14 protestors were arrested in March and April of 2011. Their trial began in May 2011, and despite requests, international observers were not allowed in the courtroom. All 14 protestors were sentenced to varying lengths of time: 7 were sentenced to life imprisonment, 4 were sentenced to 15 years, 2 to five years, and 1 to two years. After international pressure, each protestor received a new civilian trial after October 2013, but each sentence was upheld. International observers, including one from Amnesty International, were permitted to observe these most recent trials. In these trials, they faced excessively vague charges that Amnesty International worries may not amount to any offense under international human rights law. The charges were all upheld, although the shortest sentence was reduced to 6 months served and Al-Hur Yousef al-Somaikh has been released. However, the remaining 13 prisoners are considered by Amnesty International to be prisoners of conscience.
Celé znění on-line petice, kterou posíláme adresátům.
Immediate and unconditional release of all 13 activists
Your Majesty:
Allow me to turn to you on behalf of Amnesty International Czech Republic and express my deep concern over the case of thirteen Bahrain opposition activists, who have been imprisoned since March 2011. While some of them have been tortured to death, the rest are yet to stand trial before a court of justice.
Amnesty International considers all the thirteen activists to be prisoners of conscience held solely for having peacefully exercised their right to freedom of speech.
In the light of the above described, I respectfully urge you to ensure that:
• All the 13 unjustly imprisoned activists be released immediately and unconditionally,
• A due and independent inquiry be conducted regarding cases of torture and mistreatment of prisoners, and
• Those responsible for the respective actions be brought to face justice and given a fair trial.
In the spirit of respect for the basic values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity, I call on you, Your Majesty, to uphold human rights not only in the above presented case of the thirteen opposition activists, but also all of the other unjustly imprisoned and persecuted in Bahrain.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Yours sincerely
