Robertson knows and cares so little that his response to Mohamed Abdulla Al Tajer’s case was to speak about his uncle, Mohamed Tajer. Such ignorance is unforgivable when young men are being tortured and detained. Hugh knows there’s no DUE PROCESS in Bahrain courts, but continues to mouth platitudes. Please ask questions on MAT again, pointing out that he’s being targetted because of his uncle’s human rights work. We want a proper, informed response.

Why would we be asking about MT Senior when he got out 2 years ago? Regards, Janet P.S. I don’t remember Hugh or the Government offering any help when Attorney Tajer was targeted again in late 2013.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Bahraini government calling for the release of Hussain Hubail on health grounds.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of the case of Hussain Hubail. We understand he was detained in connection with charges related to protests on 14 August last year and that the verdict for his case is due to be issued later this month. We expect the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights obligations, and to ensure that all detainees have access to appropriate medical care.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on (a) the trial in Bahrain of Mohammed Abdulla Al-Tajer and (b) his treatment in custody.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of the case of Mohammad Al-Tajer. We understand he spent four months in detention in 2011 before his case was moved from the National State Safety Court to the civilian courts, as recommended by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, where he was sentenced to one month in prison. We understand that he appealed the verdict and was acquitted by the High Appeal Civilian court. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights obligations, and adhere to international standards.

Key Points in Mohamed Abdulla Tajer’s case – next court session: 23rd April 2014.

Mohamed was charged with attacking a policeman when defending ladies. 2 men duly appeared and identified him and the other young men.

– His uncle is Mohamed Tajer, the human rights lawyer.

– He has been tortured and forced to sign an unseen confession.

– He suffers from hemorrhoids and needs an operation which is refused.

– He has been detained for 9 months with no access to a lawyer

Hugh Robertson’s comments about the Bahrain Government meeting their human rights obligations and providing medical care for detainees are farcical. He should look at the BICI Report, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch for some facts.

Sami Mira Ahmed Mushaymaa. A travesty of Justice.
26 March, 2014

An illiterate young man, 25 will be executed unless we take action. What can you do to help him and the other detainees? The Bahrain F.I. will take place on April 6th. Please condemn running this sports event in a
country where the human rights are terrible. Pressure needs to be brought on the Khalifa regime to release to over 3500 detainees, a third, children.

Sami Mira Ahmed Mushaymaa, Abbas Jamil Tahir Alsamee, Ali Mohamed Taher Alsamee and Yousuf Ahmed Mohamed Taher Alsamee were “pronounced guilty” of killing 3 policemen BEFORE their trial started. Only the dead UAE
policeman has been identified, not the 2 Bahrain victims. The Prime Minister called for the trial to be “expedited” and death sentences to follow.

The Prosecutor said on 4th March that four men had admitted to being influenced by “foreign agents”, Iran. Sami was soaked in cold water, chilled with an air conditioner, beaten on his genitals and forced to stand for long periods. Bader Ebrahim Ghaith, his torturer said the C.I.D. would tell the Judge to sentence him to at least 15 years.

The police dumped weapons and incriminating evidence at Sami’s house and photographed the evidence. His family saw him on 23rd March with teeth broken, burn marks and heavily clothed to hide torture marks. His family’s home has been attacked twenty times and they are terrified.

His co-defendant Abbas Alsamee was electrocuted on his genitals and faced the same freezing treatment. He is still at the Criminal Investigation Directorate, three weeks after his arrest. This raises great fears for his safety under constant interrogation.

The twenty five men are mainly from the Alsamee and Mushaymaa families. Are they known troublemakers or easy to pick up when the police want to make quick arrests in night raids after a colleague has been killed? Sami Mushaymaa is a relative of Hasan Mushaima, Secretary General of Haq, The Movement of Liberty and Democracy. Hasan is one of the thirteen Leaders of the Opposition, jailed for life. Sami has been questioned about the Haq leaders but knows nothing.

Sami was targeted by the Intelligence Department in 2010 and had all his teeth smashed. He was arrested as part of a “terrorist cell” in 2010 but released after eight months. He was picked up at the Pearl Roundabout in 2011 and charged with illegal gathering and making molotov cocktails, never found. He was released again due to lack of evidence. He has recently returned home. Why would he put himself and his family at risk again?

The Mushaima family have battled to get medical treatment for Hasan who suffers from cancer. Every time they raise this issue they are intimidated or a member of the family is arrested. Ahmed Mushaima, Hasan’s son was picked up at the airport returning from Iraq on 28th December 2013. He was jailed for thirty days for congregating and missed
important college exams. Ahmed was severely beaten on his previously injured knees and could not sit down when his family visited him. He goes to court on 27th March 2014.

The families of important leaders are continuously harassed and having the same surname is a liability. What can the international legal and political community do about this?
—
“when compassion acts beyond reason humanity is redeemed”

Urgent Appeal: 17 year old shot by Bahrain Police detained without Charges, denied Access to Medical Care
9 March, 2014 – BCHR

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is seriously concerned about the health and well being of Sadeq Jaffar AlAsfoor, 17 year-old, who has been in detention since the 8th of January 2014. AlAsfoor, who was shot at time of arrest, reported that he is experiencing pain in his stomach to the extent that he is unable to eat, but his condition is being ignored by the authorities.

On Wednesday, 08 January 2014, AlAsfoor was visiting a released prisoner in the village of Markh, Bahrain with three others. Witnesses reported that they heard the authorities open fire with live ammunition on the four young men as they left. All four of them were subjected to enforced disappearance, with one of the victims, Fadhel Abbas, reported dead 18 days after the incident (read BCHR report on http://bahrainrights.org/en/node/6727).

Following this incident, AlAsfoor was subjected to enforced disappearance for over 15 days, and his family were not certain if their son was alive, despite making inquiries at the public prosecution and the police station. His father was told that there are no criminal cases lodged against Sadiq in the police electronic system. …more

Al Khalifa Regime Victims languish in Bahrain's Prison While World enjoy the Royal Formula One
12 March, 2014

The Bahrain F.1. Race will take place on April 6th 2014 in flood lit conditions. This is appropriate as it will mask the reality of life for Bahrain’s citizens behind the glitz of the F.1.

3500 people are detained in overcrowded cells with inadequate water for drinking and washing, poor food, no medical care and no winter clothes. Homes are attacked without warrant at night to pick up suspects and intimidate the community.

After the 2013 F.1. 60 people were detained, including Rihana al Mousawi, who was tortured, stripped and exposed in public. Over 1000 detainees are children who are regularly abused.

Torture is systemic although the Minister of the Interior says there is no torture and the Jordanians are experts. Two young photographers, Sayed Ahmed Al Mousawi and Mohamed al Orabi were both tortured for six days in February, hung on doors, electrocuted and sexually abused. Should the international sporting community be running a high profile race that supports the Khalifa regime?

Mohamed Mirza’s case shows what happens to peaceful opponents of the regime.

Mohamed was arrested on 27th June 2012 after being on the run for eight months. He was convicted in absentia for illegal gathering and vandalising a police car in November 2011, 24th January 2012 and May 2012. His total sentence was 2.5 years. Illegal gathering means nothing in Bahrain – you can be watching a march and get detained.

Mohamed is seriously ill. He was hit by birdshot, beaten when he arrested and has problems with his sight as his eyes were sprayed with incendiary material. His hearing and teeth were affected by torture. He finally went to a specialist at Salmaniya Hospital in September 2013 about his back who recommended a CT Scan and a medical brace. Nothing has happened. There is ONE DOCTOR for 800 men in Mohamed’s building.

The case against Mohamed was dismissed by the Appeal Court Judge in August 2013. But the Samaheej police station won’t release him. He was due to leave prison this month but another trumped up charge will keep him in Jaw Prison until October 2014. The police may then accuse him of another crime to illegally detain him. Mohamed is jus one example of the Bahraini prisoners, denied a fair trial and sentenced on the basis of unseen confessions after torture.

The FI is an opportunity to put on some pressure to improve conditions for the prisoners.
Please contact the F.I. Sponsors – Gulf Air, Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lotus, McClaren and Cosworth. Approach the drivers and suggest they should not be racing in Bahrain with its terrible Human Rights record. All the drivers should state they will boycott the race unless human rights improve. Please act.

URGENT
– Hussain Hubail’s medical reports show he needs a chance to go abroad for heart treatment. His mum is concerned about him being operated on in the military hospital. Hussain is in court on 16th March with Jassim al Nouaim.

– Jaffar Marhoon, cameraman, was moved to Jaw Prison as he has sentences in absentia – 3 months for illegal gathering, 6 months for illegal gathering, one year for illegal gathering & vandalism.)

– Attached some pictures from Friday(21 Feb 14) Solidarity event with
their detained journalist colleagues.

– Today Sayed Ahmed Al Mousawi family visited him, and his father told
me that: He is not in a good shape, he is pale and broken.

He said that during the torture they asked him: who do you work for?
who do you shoot for? is it AlWefaq? Where do you publish your
pictures? who pays you for them?

The other thing that he was accused of is: that he is providing
phone Sim cards to the protesters/ terrorists as he works in a telecom
company (VIVA).

His family is concerned about his health situation, and about him in
general specially that he was denied access to his lawyer.

Tell you M.P.s and Congressmen to act and give coverage.

URGENT ACTION
AHMED AL-ARAB NOW NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION
20 February, 2014

Ahmed Mohammad Saleh al-Arab now requires urgent medical attention for injuries he says he sustained during torture at the National Security Agency.

Ahmed Mohammad Saleh al-Arab saw his family for the first time on 10 February, a month after he was arrested, and again on 18 February. During the visits Ahmed al-Arab told his family that he was still suffering the effects of shoulder injuries, especially on his right side, which he said he had sustained as a result of severe beatings at the National Security Agency headquarters in the capital, Manama, and being hung from his wrists while they were twisted behind his back and handcuffed. He also told his family he had numbness in his hands and a tooth which was broken during the beating was bleeding every day. He said he had not received any medical attention for any of his injuries. He told his family that he had been severely beaten, on his genitals and elsewhere, at the National Security Agency and a detention facility in Riffa. He also said he had had his face covered with a cloth and water poured over it to make him feel as if he was drowning; he was threatened with having his nails pulled out and being raped. He was also made to sign papers while blindfolded but did not know what they were. During their first visit, the family saw that Ahmed al-Arab had scars on his face, black marks around his wrists and a broken tooth.

Ahmed al-Arab told his family that he was sleeping outside in the courtyard of the prison because of overcrowding in the prison cells, and inside in the prison corridors when it rained. He said that he had a constant headache and sore throat from staying out in the cold. He has not been brought to any of his court hearings and has not been able to meet his lawyer despite repeated requests at each court hearing that he be brought to the hearing. During one session, the court also denied his lawyer’s requests for information regarding the cases against Ahmed al-Arab on the grounds that the suspect was absent from court. …more

URGENT – Bahrain Photographers in Peril
20 February, 2014

Mohammed Al Oraibi, 30 years old, freelance photographer, got arrested from the airport coming from Lebanon, on the 2nd Feb 2014. Disappeared.

He was arrested previously in Sep 2012, for 3 months. His cameras and electronic organs were confiscated the next day, when 5 policemen in a plain clothes, raided the house, Mohammed was with them to lead them where his devices are and since then, no one knows anything about him.

He usually publishes his pictures through his account on Facebook.

– Sayed Ahmed Salman Al Mousawi, 26 years old, free lance photographer, who owns his own studio and is a winner of more than 120 international prizes in photography. He was arrested this morning

(10 Feb 14) with his brother from his place in Duraz. His brother Sayed Mohammed was beaten during detention but not him. His cameras and electronic organs were confiscated during the arrest.

No arrest warrant was presented from the plain clothes masked policemen.

– Sadiq Al Shabaani, theatre and TV actor, was arrested on the 27th Jan 2014, in Oman at the request of the Bahraini government. His family knows nothing about where he is and his situation, and whether he is in Bahrain or in Oman. He was arrested for a month in June 2012 accused of illegal gathering and incitement to hatred of the regime.

He is accused being part of 14Feb media network, calling and participating at unauthorized demonstrations, inciting the regime hatred and having connection with some Bahraini opposition living in exile.

– Hussain Hubail is a freelance photographer, 21 years old, accused of being part of 14Feb media network, calling and participating at unauthorized demonstrations, inciting the regime hatred and having connection with some Bahraini opposition living in exile.

Hubail was arrested on 31 July 2013, he was forced to stand for three days and he was punched and kicked. He was exposed to insults and humiliation while he was interrogated. At the last court session Lieutenant Fawaz AlSameem who was summoned to be a witness of proof and Hussain faced him and accused him for being responsible for his torture and threatening him with rape.

His next court session on the 16th Feb 2014.

– Qassim Zain Aldeen, 25 years old, freelance cameraman, was arrested earlier in 2012 for more than 6 months, then arrested again on Friday 2nd August. He films opposition protests in Bahrain, has had his work published by local websites and blogs. He was accused of participating in illegal gathering, now accused of vandalism in prison. He got sentenced 3 months for illegal gathering and then on 5th Jan 14, he got sentenced 6 months for illegal gathering and vandalism., He awaits another sentence on the 16th Feb for vandalism inside the court.

– Ahmed Humaidan, freelance photographer, arrested on the 29th December 2013 is still in jail, accused of attacking police station in Sitra with Molotov cocktails. 7 cancelled court session.

His next court session is on 26th March 14 for verdict. In trial hearings there is no evidence against Humaidan, as he had been tortured during his detention through psychological threats to get confession.

– Abdulla Al Jerdabi, photographer, arrested on 13 Sep 13, was sentenced on 22nd Jan 14, 6 months in prison on charges of illegal assembly & misuse of social networking.

– Jassim Alnuiami, online activist, Scriptwriter and works with production teams to produce videos, was arrested on the 31 July 2013, after raid on his house in Sehla, and all his electronic devices were confiscated. He was taken to the CID building for 3 days, where he was beaten, tortured, threatened and insulted, he stated to his family that he was beaten while blindfolded on his head, kidneys, and on his private parts. He was threatened by Lieutenant Fawaz AlSameem who was summoned to be a witness of proof in the last court session that his mom and sisters will be raped if Jassim didn’t confess.

He is accused of participating in an illegal gathering, and publishing false news, using social media to Inciting hatred against the regime and other accusations related to his online activities.

His next court session on the 16th Feb 2014.

– Hassan Matooq, photographer, charged with publishing false and malicious news and statements, and inciting public contempt and hatred of the regime, in addition to take photos of the protesters at pearl roundabout and delivering the images to the media tent., And participating in an illegal gathering. sentenced for 3 years since March 2011. Concern: Will he be released?

– Mahmood AbdulSaheb, photographer, charged with publishing false and malicious news and statements, and inciting public contempt and hatred of the regime. Taking photos of the protesters at pearl roundabout and delivering the images to the media tent, and participating in an illegal gathering. He was sentenced for 3 years since March 2011. Will he be released?

– Jaffar Marhoon, 25 years old, cameraman, was arrested from a barber shop on 26th Dec 13, he is accused of an explosion in Dimistan, where he lives. He worked in the fields of filming and theater in the past few years. According to his family, he was exposed to torture for 3 days in CID, and then he was transferred to Dry Dock prison.

– Hassan Jamali, AP photojournalist was stopped by police yesterday (12 Feb 14) post funeral clashes, and they revoke his accreditation, the one that Ministry of Interior give it to journalists working with foreign media to allow them to be present in the demonstrations and clashes. and they didn’t gave it back to him, which might prevent him from covering the events in the coming few days.

– Hussain Hubail, photographer, collapsed last night in prison, he was transferred to Salmaniya Hospital for treatment as he was suffering low sugar, high blood pressure & heart rate disorder, they took him back at nine in the morning. Dry Dock Prison demonstration denied Hubail his medication since then.

– Mohammed Al Oraibi, photographer, his family had the chance to see him today (13 Feb 14) in Dry Dock Prison after he got arrested on the 2nd Feb 14, he told them that he was tortured for 6 days in CID about his trip to Lebanon and Syria then he was transferred to Dry Dock prison on the 8th Feb.

URGENT ACTION

Ahmed Mohammad Saleh al-Arab continues to be denied family visits after 27 days of detention. There are fears the authorities are hiding that he has been tortured while held incommunicado. He has been denied medical care.

Ahmed Mohammad Saleh al-Arab, aged 22, was arrested on 9 January 2014 during a police raid on the family home of one of his friends in Hamad Town, central Bahrain, where he was hiding. He was forced into hiding after his arrest and torture in February 2012 during protests marking the first anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain. During his arrest on 9 January, Ahmed and his friend were beaten and other people from the house were searched and threatened.
a href=”http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE11/008/2014/en/05e2c393-5bdc-4e16-bffe-22a6b20634c9/mde110082014en.html” target=”_blank”>…more

16 February, 2014

Court session for Hussain Hubail and Jassim Al Nuami today. Hussain is looking at whether he could have his heart operation abroad. Jassim’s dad stood up in court and bravely said his son was abroad on the dates in 2011 and 2012 for which he’s been accused. He’d applied to join the Dept of information and had never got involved in demos.

Appointment for Hussain at military hospital on 16th March the same day as their next court session!

Sayed Ahmed Al Mousawi, photographer who got arrested on the 10th Feb 2014, just won more awards while he is in prison, in the 2nd Greek Photographic Circuit 2014:

1st Salon “CRETE” – Category “OPEN-COLOR”
Photo name : bahrain22
Award: PSA Honorable Mention

1st Salon “CRETE” – Category “TRAVEL”

Photo name: rkak
Award : Diploma 7

Qassim Zainaldeen, cameraman, was on trial today (16th Feb 14.) He is accused of vandalism inside the prison on August 2012. One of the prosecution witnesses at the session today, said that on the day of the incident in Dry Dock Prison, they were sleeping and the officer Hisham Al Zayani woke them up with a baton and asked them to stand facing the wall. Other police entered the room and beat them. Then their hands were handcuffed and they were forced to stay under the sun in August for around 5 hours. Some of them needed treatment for their injuries and some were very tired because of the heat.

The judge postponed the case till 16th March to listen to more prosecution witnesses

Rihanna al Mousawi, Tormented for Protest, Imprisoned on Lies
02 February, 2014

Rihanna al Mousawi was arrested last April for “planning to bomb” the FI Race. She and Nafeesa were accused by the Public Security Chief General Tariq Hassan of attempting “ a dry run to test the security measures at the F.I.” by carrying a cushion under their dresses.

What happened to her after the FI races ? She was tortured and her 16 year old son Husein was threatened with torture. She was taught a “fabricated tale” several times and beaten on her head if she made a mistake. She was threatened with rape if she changed her story and forced to stand naked in a doorway. She was interrogated for 3 hours by the Attorney Genera Fahed Albuainain and then allowed to phone her family briefly.

She suffered a further interrogation by seven hooded men holding up photos of activists including Naji al Fateel, Hadi Al Moussawi and Hisham al Sabbagh, demanding if she knew them. She was accused of going to the Lebanon to receive training in weapons. Rihanna thought she’d be accused of campaigning for the detainees at the F.I. Race. She now finds herself accused of being a member of the “14th February Coalition” a vague media group that is anti-Government.

At the first court session she bravely spoke about her torture but Judge Ali Al Deraini laughed and wasn’t interested. He allowed the prosecution to make their case, but denied the defendants or defence lawyers to say anything. The defence lawyers petitioned to have the Judge removed for bias, but failed.

The 14th February defendants were sentenced to 5 – 15 years on 25th September 2103 and are appealing. Rihanna and Nafessas have the separate case on the “bombing” charge. The next session for the 14th Feb is 27th February and the bombing charge on16th February.

Rihanna is seriously ill with cancer, has a jaw brace and is confined to a wheel chair. What can you do to help her? Demand her release and say FI Race should NOT take place in Bahrain in April 2015. Otherwise another 60 people will be tortured and jailed for our sporting pleasure.

Detained journalists and bloggers appear in court
30 January, 2014 – Reporters without Borders

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its condemnation of the arbitrary behaviour of the Bahraini judicial system, which has postponed the trials of several detained news and information providers in the past two weeks.

The judicial authorities must abandon all the trumped-up charges they have brought against journalists just because they covered anti-government street protests, the media freedom organization said.

Reporters Without Borders also calls on the authorities to systematically order independent investigations whenever torture and mistreatment in detention is alleged. Failure to investigate violates article 12 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

RWB and nine other human rights groups wrote to Frank La Rue, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, and Juan Méndez, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, on 15 December asking them to investigate the arrests, detention and torture of three Bahraini journalists.

Arrested for covering recent protests, the three journalists – reporter Mohamed Hassan, freelance photographer Hussain Hubail and freelance cameraman Qassim Zain AlDeen – all say they were tortured. Hassan has been released but Hubail and Deen are still held.

In the latest act of judicial foot-dragging, a judge yesterday postponed the well-known photographer Ahmed Humeidan’s trial until 26 March, when a verdict is supposed to be issued. He has been held since December 2012 on a charge of attacking a police station in Sitra in April 2012, although he was not even there at the time.

His trial began last February but the prosecution kept on postponing hearings because it had difficulty producing witnesses. His lawyer has repeatedly but unsuccessfully requested an independent investigation into his client’s allegations of torture. His requests to the prison authorities to let his client be examined by a doctor have also been unsuccessful.

On 27 January, the trial of the freelance photographer Hussain Hubail and the blogger Jassim Al-Nuaimi were postponed until 16 February for the final defence statements. …more

Imagine your daughter stood with a friend outside the FI race course wearing a T shirt, bearing the images of Abdulhadi al Khawaja, the defence lawyer and Ahmed Humaidan, a photo-journalist. Rihana al Mousawi and Nafeesa al Asfoor were arrested on April 20th 2013 at a peaceful demonstration. They were about to be released with no charges when suddenly they were detained, interrogated and charged with attempting to get a bomb into the FI Race! They have been detained for nine months, accused of terrorism and trying to overthrow the regime.

At their first trial on 11th July, Rihana bravely spoke of how she had been stripped and threatened with rape and electric shots if she didn’t confess to the male officers. She was forced to stand as an open door so that the prisoners could see her. She was denied water and food for a day and fell unconscious, with only a 15 minutes’ break between interrogation sessions. All Judge Dhahrini noted down in court was “improper moral treatment!” She was sentenced to five years in October for being a member of the 14th February Coalition in a trial with no proper process, no chance for the detainees to speak or for the defence lawyers to make their case. The Appeal session in on 24th January for the 14th February Coalition and 30th January for the bomb making charge.

Rihanna is a mother of three young children. She has multiple breast lumps but she was refused permission by the prison to get treatment. Her husband got authorisation from the Public Prosecutor, but she missed 4 hospital appointments. She has a dislocation of her jaw joints which requires a special diet and a TMT splint, neither of which she’s been given.

The Appeal will be handled by Ali Dhahrini, son of Judge Dharini who sent them down in the first place. If the lawyers can’t get recognition of their clients’ torture and acceptance of their pre-defence papers, they will walk out in protest.

The international legal and political communities must condemn this situation of illegal trials and forced confessions after torture. Why the silence? There was a lot of pressure for the Pussy Girls and Greenpeace activists. Are the lives of the Bahrainis unimportant?

The situation is getting worse for Ebrahim Demastani who has been on a hunger strike to get medical treatment since 20th December 2013. (See: BCHR article 22.1.2014 and Rula Safur’s statement on his conviction and health in Gulf News 22.1.2014.)
Rula Safur, Head of the Bahrain nurses said he was sentenced to 3 years for helping an injured man who came to his door, and sending him on to hospital. He was accused of “spreading false rumours about the wounded and gathering without authorisation.” He has completed 16 months of his sentence since going to prison on October 12th 2012.

Ebrahim had a prolapsed disc when he was detained in 2011 and when the torturers found out they kicked him in the back and fractured his coccyx.
He was detained again in 2012 and has received no treatment. He is in constant pain.

There is a Court Order for Specialised Treatment but nothing happened. He recently saw a doctor’s assistant who refused to examine him physically or take an x ray. Although the last x ray is three years old.
He has no winter clothes and has been unable to see his lawyer for three months.

Although there is supposed to be a dialogue going on, it is not improving the medical care or conditions for prisoners.
What can you do? Please write to you M.P. or Congressman.

Today Hussain Hubail, 21, a photographer detained since July 31st, had a medical appointment at the hospital with him mum.

Hubail collapsed last Thursday, as he suffered from a heart spasm, and was taken to Salmaniya Hospital for treatment, where he remained in the intensive care unit for several hours and then in the short intensive care unit.

When his condition got stable he was transferred to the Dry Dock Prison again. Hubail stayed in Salmaniya hospital complex for nearly 12 hours and was unconscious.

Hubail suffered several months ago from beams contraction of the heart muscle, shortness of breath, high blood pressure and fainted several times in prison. He told officials about his condition, but they largely ignored it for two months before they allowed his visit to the doctors at the Salmaniya Medical Complex for treatment.The prison administration don’t give him his medication to reduce blood pressure, which he needs once a day, but only once a week.

The regime use the lack of medical care to control the prisoners which has lead to a number of deaths. Hubail goes to court on January 27th and we would like to get him out on bail immediately.

We’re looking at precedents for release due to illness. Nabil Taman was released because of cancer, and Naser Bader El Raas, for his heart condition. Ali Al Awani was released today because of cancer also.

I’m contacting Irish and British medics to get support. Please contact your Congressman to take action for Hussain.