Wednesday, 5 August 2015, Issue #58
BIRD Weekly Newsletter
In this Issue
•Isa Al-Aali granted asylum • Mass Arrests post Sitra bombing • Protest for Dr. Al-Singace • Open Letter to Bahrain Endurance 13 •
Court Grant Asylum to Isa Al-Aali after year long legal battle with Home Office
4 August 2015, London – A UK court approved Bahraini Isa Al-Aali’s asylum appeal in a verdict welcomed by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) last week, on 28 July. Isa Al-Aali, 21, arrived in Britain on 14 February 2014, when he fled Bahrain via Dubai to London on a visit visa. He claimed asylum on the same day and was put into the Detained Fast Track asylum process, a procedure which the High Court has since ruled is unlawful and beyond the powers of the government.
Read the full report here.
Mass Arbitrary Arrest Campaign Post-Sitra Bombing
5 August 2015 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) are extremely concerned over the escalated measures and collective punishment the authorities have subjected the people of Sitra to in the aftermath of the bombing incident. On 28 July 2015, BCHR, ADHRB and BIRD condemned the violent attack on security forces that reportedly killed two policemen and injured eight.
Read the full statement here.
Open Letter from NGOs to Bahrain 13 Endurance Team
3 August 2015- Bahraini prince Shaikh Nasser has handpicked a team of thirteen triathlon athletes to compete around the world for Bahrain and “promote a culture of health and wellness and endurance sporting excellence across the Gulf region and beyond.” Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture (ACAT) have written an open letter to the members of the Bahrain 13 Endurance Team, imploring them to reevaluate their membership on the team and stand up to the human rights abuses committed by Shaikh Nasser and the Government of Bahrain.
Read the full text of the letter here.
Event Summary: NGO’s Protest the On-going Detention of Dr. Abduljalil Al- Singace
29 July 2015- The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, English PEN and Index on Censorship gathered outside the Bahrain Embassy in London to protest the ongoing detention of Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace. Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace is a prominent academic and blogger who promoted human rights in Bahrain throughout the 2000s and has been on a hunger strike for over 130 days.
Read our event summary here.
Take Action
Send a Pen & Sign the Petition
Updates from the Ground
47 arrested including 2 children
53 trials postponed
2 individuals sentenced to 1 year in prison
5 individuals remanded to a total of 95 days in detention
57 inmates at Jau Prison go on trial
Deputy Secretary General of Al-Wefaq Khalil Marzooq questioned by Cyber Crimes Unit for 2 hours before being released
28 arrested in Sitra after explosion. While 6 were released, 22 remain detained.
Security forces continue to use excessive force including tear gas and shotgun pellets against protesters.
#TwitterNation
Weekly Highlights
US turns page on Bahrain’s crackdown
[clear] Bahraini teenager granted UK asylum after Home Office deportation threats
News & Commentaries
English Pen: NGOs protest the ongoing detention of Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace
Index on Censorship: Rights groups denounce Bahrain’s ongoing detention of academic
RT News: Solidarity protest held for jailed Bahraini blogger on 130-day hunger strike
Brain Dooley on Torture in Bahrain: Bahrain: A country of legitimized torture?