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 organisations based in over 60 countries write to you united in our condemnation of the politically motivated arrest of human rights defender and co-director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Maryam Al-Khawaja at Manama airport on 30 August 2014. We urge that Maryam is immediately and unconditionally released.
We believe that Maryam Al-Khawaja is being persecuted for exercising her legitimate rights to freedom of expression and association in the defence of fundamental freedoms including her co-operation with international institutions and her important role in documenting human rights violations in Bahrain. We stand in solidarity with Maryam and all other human rights defenders wrongly imprisoned by your government for their work and beliefs.
We remind you that the harassment, intimidation or stigmatization of a human rights defender, including arrest, detention, trial or imprisonment for reasons of the opinions they may hold, constitute a serious violation of Bahrain’s obligations under international law.
We remain concerned that since the pro-democracy protests intensified in February 2011 your government has deliberately subverted democratic freedoms using a combination of legal and extra-legal measures involving politically motivated prosecutions, brutal crackdowns on protests and silencing expressions of dissent in the print and online media. Many have raised the concern about the arbitrary detention of hundreds of pro-democracy activists and their being subjected to torture and ill-treatment in detention centres across Bahrain.
At the UN Human Rights Council, during Bahrain’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2012 your government agreed to protect human rights defenders and allow them to conduct their work without hindrance, intimidation or harassment. On 5 September 2014, a group of United Nations independent human rights experts also demanded Maryam Al-Khawaja’s release, and urged you to follow through on your commitments made during the UPR to end the persecution of all human rights defenders in Bahrain. We support Maryam’s courage and strength for advocating for democratic change.
We urge your government to recognise the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people for their rights and end the cycle of protest and repression. We thus call upon you to begin a process of democratic reform, healing and reconciliation in Bahrain. Key steps towards achieving the above would be to release all detained human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience and cease the oppression of human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organizations.
Sincerely,
African Life Center – USA
African Women’s Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change (AWANICh) - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Aithria Agro-Environmental Research and Action Team – Greece
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) - Bangladesh
Aman Network for Rehabilitation & Defending Human Rights – United Kingdom
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) – USA
Andalus institute for tolerance & Anti-violence studies – Egypt
Arab Network for Democratic Elections – Lebanon
Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) – Lebanon
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) – Egypt
ARTICLE 19 – UK
Asian Human Rights Commission – Hong Kong
Asian Press Institute – Sri Lanka
Association Dea Dia from Serbia - Serbia
Association for Progressive Communications – South Africa
Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) -Canada
Association Transparence et Développement (ATED) – Mauritania
Avocats Sans Frontières Network – France
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) – Bahrain
Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO) - Bahrain
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) – United Kingdom
Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti Violence Organization (BRAVO) - Bahrain
Bahrain Salam for Human Rights – United Kingdom
Baidarie Pakistan – Pakistan
Belgrade Center for Human Rights - Serbia
Bishkek Feminist Collective SQ – Krygzistan
Building More Future Opportunities and Capacities (BMFOCA) – Nigeria
Burundi Child Rights Coalition (BCRC)– Burundi
Bytes for All – Pakistan
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) - Egypt
Campaign Against Ignorance & Illiteracy (CAII) - Nigeria
Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) – Cambodia
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) – Canada
Center for Peace Education - USA
Center for National and International Studies (CNIS) – Azerbaijan
Center International Training for Human Rights and Development – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Center of studies on Justice and Resolution of 1325 – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Charity and Security Network - USA
Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea – United Kingdom
Civic Initiatives – Serbia
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation - South Africa
Civil Rights Defenders - Sweden
Coalition pour le Development et la Rehabiniltation Social (CODR UBUNTU) – Burundi
Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) – South Sudan
Concertation Nationale de la Société Civile du Togo (CNSC Togo) - Togo
Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica (CIASE) – Colombia
Counseling Center for Transgender People Association – Turkey
Danish PEN – Denmark
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) – Philippines
Democracy Monitor – Azerbaijan
Diverse Voices and Action for Equality - Fiji
East and Horn of African Human Rights Defenders Project - Uganda
Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms – Egypt
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) - Egypt
Elma7rosa Network for Advocacy Media& Arts - Egypt
English PEN – UK
Ethiopian Human Rights Project - Ethiopia
European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights (EBOHR) – Switzerland
European Women’s Lobby – Belgium
European Saudi Organizations for Human Rights - Germany
Federation of African Muslim Women in America (FAMWA) – USA
Families of Desaparecidos for Justice - Philippines
Foundation of The Victims Of Abduction And Forced Disappearance (FVAFD) – Egypt
Fontaine-ISOKO for Good Governance and Integrated Development- Burundi
Freedom International – Ghana
FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, France
Freedom House – USA
Freddom Now - USA
Frontline Defenders – Ireland
Ghanaian Centre of PEN International - Ghana
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) –USA
Groupe des Experts Nationaux - Madagascar
Gulf Civil Society Association Forum - Kuwait
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) - Lebanon
Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly – Turkey
Human Rights Center "Viasna" – Belarus
Human Rights Concern Eritrea – United Kingdom
Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS) – Netherlands
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran – USA
International Centre for supporting Rights and Freedoms (ICSRF) - Egypt
International Commission of Jurists – Switzerland
International Pen, San Miguel Chapter – Mexico
International Service for Human Rights - Switzerland
International Solidarity Network Women Living Under Muslim Laws - USA
International Youth Human Rights Movement – Russia
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) – UK
Lualua Centre for Human Rights(LCHR) - Lebanon
Justice for Iran (JFI) – United Kingdom
KAOS GL – Turkey
Karapatan Alliance - Philippines
Khiam Rehabilitation Center For Victims of Torture – Lebanon
Kitgum Women Peace Initiative (KIWEPI) - Uganda
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) – Serbia
Ligue des Droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) – Democratic Republic of Congo
Ligue Algerienne Pour la Defense des Droits de l (LADDH) - Algeria
Maharat Foundation – Lebanon
Martin Ennals Foundation – Switzerland
MENA Monitoring Group - Tunisia
Middle East Democracy (POMED) – USA
Mpalabanda - Associacao Civica de Cabinda - Angola
Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico – USA
Monitoring of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia
Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum – Sri Lanka
Nasra for Feminist Studies – Egypt
New Bakkah Foundation – Switzerland
National Lawyers Guild - USA
National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms - Yemen
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) – Somalia
No Peace Without Justice – Italy
World Organisation Against Torture, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders – Switzerland
Pacific Feminist SRHR Coalition – Australia
Palestinian Conflict Resolution / Transformation Center – Palestine
PEN Center – Nicaragua
PEN American Center – USA
PEN International - USA
PEN International Women Writers Committee – Egypt
Policy Center – Serbia
Pusat Komas - Malaysia
Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) - France
Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale (REDHAC) – Cameroon
Right Defenders Lawyers & Consultants (RDLC) – Pakistan
Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association - Turkey
Shia Rights Watch - USA
Social And Human Development Consultative Groups (SAHDCG) – Sudan
South African Centre of PEN International –South Africa
Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes de Violences Sexuelle – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Secularism Is a Women’s Issue – UK
Society of Former Political Prisoners Against Arrest and Detention in the Philippines – Philippines
South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) – South Sudan
Synergie des Associations Feminines du Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo
131. Swiss Italian PEN – Switzerland
132. Tanzania Human rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) – Tanzania
133. Teso Women Peace Activists (TEWPA) - Uganda
134. The Training Nest - Sri Lanka
135. Three Cities Foundation – Malta
136. Trans-der – Turkey
137. Transparency International – Bangladesh
138. Ucan Supurge Women’s Association – Turkey
139. Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) – Zambia
140. Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights - USA
141. Un Ponte Per- Italy
142. Union Nacional de Instituciones para el trabajo de accion Socilal – Bolivia
143. Vivarta - UK
144. West African Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN) - Togo
145. Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) – Liberia
146. Women Peace Initiatives-Uganda (WOPI-U) - Uganda
147. Women and Allies Peace Builders Network – Burundi
148. Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) – Philippines
149. Women’s Resource Center – Pakistan
150. Women’s Solidarity Fund – UK
151. World Movement for Democracy - USA
152. Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) – Zambia
153. Zeugmadi LGBT- Turkey
154. Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum – Zimbabwe
155. 1325 Policy Group – Sweden