Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The cases of human rights defender Naji Fateel and journalist Nazeeha Saeed are just two examples of the unfairness of the judicial system in Bahrain, which is used to create false charges against human rights defenders and activists.

IFEX members issued a joint call for amendments to a deeply-flawed draft media law in Somalia before it goes to parliament for approval in August.

Detainee Rihanna Abdulla Al-Mosawi is on hunger strike to protest her ill-treatment; despite informing a judge in court that she had been subjected to degrading treatment, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior has dismissed her accusations.

After violently suppressing a peaceful protesters in Bahrain on 15 June 2013, authorities detained wounded protester Sayed Jaffer Hashim Shubar, locked him up and denied him medical attention. Other prisoners have been denied medical treatment.

On 11 July 2013, the first court hearing in the trial of 50 Bahraini citizens charged in the case known as the February 14 Youth Coalition Cell took place. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights published a report with details of the violations of fair trial that were witnessed in court.

On 7 July 2013, a pro-government account on YouTube uploaded a video showing the Bahraini prime minister visiting Lt-Colonel Mubarak Bin Huwail after he was acquitted on 1 July 2013 of charges related to torturing medics in detention back in 2011.

Although Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafdha, BCHR’s Acting Vice President, was acquitted on 11 March 2013 of the charge of disseminating false news on Twitter, the public prosecution chose to appeal his acquittal.

A complaint filed with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) against Gamma International, a UK-based company accused of selling surveillance spyware for governments, will proceed and has been accepted for consideration, the UK National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD announced.