Concerns on the Well being of the Secretary General of “Amal” Society Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Mahfoodh

Concerns on the Well being of the Secretary General of “Amal” Society Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Mahfoodh In a call between the Monitoring and Documentation department of the European – Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights (EBOHR) and the family of Bahraini citizen the Secretary General of the Islamic Action Society “Amal” Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Mahfoodh, the family showed deep concerns on his well being and safety, as he is prevented from calling them throughout the past two weeks. Al Mahfoodh family has confirmed that his health has deteriorated more than once in the previous months, where he began a hunger strike in protest to preventing him from making phone calls to his family and also being subjected to ill-treatment repeatedly in Jaw Central PrisonAt the same time, the Islamic Action Society “Amal” which is a Bahraini political opposition association considered what is happening to its Secretary-General, Mr. Al Mahfoodh a continuation of the policy of revenge for his solid political positions even inside the prison. “Amal” has reported alongside the family of Mr. Al Mahfoodh their inability to check on him or ask about him even by asking the administration officials at Jaw prison where he is held, and who abstained from revealing the cause of preventing Al Mahfoodh from contacting his family or the reason for isolating him from the rest of the prisoner. His family has expressed grave concern of not being able to check on his health, especially after the news of him beginning a hunger strike from inside the prisonIt was confirmed by witnesses and observers who attended the trials and hearings of “Amal” members in the Supreme Court of Appeal that the convicts were exposed to torture as they have reported to the judge. They have also stated that they had been subjected to a systematic arrest in a degrading manner as well as ill-treatment. The next hearing of the Secretary General of “Amal” and its members is on September 10, 2012. The Court of “National Safety”, which is a military court sentenced on Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Mahfoodh to 10 years of imprisonment on charges of “promoting to overthrow the regime by force, resort to marches and rallies to resist the system, and incitement to refrain from work”“Amal” Society has been resolved on July 9, 2012 after a call raised by the Ministry of Justice, where “Amal” considered that as continuing target of the society, its Secretary-General Mr. Al Mahfoodh and its members due to their strong and active political roleThe European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights urges the Bahraini authorities to disclose the fate and safety of the Secretary General of the Islamic Action Society “Amal” Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Mahfoodh and allow him to contact his family granting him his usual rights as a prisoner and allow him to pursue health treatment of his medical complications that developed as a result of torture, as well as holding those responsible for the torture accountable and bringing them to a fair trial/129