@Naji Fateel with Margaret Sekaggya

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) yesterday – 22 May 2013- against Naji Fateel, Zainab Al Khawaja and Masooma Alsayed.

1- Naji Fateel, board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), was reportedly sentenced to six months in prison for the alleged “illegal gatherings.” This case in related to previous charges(2012).

Naji Fateel was arrested without a warrant by security officers in civilian clothes at his home in the village of Bani-Jamra at dawn on 2 May 2013, and then transferred to an unknown location. The first contact with his family took place on the evening of 4 May 2013 when he told them about his presence at the CID.

The public prosecutor charged human rights defender Naji Fateel with alleged “establishment of a group in order to disable the provisions of the Constitution” and ordered his imprisonment for a period of sixty days pending investigation under the internationally criticized terrorism law.

Naji Fateel has been subjected to severe torture during interrogation in the notorious Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). Among the allegations are that he has received electrical shocks to his genitals, left foot, and back, and been subjected to simulated drowning, severe beatings, threats to publish photographs of his wife (taken from her camera which was confiscated when security forces raided the family home), verbal abuse using uncivilized words, hanging by his hands from the ceiling, sexual harassment and threats to rape him, standing for long hours, and sleep deprivation. ( For more information see our appeal: http://byshr.org/?p=1381)

2-Zainab Al Khawaja was sentenced to three more months in jail for taking part in an illegal gathering and insulting a police officer. She is already in prison on other politically-motivated charges.

Zainab Al-Khawaja: is a prominent human rights defender and blogger.She used his account on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/angryarabiya) for dissemination of human rights information.

3-Prominent activist Masooma Alsayed was also reportedly sentenced to six months on the taking part in an illegal gathering and insulting a police officer.

The BYSHR call on the Bahraini government to immediately release Naji Fateel, Zainab Al Khawaja and Masooma Alsayed. The authorities in Bahrain should stop harassing and targeting human rights activists and allow them to continue their legitimate activities without obstruction.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) today – 15 May 2013- against 5 Twitter Users with one year of imprisonment, on the charge of ‘defaming the King’ Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

The Court issued its rulings against:

1.Mr. Mahmood Abdul-Majeed Abdulla Al-Jamri (34 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn.
2.Mr. Hassan Abdali Isa (33 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn.
3.Mr. Mohsen Abdali Isa (26 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn.
4.Mr. Ammar Makki Mohammed Al-Aali (36 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn.
5.Mr. Mahdi Ebrahim Al-Basri (25 years old): arrested on 11 March at dawn. His relatives confirmed to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that the contents of the house were destroyed and they were verbally abused. Mahdi also faced mistreatment in the Criminal Investigations. Mahdi is a practicing lawyer.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) emphasizes that the Bahraini Authorities had violated the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and what the Authorities are doing is considered a security campaign against freedom of opinion and expression.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1. the immediate release of those who were arrested due to freedom of opinion and expression and to drop all charges against them;
2. put an end to the restrictions against social media in Bahrain;
3. protect the free exchange of information on the Internet and not restrict it.

Pic: Naji Fateel with Margaret Sekaggya

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its grave concern for the arrest of the prominent activist Mr. Naji Fateel – 39 year old – who was arrested by the police, dressed in civilian clothes, on Thursday 2 May 2013 -At dawn- from his house in the village of Bani Jamra.

Mr.Naji Fateel: is a board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) and blogger who has been active in reporting human rights violations in Bahrain.He used his account on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/najialifateel) for dissemination of human rights information. He was previously detained between Dec 2007 and April 2009, and has been reportedly tortured.His house was stormed in search for him several times last year following the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

On March 11, 2011, received death threats by unknown.

On February 14, 2012, the security forces in Bahrain arrested Mr.Naji Fateel, as he was participating in a march towards the Pearl Roundabout in Manama city, exercising their right to peaceful assembly to this symbolic Roundabout, which was the centre of last year protests.

He is suffering from damage to his spine and detained incommunicado.

We believe that the Bahraini government has been emboldened by international silence on its recent arrests and harassment of human rights defenders and may take inaction.

The BYSHR call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently issue a press release condemning these acts and calling for all States to ensure that human rights defenders are able to cooperate safely with the UN human rights mechanisms. The Human Rights Council should also ensure that it raises these acts of reprisals with the State concerned in order to ensure accountability, non-recurrence, and full protection for the human rights defenders involved.

23 April 2013

As the world’s attention shifts away from Bahrain, the authorities have sharply intensified the crackdown on ordinary citizens. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) are both seriously concerned for the well being of Nafeesa Al-Asfoor (pictured above, left) and Rayhana Al-Mosawi (pictured above, right) who were arrested on April 22nd after peacefully protesting at the F1 race with t-shirts and slogans that support the freedom of imprisoned human rights activist Zainab Al-Khawaja and imprisoned photographer Ahmed Humaidan. The husband to Rayhana Al-Mosawi was also arrested and interrogated, but has been released. Both women have been charged under the terrorism law for attempting to detonate a bomb at the F1 race, according to the defendants’ lawyers. Both activists stand accused of:

(1) joining an illegal group aimed at disrupting the provisions of the Constitution, terrorism was among the means used to achieve or execute the objectives;
(2) awareness of a terrorist schema without informing the authorities.

The official Ministry of Interior statement about the arrest states that:
“On the second day of the Grand Prix, police assigned to the BIC gate stopped two girls who were acting suspiciously. After searching them it was found that one of them was carrying a pillow stuffed under her dress. The girl told police she was testing the security procedures as part of a recce for a terrorist act. The girls were referred to the Public Prosecutor.”(Link to the MOI statement: http://www.policemc.gov.bh/news_details.aspx?type=1&articleId=14173)

The BCHR and the BYSHR believes that the decision to charge these women as terrorists under such outrageous charges is intended to send a clear message to other peaceful protesters that there will be severe consequences for speaking up for human rights. Their initial detention period will be for sixty days.
The BCHR has received reports that the women were forced to provide names of other individuals, and implicate them in illegal activities. The BCHR has documented a pattern of behavior by the authorities to use torture to extract false confession from human rights activists and pro-democracy protesters.

On the same day that the Bahraini authorities imprisoned these women on trumped-up charges, the U.N. Office of the Special Rapporteur on Torture or Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment announced that they would again delay their visit to Bahrain at the request of the Bahraini authorities. The Special Rapporteur, Professor Juan Mendez, was also denied access in March of 2012 when he was last scheduled to visit the country.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights demands that:

1. The immediate release of Nafeesa Al-Asfoor and Rayhana Al-Mosawi, and the dropping of all trumped-up charges against them.
2. The Special Rapportour on Torture be allowed to visit the country and speak with the dozens of prisoners and ordinary citizens who have reportedly been tortured by the authorities.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) against 17 protestors with 15 years of imprisonment. The Public Prosecution had charged them with “attempted murder of a security officer and Burning a police vehicle”; all those convicted are from Darkulaib village.

21 March 2013, the Court stated that on June 2012, the accused attempted to kill security officers and Burning a police vehicle.

The Court issued its rulings against:

Currently in prison:

1-Hassan Salman Jaffar Leith (28 years old)
2-Hussein Mohamed Ali Ahmed (16 years old)
3-Mohammad Ali AbdulHassan (18 years old)
4-Jassim Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf (28 years old)
5-Ali Mohammed Ali Sultan (19 years old)
6-Abdul Elah Ali Sultan (20 years old)
7-Ali Salman Jaffar Leith (20 years old)
8-Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf (16 years old)
9-Mohammad Ali Al Ali (17 years old)
10-Ali Hussein Aldbes (20 years old)

They were sentenced in absentia:

11-Ali Jassim AbdulHassan (20 years old)
12-Fadel Abbas Yahya (29 years old)
13-Mohammed Ibrahim Ramadan (18 years old)
14-Abdullah Ali Abdulaziz (18 years old)
15-Ali Jaafar Hussein (24 years old)
16-Sadiq Jafar Zahira (18 years old)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1.the immediate, urgent, and independent investigation in the allegations of torture;
2.stop targeting protestors and to allow freedom of opinion and assembly;
3.the judicial authorities must take the necessary measures to protect the demonstrators from the Authority’s arbitrariness.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) against 17 protestors with 15 years of imprisonment. The Public Prosecution had charged them with “attempted murder of a security officer with explosives”; all those convicted are from AlEker village.

17 March 2013, the Court stated that on 9 April 2012, the accused attempted to kill security officers with explosives, they were offered first aid and their lives were rescued.

The Court issued its rulings against:

Currently in prison:

1.Ali Ridha Hassan (23 years old): he was arrested on 21 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
2.Yousif Abdul-Kareem Al-Hindi (24 years old): he was arrested on 20 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he was convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, total sentences against him 21 years.
3.Fadhel Abbas Al-Mughni (30 years old) he was arrested on 24 May 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
4.Abdullah Ahmed Al-Mukhtar (32 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
5.Habib Ayoob Al-Mughni (23 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
6.Hassan Ali Jawad (21 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
7.Mohammed Saeed Radhi (21 years old): he was arrested on 12 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 1 year in prison in another case, total sentences against him 16 years in prison.
8.Mahdi Ahmed Hassan Khamees: he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 5 years in prison in other cases, and he faces a case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 20 years in prison.

The Ministry of Interior claims the escape of those prisoners:

9.Hussein Abdullah Ahmed (23 years old): he was arrested on 20 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 5 years in prison in other cases, total sentences against him 20 years in prison.
10.Ridha Hassan Jassim (26 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 21 years in prison.
11.Abdullah Abdul-Ameer Al-Mughni (23 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 7 years and 6 months in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 22 years and 6 months in prison.
12.Ahmed Yousif Jassim (23 years old): he was arrested on 21 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 21 years in prison.
13.Abdullah Abdul-Jaleel Abdullah: he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
14.Jassim Mohammed Hassan (33 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.

They were sentenced in absentia:

15.Abdul-Sadiq Ali Habib (40 years old).
16.Salman Isa Ali (24 years old)
17.Hussein Abdali Ali (25 years old)

The lawyers and families of those convicted confirm that the accused stated to the court judge that they were subjected to brutal torture in order to confess, and the Public Prosecution did not investigate the torture allegations.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1.the immediate, urgent, and independent investigation in the allegations of torture;
2.stop targeting protestors and to allow freedom of opinion and assembly;
3.the judicial authorities must take the necessary measures to protect the demonstrators from the Authority’s arbitrariness.

Photo: Peaceful march in a village

Introduction:

The 14 February Coalition – a political youth movement that was launched in 2011 after the protests began – called for a public strike on the occasion of the second anniversary of crushing the protests which began in the Pearl Roundabout on 14 February. The Peninsula Shield Force – Forces from the Arab Gulf Countries – had entered on 15 March, and on 16 March the Security Forces and army had stormed the Pearl Roundabout, and many citizens were wounded and killed.

The strike began in the morning of 14 March, where a group of youth blocked roads. The Security Forces attempted to reopen the roads by using excessive forces and bulldozers to remove the blockades. The strike continued in the villages until midnight.

At sometimes, violent clashes took place between the Security Forces and protestors which led to numerous injuries among the protestors.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) used more than 20 field observers that were spread among the areas of Bahrain to document the human rights violations, and several observers faced various risks.

Injuries:

Hundreds of citizens and protestors were wounded with various types of injuries (in the head, hands, legs and rest of the body). The protestors were injured directly due to the use of “shotgun” by the Security Forces.

Photo: Wounded by gunshots

The BYSHR medical team observed 3 critical injuries that were taken to Salmaniya Hospital, and they are as follows:

1.Mr. Ridha Mansoor Mutaylaq (19 years old): he was hit in the village of Eker in the face with “shotgun” pellets from a distance of no more than 16 metres; he remains in hospital.

Photo: Mr. Mutaylaq, at the hospital after surgery

2.Mr. Hassan Matrook: he was hit in the village of Bani Jamra in the chest.
3.Mr. Mahdi Saeed Zuhair: he was hit in the village of Abu-Saiba in the head.

In addition to 5 other critical injuries who refused to go to the hospital out of fear of arrest, as Salmaniya Hospital – the main public hospital – is still under the surveillance of the Ministry of Interior since 16 March 2011.

The BYSHR medical team observed countless cases of suffocation due to the excessive use of teargas against protestors and citizens.

Arrests:

The Bahraini Authorities arrested 23 people from different areas; among them was Mr. Hussein Ali Ridha Al-Sanabsi (18 years old) – the Ministry of Interior’s statement read, “A vandal fell from the roof from a house in Dair. He was referred to hospital for treatment. Police at the scene to take the necessary measures” – from Dair area, he fell from one of the houses after the Security Forces attempted to arrest him. Members of the Security Forces took him to the police station and then were taken to the BDF hospital. He suffers from fractures in his hand, legs and jaw.

The observers and medical team stated that the Security Forces had arrested 6 people from the village of Makliya and they were brutally tortured and beaten with rods, bricks and sticks. They were released later.

Photo: Subjected to torture by the security forces after his arrest

The observers confirmed that the Security Forces raided several houses in different areas and damaged the insides of the house, with the pretext of searching for fleeing protestors.

Targeting private property:

The BYSHR observers observed the Security Forces targeting citizens’ private property (cars, houses and others) while they were dispersing protestors, and several citizens were affected because of that.

Photo: Car damaged by security forces

Separate incidents:

1.The Ministry of Interior said that a police car was burnt in Janabiya road by protestors. The Ministry of Interior published a photo on its account on Twitter of a burning car.
2.The BYSHR documented the number of teargas canisters that were fired in the village of Maamer, and they were 727 canisters from dawn until midnight.
3.The principal of Dair Elementary School refused to respond to the Ministry of Interior’s request to evacuate the school due the critical conditions in the area.
4.Many shops had to close in villages due to the bad security situation.
5.The riot police cars and armored vehicles were present in the entrances of villages since dawn.

Recommendations:

1.Allow freedom of expression and peaceful gathering.
2.Allow the wounded to receive the appropriate medical treatment in hospitals without fear of being targeted.
3.The immediate release of the detainees of peaceful gatherings or bring them to an urgent trial.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the Bahraini Authorities arrest of a number of Twitter users on the charge of ‘defaming the King’ Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. These arrests coincide with the world celebration of countering cyber censorship.

According to the information obtained by the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) from the families of detainees, the Authorities arrested 6 people who have accounts on the electronic website, Twitter:

1.Mr. Ali Faisal Al-Shufa (17 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
2.Mr. Hassan Abdali Isa (33 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
3.Mr. Mohsen Abdali Isa (26 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
4.Mr. Ammar Makki Mohammed Al-Aali (36 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
5.Mr. Mahmood Abdul-Majeed Abdulla Al-Jamri (34 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
6.Mr. Mahdi Ebrahim Al-Basri (25 years old): arrested on 11 March at dawn. His relatives confirmed to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that the contents of the house were destroyed and they were verbally abused. Mahdi also faced mistreatment in the Criminal Investigations. Mahdi is a practicing lawyer.

The family of detainees confirmed that the Security Forces had confiscated “computers and mobile phones” from their houses.

The Ministry of Interior’s statement, issued after the Public Prosecution had interrogated the detainees, indicated that, “the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security stated that within the framework of the Security Apparatuses work in combating violations and crimes that occur through the use of social media, a group of people were detected for abusing those methods to defame the King, and thus an inquiry was launched to identify those involved. Six people accused of committing those acts have been referred to the Public Prosecution to face legal action”.

The Constitution of Bahrain points out in Article (33/a): “The King is Head of State, and its nominal representative, and his person is inviolate. He is the loyal protector of the religion and the homeland, and the symbol of national unity.”

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) emphasizes that the Bahraini Authorities had violated the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and what the Authorities are doing is considered a security campaign against freedom of opinion and expression.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1. the immediate release of those who were arrested due to freedom of opinion and expression and to drop all charges against them;
2. put an end to the restrictions against social media in Bahrain;
3. protect the free exchange of information on the Internet and not restrict it.

12 January 2013

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) has monitored during the past year 2012 the intense use of tear-gas and stun grenades against protestors in Bahrain, and according to the documentation of the BYSHR and international organizations, the use of tear-gas led to the death of at least 20 people, where the security forces used it as a killing device:

1. Security forces deliberately throw tear-gas canisters inside or near houses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5JNiptMvlM&playnext=1&list=PL7591E873E817621F&feature=results_main

2. Security forces deliberately throw teargas canisters inside or near cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBEcmA5nI7Y

3. Security forces deliberately throw teargas canisters inside cramped areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MgJccgvAMM

Prohibiting repressive arms:

The BYSHR monitored statements of officials from “the U.S, U.K, Belgium and France” that they stopped selling arms that are used for suppressing protests in Bahrain since 2011 due the human rights violations and its misuse by the riot police.

Buying repressive arms:

Since the Bahraini Authorities started using various and new kinds of teargas and stun grenades; the source of those repressive arms could not be found due to the following reasons:

1. Lack of information on the teargas canisters or stun grenades (manufacturing country, expiry date, methods of use);

2. The Bahraini Authorities does not allow public opinion to access information that is considered military;
However, a group of activists and the BYSHR were able to obtain information related to the (manufacturing country, and the side effects) as well as the method of using stun grenades and teargas.

The (DAEKWANG) Korean Company is considered the lead supplier of teargas and stun grenades since approximately a year and a half ago “after the February 2011 protests”. The company exports its products to the most suppressive countries – according to the website – such as Syria and Saudi Arabia. ( Company website: www.teargas.kr)

Photo: A map of countries that buy from the company.

Types of imported arms:

The Bahraini Authorities imports from the (DAEKWANG) Korean Company three types:

1. TEAR GAS SHELLS DK-38M (See Photo)

2. TEAR GAS GRENADE DK-N500 (See photo)

3. RUBBER BALL SHELLS DK-38R (limited use – the BYSHR did not monitor its intense use, at least during the last 7 months) (See photo)

Promoting arms:

The (DAEKWANG) Korean Company did not only sell repressive arms to the Bahraini Authorities, but it also used some photos – photos illustrating suppressing protestors with teargas and stun grenades – to promote the arms that it manufactures. It published a photo of suppressing protestors in Bahrain along with the product (TEAR GAS SHELLS DK-38M).

Evidence:

These two photos were taken by people who cooperate with the BYSHR in the villages.

Recommendations:

1. Stop importing repressive arms to the Bahraini Authorities which excessively uses it against the protestors and as a killing device.
2. Initiate an independent investigation in the allegations of death due to the intense use of teargas.
3. Train security officers on the methods of dealing with peaceful protestors according to international standards and principles of human rights.

The Authority Does Not Respect the International Community, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the International Conventions

7 January 2013

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for upholding the verdicts against opposition leaders and prominent activists by the Court of Cassation – 7 January – and the verdicts were upheld against:

1-Abdulwahab Hussain Ali ( life sentence imprisonment)
2-Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa ( 5 Years imprisonment)
3-Hassan Ali Mushaima.( life sentence imprisonment)
4-Abdulhadi Al Khawaja ( life sentence imprisonment)
5-Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace.( life sentence imprisonment)
6-Mohammed Habib Al Safaf. ( Mohammed Habib Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
7-Saeed Mirza Ahmed. ( Saeed AlNouri) ( life sentence imprisonment)
8-Abduljalil Mansoor Makk. (Abdul Jalil Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
9-Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos.( 5 years imprisonment)
10-Salah Hubail Al Khawaj.( 5 years imprisonment)
11-Mohammed Hassan Jawad.( 15 years imprisonment)
12-Mohammed Ali Ismael. ( 15 years imprisonment))
13-Abdul Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan ( Abdulhadi AlMukhodher) ( 15 years imprisonment)

Defendants ( in Absentia) :

14-Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh.( 15 years imprisonment)
15-Ali Hassan Abdullah.( Ali Abdulemam) ( 15 years imprisonment)
16-Abdulghani Ali Khanjar.( 15 years imprisonment)
17-Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab.( life sentence imprisonment)
18-Abdulraoof Al Shayeb.( 15 years imprisonment)
19-Abbas Al Omran.( 15 years imprisonment)
20-Ali Hassan Mushaima.( 15 years imprisonment)

The Bahraini Authorities do no respect the international community, such as the UN Human Rights Council (the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review), the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United States (the Congress and U.S. administration), and the European countries (the European Parliament, the European Union), where the international community demanded the immediate release of the political figures and to initiate a serious dialogue between the Authority and opposition. It did not even pay attention to the demands of the international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Frontline Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights First, the International Federation for Human Rights, Freedom House and others.

The Bahraini Authorities did also not respect the report of the ‘Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’ established by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, for the following reasons:

First: the role of those accused in the events of February and March 2011: the Independent Commission of Inquiry refutes the responsibility of the accused in the planning and escalation of events, and portrays a different image for the Coalition for the Republic.
Second: the Independent Commission of Inquiry documents the violations related to arrest and search, and the lawyers defend by saying that ‘What is built on falsehood is false’, however the Court of Appeal neglects all that when convicting the accused.
Third: the Independent Commission of Inquiry documents the violations (related to arbitrary arrest and detention in isolation of the outside world, torture and abuse) and recommends a neutral and independent investigation; however the Court of Appeal neglects that and deliberately depends in its verdicts on statements taken forcibly, and on testimonies taken from those involved in torturing the accused.
Fourth: the Court of Appeal neglects the conclusions and the recommendation of the Independent Commission of Inquiry in regards to ‘detention and prosecution in relation to freedom of expression, assembly and organization’, and it criminates the accused for practicing these liberties, by expanding on the interpretation of the Bahraini laws that restrict liberties, in order to condemn the accused of inciting violence and terrorism.
Fifth: the Court of Appeal condemns some of the accused of communicating (with other countries), despite the Independent Commission of Inquiry denying that there is any evidence of any external interference in the events.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) confirmed that the Bahraini Authorities does not respect the International Conventions which it has ratified:

1. Convention against Torture
Refer to the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (refer to observations: 1230, 1233, 1234, 1235, 1237, 1238, 1240, 1241) and (refer to the cases related to this issue: 1 to 12, 23, 7)

2. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Refer to the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (refer to observation: 1291)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1. the immediate release of the opposition leaders and prominent activists, and to drop the charges related to freedom of opinion and expression and the freedom of peaceful gathering;
2. hold accountable those responsible for torture and abuse and to prosecute them before a fair court;
3. initiate a justice and reconciliation project and reimburse the victims;
4. permit freedom of opinion, expression and freedom of assembly.