Political Prisoners Released in Bahrain: Deprived of Their Freedom Even Outside Bars
In light of Bahrain’s decade-long policy of silence regarding its citizens’ demands for reform and democracy, thousands of Bahraini youth and children who participated in the 2011 popular movement have spent a significant portion of their lives behind prison bars. In some cases, these prison sentences have exceeded the young ages of the prisoners. International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have confirmed that Bahrain is pursuing a dangerous organized campaign against the opposition, persistently restricting the freedoms of expression and assembly. These organizations also affirm Bahrain’s ongoing policy of detaining individuals for exercising these fundamental rights despite the promises it made to respect human rights.
Mohamed Jaafar Mohamed Ali (AlShamali) was a 15-year-old Bahraini child and school student when he was arbitrarily arrested from his home on 15 July 2012. He was subjected to torture, enforced disappearance, solitary confinement, medical neglect, an unfair trial, reprisals, and ill-treatment. Additionally, he was denied education, access to healthy food, sufficient access to water, family visits, and the ability to pray during his detention. He is currently held in Jau Prison, serving a 21-year and 6-month prison sentence.
On 15 July 2012, security vehicles surrounded Mohamed’s house and the entire neighborhood. Masked plainclothes officers, armed and equipped with a searchlight, raided the home without presenting an arrest or search warrant. They conducted a search and apprehended Mohamed. Subsequently, he was taken to the Dawwar 17 police station, where he underwent interrogation and forcibly disappeared for 18 days.
Between incoherent pledges and an inefficient system: failing to provide effective remedies to migrant workers in Qatar
Last month, FIFA announced that Saudi Arabia will host the next 2034 World Cup. Their announcement highlights unsolved issues from the 2022 Qatar edition.
FIFA and Qatar did not uphold the respect of migrant workers’ rights involved in building the necessary infrastructures for the most important football competition. This negligence convinced different members of the civil society to intervene. For example, on May 19, 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International, in combination with other human rights organizations, migrant groups and labour unions, requested FIFA and Qatari authorities to compensate for the serious abuses committed. This joint open letter directed to Gianni Infantino (President of FIFA) urged a collaboration between FIFA, the government of Qatar, and the International Labour Organization (ILO). In particular, it was asked to establish a reparation programme of at least 440 million US dollars for migrant workers and their families.
