09/23/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/23/2024 11:11
Your Excellencies,
During the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), we urge you to raise human rights priorities in Bahrain, including concerns about the continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, scholars, bloggers, and opposition leaders in Bahrain, the use of the death penalty, and the revocation of citizenship. The high-level general debate (24-28 September), pertinently themed "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations," is a critical opportunity to push for resolution on these long-standing human rights abuses.
The royal pardon issuedby King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 4 September 2024, for 457 individuals, which was the third mass amnesty in 2024, included the release of over 150 political prisoners, according to research conducted by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD). The firstpardon, on 8 April 2024, included an estimated 650 political prisoners, while the secondpardon, on 15 June 2024, largely excluded political prisoners, according to BIRD.
While the pardons this year are notable, resulting in the lowest number of individuals wrongfully imprisoned in Bahrain since 2011, they largely excluded prominent human rights defenders and leading opposition activists who played significant roles in the 2011 pro-democracy protests. They include:
Five UN experts recentlyexpressed concern about the continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and opposition leaders who were excluded from the April pardon, raising alarm about the deteriorating health of Dr. Al-Singace, Mushaima, Sheikh Mirza Mahroos and Al-Khawaja, resulting from their detention. Al-Khawaja, Al-Singace and Mushaima have also all been included in the UN Secretary-General's reporton reprisals for cooperation with the UN.
Additionally, 26 individuals in Bahrain remain on death row at risk of imminent execution, many of whom allege torture and unfair trials. Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Moosa, who have now spent over a decade unlawfully detained, were sentenced to death in 2014 in an unfair trial marred by torture allegations. In 2021, the UNWGAD found that both men are arbitrarily detained and called for their immediate release.
Between 2012 and 2019, the Bahraini government revoked the citizenship of 990 individuals, and while citizenship of an estimated 698 individuals was restored by the King in 2019 and through courts, at least 292 individuals remain denaturalised, according to BIRD. This includes Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who was named in the 2024 UN Secretary-General's reporton reprisals against individuals who cooperate with UN mechanisms, which was presented at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council.
In light of the high-level General Debate which begins on Tuesday, 24 September, we strongly believe that this is a unique and vital opportunity for intensified diplomatic action to advocate for the release of human rights defenders, opposition leaders, death row inmates, and all those who remain unfairly imprisoned in Bahrain.
Thus, we respectfully urge your delegation to:
Sincerely,