Bahrain: Defender Al-Muhafdha going back to court tomorrow, leading human rights defenders remain in jail

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) welcome the release of human rights defender Said Yousif Al-Muhafdhah, the Acting Vice President and Head of Documentation Unit of BCHR by an order from a Bahraini court on 17 January 2013. In the meantime, we express concern that the defender may face prison sentence if convicted as he goes back to court tomorrow to stand for a trial.Al-Muhafdha was arrested on 17 December 2012 while monitoring a protest in Manama and documenting police attack on peaceful protesters. He was charged for allegedly “spreading false news over twitter” in a reference to a tweet in which he exposed the human rights violations conducted by authorities in Bahrain. Al-Muhafdha was detained in isolation from the other prisoners of conscious until 17 January 2013, when the Lower Criminal Court decided to release him on bail of 100 Bahraini dinars, pending his trial which was postponed to 29 January 2013.The Bahraini authorities continue to hold in custody leading human rights defenders, including the founder of the BCHR and GCHR Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who serves life in prison, detained since 9 April 2011, severely tortured in detention as he explained to the court, and had his military sentence upheld by Court of cassation this month in a disregard to the findings and recommendations of the Bahraini commission of inquiry regarding the prisoners of conscience. Also, leading human rights defender and president of BCHR, Nabeel Rajab is serving a 2 years prison sentence since 9 July 2012 for exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly as envisaged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rajab is being held in isolation from the prisoners of conscious, sharing a cell at Jaw central prison with 2 none Arabic speaking criminals.The release of Al-Muhafhda comes one week after a statement by the OHCHR in which they called for his immediate release. The GCHR and BCHR urge the OHCHR to take more actions to ensure the release of the other imprisoned human rights defenders in Bahrain.Al-Muhafdha will be going back to court at a time in which the government of Bahrain has called for a political dialogue. The GCHR and BCHR call on the government of Bahrain to prove their seriousness in relation to the proposed dialogue by taking some real actions to show their respect to the human rights movement in Bahrain such as the following steps:1. Immediately release detained human rights defenders Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab, and drop all charges against them. The GCHR and BCHR believe that these measures have been taken against them to hinder their legitimate and peaceful work in defense of human rights.2. Drop all charges against Said Yousif Al-Muhafdha and put an end to the targeting of human rights defenders in Bahrain.2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and are free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.3. abide by the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular its Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, as well as Article 12(1) that provides “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and Article 12(2) (“the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually or in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”) /129