On Friday, 23 May 2014, a group of 14 NGOs and individuals sent a joint letter to the King of Bahrain calling for the immediate release and dismissal of all charges against 17-year-old U.S. citizen, Abdulla Jaffar Abdulla, who was arrested in March and will be tried tomorrow.
The letter also calls for an investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Abdulla, including the use of force and coercion to obtain a confession. Such treatment stands in violation of international law and conventions which Bahrain has ratified. The Bahraini government therefore has an obligation to protect the human rights of all minors like Abdulla Jaffar who are currently imprisoned in Bahrain.
Among the signatories of the letter were the Child Rights International Network (CRIN), the Human Rights Law Foundation, The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The full text of the letter, including a complete list of signatories, can be found here.
