Mar 18, 2013

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

March 18, 2013| By: Katrina Lantos Swett and M. Zuhdi Jasser

The following op-ed appeared in Roll Call on March 15, 2013.

While the world remains riveted to Egypt"s challenges and Syria"s travails, much is also at stake in Bahrain, a strategically vital Gulf nation that is home to the Middle East"s largest U.S. naval base.

Compared to other countries in the region, Bahrain has displayed remarkable tolerance toward its non-Muslim religious minorities, from Baha"is to Christians. Nonetheless, Bahrain has been repressing its Shiite Muslim majority.

Last month marked the second anniversary of Shiite protesters rising up and demanding political reform and an end to the Sunni-led government"s discrimination. Recently, the government proposed dialogue with the opposition. For both human rights and global security reasons, it"s time for real dialogue leading to genuine reform.

In December, we led a delegation to Bahrain from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which we serve. Our aim was to assess religious freedom conditions, particularly the government"s response to recommendations from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. Bahrain"s government had created BICI in June 2011 following clashes triggering dozens of deaths and property destruction including the demolition of Shiite mosques and other structures. We met with Bahraini officials, opposition heads, Sunni and Shiite religious leaders, human rights and non-Muslim religious minority representatives, and ordinary Bahrainis.

Our findings support a number of BICI conclusions. While the government understands the need for dialogue, it remains reluctant to embrace lasting reform.

We heard two competing narratives while in Bahrain. The government insisted that Shiite activists are collaborating with Iran to unleash chaos, while the Shiites alleged that the government of Bahrain has committed escalating human rights abuses since 2011 and, with Saudi Arabia"s support, has rejected reform.

We saw no evidence that Iran was behind the protests or that the Saudis were driving the government"s actions. Instead, we found that Bahrain"s problems are homegrown. We saw a pattern of religious bias against Shiites, clear human rights and religious freedom abuses against them after the 2011 protests, and a reluctance to accept full responsibility for the discrimination or the abuses.

The Bahraini government"s deep-seated suspicion of Shiite citizens is evident in its governing system. Shiites routinely are prevented from serving in military combat positions, and there are no senior-level Shiites in Bahrain"s security apparatus, including the military and police.

While some security forces were killed or injured in the 2011 demonstrations, the government"s response further damaged relations. It dismissed Shiite students from universities and government workers from jobs because of their involvement in the protests. It demolished at least 35 Shiite mosques and religious structures within weeks, some of which had stood for decades. It allowed state-controlled media to denigrate Shiite citizens. It reportedly tortured Shiite demonstrators, subjecting some to physical beatings and electric shock, forcing some to stand for hours at a time, and even dousing detainees with urine.

Since that time, we"ve found no indication that the government is critically reviewing its actions and systematically reducing its bias.

While the government has acknowledged the destruction of religious structures and has begun rebuilding, it has not publicly taken responsibility or apologized. Its rebuilding schedule remains unclear.

Only a handful of low-level police officers have been convicted of mistreating detainees during the 2011 uprising. The lack of transparency surrounding these convictions casts doubt on whether the guilty are serving jail time. Meanwhile, human rights activists such as Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab remain imprisoned.

In January, 13 Shiite political activists" sentences were upheld. They had been convicted of dubious charges such as conspiring to overthrow the government, all of which the UN and human rights groups have deemed unfair and politically motivated.

Bahrain"s government harms itself and its people by violating human rights and religious freedom. Every day it continues, Bahrain moves closer to what it fears the most: rising sectarian violence leading to the country"s unraveling - it is, in essence, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As studies have shown, societies where religious freedom is violated are less stable and secure.

Bahrain"s activist prisoners provide a human face to what is happening. We must not forget them, and Congress has taken steps to keep them front and center. As part of the Defending Freedoms Project - an initiative launched by Reps. Frank R. Wolf , R-Va., and Jim McGovern , D-Mass., of the House"s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in conjunction with USCIRF and Amnesty International USA - McGovern selected Rajab as one of its first prisoners of conscience. He did this to spotlight Rajab"s case and what is occurring in Bahrain. Congress should stand as one with Rajab and others like him.

Let the message to Bahrain be this: Embrace true dialogue and demonstrable reform while there is still time.

Katrina Lantos Swett is the chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. M. Zuhdi Jasser is a USCIRF commissioner.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCRIFat (202) 523-3258 or [email protected]

Mar 15, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 14, 2013| By USCIRF

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today called for Saudi Arabia to release Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and Dr. Abdullah bin Hamad, leading Saudi human rights activists, from prison immediately and unconditionally.

"Along with other Commissioners, I had the honor during a recent USCIRF trip to Saudi Arabia to host a meeting with Mr. al-Qahtani, one of two founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), an independent human rights organization,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF's Chair. "We had sought out Mr. al-Qahtani, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent human rights activists, for his assessment of the status of freedom of religion and conscience in the Kingdom. ACPRA has issued numerous reports on rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, submitted information to the U.N. Human Rights Council and other international human rights mechanisms, and has criticized Saudi ministries and officials for their alleged human rights violations.

Mr. al-Qahtani was courageous to meet with us directly after Saudi authorities interrogated him about his human rights activism. We are gravely concerned that just weeks after our meeting, Mr. al-Qahtani has received a harsh prison term,” continued Dr. Lantos Swett.

On March 9, the Riyadh Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Mr. al-Qahtani to 10 years in prison. Dr. Abdullah bin Hamad - ACPRA's other founder, received a five year sentence, plus six years of a previous sentence (for which the King had granted him a pardon). Both also were banned from travelling after they complete their prison terms. In addition, ACPRA was disbanded, its property confiscated, and its social media accounts terminated. Al-Qahtani and bin Hamad have used social media to promote human rights and discuss their trial.

The Court found both guilty of "breaking allegiance to and disobeying the ruler,” "undermining unity,” "questioning the integrity of officials,” "seeking to disrupt security,” and "inciting disorder by calling for demonstrations.” Because Saudi Arabia has no codified criminal law, judges have both wide discretion to apply their own interpretations of Islamic law and expansive sentencing powers.

"We had an informative visit to Saudi Arabia, but these sentences are a shocking step in the wrong direction, violating international law that prohibits arbitrary arrests and guarantees a fair trial. We welcome the State Department's concern that these two prominent Saudi human rights activists have been sentenced to prison. We also urge the Saudi government to immediately set these men free and allow them to continue their work through the ACPRA,” said Dr. Lantos Swett.

Since 2008, ACPRA has attempted to get formal recognition as an NGO by applying for a license from the state, but the request has never been granted. Nevertheless, the Saudi government has permitted ACPRA to operate unofficially since 2009. The National Society for Human Rights - established in 2004 by the late King Fahd - is the sole government-licensed domestic human rights NGO in Saudi Arabia.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact Samantha Schnitzer at (202) 786-0613 or [email protected] .