On 9 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 49 under item 3, during the interactive dialogue with the special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, to urges the Council to pressure Bahrain to immediately release Dr. AlSingace and hand over his book to his family.
Mr. President,
ADHRB would like to welcome the Allegation Letter issued by a number of Special Rapporteurs on the condition of Bahraini human rights activist and academic Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has been imprisoned since 2011 and has taken to hunger strikes to demonstrate his egregious treatment by Bahraini authorities.
On 8 July 2021, Dr. Al-Singace went on a hunger strike to protest the mistreatment he has been subjected to as a prisoner of conscience. For four years, while in prison, he had been working on research for a book which covers historical and cultural issues related to Bahraini dialects and culture. Officer Yusuf Fakhro confiscated the book, and the administration has refused to meet his demands of handing it over to his family, even though officers who reviewed the book confirmed that it is apolitical. The Ombudsman office has yet to disclose the reason behind the continued confiscation of his book.
Surpassing 240 days of hunger strike, Dr. Al-Singace’s condition has been deteriorating. Authorities have not only refused to meet his demands but have also prohibited him from video calling his family even when he requested to see his newborn grandchild in a call. As a result, Dr. Al-Singace has refused to take supplements and medication. Further, Dr. Al-Singace suffers from a number of underlying health conditions which authorities have also consistently neglected.
Considering Dr. Al-Singace’s continued arbitrary detention due to his peaceful human rights advocacy and his worsening condition amidst authorities’ refusal to meet his demands, ADHRB calls on the Council and the High Commissioner to pressure Bahrain to hand over Dr. Al-Singace’s cultural research to his family and release him unconditionally.
Thank you.
