Watershed year for investigative journalism and free debate
Speculation around Lord Justice Leveson’s expected report this autumn has overshadowed the vital libel reform identified in the Queen’s speech, says Kirsty Hughes
Index condemns the arrest of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab
Index on Censorship condemns last night’s arrest of Index’s 2012 Award winner and head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Rajab and the ongoing harassment of human rights activists in Bahrain including the arrest of those involved in peaceful protests.
Kirsty Hughes, Chief Executive of Index said:
The arrest of Nabeel Rajab, and the continued targeting of other well-known activists, is deeply worrying and appears to link directly to Bahrain’s continuing failure to respect fundamental, and basic, rights including freedom of speech, and freedom to protest. Reforms have been promised by Bahrain but not delivered.
Bahrain must stop harassing human rights activists and recognise that freedom of expression and other fundamental rights are vital components of a free and open society. The Bahrain government should allow proper scrutiny of its actions: real transparency must include allowing both domestic and international rights organisations and journalists to report on and monitor ongoing unrest in the country.
Nabeel Rajab, BCHR - winner of Bindmans Award for Advocacy at the Index Freedom of Expression Awards 2012
Rajab was arrested as he flew into Manama’s airport last night. According to Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, he was “detained under suspicion of committing several punishable crimes” but it is yet to specify the charges. Rajab was returning to Bahrain to face a court hearing on existing charges.
Rajab, who is also director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), has been a vocal critic of the human rights violations committed during Bahrain’s ongoing civil unrest, which first began with protests on 14 February last year.
While accepting an Index award on behalf of BCHR this year, Rajab called for assistance from the international community, explaining that members of BCHR – which was banned by authorities in 2004 – have been detained, tortured or exiled while attempting to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms including free expression and freedom of assembly (freedom to protest).
The founder of BCHR, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, is in detention awaiting a retrial after been jailed for life by a military tribunal for taking part in peaceful protests. He has been on hunger strike for 88 days. And Rajab’s arrest comes only weeks after the arrest of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja’ daughter, Zainab Alkhawaja, who was detained after protesting for the release of her father during the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Earlier this week an international delegation of free expression organizations – including Index – were denied entry to the country.
World Press Freedom Day 2012
The last year has seen tumultuous shifts for media freedom. But core problems still remain in the world’s troublespots, says Padraig Reidy
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Hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja to be retried in civilian court
Bahrain’s Court of Cassation yesterday ordered a retrial in a civilian court for activist and hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and twenty other activists. Alkhawaja was originally sentenced to life in prison by a military tribunal in June 2011 for his involvement in last year’s anti-government protests.
Despite ordering a re-trial, the court decided to keep Alkhawaja and the other activists in custody while their cases are reviewed.
The Bahraini government claim the trial will be revisited as an entirely different case, which falls in line with the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission for Inquiry (BICI) report released last November. According to recommendation 1720, all cases tried by the military court should be re-reviewed by a civilian court.
In a press conference yesterday, Alkhawaja’s wife Khadija al-Moussawi expressed her disappointment that her husband has not been freed. She told reporters that her spouse is being tied to a bed and force fed, even though the activist has been on hunger strike for more than 80 days. al-Moussawi does not believe her husband can get a fair trial saying: “It’s the same system, same court in different clothes, same people running the show”.
Twenty medics jailed for treating injured protesters were also granted retrials despite international pressure on the Kingdom to void their convictions. Said Yousif, of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) expressed doubt that the 20 can ever find justice.
“The Minister of Justice was involved in charging the doctors before their trials were complete, yet he is a senior official in implementing the BICI report’s recommendations, which is not fair” said Yousif, echoing the words of al-Moussawi.
Wafi al-Majed, Alkhawaja’s son-in-law said the opposition would have positively greeted the development if prisoners were released to await trial. He expressed concern that retrial could “go on for a long time”.
Reports of the activist’s deteriorating health have led many to believe that he is already nearing death, and his continued detention only increases the likelihood that he might die in prison.
Yousif said the continued detention means its hard for the protesters to build faith in the Bahraini government’s claims of reform. “Officials guilty of torture should be held accountable, and political detainees should also be freed. This would shed a positive light on any reform process” he told Index.
Meanwhile, Alkhawaja’s daughter Zainab Alkhawaja who blogs as Angry Arabia, remains in prison after she was arrested on 21 April, while protesting the Bahrain Grand Prix. Information is limited but according to her husband, she faces four charges.
In the past Alkhawaja has been arrested and released but her mother fears that this time her daughter, who she describes as a “headache for the government”, may be kept in prison long-term.