human rights activist
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Civil society demands Bahrain free Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja ahead of Dec 16 national day
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JOHANNESBURG/LONDON - Global civil society alliance CIVICUS and Bahraini organisation Salam for Democracy & Human Rights (Salam DHR) call on Bahrain’s government to immediately release 62-year-old jailed human rights activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja as a goodwill gesture ahead of the country’s 16 December National Day.
al-Khawaja, who is also a Danish citizen, has unjustly spent more than twelve years behind bars, part of a life sentence for a baseless conviction. He now suffers from ill health.
“Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja’s lengthy, wrongful imprisonment is a stain on Bahrain’s reputation,” said Salam DHR chairman Jawad Fairooz. “If the Bahraini authorities want to improve their international image, they should free him before Bahrain’s National Day. The Danish government must also do much more to free their imprisoned citizen.”
al-Khawaja has peacefully resisted authoritarianism for decades. He co-founded the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and his writings and poetry have inspired a generation of activists.
In 2011, Bahraini security forces arrested al-Khawaja as one of the “Bahrain 13” during Arab Spring protests. Prison guards tortured him, and prosecutors accused him without evidence of managing a terrorist organisation and attempting to overthrow the government by force. During his trial, held in a military court, the judges repeatedly silenced him when he spoke about torture. The rest of his co-defendants received sentences of between one year and life in prison, all for convictions on fabricated charges.
al-Khawaja has undertaken hunger strikes to protest ill treatment of prisoners. Authorities have force-fed him which amounts to torture, prevented family calls and denied medical care. During an August 2023 hunger strike, guards admitted him to a military hospital’s intensive care unit due to heart irregularities. Following treatment and the reported stabilising of his condition, the authorities returned him to Jau Prison where he resumed his strike.
“The treatment of al-Khawaja and the Bahrain 13 does not serve justice, fairness or human rights. We know this, and the world knows this.” said CIVICUS campaigns officer and MENA Advocacy Lead Asma Darwish. “As we demand al-Khawaja’s release, we also demand the release of all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain to end this dark chapter in the country’s history.”
In 2022, al-Khawaja received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. CIVICUS features him in its #StandAsMyWitness Campaign to release jailed activists around the world.
CIVICUS and Salam DHR further call on the Danish government to work with Bahrain’s authorities to release al-Khawaja. Denmark must demand his freedom and conduct consular visits to ensure his health and safety. Denmark should also raise the issue with top European Union officials and bodies.
“The Danish government has given some attention to al-Khawaja’s case, but clearly it is not enough,” said Fairooz. “Denmark and the European Union have a responsibility to protect their citizens from torture. They must use every diplomatic and legal tool available to end al-Khawaja’s imprisonment.”
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CIVICUS is the global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. A worldwide community of informed, inspired, committed citizens engaged in confronting the challenges facing humanity. We were established in 1993 and since 2002 have been proudly headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional hubs across the globe. We are a membership alliance with more than 15,000 members in more than 175 countries.
Founded in 2012,Salam for Democracy & Human Rights (Salam DHR) is a human rights NGO. It is registered in France, the United Kingdom (UK) & Switzerland. We undertake research & advocacy, mainly in relation to Bahrain, but also the Gulf, the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region & in relation to thematic issues, notably statelessness. We engage with other NGOs, notably partners and frequently act in coalition with others to achieve specific targets or outcomes. We engage with intergovernmental organisations and states in order to bring about socio-political reform and ever-improving adherence by states to international human rights standards & practices. The organisation is not, in effect, allowed to register in Bahrain. Salam DHR is mainly crowd funded, notably by philanthropically-minded people & firms in Bahrain & the Gulf. At the time of writing, it has a small portfolio of project-related funding. Salam DHR is independent of all governments.
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Equatorial Guinea: Free activist Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang and end brutality against rights defenders
CIVICUS calls on the authorities in Equatorial Guinea to immediately release Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang. The lawyer, human rights activist, and member of the civic platform Guinea Ecuatorial También Es Nuestra (Equatorial Guinea is Also Ours) has been unjustly arrested since 26th January.
He is falsely charged with being linked to an explosion and ensuing fires that gutted many properties in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The government of Equatorial Guinea has been silencing independent and critical voices of dissent committed to defending human rights.
“The security forces brutally grabbed Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang in the middle of the night. This is another dark moment for the country. The government needs to end its decades-long track record of attacking fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of association, expression, and assembly,” said Paul Mulindwa, Advocacy and Policy Officer for CIVICUS.
Anacleto had also been previously targeted with trumped-up charges. He was arrested in September 2022 during a siege by government security forces and the military and imprisoned for 271 days. He was accused of being a part of an opposition political party after he provided food to the party members. He was again arrested in December 2023.
The repression in Equatorial Guinea is fueled using violence against human rights defenders, militarisation of the state and politics, high levels of impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of human rights violations and use of restrictive legislation. An example is law No 1/1999 on the Regime of NGOs to restrict operations of civil society organisations.
“The detention of Anacleto yet again shows the ugliness of President Obiang's regime of reckless disregard for human rights and international law. It demonstrates the absolute impunity that characterizes one of the words most corrupt dictatorships.” Said Tutu Alicante, Director of EG Justice.
The CIVICUS Monitor, an online platform that tracks threats to civil society in countries across the globe, rates the space for civil society in Equatorial Guinea as closed.
CIVICUS calls on the government of Equatorial Guinea to:
- Immediately release Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang, unconditionally drop all charges, and stop targeting him with further illegal harassment.
- Respect and protect fundamental freedoms and rights of citizens, particularly freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
- Create a free and open space for citizens and civil society by removing restrictions, threats and fear of reprisals.
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Hong Kong: Free human rights defender Chow Hang-Tung, end use of solitary confinement
CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, calls on Hong Kong authorities to immediately end the repeated use of solitary confinement and free lawyer and activist Chow Hang-Tung. Chow has faced solitary confinement six times in the last four months and has been unjustly targeted for exercising her freedom of expression.
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India: Death of priest highlights persecution of human rights defenders under Modi government
"Human rights activism should not amount to the equivalent of a death sentence,” says CIVICUS, after receiving the devastating news that #Indian activist, Fr. #StanSwamy who had been held in pre-trial detention on trumped up charges had died in hospital.
— CIVICUS (@CIVICUSalliance) July 5, 2021
🧾https://t.co/hGmmxvknm3 pic.twitter.com/ilwQOSNtnQThe death of Jesuit priest and human rights defender Father Stan Swamy, today, has deeply shocked and outraged global civil society alliance CIVICUS. Swamy’s death is a result of the persecution he has faced by the Modi government after revealing abuses by the state.
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Morocco: End intimidation and harassment campaign against rights defender Maati Monjib
The undersigned civil society organisations call on the Moroccan authorities to immediately end their intimidation and harassment campaign against academic and human rights defender Maati Monjib and drop all baseless charges leveled against him.
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Philippines: Halt harassment against human rights defenders
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacañang Palace Compound
P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila
The Philippines.Dear President Marcos, Jr.,
Philippines: Halt harassment against human rights defenders
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is a global alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society worldwide. Founded in 1993, CIVICUS has over 15,000 members in 175 countries.
We are writing to you regarding a number of cases where human rights defenders are facing judicial harassment or have been designated as terrorists, putting them at great risk.
Judicial harassment against previously acquitted human rights defenders
CIVICUS is concerned about renewed judicial harassment against ten human rights defenders that had been previously acquitted for perjury. In March 2023, a petition was filed by prosecutors from the Quezon City Office of the Prosecutor, with General Esperon and current NSA General Eduardo Ano seeking a review of a lower court’s decision against the ten human rights defenders. They include Karapatan National Council members Elisa Tita Lubi, Cristina Palabay, Roneo Clamor, Gabriela Krista Dalena, Dr. Edita Burgos, Jose Mari Callueng and Fr. Wilfredo Ruazol as well as Joan May Salvador and Gertrudes Libang of GABRIELA and Sr. Elenita Belardo of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP).
The petition also includes the judge that presided over the case Judge Aimee Marie B. Alcera. They alleged that Judge Alcera committed “grave abuse of discretion” in acquitting the defenders. The petition is now pending before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84 Presiding Judge Luisito Galvez Cortez, who has asked the respondents to comment on Esperon’s motion this July and has scheduled a hearing on 29 August 2023.
Human rights defenders designated as terrorists
CIVICUS is also concerned that on 7 June 2023, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) signed Resolution No. 41 (2022) designating five indigenous peoples’ leaders and advocates - Sarah Abellon Alikes, Jennifer R. Awingan, Windel Bolinget, Stephen Tauli, and May Casilao - as terrorist individuals. The resolution also freezes their property and funds, including related accounts.
The four indigenous peoples’ human rights defenders – Alikes, Awingan, Bolinget and Tauli — are leaders of the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA). May Casilao has been active in Panalipdan! Mindanao (Defend Mindanao), a Mindanao-wide interfaith network of various sectoral organizations and individuals focused on providing education on, and conducting campaigns against, threats to the environment and people of the island, especially the Lumad. Previously, on 7 December 2022, the ATC signed Resolution No. 35 (2022) designating indigenous peoples’ rights defender Ma. Natividad “Doc Naty” Castro, former National Council member of Karapatan and a community-based health worker, as a “terrorist individual.”
The arbitrary and baseless designation of these human rights defenders highlights the concerns of human rights organizations against Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act, particularly on the weaponization of the draconian law against political dissent and human rights work and advocacy in the Philippines and the dire implications on the rights to due process and against warrantless arrests, among others.
Anti-terrorism law deployed against activists in the Southern Tagalog region
We are also concerned about reports that the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) has been deployed to suppress and persecute human rights defenders in the Southern Tagalog region, which has the most number of human rights defenders and other political activists criminalised by this law. As of July 2023, up to 13 human rights defenders from Southern Tagalog face trumped-up criminal complaints citing violations under the ATA. Among those targeted include Rev. Glofie Baluntong, Hailey Pecayo, Kenneth Rementilla and Jasmin Rubio.
International human rights obligations
The Philippines government has made repeated assurances to other states that it will protect human rights defenders including most recently during its Universal Periodic Review in November 2022. However, the cases above highlight that an ongoing and unchanging pattern of the government targeting human rights defenders.
These actions are also inconsistent with Philippines’ international human rights obligations, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which Philippines ratified in 1986. These include obligations to respect and protect fundamental freedoms which are also guaranteed in the Philippines Constitution. The Philippines government also has an obligation to protect human rights defenders as provided for in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and to prevent any reprisals against them for their activism.
Therefore, we call on the Philippines authorities to:
- Immediately end the judicial harassment against the ten human rights defenders by withdrawing the petition in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84;
- Repeal Resolution No. 35 (2022) designating the six human rights defenders as terrorist individuals and unfreeze their property and funds immediately and unconditionally;Drop all charges under the ATA against activists in the Southern Tagalog region;
- Halt all forms of intimidation and attacks on human rights defenders, ensure an enabling environment for human rights defenders and enact a law for their protection.
We urge your government to look into these concerns as a matter of priority and we hope to hear from you regarding our inquiries as soon as possible.
Regards,
Sincerely,
David Kode
Advocacy & Campaigns Lead.
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationCc:
Eduardo Año, National Security Adviser and Director General of the National Security Council
Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, Secretary, Department of Justice of the Philippines
Atty. Richard Palpal-latoc, Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines
Civic space in the Philippines is rated as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor.
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Philippines: The Council’s inadequate response to a human rights crisis is shameful
Statement at the 51st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner’s report on the Philippines
Delivered by Lisa Majumdar
Thank you, Mr. President.
The report of the High Commissioner supports the conclusion and call of independent local civil society, including those whose voices we heard today, human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists in the Philippines: scrutiny of the country by the Human Rights Council should continue.
In the last month alone, human rights defenders have been forced to flee the country. Human rights defenders, activists and community leaders, including those who have engaged with the Council, have been threatened and tagged as supporting terrorists merely for criticising State policies. Some have been detained on fabricated charges and civil society organisations (CSOs) have had their funds frozen. While the incoming national security adviser to the Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said she intends to stop ‘red-tagging,’ this has so far remained empty rhetoric. Just two days ago, Radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, better known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead. He is the second journalist to be killed during the tenure of the current President.
The recently resumed ICC investigation will not cover any violations perpetrated since the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.
Proposed cuts to the budget of The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will heavily impact its ability to investigate cases of human rights violations, as well as to provide financial assistance and free legal advice and counselling to victims of human rights violations. Recent appointments in the CHR were opaque and lacked any consultation.
It is shameful that the Council’s response to a strong report by the High Commissioner detailing ongoing violations has been to abandon victims of violations still further.
CIVICUS calls on the Council to heed the recommendation of the High Commissioner by ensuring, at the very least, that OHCHR can continue to monitor the situation of human rights in the Philippines and regularly report to the Human Rights Council. The Council should also stand ready at the earliest opportunity to strengthen its monitoring of the progress and outcome of domestic and international accountability initiatives to take any further approaches that may be required.
Thank you.
Civic space in the Philippines is rated as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor
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Thailand: Government must immediately and unconditionally drop royal defamation charges against youth activists
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Asia Democracy Network are alarmed by the ongoing judicial harassment against youth pro-democracy activists in Thailand for exercising their rights to expression and peaceful assembly.
As the State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Thailand should guarantee an enabling environment for the public, including human rights defenders and activists, to convey their legitimate criticism instead of criminalising them.
Two youth pro-democracy activists, Netiporn 'Bung' Sanesangkhon and Nutthanit' Bai Po' Duangmusit, were detained on 3 May 2022 after the Court revoked their bail for their involvement in conducting two polls on the monarchy in February and March 2022. Their requests for bail have been denied.
Recently, the Court granted bail for two other youth activists facing royal defamation charges (Section 112 or Lese Majeste). Activist, Tantawan 'Tawan' Tuatulanon, was granted bail on 26 May 2022 but ordered to wear a monitoring device and not leave her house premises without a court order. Tawan is known for her affiliation with the pro-democracy Draconis Revolution group, continuously advocating to abolish Section 112 (Lese Majeste). She was detained in March 2022 for questioning the monarchy in a live streaming broadcast on social media and faces five counts of resisting officers in the execution of their duty, violating the Computer Crimes Act and royal defamation. While she was initially given bail it was revokedon 20 April 2021 after the police claimed that she had attempted to commit a similar offence following a Facebook post commenting about a royal motorcade and going near the motorcade. Following the prolonged detention by the Court, she went on a 30-day hunger strike. On 20 May, the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court denied her bail again after prosecutors said they had just received a case file.
The other activist, Sophon 'Get' Surariddhidhamrong was arrested on 1 May 2022 for giving a critical speech during a protest march in the Ratchadamnoen area 10 days earlier. He was denied bail by the South Bangkok Criminal Court and was in a hunger strike for 22 days before the bail granted on 31 May. He faces two other royal defamation charges for his speeches in the Chakri Memorial Day Protest in April and the Labour Day rally on 1 May. Despite being granted bail, the royal defamation charges against Tawan and Get remain.
The cases add to the long list of prosecution under Section 112, which the Thailand Prime Minister revived in 2020 after not being used for three years. Statistics from the Thai Lawyer for Human Rights (TLHR) have revealed that at least 190 individuals had been subjected to royal defamation charges between 18 July 2020 and 30 April 2022. At this time, apart from the activists mentioned, at least 5 others are still detained awaiting trial - namely Weha Sanchonchanasuk (since 10 March), Kataporn (since 10 April), Kongphet (since 10 April), Parima (since 11 April) and Pornpoj Chaengkrachang (since 11 April). Also, two activists, Ekkachai Hongkangwan and Sombat Thongyoi, who have sentenced to imprisonment are currently in the appeal process.
The royal defamation charges are not the only law the Thailand government has used to stifle fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Other draconian provisions used include sedition charges under Section 116, charges under the Emergency Decree, charges under the Public Assembly Act, Computer Crime Act, and Contempt of Court, to name a few.
The prolonged pre-trial detention under the royal defamation charge violates Thailand's international human rights obligation under the ICCPR. Article 9 of the Covenant stipulates the State Party's obligation to conduct a trial on criminal offences within a reasonable time. Detention for those awaiting trial should not be mandatory for all defendants charged with a particular crime. Further, the state is obligated to re-examine if the pretrial detention has to be continued, whether it is reasonable and necessary for lawful purposes in the light of possible alternatives. The arrest or detention of legitimate activities of exercising guarantees rights, such as freedom of expression, is considered arbitrary.
Our organisations call for the immediate and unconditional release of these activists and for the government to guarantee a safe and enabling environment for Thai people to express their opinion without fear of reprisal. This includes abolishing provisions and laws, including on royal defamation and sedition charges which are often used to stifle critics.
Civic space in Thailand is rated as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor
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Urgent call to release Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja on his 60th Birthday &10th anniversary of his detention
To: United Nations Secretary General and diplomatic Missions
United Nations Special Rapporteurs/Targeted Governments (to be amended based on recipient)
Re: Urgent call to release Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja on his sixtieth Birthday and Tenth anniversary of his detention
Your Excellencies,
We the undersigned, representing civil society organisations from around the world, write to bring to your urgent attention the continued detention of human rights defender Abdul-Hadi Abdulla Hubail al-Khawaja. As you may be aware, al-Khawaja, who is a dual Bahraini-Danish citizen, is currently serving a life sentence for his peaceful human rights activities. As he marks his 10th year in prison and commemorates his 60th birthday on 5 April 2021, we urge the United Nations through its Secretary General, governments around the world and representatives of the diplomatic community to urgently call on Bahraini authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally.
Al-Khawaja’s active campaigning for human rights began when he was 16 years old. Spanning decades of activism, he is the co-founder of both the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) for which he was also President. Until early 2011, al-Khawaja worked as MENA Protection Coordinator for human rights group Frontline Defenders. He also previously took part in a fact-finding mission to Iraq in 2003 with Amnesty International and is a member of the International Advisory Network of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. He is a peaceful advocate of human rights and the recipient of several human rights awards, including the “World without Torture” Award which he received in October 2013 in recognition of his struggle for human rights.
He was arrested on 9 April 2011 for his role in organising peaceful protests to defend the realisation of human rights of Bahrainis and for political reform during the popular ‘Arab Spring’ movements which began in Bahrain in February 2011. He was violently detained by security forces as detailed in a report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) published in November 2011 at the request of the King of Bahrain. He is serving a life prison sentence in Jau prison following unfair trials in courts that did not comply with Bahraini criminal law or international fair trial standards.
At its 63rd session in April/May 2012, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered that al-Khawaja’s arrest was arbitrary as it resulted from his exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
On 17 March 2021, GCHR in co-operation with its human rights partners Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (AHRDB), BCHR, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), released a reportdetailing some of the ill-treatment and torture al-Khawaja has faced during his arrest and subsequent arbitrary detention. This has included severe physical, psychological and sexual torture.
During his early detention, al-Khawaja suffered multiple fractures to his jaw and has undergone multiple surgeries but still suffers from chronic pain and requires additional intervention as he has not healed properly. His facial bone structure is permanently damaged. In January 2021, over 100 NGOs appealed to the Danish government to help free al-Khawaja so he could travel to Denmark for treatment.
In a January 2021 phone call, al-Khawaja listed four concerns including that prison authorities placed restrictions on his phone calls with the family (that have replaced their in-person visits) and confiscated hundreds of his books and other materials. He also stated that prison authorities arbitrarily deny him adequate healthcare and refuse to refer him to specialists for the urgent surgeries he requires. Denying a prisoner needed medical care violates the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Al-Khawaja continues to protest the arbitrary detention to which he is subjected. Since his arrest, he has undertaken six-hunger strikes, one lasting 110 days in 2012 to protest conditions in Jau Prison and his unjust imprisonment.
In March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bahrain released 1,486 prisoners, 901 of whom received royal pardons on “humanitarian grounds.” However, al-Khawaja and other prominent human rights defenders - many of whom are older or suffer from underlying medical conditions - were not among those released.
On 11 March 2021, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in a plenary session to adopt an urgent resolution condemning human rights abuses in Bahrain, including the persecution of human rights defenders, lawyers and other civil society figures, while calling on Bahrain’s government to enact reforms. The resolution calls for the release of al-Khawaja and others “who have been detained and sentenced for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression.”
On al-Khawaja’s 60th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his arrest we appeal to you to personally hold talks with the government of Bahrain to immediately and unconditionally release him.
The undersigned,
- Activista Moviment
- African National Congress Youth League
- Amnesty International
- Association El Ghad pour les droits de l’homme
- Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
- Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
- Brothers Keeper NPO
- Bytes For All, Pakistan
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
- Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
- CIVICUS
- Community Transformation Foundation Network (COTFONE)
- Danish PEN
- FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Front Line Defenders
- Globe International Center, Mongolia
- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- Human Rights Sentinel
- IFEX
- International Media Support
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms
- Iraqi Journalism Rights Defence Association
- Kuza Livelihood Improvement Projects
- Maharat Foundation
- Media Institute of Southern Africa
- OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
- Protection Adolescent Organization
- South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
- Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
- The Community Human Rights Defenders Network - ACPDH
- Universidade do Minho
- Vigilance for Démocracy and Civic state
- Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
- منظمة الفيصل لمناهضة الاعتقال والتعذيب والإخفاء القسري (Al-Faisal Organization Against Detention, Torture and Enforced Disappearance)