IRCT troubled by reports of ill-treatment of Bahraini human rights defenders

The IRCT is deeply concerned to hear of the ill-treatment of Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al-Khawaja – Bahraini human rights defenders currently imprisoned on trumped-up charges in the island kingdom.

We call upon the Bahraini authorities to immediately meet the demands made by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), namely that they:

1. Immediately release detained human rights defenders Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al-Khawaja and drop all charges against them, as it is believed that these measures have been taken against them solely due to their legitimate and peaceful work in the defense of human rights, and the exercise of freedom to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression in accordance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

2. Immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience and activists including leading human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja;

3. Immediately put an end to the practice of torture and the ill-treatment of prisoners in Bahrain and bring those responsible to justice;

4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

We also reiterate our call to the international community to put real pressure on the government of Bahrain to stop the ill-treatment of human rights defenders and to to release them immediately as it is believed that they have been targeted solely for their legitimate human rights activities.

For more information:

Further details from BCHR, click here.