BIRD Newsletter #7: Spyware and Nationality Revocation

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20/08/2014 17:02BIRD Newsletter #7: Spyware and Nationality Revocation

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Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy View this email in your browser

Thursday, 12 August 2014, Issue #7

BIRD Weekly NewsletterBahrain Government Spies on Activists, Lawyers and BICI

Commission

Bahrain Government Revokes Nationalities

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Bahrain Government Spies on Activists, Lawyers and BICI

Commission

UK/German Spyware Used to Target Activists and Lawyers

Earlier this week, leaked documents from spyware manufacturer GAMMA

INTERNATIONAL have indicated that, contrary to government claims, the

Bahrain government have used spyware to target activists, lawyers, andpossibly commissioners on the Bahrain Independent Commission of

Inquiry. Activist group Bahrain Watch analysed the evidence of the leaked

data file identifying a list of names that were targeted between November

2010 and February 2012. This has included an entire law firm

and prominent opposition figures including the now imprisoned Hasan

Mashaima and Ebrahim Sharif.


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Weekly Highlights

Bahrain Moves to Strip theNationalities of Dissidents

In a recent escalation, the Bahrain government has implemented a new law that

empowers the Minister of Interior to revoke the nationality of Bahraini citizens

accused of serious crimes or have violated rules relating to living abroad. The

rules, which were also implemented across neighbouring Gulf countries, were

recently used to revoke the nationalities of9 individuals after convicting them


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under terrorism charges. The defendants were also sentenced to prison terms

ranging between 5and 15years.

International NGOs have criticised Bahrain's justice system as politically

motivated identifying numerous cases decided on vague evidence.

The law also gives the power to the Minister of Interior to revoke the nationality

of Bahrainis whom have lived outside the Kingdom for over 5years and dual

nationals at will.

See:

Human Rights Watch

Bahrain 13 Update

Health of Sheikh Mirza

Deteriorates; Access to HospitalDenied
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/28/bahrain-system-injustice


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On 10/08/2014, Sheikh Mirza made a distressing phone call to his

family complaining of a severe deterioration in his health. He complained that

authorities have refused him access to hospital and adequate medical

treatment. Sheikh Mirza complained about the following:

- Severe pain in his back.


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The pain suffered by Mr Al Mahroos has stemmed from the torture that he

faced in 2011. He was beaten severely in his back and legs during both arrest

and detention and has been prevented from specialised medical care and

rehabilitation. His family have reported that all requests for access to

specialised care and hospital treatment have been refused and that he has only

been provided with pain killers.

17 NGOs and Individuals Call for theRelease of Sheikh Mohammed Habib

Al-Muqdad

On 7 August 2014, a coalition of 17 international organizations and individuals

sent a letter to the King of Bahrain on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Habib al-

Muqdad, a Bahraini charity worker sentenced to life in prison. The letter calls

for Sheikh al-Miqdads unconditional release, an investigation into the

allegations of torture, and access to medical care for injuries sustained while indetention.

See the letter and list of signatories at BIRD

Read More About Sheikh Mirza Al-Mahroos

- Severe pain in his legs.

- Lack of sleep from these pains.

- Lack of treatment provided by the prison administration.
http://birdbh.org/sheikh-mirza-al-mahroos/http://birdbh.org/2014/08/17-ngos-individuals-call-for-release-of-sheikh-mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/http://birdbh.org/mohammed-habib-al-miqdad/


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Updates from the Ground

Arrests: 8(1 child).

Trials: 40postponed.

Sentences: 20sentenced to a total of 150years in prison.

Punishment: 9nationalities revoked. Individuals sentenced to between 5 and

15 years in prison.

31stripped of citizenship in 2012 face charges of "illegal residency".

Detention: 14individuals face renewed detention totalling 500days. Some

detainees have visits cancelled on Eid.

Protests: 60

News Updates

NGO Review

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights inBahrain (ADHRB)


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Dr. Saeed Al-Samahiji: August

Champion of Justice

Dr. Saeed al-Samahiji is an ophthalmologist and

human rights activist who extended his medical

services to help injured protesters during the 2011

pro-democracy protests in Bahrain. As a result,

Dr. Al-Samahiji was among 20 medicsthat were

convicted by a special military court on 29

September 2011 for treating Bahraini citizenswho

had been attacked by security forces in a brutal

government crackdown against political dissent.

After appealing to the Court of Appeals on 14

June 2012, Dr. Al-Samahijis sentence wasreduced from ten years to one year. During his

time in detention, Dr. Al-Samahiji got a head injury

which resulted in internal bleeding, and he was

sent abroadto be treated in Jordan.

Read more here.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)

Journalist Ahmed Radhi: Detained for

15 Hours at Dubai Airport, Told He

Poses a Threat to the UAE

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses

concern that the Bahraini regime and the regimesof the neighbouring Gulf States utilise mutual

safety and security agreements to limit public

liberties and impose punishments against the

activists. The United Arab Emirates denied entry

to Bahraini activist and journalist Ahmed Radhi

on Wednesday, 30 July 2014, and informed him

that his name is on the list of banned people on

orders from supreme bodies.

Read more here.
http://bchr.hopto.org/en/node/6995http://bahrainrights.org/en/node/6972http://adhrb.org/2014/08/dr-saeed-al-samahiji-august-champion-for-justice/http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/471275?date=2012-11-13http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2014/01/bahrains-doctorshttp://physiciansforhumanrights.org/issues/persecution-of-health-workers/bahrain/medics-on-trial-in-bahrain.html


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Main Features

Bahrain strips nine nationalsof citizenship for alleged Iran

ties

"Ahmed Ali, head of legal affairs at the

Bahrain Institute for Rights and

Democracy (BIRD), told Middle East

Eye that the practice of stripping

nationals of their citizenship wasnothing new.

In 2012, Bahrain stripped 31 prominent

activists and opposition leaders,

including two al-Wefaq MPs, of their

nationalities, he said.

"The notable difference in the latest

case," he told MEE, "is that

nationalities were stripped from

ordinary individuals and not prominent

opposition members, signalling a

significant increase in oppressive

tactics."

Middle East Eye

1) Bahrain bans three clerics

from preaching;

opposition condemns move

Reuters

2) Bahrain accuses Qatar ofluring citizens to change
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/08/us-bahrain-clerics-idUSKBN0G81HQ20140808http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/08/us-bahrain-clerics-idUSKBN0G81HQ20140808http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bahrain-strips-nine-nationals-citizenship-466606651


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BIRD Newsletter #7: Spyware and Nationality Revocation

Documents

Transcript of BIRD Newsletter #7: Spyware and Nationality Revocation