Briefing note 24 June 2011

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani, on behalf of Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
(1) Bahrain
(2) Yemen
(3) Sudan

(1) Bahrain

We are deeply concerned about the harsh sentences, including life imprisonment, that were handed down this week (Wednesday) to 21 political activists in Bahrain on very broad charges. There are serious concerns that the due process rights of the defendants, many of whom are well-known human rights defenders, were not respected and the trials appear to bear the marks of political persecution.

We are also concerned about the continuing work of the Lower National Safety Court, noting that H.M. King Hamad Ibn Issa Al Khalifa lifted the State of National Safety on 1 June. According to reliable sources, the Lower National Safety Court has convicted more than 100 individuals since March this year, mostly for crimes allegedly committed during the protests. We understand that in total, up to 1,000 reportedly people remain in detention.

We urge the authorities to act in strict accordance with their international human rights obligations, particularly regarding the right to due process and a fair trial.

We call for an immediate cessation of trials of civilians in the Court of National Safety, and an immediate release of all peaceful demonstrators who were arrested in the context of the protest movement in February. We have received worrying reports of the treatment in detention of some of these protestors, including severe beating of some of those just sentenced. We note particularly that four individuals previously arrested reportedly died in detention due to injuries resulting from severe torture. The Government must urgently conduct an independent investigation into these allegations.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, is also sending a letter to the King of Bahrain to convey her concerns in this regard.

(2) Yemen

The UN human rights office is due to deploy a three-member delegation to Yemen on Monday for a 10-day mission to assess the human rights situation in the country in light of recent events. The team will visit Yemen from 27 June to 6 July. A media advisory will be issued later today with more details.

(3) Sudan

During her mission to Sudan, Deputy High Commissioner Kyung-wha Kang has visited Juba in Southern Sudan, Abyei in the Transitional Areas, internally displaced people in Turalei, and is currently in Darfur. She will hold a press conference in Khartoum on Monday.

For more information or interviews, please contact spokesperson Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 or rcolville@ohchr.org ) or press officers: Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 or rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 or xcelaya@ohchr.org)

Follow us on social media:
http://www.facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights
https://twitter.com/unrightswire

ENDS