24 January 2012 – Tunis/London

A mission report by six international organisation who travelled to Bahrain last November accuses the Bahraini authorities of failing to deliver on promises of reform, despite a highly-touted commission of inquiry. Bahrain has now experienced almost a year of turmoil, as the anniversary of unrest, 14 February, draws near. Despite promises of change, rights violations continue on a daily basis, and individuals jailed during the government crackdown in February and March remain in prison.

The report, Justice Denied in Bahrain: Freedom of Expression and Assembly Curtailed, outlines human rights violations linked to the authorities’ handling of protests and demonstrations in the country since February 2011. The report details meetings with human rights defenders, lawyers, writers, artists, journalists, government officials and foreign diplomats and provides insight into how the government continues to punish and prosecute individuals for expressing their opinions and protesting ongoing repression.

Bahrain’s government appears to be more concerned with maintaining the façade of a modern Arab nation, rather than listening to the demands of a popular uprising. Citizens have been prosecuted for expressing their views peacefully. Bahraini officials have crushed free speech.
Sara Yasin, editorial assistant at Index on Censorship

Expectations of change in Bahrain were raised by the publication of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report at the end of November (witnessed by the mission) and its recommendations for reform. However the reality on the ground remains unchanged. Human rights activists, doctors, teachers, union members, political figures, journalists, bloggers and others continue to face harassment, prosecution and imprisonment despite the use of torture and unfair trials against them. Protests continue on an almost daily basis, and the security forces response is virtually unchanged despite the recommendations made in the BICI report.

It seems that despite the BICI report’s extensive catalogue of abuses against Bahraini citizens including torture, and a clear condemnation of the culture of impunity, the government of Bahrain is intent on maintaining the status quo. We are not seeing the immediate release of prisoners. Instead there is an interminable succession of postponed trials.
Marian Botsford Fraser, chair of the Writers in Prison Committee, PEN International

The 11 recommendations made in the report, include calls to end the harassment, imprisonment and prosecution of Bahraini citizens for what essentially amount to persecution of free expression and legitimate human rights work. In line with the BICI report, which was accepted by the government of Bahrain, the international mission report also insists on accountability for those responsible for violating international human rights norms, in particular those responsible for torture and killing.

The mission team was composed of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Front Line Defenders, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Index on Censorship, International Media Support (IMS) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International, and was supported by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).

International mission to Bahrain report

The full international mission report is online here, it will be launched today (24 January) at 17:30-19:00, Free Word Centre, London

Please contact Sara Yasin, Index on Censorship for more information.
saray@indexoncensorship.org, tel +44 (0) 207 324 2532, mobile +44 (0) 7805 062 485
Follow the mission on Twitter #BahrainMission

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On 27 November, a final verdict will be issued in the case of five activists known as the “UAE Five”, who have been detained since April for posts made on the internet forum UAE Hewar. A coalition of seven international human rights group, including Index on Censorship, today call on the United Arab Emirates to “launch an independent judicial inquiry into the decision to prosecute the men” in order to ensure a fair trial for the men.

The five activists are blogger and engineer Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, an economist and lecturer at Sorbonne, and online activists Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq, and Hassan Ali-al-Khamis.  They were all charged in June under articles 176 and 8 of the the UAE’s penal code, which rule that any individual that publicly insulting “the president of the state, its flag, or its national emblem” is punishable by a prison. Al Karama (Dignity), Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Frontline Defenders, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and Index on Censorship, have all reviewed the messages allegedly posted on the now banned UAE Hewar, and determined the messages only criticise political leaders or government policy. This would not violate the law in question, suggesting that the UAE 5 are being targeted for political reasons.

The activists have refused to recognise the courts jurisdiction after been subjected to four secret trials, on one occasion the UAE 5 stormed out of the court, after demands for a fair trial were repeatedly denied. Following the incident, they have protested by refusing to attend any further hearings. In a letter written by the activists in August, they expressed certainty that they would not have a fair trial, “which every defendant deserves.” State security agents were the only ones allowed to attend and take notes during the secret trials. While the court eventually allowed for public hearings, reports show that the trial has been unfair and full of inconsistencies.

According to a report by Jennie Pasquarella a civil liberties lawyer following the trials, said that the “case has been riddled with legal and procedural flaws from the beginning,” making the trial “grossly unfair in favour of the prosecution.”

During the 2 October hearing, the court heard closing arguments from the prosecution without giving the opportunity to the defence to present their case, and according to Christoph Wilcke, a representative for Human Rights Watch, the defense was kept from cross-examining witnesses and discussing accusations with clients beforehand. According to the coalition, the defendents also have not had access to all evidence used against them in the case. The activists will remain in custody until a final verdict is issued.
Sara Yasin is an editorial assistant at Index on Censorship

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