28 November 2016 – 46 rights groups have written to the King of Bahrain urging that charges against sports journalist Faisal Hayyat be dropped. The letter, which has also been copied to the United Kingdom, United States, European Union and the United Nations’ human rights chief, condemns the charges against his freedom of expression.
Faisal Hayyat is a sports journalist facing a one-year sentence for a tweets which, the prosecution charge, “insult a sect and religious figure”. His next court date is tomorrow, 29 November. The letter condemns this as a violation of his free speech and calls for all charges to be dropped, against him and all internet users prosecuted for their expression.
The letter’s message is addressed to key players on Bahrain. Until recently the UK was still praising Bahrain’s “commitment to continuing reforms”, even as an escalated crackdown was in its early stages. The UK’s assistance to Bahrain, a multi-million pound package which has included police, judicial, prison and oversight training, has proved controversial as UK-trained bodies continue to violate and ignore human rights abuses, including the use of confessions extracted under torture in death penalty convictions.
The United States has been a vocally critical of expression-related prosecutions, but also lifted an arms ban on Bahrain in 2015, sending mixed messages. The European Union has also followed expression-related prosecutions, with the European Parliament having adopted several resolutions on the country, the latest in July 2016. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also been highly critical of Bahrain, warning the country in September 2016: “The past decade has demonstrated repeatedly and with punishing clarity exactly how disastrous the outcomes can be when a Government attempts to smash the voices of its people, instead of serving them.”
Husain Abdulla, Executive Director, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain: “It’s important that the international community show Bahrain that abusing the rights of citizens, journalists and activists is off-limits. The US, UK and EU should send representatives to the courtroom and condemn this prosecution of speech. Long-term stability in Bahrain and the region can only come with tolerance of other opinions, respect for human rights, and political inclusion. That can start here, with Faisal Hayyat’s release and the dropping of charges against all activists.”
Hayyat has been in the business for many years. He has appeared on various sports channels and has written for local Bahraini newspapers,Alalam, Albilad, and Akhbar Al Khaleej. He directs and presents short video programs online that provide critical perspectives on local politics.
Hayyat is a torture survivor. During the 2011 Arab Spring protests, in which Bahrain saw the largest protests in the region proportional to its population, Hayyat joined journalists demanding reform from state censorship. Hayyat protested directly against Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, then the Minister of Information Affairs – responsible for media regulation and censorship, holding a sign calling for his resignation. Sheikh Fawaz has since become the Ambassador to London.
For his protest, the Bahraini security forces detained Faisal Hayyat in April 2011 and held him for 84 days. During his detention, authorities subjected Hayyat to physical and psychological torture, including sexual harassment and degrading treatment. He was released in late June, and the case against him was eventually dropped.
Faisal Hayyat has been vocal about this and recently published a letter on social media to the Bahraini Minister of Interior detailing the torture to which the government had subjected him. Government authorities never provided compensation for the abuse and never held any officials accountable. In the letter Hayyat mentions, “I write this and I know it may cost me my freedom.”
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advoacy, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy: “The fact that Sheikh Fawaz, Bahrain’s media censorship minister, is now ambassador to London says all that is needed about Bahrain’s respect for free expression. Faisal Hayyat is a victim who deserves justice, not further prosecution. The UK’s been deeply involved in Bahrain for years now, and it’s time we saw effective action from them.”
