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Amnesty International Report 1995 - Bahrain

At least 30 political prisoners, including possible prisoners of conscience, continued serving long prison sentences imposed after unfair trials in previous years. Several of them were reportedly tortured. Hundreds of people were arrested during the year in connection with their religious or political activities. Some were released days after their arrest, but others remained in incommunicado detention without charge or trial for up to three months before being released. Dozens of Bahraini nationals were forcibly exiled, although restrictions preventing the return of 64 others were lifted.

At least 30 political prisoners, including possible prisoners of conscience, remained in prison at the end of the year. They were all serving long prison sentences imposed in previous years after unfair trials. Some were held in connection with membership of banned opposition groups; others in connection with an alleged coup attempt in 1981 (see Amnesty International Report 1994). A number of them were transferred to other prisons where they were held incommunicado for several weeks and reportedly tortured. For example, in April a number of political prisoners, including Mohammad Jamil ‘Abd al-Amir al-Jamri, ‘Abd al-Jalil Khalil Ibrahim, al-Sayyid Ja‘far al-‘Alawi, ‘Ali Ahmed Jassim al-Dayri and Nabil Baqir, were reportedly transferred from Jaw Prison No.1 to al-Qal‘a Prison following the discovery of a radio during a cell inspection. They were allegedly placed in solitary confinement and tortured to extract information regarding the source of the radio. Some of them were transferred to hospital for urgent medical treatment before being returned to al-Qal‘a Prison.

In January dozens of people were arrested at al-Mu’min Mosque in Manama during a commemoration by members of the Shi‘a community of the death of Grand Ayatollah Golpayegani, the Iranian marja‘ al-taqlid (source of emulation) of Shi‘a communities worldwide. Some were released a few days later, but 18 people, including Tawfiq al-Mahrous, ‘Abd al-Ridha al-Shuweikh, ‘Ali ‘Omran and Mohammad Hassan, remained in incommunicado detention without charge or trial until March when they were all released. In December hundreds of people were arrested in connection with a petition initiated by 14 well-known figures calling on the Amir of Bahrain, al-Sheikh ‘Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, to reinstate the parliament which was dissolved in 1975. Among them were al-Sheikh ‘Ali Salman, who led prayers at al-Khawaja Mosque in Manama, and Ibrahim Hassan; both were arrested on 5 December in their homes in Bilad al-Qadim, southwest of Manama. At the end of the year they remained held as possible prisoners of conscience in al-Qal‘a Prison and both were reportedly tortured.

The arrest of al-Sheikh ‘Ali Salman sparked off widespread demonstrations calling for his release. At least four people, Hani ‘Abbas Khamis, Hani Ahmed al-Wasti, Haj Mirza ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Ridha and Ya‘qoub al-Ma‘touq, were reportedly shot dead by members of the security forces.

An amnesty for political prisoners was declared in March by the Amir. The number and identities of those who benefited were not known.

Dozens of Bahraini nationals were denied entry when they tried to enter Bahrain after they had lived abroad for some time. Ahmed Hussein Akbar ‘Abbas and his family returned to Bahrain in January. They were detained at the airport for 12 days before being expelled to Lebanon. Before the expulsion, they were reportedly threatened that if they returned again to Bahrain they would be put on a boat bound for Iran. Ahmed Hussein Akbar ‘Abbas had been expelled three times previously when trying to return to Bahrain - once in 1982 and twice in 1993 (see Amnesty International Report 1994). ‘Abd al-Hadi ‘Abdullah al-Khawaja, resident in Denmark, returned to Bahrain in February, after he was informed of his father’s death in Bahrain. He was held at the airport and interrogated, and reportedly ill-treated before being expelled to Lebanon.

The practice of forcible exile extended to political prisoners who had served their prison terms. Nabil Baqir (see above) and Ahmed Hussein Mirza were forcibly exiled to Iran in June. They had been imprisoned on political grounds since 1987, and had reportedly served their respective seven-year prison sentences. Sixty-four political exiles were amnestied by the Amir in March, although their identities were not made public.

Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of the Interior in January urging the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested at al-Mu’min Mosque if they were detained as prisoners of conscience. The organization welcomed the Amir’s decision to permit some Bahraini exiles to return but continued to call for the practice of forcible exile to be ended. In December the organization wrote to the Minister of the Interior twice calling for independent investigations into the circumstances of the killing of the four demonstrators (see above) and for all those held to be granted access to a lawyer of their own choosing, family and medical attention if necessary. At the end of the year no response had been received from the authorities.