“Three Bahrain women, Asma Darwish,Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja have been arrested by Zionist puppet of Bahraini they began a hunger strike calling for immediate action to be taken by the UN, on political prisoners in Bahrain. “
So instead of helping the women, the UN officials hand them over to the very people they should be protecting them from. Despicable.
Women arrested in Hunger Strike in the UN Building – Manama
Three Bahrain women, Asma Darwish,Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja have been arrested as they began a hunger strike calling for immediate action to be taken by the UN, on political prisoners in Bahrain. UN offices, Manama. 15th June 2011.
Families of detainees in Bahrain, told Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that they are now ( 1 pm – Bahrain Time- 15 June 2011) sit in the United Nations building to demand the release of detainees and urgent investigation into violations of human rights.
Asma Darwish,Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja, sent to the BYSHR the letter, which will be handed over to the UN office in Bahrain.
The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) calls for urgent actions to protect the families of detainees by the United Nations.
15th June 2011
Dear Secretary-General,
We are three Bahraini women, who have come to the UN office today to call for immediate
action on the issue of political prisoners in Bahrain. Like hundreds of families, we have been
suffering because of the government crackdown through mass arrests of innocent people in
an attempt to silence the demands for democracy and human rights. Each one of us has
members of our family in detention.
Asma Darwish – Asma’s brother, photographer Mohammed Darwish, is in detention. She
was allowed to visit him 2 days ago for the first time since his arrest. Mohammed told Asma
that he was tortured and that he had been hospitalized for the past week. Asma is on
hungerstrike in protest of what has happened to her brother and countless other Bahrainis.
Today marks the 12th day of her hunger strike.
Sawsan Jawad – Sawsans father has been named Bahrain’s Nelson Mandela. He is 64 years
old and is said to be the oldest political prisoner in Bahrain. Jawad is on military trial, and has
spoken in court several times about the torture he is being subjected to. Jawads only crime
is that he is an activist, who has been very vocal against arbitrary detention and torture,
which he is now himself a victim of.
Zainab Alkhawaja – Zainabs father, husband, brother-in-law and uncle are in detention. Her
father, human rights activist, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, was tortured so severely it resulted in
four facial fractures. Alkhawaja went through major surgery during his detention. Alkhawaja
is also now on military trial. Zainab doesn’t know where her husband is, and hasn’t been
given any visitation rights since his arrest 2 months ago.
Our cases are not unique, there are hundreds going through the same or even worse. The
detention, torture and trials of innocent people has become common and systematic in
Bahrain. Many are on unfair military trials with false charges, some as absurd as “spreading
hatred against the regime.” The UN must not allow this to continue.
We know that one of the UN’s main purposes is “(…)To promote and protect all Human
Rights”. The hundreds of detainees in Bahraini prisons need protection now. It is too late to
protect and save the four people who have already died in police custody, but we are here
to demand that something is done to save the rest.
We are here to urge the UN to take action to ensure that: All political prisoners get released
immediately, the false charges are dropped, and that allegations of torture are investigated
and those responsible held accountable.
Sincerely,
Asma Darwish, Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja
———————————————————————
UPDATE 1 : 6:30 PM
According to Nabeel Rajab President of Bahrain center for Human Rights “BCHR”, and Ministry of Interior , the 3 Women were arrested and taken to Hoora Area Police Station ,
This is Bahrain youth society for Human rights Statements on the updates
fter a 3 hour sit in at the United Nations office in Bahrain today, Ms. Zaynab Alkhawaja (better known as Angryarabiya on twitter, daughter of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja Prominent Human Rights activist) Ms. Sausan Jawad (daughter of detained activist Mr. Parwees Jawad) and Ms.Asma Darwish (on her 12th day of hunger strike protesting the detention of her brother) were forcibly removed by Bahraini police and arrested.
According to the Bahraini Ministry of Interior, this was done at the request of the UNDP officials. The three ladies have been transferred to a police station and according to a tweet by the MOI: “Legal procedures were taken today against three ladies refused to leave the UN office after receiving complaint from the office’s officials”
The three ladies had staged a sit-in to protest the arrest and detention of their family members and had submitted a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Ban ki Moon asking that the UN take action.
The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) finds this a very dangerous precedence and is alarmed at the fact that the UNDP would take such action knowing well the situation of detainees in detention and the mistreatment that have been taken place in addition to the fact that this violates UN protocol. The BYSHR hold the UNDP and its officials responsible for the well being of the three aforementioned activists and calls for urgent action to ensure their safety.
Letter to UN Secretary General: http://byshr.org/wp-content/letter-to-UN.pdf
BYSHR Report: http://byshr.org/?p=602
UPDATE 2 : 1:00 AM 16 JUNE
The three women were taken to public prosecution office and later were released after the intervention of UN main office in the US urging the Bahraini Authorites to release them as there are no intentions from the UN to file charges against them.
