Al Wefaq National Islamic Society urges the international community to act to release the opposition leader and Secretary General of Al Wefaq Sheikh Ali Salman. Al Wefaq stresses that any slacking in this matter is going to push Bahrain into a dark tunnel as Salman holds the keys to political settlement with the ruling authority.
The political situation in Bahrain is at a crossroad making a serious initiative for political solution extremely necessary. It is certainly not in the interest of our nation and country for the status quo to continue. The regime must end the use of excessive force and violence against the people of Bahrain for raising demands for equal political participation and right to freedoms and legitimate rights.
The statements issued by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Secretary-General, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights and tens of rights organizations, as well as Salman’s defense panel, were all very clear that the charges brought against him were baseless and called for his immediate release.
The International Federation for Human Rights made clear that “The trumped-up charges against Salman are part of a pattern of judicial repression against political opponents as well as human rights defenders”.
The FIDH further said, “The judicial harassment and arbitrary detention of a leading figure of the main opposition party only leads to the reigniting of tensions in Bahrain. The authorities pledges of reform and dialogue can only be considered as rhetoric”, explaining that, “The prospects of stability and national dialogue are diminishing significantly due to the authorities’ lack of tolerance for any opposition. Political societies in particular have faced a series of repressive administrative and judicial measures”.
Also, a group of United Nations independent experts urged the Bahraini authorities to release Sheikh Ali Salman, who they stated is Secretary General of Bahrain’s main opposition political party, adding, his arrest in December 2014 came shortly after he was re-elected to his post.
“The charges appear to stem from the Government’s dissatisfaction with opinions that Sheikh Salman expressed in public speeches and televised interviews, in which he called for the establishment of a democratic regime and for Government accountability”, the human rights experts said.
“If this is indeed the case, his arrest and prosecution would amount to a breach of his fundamental human rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of religion or belief,” they said. “We have asked the Government of Bahrain to clarify the situation and to provide more information on these allegations.”
The UN experts also expressed concern at allegations that Sheikh Salman’s hearing on January 28, when he was denied bail, did not take place in accordance with due process standards. His legal representative was allegedly not allowed to examine the evidence to prepare for his defense.
“Particularly worrying are recent reports that indicate that peaceful demonstrations following his arrest were disbanded by the authorities, including through the use of force,” they said, noting that at least 150 people were reportedly arrested and around 90 were injured during the protests and in clashes with the police.
“We urge the Government of Bahrain to promptly release all those who have been detained for peaceful expression of their views,” the UN experts said.
The signatory experts are: Mads Andenas, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; and Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
The Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General stated that Mr. Ban Ki Moon is following the detention of Sheikh Ali Salman and the events that followed the arrest.
Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed serious concern at the arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman and the continuing harassment and imprisonment of individuals exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country.
She urged the Government of Bahrain to immediately release Sheikh Salman, as well as all other persons convicted or detained for merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Further, she stated that opposition parties are fundamental pillars of any democracy and Sheikh Salman’s arrest risks intensifying the fraught political scene that has seen anti-government protests for nearly four years. Peaceful constructive dialogue is the only way out of Bahrain’s current crisis, she added.
Farag Finch, Director of Middle East and North Africa at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN radio that there are many political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and there are harsh punishments against protesters, expressing concern. He also talked about dialogue in Bahrain stressing that political disagreements are a normal matter, but they must not be solved through arrests. He urged for national dialogue with all factions of society including the peaceful democratic opposition and the civil society groups.
Human Rights Watch said it “reviewed three of Salman’s recent speeches going back to October 2014 that are allegedly the basis of the charges against him, but could find nothing to support three of the charges or contradict his repeated and explicit disavowals of political violence”. The statement added, “The arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman seems calculated to send a message to Bahrainis and the world that political reconciliation and respect for fundamental rights is completely off the table.”
Its sister organization, Amnesty International, also urged for the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Ali Salman and highlighted that he is a prisoner of conscience.
Salman’s defense panel expressed great concern on the fate of its client in the shadow of a trial which it said “lacked international standards for fair trial”. His lawyers had requested his release in the first hearing explaining that the charges against him were not based on evidence. The panel said the charges instead were made out of “copy and paste” selections from various speeches delivered by Salman on different occasions to give a contradicting impression of his advocate for peace and nonviolence. Also, by omitting pieces which he spoke about peace and nonviolence.
The panel also submitted a film of Salman’s speeches and sermons that proof wrong the charges against him, however, the court refused to show the film.
Al Wefaq stresses that based on the aforementioned statements and facts, there is no room for further inattention. The international community must take responsibility to act for the immediate release of Al Wefaq’s Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman and push for a real political settlement that respects the democratic and human rights slogans it is calling for.
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Attachments:
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Liz Throssell
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15461
International Federation for Human Rights
Amnesty International:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE11/004/2015/en
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/01/18/bahrain-release-opposition-leader
Statement by UN experts
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15541&LangID=E
European Union Delegation to the United Nations