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Bahrain: Systematic Attacks on Activists’ Relatives to Pressure Them to Stop Their Activity

by Courtesy

Bahrain: Systematic Attacks on Activists’ Relatives to Pressure Them to Stop Their Activity
BCHR

Some relatives who have been arrested, from right to left: Hassan AlMahfoodh, Wafi AlMajid, Hussein Ahmed, Ghazi Farhan

June 15, 2011
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is deeply concerned about the escalation of the fierce campaign against the political activists and the human rights defenders, which has reached a dangerous level. Family members and relatives have been assaulted, arrested and harassed in a desperate attempt from the regime to put pressure on the activists to stop their activities.

On June 8, 2011, airport authorities prevented the wife of human rights activist Abbas Al-Omran (member of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights who is residing abroad) from travelling with her children for summer vacation. The authorities did not give any justification for the ban and refused to inform her of the authority responsible. Mrs. Omran is a mother of three children and has no political activities, but the pace of harassment against her increased after her husband appeared in the media to talk about abuses occurring in Bahrain. She was dismissed from her position at Bapco in April, her house was raided at dawn on May 19, 2011 by the security forces, then she was summoned for interrogation for several hours at the criminal investigations department on May 20, 2011.

The family of detained human rights activist Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja, (former president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and former Director of the Middle East in the Front Line) was subjected to various types of harassment, which affected a number of family members. On June 2, 2011, his daughter Zainab Khawaja (27 years old, mother of a one year-old child) was summoned for interrogation for several hours at a police station in Hoora. AlKhawaja’s Family has already learned that the authorities have exercised strong pressure on Mr. Abdul Hadi, to force him to apologize to the king in front of the camera, threatening the arrest of his daughter Zainab and the rape of his other daughter, Maryam Al Khawaja, both human rights activists. In addition, his two sons-in-law, Wafi Al Majid and Hussein Ahmed, are detained in prison after being arrested with him on April 9, although they are not involved in any political or human rights activities. In addition, on May 2, 2011, his wife Khadija al-Musawi was dismissed from her work as director at the School of Kanoo at the request of the Ministry of Interior. …more