The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the call by United Nations experts to stop persecuting human rights defenders, and release human rights defenders jailed for exercising their right to free expression in Bahrain.

On 18 March, Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), said, “We are deeply troubled by the arrest on Monday in Bahrain of the social media activist and human rights defender, Zainab Al-Khawaja, who was detained along with her one-and-a-half year old son. Ms. Al-Khawaja was previously convicted on a number of charges, including insulting the King. Her father [Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja], who co-founded the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), has been in jail since 2011, serving a life sentence.” The statement also mentioned that Nabeel Rajab, another co-founder of BCHR and also GCHR, “still faces a travel ban, after being convicted – and then pardoned – for tweets he wrote in 2014.” Human rights defender Maytham Al-Salman, who works to prevent the incitement of hatred and violence, has been waiting for his passport to be renewed for over two months.

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, also criticised the arrest of Zainab Al-Khawaja, who he said “is detained purely for her critical views against government authorities.” He noted that “Such criticism is not only fully legitimate according to Bahrain’s obligations under human rights law. It is absolutely essential to the free and public debate necessary for a vibrant civil society.” He said, “The mere fact that a view is considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify the imposition of penalties against Bahraini activists. Deprivation of liberty on the sole ground of having exercised the right to freedom of opinion and expression and having defended human rights through peaceful means may be considered arbitrary.” Forst urged the Bahrain government that “The ongoing harassment and criminalisation of activists in Bahrain should stop.”

The UN expert also noted that he has previously “expressed his grave concerns” to the Bahraini government “concerning the crackdown against Bahraini human rights defenders,” including Rajab, Al-Salman, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and many others. Forst’s statement noted that he “and other UN experts have repeatedly urged the authorities to review Bahraini laws and practices to be compliant with Bahrain’s obligations under human rights law, especially the freedoms of expression and association and the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty.”

The UN expert’s statement was endorsed by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye. See more at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=18471&LangID=E

The UNHCHR statement issued by Colville also noted, “We are also concerned about recent laws that seriously curtail the right to freedom of expression in Bahrain. A 2014 law amending the penal code provides for up to seven years in jail, and a fine, for offending the King, the flag or national emblem. It is also a crime to offend the National Assembly, the army, courts or government agencies or to develop hostility towards the system of government. These provisions are regularly used to censor and intimidate human rights activists and journalists documenting or raising awareness about abuses. The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been ratified by Bahrain, has made it clear that the mere fact that remarks might be considered insulting to a public figure in Bahrain is not sufficient to justify penalties.” See more at: http://ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17252&LangID=E

GCHR also welcomes the release from prison of human rights defender Salah Al-Khawaja on 19 March 2016 after he served his five-year sentence on charges related to his peaceful human rights activities. He is among the same group of prisoners known as the Bahrain 13 as his brother Abdulhadi, who remains in jail.