Bahrain: Follow-up to BHN34574.E of 8 June 2000 on whether the Freedom Movement (BFM) has members or associates inside Bahrain; treatment of Bahrain Freedom Movement members/associates by the authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 2 November 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BHR35691.E |
| Reference | 4 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bahrain: Follow-up to BHN34574.E of 8 June 2000 on whether the Freedom Movement (BFM) has members or associates inside Bahrain; treatment of Bahrain Freedom Movement members/associates by the authorities, 2 November 2000, BHR35691.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be14c.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A representative of the Bahrain Freedom Movement (BFM) in London stated in a correspondence dated 29 October 2000 that :
the BFM comes under the Committee for Popular Petition (CCP). The CPP is active inside Bahrain and continues to campaign for the restauration of basic rights to citizens.
On whether there were any reports of measures taken against BFM
members in Bahrain, the representative stated that:
There are hundreds of opposition figures and members inside the jails. Me Abdul Wahab Hussain, Mr. Hassan Mushaimaa and scores of others are inside jail since 1966 [?] without charges. Many people are arrested on regular basis and the situation has not improved.
On the treatment of BFM members by the authorities in Bahrain, the representative stated that:
All opposition members are treated very badly inside the jails. Torture is common practice. The authorities have banned a group of oppositionists from forming an NGO for human rights. This is because the government is aware that any NGO monitoring from inside Bahrain will reveal the ugly picture which the authorities are attempting to hide.
A 2 November 2000 correspndence signed by two representatives of the Copenhagen-based Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Bahrain (CDHRB) states that:
The Bahrain Freedom Movement (BFM) is still active in the county along with other political groups. It has followers among the elite as well as the grass roots.
Since the Government of Bahrain does not allow political parties, all activists work in anonymity. Their affiliation remains secret. There are hundreds of detainees in Bahrain who have not committed any crime. Mr. Abdul Wahab Hussain, Mr. Hassan Mushalme, Sheikh Hassan Sultan, Sheikh Hussain Al Daihl and Sayyed Ibrahim Sayyed Adnan have been in detention without charges since 1996. Sheikh Al Jamri had spent almost four years before he was released under international pressure. He remains under virtual house arrest. These people and others identify with the BFM.
If any citizen is discovered to have contacts with BFM, he is routinely arrested and tortured. Membership of any other political organisation is prohibited. For the past 25 years the Constitution has been suspended. The country has been ruled by Amiri (royal) decrees. The State Security Law which allows the detention of any political suspect without charge or trial for three years is still enforced rigorously. The State Security Court passes sentences against political activists based on confessions extracted under torture. Its verdicts are not subject to appeal, and its sessions are held in camera. Last week the Government refused to grant permission to a group of citizens to form an independent human rights committee.
A 20 June 2000 BFM report states that " the government will not allow any UN team to investigate the abuses and will continue detaining the prod-democracy leaders, such as Mr, Abdul Wahab Hussain, Mr. Hassan Mushaimaa and other."
The Amnesty International Annual Report 2000 states that:
Six prisoners of conscience – Shaikh Hassan Sultan, Shaikh 'Ali 'Ashour, Shaikh Hussain al-Deihi, Sayyid Ibrahim 'Adnan al-'Alawi, Hassan 'Ali Mshaima' and 'Abd al-Wahab Hussain – remained held without charge or trial at the end of 1999.
No further information on the BFM could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. Attached please find a document entitled Annual Report on Human Rights in Bahrain in 1999. The report was prepared by the CDHRB, which describes itself as a "non-governmental, voluntary, independent human rights organization, registered in Denmark, but strives for registration in Bahrain." CDHRB's objective is to "strive for the protection and promotion of human rights as guaranteed by the constitution of Bahrain, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international conventions on human rights."
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Response.
References
Amnesty International. 2000. Amnesty International Report 2000.
Bahrain Freedom Movement (BFM), Londonober 2000. Correspondence
_____. 20 June 2000. "Bahrain: Human Rights Teams Prevented from Investigating Abuses."
The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Bahrain (CDHRB). 2 November 2000. Correspondence
Attachment
The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Bahrain (CDHRB). 2000. Annual Report on Human Rights in Bahrain 1999. 16 pages.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
LEXIS/NEXIS
Internet sources including:
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
