Ongoing arbitrary arrests and judicial harassment of human rights defenders

of human rights defenders

Paris-Geneva, March 19, 2013. As new casesof arbitrary arrests and ongoing judicial harassment against Ms. ZainabAl-Khawaja have been reported in Bahrain, the Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation forHuman Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), remainsextremely concerned with the very repressive climate faced by human rightsdefenders in the country.

OnFebruary 27, 2013, human rights activist Zainab Al-Khawaja was onceagain arrested while she was protesting alone in front of the King's palace inQudaibiya, Manama, against the culture of impunity and the refusal by theauthorities to release the body of Mr. Mahmood Al-Jazeeri who died on February22, 2013 as a result of tear gas canister shot at his head from a close range.Ms. Al-Khawaja stood with a banner saying "you've arrested our fathers& children, even our bodies. Let your palaces hear, we don't fear yourprisons". She was arrested and taken to Al Hoora police station whereshe was charged with “obstructing traffic”, “damaging public property”,“prejudice to authority” and “inciting hatred of the regime”.

Onthe same day, the Third High Criminal Court upheld the one-month imprisonmentsentence against her on charges of “participating in an illegal gathering” and“entering a restricted zone”, i.e. the Pearl Roundabout, which has been guardedby security and military forces since March 2011 after protesters gatheredthere at the beginning of the uprising on February 14, 2011. The same courtalso upheld another two-month imprisonment sentence rendered by the LowerCriminal Court on charges of “damaging Ministry of Interior property”, afterMs. Al-Khawaja teared a photograph of the King of Bahrain, although she hadalready served that sentence after a previous arrest. As a result, the PublicProsecution announced in a statement that Ms. Al-Khawaja was to start servingher sentence on February 28, 2013; a total of three months and 20 daysaccording to her lawyer. In addition, on February 28, the Court of Appealoverturned the acquittal by the Court of First Instance in another case relatedto charges of “insulting a police officer” in a military hospital, charges thatshe was acquitted for on May 2, 2012. Ms. Al-Khawaja was protesting inside theBahrain Defence Forces hospital when her father, Mr. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja,jailed prominent human rights defender, former MENA Director at Front Line andformer President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), was on hungerstrike in that hospital. The Public Prosecution then appealed the acquittalverdict of the Court of First Instance, and the Court of Appeal sentenced Ms.Al-Khawaja to three months imprisonment.

TheObservatory recalls that Ms. Zainab Al-Khawaja has been arrested several timesfor protesting against human rights violations and has spent a total of fourmonths in prison previously. She currently has four ongoing cases against herand remains detained at the Jail for Women of the Town Police Station. On March18, 2013 afternoon, she reportedly started a hunger strike after she was deniedvisits from relatives.

TheObservatory firmly denounces the ongoing judicial harassment against Ms.Al-Khawaja and other human rights defenders in Bahrain. Accordingly, theObservatory urges the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionallyrelease Ms. Al-Khawaja as her detention is arbitrary and only aims atsanctioning her human rights activities.

Furthermore,the Observatory reiterates its call on the Bahraini authorities to put an endto any act of harassment against human rights defenders, and recalls theirobligation to comply with the international human rights instruments ratifiedby the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well with the 1998 Declaration on Human RightsDefenders and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For more information,please contact:

· FIDH: ArthurManet/Audrey Couprie: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18

· OMCT: DelphineReculeau: + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39