ADHRB Highlights Reprisals Faced by Women’s Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain at HRC41

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV_aJbglJnU&feature=youtu.be

Monday 1st of July – At HRC41, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) delivered an oral intervention during the General Debate on item 3. In the intervention, ADHRB drew attention to the horrible abuse going on in Isa Town Prison. Abuse like the denial of medical care, arbitrary detention, unjustified arrests, torture and the prevention of family visits were discussed. Continue reading for the text of the intervention, click here for PDF.

Mr. President,

ADHRB thanks the mandates of the Special Procedures for their work and we would like to raise concerns about the ongoing targeting of women’s human rights defenders in reprisals by the Bahraini government, highlighting in particular cases raised by the mandates of the Special Procedures. 

We recently received a letter from Hajer Mansoor, Najah Yusuf, and Medina Ali, three women detained in Bahrain’s Isa Town Prison who were the subject of Special Procedure communications.

Hajer writes: I was arrested in retaliation for the human rights activities of my daughter’s husband Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei. While the United Nations declared my innocence at the beginning of this year, the authorities have continued to violate my rights, including prohibiting me from receiving appropriate medical treatment.

Najah writes: I was arbitrarily arrested and tortured after exercising my right to free speech and for opposing the Formula 1 autorace in Bahrain.

Madina writes: I was arbitrarily arrested, with officers giving me death threats and pulling weapons on me. They tortured me and would not allow me to be examined by a forensic doctor.

They write: The three of us suffer in retaliation for ongoing human rights activities outside the prison and we have not seen our children for about three hundred days because the warden refuses to allow private visits as an act of retaliation.

We ask that international human rights organizations and activists call upon Bahrain to cease these violations, give us humane treatment, and improve conditions in prisons.

Thank you