NGOs Commemorate the Four Year Anniversary of Bahrain’s Peaceful Uprising

12 February 2015 – On 14 February 2011, more than 200,000 people from all walks of life flooded the streets of Bahrain to protest corruption, government oppression, sectarian discrimination and a lack of self-representation. On the fourth anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) commend the brave men and women who continue to stand in the face of violence and tyranny to demand Justice, equality and democracy, and honor those who have been targeted for demanding their basic rights. The aforementioned groups continue to call on the Government of Bahrain to immediately release all detained political prisoners and human rights defenders and for all in Bahrain to unequivocally reject violence.

Since protests began in February 2011, the government of Bahrain has responded with excessive force to suppress protests calling for rights and democracy. As a result, more than 3,000 prisoners are in jail, roughly 1 in 5 Bahrainis have been subjected to enforced disappearances, and dozens have been killed at the hands of their government, which has committed these violations without impunity. Just as protests have not stopped, the excessive use of tear gas and birdshot pellets continue to cause serious injuries to individuals, including children. The ruling family continues to employ policies that fuel sectarian divisions and marginalize peaceful opposition. The government has issued legislation to allow for harsher penalties to be used to silence dissent. Misuse of anti-terrorism legislation in recent months has led to the revocation of citizenship of 91 individuals without due process and the arrest of prominent opposition leader like Sheikh Ali Salman. Human rights defenders and activists have faced ongoing judicial harassment, with the majority of them currently imprisoned or awaiting trial, including BCHR President Nabeel Rajab who is currently appealing a 6 month sentence for a tweet.

"The Government of Bahrain must immediately stop employing violence and oppression in response to the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people for rights and democracy,” said BCHR President Nabeel Rajab. “Instead, the international community must ensure that the Bahrain adopts a political solution that address these demands and meet its obligations to international human rights treaties."

The aforementioned organizations call on the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and other national and international bodies to:

• Apply pressure on the Government of Bahrain to release all human rights defenders and political activists imprisoned for exercising their basic rights;

• Apply pressure on the Government of Bahrain to halt all judicial harassment of human rights defenders and political opposition members;