New bill to restrict formation and practice of national societies and human right organizations

Report by Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) - January 2006

Trial of Seven Protestors Postponed to the 26th of February
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Ref:06020000

Violations of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly

January 16th , 2006
Ref: 16010605

New York Time - 15 January 2006
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

MANAMA, Bahrain - Ali Abdulemam, this country's most notorious blogger, sat in the boxlike reception room of his father's house in a cramped Shiite village dotted with raw cinder-block houses, trying to log onto the widely popular Web site that he founded.

The government on this flyspeck of an island nation, home to an American Navy base, recently renewed its effort to block dozens of opposition Web sites. So Mr. Abdulemam, 28, a computer engineer, had to spend about 10 minutes whipping through various computer servers around the world before finally pulling up his Web site, BahrainOnline.org.

Vast violations related to protests in Daih and Sanabis on January 19th [1]

Use of excessive force by special police leading to casualties and damages
Random Arrests and incommunicado detention
Risk of unfair trial and imprisonment for up to 10 years
Confessions obtained through coercion
Bias and misinformation by the media
Violation of the right to freedom of gathering

2 January 2006
Ref: 02010606

Testimonies at court on the event at the Bahrain Airport incident

2nd January 2006

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is following with great concern the trial of 21 activists. The following are updates of court sessions on 23rd and 30th January 2006 [1].

Eighteen people are currently in custody following the airport incident which was sparked by the arrest of cleric Sheikh Mohammed Sanad who called for a referendum supervised by the United Nations on the legitimacy of the political regime. Sheikh Mohammed was later released.