Joint global civil society letter: Release Maryam Al-Khawaja and end clampdown on civil society in Bahrain
18 September 2014
HM Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain
Dear King Hamad,
We, the undersigned 155 civil society organisationsbased in over 60 countries write to you united in our condemnation of the politicallymotivated arrest of human rights defender and co-director of the Gulf Centrefor Human Rights, Maryam Al-Khawaja at Manama airport on 30 August 2014. Weurge that Maryam is immediately and unconditionally released.
We believethat Maryam Al-Khawaja is being persecuted for exercising her legitimate rights tofreedom of expression and association in the defence of fundamental freedomsincluding her co-operation with internationalinstitutions and her important role in documenting human rights violations inBahrain. We stand in solidarity with Maryam and all other humanrights defenders wrongly imprisoned by your government for their work andbeliefs.
We remind you that the harassment, intimidation orstigmatization of a human rights defender, including arrest, detention, trialor imprisonment for reasons of the opinions they may hold, constitute a seriousviolation of Bahrain’s obligations under international law.
We remain concerned that since the pro-democracyprotests intensified in February 2011 your government has deliberatelysubverted democratic freedoms using a combination of legal and extra-legalmeasures involving politically motivated prosecutions, brutal crackdowns on protestsand silencing expressions of dissent in the print and online media. Many have raised the concern about thearbitrary detention of hundreds of pro-democracy activists and their beingsubjected to torture and ill-treatment in detention centres across Bahrain.
At the UN Human Rights Council, during Bahrain’sUniversal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2012 your government agreed to protect humanrights defenders and allow them to conduct their work without hindrance,intimidation or harassment. On 5 September 2014, a group of United Nations independenthuman rights experts also demanded Maryam Al-Khawaja’s release, and urged youto follow through on your commitments made during the UPR to end thepersecution of all human rights defenders in Bahrain. We support Maryam’scourage and strength for advocating for democratic change.
We urge your government to recognise the legitimatedemands of the Bahraini people for their rights and end the cycle of protestand repression. We thus call upon you tobegin a process of democratic reform, healing and reconciliation in Bahrain.Key steps towards achieving the above would be to release all detained humanrights defenders and prisoners of conscience and cease the oppression of human rights defenders, journalists and civil societyorganizations.
Sincerely,
1. AfricanLife Center – USA
2. African Women's Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change (AWANICh) - DemocraticRepublic of the Congo
3. AithriaAgro-Environmental Research and Action Team – Greece
4. Aino Salish Kendra (ASK) - Bangladesh
5. AmanNetwork for Rehabilitation & Defending Human Rights – United Kingdom
6. Americansfor Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) – USA
7. Andalusinstitute for tolerance & Anti-violence studies – Egypt
8. ArabNetwork for Democratic Elections – Lebanon
9. ArabNGO Network for Development (ANND) – Lebanon
10. ArabicNetwork for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) – Egypt
11. ARTICLE19 – UK
12. AsianHuman Rights Commission – Hong Kong
13. AsianPress Institute – Sri Lanka
14. AssociationDea Dia from Serbia - Serbia
15. Associationfor Progressive Communications – South Africa
16. Associationfor Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) -Canada
17. AssociationTransparence et Développement (ATED) – Mauritania
18. AvocatsSans Frontières Network – France
19. BahrainCentre for Human Rights (BCHR) – Bahrain
20. BahrainHuman Rights Observatory (BHRO) -Bahrain
21. BahrainInstitute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) – United Kingdom
22. BahrainRehabilitation & Anti Violence Organization (BRAVO) - Bahrain
23. BahrainSalam for Human Rights – United Kingdom
24. BaidariePakistan – Pakistan
25. BelgradeCenter for Human Rights - Serbia
26. BishkekFeminist Collective SQ – Krygzistan
27. Building More Future Opportunities andCapacities (BMFOCA) – Nigeria
28. BurundiChild Rights Coalition (BCRC)– Burundi
29. Bytesfor All – Pakistan
30. CairoInstitute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) - Egypt
31. CampaignAgainst Ignorance & Illiteracy (CAII) - Nigeria
32. CambodiaCenter for Human Rights (CCHR) – Cambodia
33. CanadianJournalists for Free Expression (CJFE) – Canada
34. Center for Peace Education - USA
35. Centerfor National and International Studies (CNIS) – Azerbaijan
36. CenterInternational Training for Human Rights and Development – Democratic Republicof the Congo
37. Centerof studies on Justice and Resolution of 1325 – Democratic Republic of the Congo
38. Charityand Security Network - USA
39. Citizensfor Democratic Rights in Eritrea – United Kingdom
40. CivicInitiatives – Serbia
41. CIVICUS:World Alliance for Citizen Participation - South Africa
42. CivilRights Defenders - Sweden
43. Coalitionpour le Development et la Rehabiniltation Social (CODR UBUNTU) – Burundi
44. CommunityEmpowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) – South Sudan
45. ConcertationNationale de la Société Civile du Togo (CNSC Togo) - Togo
46. Corporación deInvestigación y Acción Social y Económica (CIASE) – Colombia
47. Counseling Center for Transgender PeopleAssociation – Turkey
48. Danish PEN – Denmark
49. Development Alternatives with Women for aNew Era (DAWN) – Philippines
50. Democracy Monitor – Azerbaijan
51. Diverse Voices and Action for Equality -Fiji
52. Eastand Horn of African Human Rights Defenders Project - Uganda
53. EgyptianCommission for Rights and Freedoms – Egypt
54. EgyptianOrganization for Human Rights (EOHR) - Egypt
55. Elma7rosaNetwork for Advocacy Media& Arts - Egypt
56. EnglishPEN – UK
57. EthiopianHuman Rights Project - Ethiopia
58. European-BahrainiOrganisation for Human Rights (EBOHR) – Switzerland
59. EuropeanWomen’s Lobby – Belgium
60. EuropeanSaudi Organizations for Human Rights - Germany
61. Federationof African Muslim Women in America (FAMWA) – USA
62. Familiesof Desaparecidos for Justice - Philippines
63. Foundationof The Victims Of Abduction And Forced Disappearance (FVAFD) – Egypt
64. Fontaine-ISOKOfor Good Governance and Integrated Development- Burundi
65. FreedomInternational – Ghana
66. FIDH, within the framework of theObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, France
67. Freedom House – USA
68. Freddom Now - USA
69. FrontlineDefenders – Ireland
70. GhanaianCentre of PEN International - Ghana
71. GlobalNetwork of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) –USA
72. Groupe des Experts Nationaux - Madagascar
73. GulfCivil Society Association Forum - Kuwait
74. GulfCentre for Human Rights (GCHR) - Lebanon
75. HelsinkiCitizen’s Assembly – Turkey
76. HumanRights Center "Viasna" – Belarus
77. HumanRights Concern Eritrea – United Kingdom
78. HumanistInstitute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS) – Netherlands
79. InternationalCampaign for Human Rights in Iran – USA
80. InternationalCentre for supporting Rights and Freedoms (ICSRF) - Egypt
81. InternationalCommission of Jurists – Switzerland
82. InternationalPen, San Miguel Chapter – Mexico
83. InternationalService for Human Rights - Switzerland
84. InternationalSolidarity Network Women Living Under Muslim Laws - USA
85. International YouthHuman Rights Movement – Russia
86. IslamicHuman Rights Commission (IHRC) – UK
87. LualuaCentre for Human Rights(LCHR) - Lebanon
88. Justicefor Iran (JFI) – United Kingdom
89. KAOSGL – Turkey
90. KarapatanAlliance - Philippines
91. KhiamRehabilitation Center For Victims of Torture – Lebanon
92. KitgumWomen Peace Initiative (KIWEPI) - Uganda
93. LawyersCommittee for Human Rights (YUCOM) – Serbia
94. Liguedes Droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) – DemocraticRepublic of Congo
95. LigueAlgerienne Pour la Defense des Droits de l (LADDH) - Algeria
96. MaharatFoundation – Lebanon
97. MartinEnnals Foundation – Switzerland
98. MENAMonitoring Group - Tunisia
99. MiddleEast Democracy (POMED) – USA
100. Mpalabanda- Associacao Civica de Cabinda - Angola
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- 03.09.14
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