12th anniversary of the detainment of political prisoners in Bahrain

Motion Text

That this House recognises the 12th anniversary of the imprisonment of political prisoners in Bahrain; expresses grave concern over their ongoing, wrongful detention and violations of their human rights; recalls that during Bahrain’s Arab Spring pro-democracy uprising in 2011, authorities arrested opposition figures, religious leaders and human rights defenders, including Hassan Mushaima, Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja, Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace, Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Miqdad, Sheikh Abduljalil Al-Miqdad, Sheikh Saeed AlNouri, Abdulwahab Husain, Mohamed Ali Ismaeel, Sheikh Mirza Al-Mahroos and Sheikh Abdulhadi Al-Mukhoder, of whom seven are convicted to life imprisonment and three to 15 years; condemns reports that many of these individuals including Mushaima, Dr Al-Singace and Al-Khawaja were subjected to torture, some of which was documented in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report; notes reports that many still face the denial of access to timely and adequate medical care; has particular concern for Dr Al-Singace, who has been on hunger strike for over one year and eight months, due to the Bahraini authorities’ refusal to return his arbitrarily confiscated, apolitical academic research to his family; deplores reports that since July 2021 Dr Al-Singace and Mushaima have been held in effective solitary confinement; echoes calls made by human rights organisations, including the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, for Bahrain to release Dr Al-Singace immediately and unconditionally, and for his research to be returned; and calls on the Government to use all available leverage, both privately and publicly, to push Bahrain to release the above-named individuals.