March 7, 2023
Cited article by Al Jazeera
HRRC joins 22 human rights organizations in urging legislators attending this year's Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to address the ongoing violations of freedoms of speech and political freedoms, as well as violations of human rights. Since 2011, pro-democracy protestors and political opposition have been arrested and many remain imprisoned. The treatment and targeting of human rights activists and defenders must come to an end.
Article Summary
On March 11, legislators will meet for the 146th IPU in Bahrain, which was created to promote dialogue and diplomacy In a joint letter signed by 22 human rights organizations, the legislators are urged to use the venue to raise concerns over the “dire state of political freedom” and to request "the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners, and the removal of so-called 'political isolation' laws that were introduced in 2018."
Bahrain has been accused of using widespread crackdowns following pro-democracy protests in 2011. Most of the protestors, including opposition politicians and activists, remain political prisoners. In December 2022, human rights activist Yusuf Ahmed Hasan Kadhem, 17-year-old Ali Mustafa Majid Maki, and two unidentified 16-year-olds were arrested for protesting against improving ties with Israel. Additionally, in 2018 Bahrain passed laws banning former members of opposing parties from running for office again. The UN also is urging an end to torture and ill-treatment, as well as for those arbitrarily stripped of their citizenship to be reinstated of their nationality.