Intl. rights groups call for immediate release of Bahraini rights activist

Over twenty international human rights organizations have called for immediate and unconditional release of prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abduljalil al-Singace, who is serving a life sentence in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom following the 2011 popular uprising.

The 23 groups, which include Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), Bahrain Press Association (BPA), Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), PEN International and Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), called on Bahraini authorities to immediately release the 61-year-old academic, award-winning activist and blogger.

The rights organizations referred to a letter they wrote on August 13 last year, in which they requested the immediate and unconditional release of Singace, as well as measures that he would receive adequate healthcare, be protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and his academic work be transferred to his family.

None of those requests have so far been met or acknowledged, and Singace’s situation remains one of increasing concern, they lamented.

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The groups went on to say that the jailed Bahraini activist suffers from diminished eyesight, pain and inflammation in his joints, tremors, and prostate problems. His medical issues have continued to worsen in recent months, and the pain in his left shoulder has increased and his eyesight has further deteriorated.

The organizations also voiced extreme concern over the continued delay or denial of Singace’s medications, and described it as a punitive attempt to pressure him to end his hunger strike.

“We renew our call upon you to release Singace immediately and unconditionally, and in the meantime, ensure that he is held in conditions that meet international standards, receives his medication without delay and has access to adequate healthcare in compliance with medical ethics, and his arbitrarily confiscated research is immediately transferred to his family members,” they said.

Singace is one of more than a dozen anti-regime protesters who was arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges, including allegedly “creating terrorist groups with a view to overthrowing the monarchy and changing the constitution.”

He is a blogger, an academic researcher, and one of the leading figures in the anti-monarchy movement in Bahrain.

Anti-monarchy demonstrations began in mid-February 2011 and have been held on a regular basis ever since the popular uprising started.

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Demonstrators demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power, and a democratic, just system representing all Bahrainis be established.

The ruthless Manama regime, however, has responded to demands for social equality with an iron fist, clamping down on voices of dissent.

On March 5, 2017, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of opposition civilians at military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount to the imposition of an undeclared martial law.

The monarch, King Hamad, ratified the constitutional amendment on April 3, 2017, bringing about further suppression of political dissent on the tiny Persian Gulf island under the strong influence of the Saudi regime.

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