Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Liz Throssell
Location: Geneva
Subject: 1) Bahrain
We are seriously concerned at the arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of Bahrain’s main opposition movement, Al
Wefaq, as well as the continuing harassment and imprisonment of individuals exercising their rights to freedom of
opinion and expression in the country.
According to credible information gathered by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, Sheikh Salman was arrested after
being summoned for questioning at the Criminal Investigation Department on Sunday, only two days after his re-election
for a fourth term as the Secretary General of Al Wefaq. His lawyers say he is accused of a number of serious charges
that carry hefty prison terms, including calling for the overthrow of the government.
We urge the Government of Bahrain to immediately release Sheikh Salman, as well as all other persons convicted or
detained for merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Should Sheikh Salman be
brought to trial, the Government of Bahrain should guarantee a fair trial. We also call upon the Bahraini authorities to
immediately implement the recommendations put forward during the country’s Universal Periodic Review in 2012, as well as
by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in 2011, to ensure freedom of expression and assembly.
Opposition parties are fundamental pillars of any democracy and Sheikh Salman’s arrest risks intensifying the fraught
political scene that has seen anti-government protests for nearly four years. Peaceful constructive dialogue is the only
way out of Bahrain’s current crisis.
ENDS