bird weekly newsletter issue #8: campaign against #tortureprince

8/11/2019 BIRD Weekly Newsletter Issue #8: Campaign Against #TorturePrince

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20/08/2014 17:04BIRD Weekly Newsletter Issue #8: Campaign Against #TorturePrince

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Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy View this email in your browser

Wednesday, 20 August 2014, Issue #8

BIRD Weekly NewsletterWorld Equestrian Games 2014: NGOs Launch Campaign

Against #TorturePrince

NGOs launch 'No #TorturePrince at #WEG2014' campaign

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Campaign to ban alleged torturer Prince Nasser from World Equestrian Games

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Americans for Democracy

and Human Rights in Bahrain(ADHRB), the International Federation for Human

Rights(FIDH), the Ligue des droits de l'Homme(LDH) and Actions by Christians for

the Abolition of Torture(ACAT France) have begun a campaign to ban Prince Nasser

from participating in the World Equestrian Games 2014.

Prince Nasser, President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and prominent Bahraini

sports personality, has been named as a torturer by several political detainees in

2011. Included among them is Muhammad Habib Al Muqdad, one of the Bahrain 13.

The World Equestrian Games, set to take place between 23 August and 7

September in Normandy, France, are the major international championships for

equestrian sports and a qualifying event for the Olympics. It is the third WEG which

Bahrain is competing in. Prince Nasser is the captain of the Bahrain team.
http://birdbh.org/mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/http://www.acatfrance.fr/http://www.ldh-france.org/http://www.fidh.org/en/http://adhrb.org/


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In 2011, Prince

Nasser

appeared on

TV and publicly

threatened

protesters

demonstrating

for democracy

and political

reform in the

country. In

spite of his

prominent

leadership ofnational sports

committees and organisations, Prince Nasser was allegedly responsible for the

detention and torture of athletes.

Though the Bahraini authorities have steadfastly refused to acknowledge or

investigate these torture allegations, they are beginning to gain traction beyond

Bahrain. In Britain, the Crown Prosecution Service granted Prince Nasser immunity

from investigation for torture, but in May 2014 legal proceedings began with the aims

to overturn this decision.

Prince Nasser also received unwanted attention when a campaign to ban his

participation in a sporting event in the United States was picked upby the media. His

participation in the Windsor Horse Show in Britain in May also saw protests.

We call on all our supports to join our social media campaign with the hashtag

#TorturePrince and to sign up to our Thunderclap campaign, here.

Campaign Alert: Join the

Thunderclap!
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/15237-world-equestrian-games-torturehttp://birdbh.org/2014/05/activists-stage-protest-outside-the-queen-elizabeth-ii-conference-centre/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/princes-of-bahrain-ironman-and-torture_n_4178929.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bahraini-prince-nasser-bin-hamad-alkhalifa-could-lose-uk-diplomatic-immunity-over-torture-claims-9359303.htmlhttp://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4374http://bahrainrights.org/en/node/4516


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Sign up for the Thunderclap! A tweet in your name will be posted on 28

August 2014 at 9am CEST.

We call on all supporters of human rights to join us in our campaign via

social media in the week of the race under the hashtag #TorturePrince

starting on Monday 25 August.

Sign up here.

Weekly Highlights

17.3% of Bahrain's populationnaturalised citizens
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/15237-no-tortureprince-at-weg2014?locale=en


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Khalil Al-Marzooq, Political Assistant to Al Wefaq's Secretary General, claimed

that at least 95,000 foreigners have become naturalised Bahraini in the last

several years at a press conference on 16 August.

The figures, obtained from the Government Central Information Organisation,

show that naturalised Bahrainis make up approximately 17% of Bahrain's

citizen population. Al-Marzooq states that if naturalisation continues at itscurrent pace, then by 2030 nearly 40% of Bahrain's citizens will be naturalised.

Indigenous Sunnis and Shi'a both will become minorities to this third, new

class.

Al Wefaq calls naturalisation a 'crime against Sunnis and Shiites.' Al-Marzooq

called it a threat to the security of the Gulf, claiming that many of those

naturalised - many of whom work in the security forces - may be bringing

extremist and terrorist doctrines to their new homes.

Al-Marzooq said: 'What is happening is adding problems to the country and will

result in more losses in the future. We all have to snad against this

naturalisation and take serious steps to stop it nationally and raise the issue to

the UN and the international community.'

This revelation comes in the light of increased revocations of nationalitytheShia community has recently faced.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bahrain-strips-nine-nationals-citizenship-466606651http://alwefaq.net/cms/2014/08/17/31859/


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Bahrain 13 Update

17 NGOs call for the release ofMohammad Habib Al-Miqdad


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17 NGOs, including BIRD, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in

Bahrain, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, sent a letter on behalf of Sheikh

Mohammad Habib Al-Miqdad to the King of Bahrain calling for his unconditional

release and an investigation into allegations of torture and mistreatment.

Al-Miqdad is a prominent religious figure and operates a charity working to

protect orphaned children. He has been subjected to torture, sexual


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harassment and inhumane treatment. He has also been denied medical

treatment for injuries sustained in detention.

The letter can be read here.

Updates from the Ground

Arrests: 20

Trials: 60postponed

Sentences: 48 sentenced to a total of 496 years. 14 sentenced to life (2

minors)

6 of 31 stripped of citizenship summoned on charges of 'illegal residence'

Complaints: 36 filed with National Institute of Human Rights

Protests: 30

2 infants denied ID papers because of charges against parents

Bahraini-born Mohammad Khoori jailed for not possessing passport

Sayed Radwan al-Mosawi arrested when he went to police to report a fireVillages of Bani Jamra, Karana, Dair and Sitra targeted with heavy tear

Read More About Mohammad Al-Miqdad
http://birdbh.org/mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/http://birdbh.org/2014/08/17-ngos-individuals-call-for-release-of-sheikh-mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/


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gas

Sheikh Al-Mahroos' family concerned over his deteriorating health in

prison

News Updates

NGO Review

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights inBahrain (ADHRB)

World Equestrian Games 2014: NGOs

Launch Campaign Against

#TorturePrince

Well-known for his participation in the governmentcrackdown on civil and political rights in Bahrain

(during which Nasser launched a brutal campaign

against athletes in particular); Sheikh Nasser has

also been accusedof directly engaging in acts of

torture against political dissidents and respected

members of the Bahraini community, including the

Swedish citizen Sheikh Mohammed Habib al-

Miqdad. These allegations have called into

question his functional immunity within the United

Kingdom, which is currently being reviewedby the

Crown Prosecution Services.

Read more here.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)

Bahrain Violates Convention

on the Rights of the Child
http://adhrb.org/2014/08/human-rights-ngos-launch-campaign-against-torturers/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bahraini-prince-nasser-bin-hamad-alkhalifa-could-lose-uk-diplomatic-immunity-over-torture-claims-9359303.htmlhttp://birdbh.org/mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4516


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The Bahrain Center for Human Rights

expresses grave concern over the

ongoing targeting and prosecution of

children in Bahrain by the authorities in

blatant disregard to the governments

obligations to the UN Convention on

the Rights of the Child.

Read more here.

International Freedom of Expression Exchange

(IFEX)Leaked FinFisher documents provide insight into tight-knit

surveillance industry

The publishing of materials from a support server belonging to surveillance-industry

giant Gamma Internationalhas provided a trove of information for technologists, security

researchers and activists. This has given the world a direct insight into a tight-knit industry,

which demands secrecy for themselves and their clients, but ultimately assists in the

violation of human rights of ordinary people without care or reproach.

Now for the first time, there is solid confirmation of Gamma's activities from inside the

company's own files, despite their denials, on their clients and support provided to a range

of governments.

The Anglo-German company Gamma International is widely known for the intrusion

software suite FinFisher, which was spun off into its own German-based company

"FinFisher GmbH" sometime in 2013. The 40GB dump of internal documents, brochures,pricelists, logs, and support queries were made available through a Torrent first linked to

on a Reddit postby the alleged hacker, who also set up a Twitter handle posting the

documents.

Read more here.

Main Features
https://www.ifex.org/international/2014/08/15/finfisher_documents/https://twitter.com/GammaGroupPRhttp://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/comments/2cjlop/gamma_international_leaked/https://www.privacyinternational.org/sii/gamma_group/http://bchr.hopto.org/en/node/7003


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Nabeel Rajab: Business

Interests Are More Valuable to

Bahrain's Western Allies Than

Democracy and Human Rights

The reality Bahrain's situation has notimproved. Like most countries which

saw uprising and revolution in 2011, it

has only worsened.

Hu!ngton Post

Bahrain jails 14 for life over

killing

A court in Bahrain has sentenced 14 men

to life imprisonment for the killing of a

policeman last year, state news agency

BNA and a lawyer have said.

The 14 were convicted of premeditated

murder and intent to use violence against

members of the security forces.

"One of them planted an explosive device

and prepared it for detonation," the state

news agency said.

Al Jazeera

Advice for Ferguson's

Protesters from the Middle

East

Ms. Alkhawaja also detected a

painful visual echo of the protesters

in Ferguson approaching officers

with their hands in the air, and

Bahrainis who were gunned

down making the same gestureand

chanting, Peaceful! Peaceful!
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/latest-updates-on-middle-east-protests-5/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/latest-updates-on-middle-east-protests-5/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/bahrain-jails-14-life-over-killing-2014814124836580923.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nabeel-rajab/british-intervention-in-bahrain_b_5686070.html?utm_hp_ref=tw


12/12



New York Times

Bahrain official arrested over

bribery claims

A Bahrain official, who allegedly took a

bribe of $31,000 (BD12,000) for

dropping human trafficking charges

against a restaurant, has been arrested.

Arabian Business

BIRD @birdbahrain_ birdbh.org

Copyright 2014 Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), all rights reserved.*|Newsletter Issue 8|*

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bird weekly newsletter issue #8: campaign against #tortureprince

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