Yesterday, it was announced that the trial date for Ali Abdulemam and 10 other human rights defenders was set for next Thursday, October 28. Meanwhile, all of the aforementioned human rights defenders have been denied access to their lawyers, and suspicion of torture remains in the air. We call on the international community to demand that all of the detained be granted immediate access to their counsel.
While we are defending Ali, others are defending Bahrain, with lack of concern for the activists it has wrongfully detained. Nevertheless, we are grateful to those who have spoken up in defense of human rights: Sohrab Ahmari, who, in response to the aforementioned piece urged the United States promote human rights and respect for the rule of law in Bahrain, and most recently, Joshua Colangelo-Bryan who wrote in the Wall Street Journal:
“Business Friendly Bahrain” reads the visa that was stamped in my passport when I arrived in Bahrain. But it seems questionable that Bahrain will be able to sustain its carefully honed image as a country that respects the rule of law. Judging from Ali Abdulemam’s fate, a reversion to the vicious repression of the past seems more likely.
We are grateful to the journalists, activists, and human rights defenders who have helped bring Ali’s cause to light and keep it at the forefront of everyone’s minds. As Ali’s trial nears, we urge you to continue doing what you can to help. Here are nine more ways you can help:
1. Send appeals to the Bahraini embassies in your country of residence.
2. Share this blog with friends and family.
3. Tweet (use the hashtags #Abdulemam and #Bahrain).
4. Add a banner to your blog or website.
5. Show solidarity by joining the Facebook group.
6. Write to journalists you know, asking them to cover Ali’s story.
7. Speak respectfully to the Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs on Twitter: @KhalidalKhalifa
8. Blog about Ali.
9. Upload videos, demanding Ali’s freedom.
I am a friend of Ali in Bahrain and would like to thank all the international support that Ali has received.
We would like this campaign to continue even throughout Ali’s trial which we expect to last for a long time.
I would like you all to raise the point that Ali has not had access to any lawyer since his arrest on September 4th and that he will not have a fair trial without full access to a defense team. The lawyers have been trying to bring a case against the General Prosecuter about this breach of this very basic constitutional right but have not had any success so far.
Can we work together to think of further ways to put pressure on the Bahraini Authorities. I suggest we start an international petition. Ali has over 4000 fans on his facebook page and we may get more signatures than that.
Please see the following article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303617204575557973523142494.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
I have met Ali’s wife, and she feels helpless and is worried about Ali’s psychological state in prison – she feels he is not the same Ali that she knows but they are both not allowed to speak freely about their situation. She believes he does not even know when his trial will begin.
I urge you all to continue this campaign and to not forget about Ali.
Thanks
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