On 21st March 2024, ADHRB delivered an intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 55 under item 4 during the General debate. ADHRB urged the council to pressure Bahrain for the immediate release of human rights defenders before it is too late.
We draw the Council’s attention to the medical neglect endured by elderly opposition leaders and human rights defenders in Bahraini prisons.
76-year-old political prisoner Hasan Mushaima, arrested in 2011 and life-sentenced for his activism, battles cancer, diabetes, and other serious chronic diseases. Despite UN experts’ pleas, he faces life-threatening medical neglect, recently experiencing kidney issues, while authorities refused to diagnose and provide treatment.
62-year-old prominent human rights defender and opposition leader, Dr. AbdulJalil AlSingace, has been serving his life sentence since 2011. His detention was declared arbitrary by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He suffers from post-polio syndrome and many serious chronic diseases. He has endured prolonged solitary confinement and been denied medical appointments, treatment, and crutches, forcing him to endure a solid food hunger strike for 1000 days.
In addition, other elderly human rights defenders face ongoing medical neglect, such as Naji Fateel, AbdulHadi AlKhawaja, and AbdulWahab Husain Ismaeel.
We urge the council to pressure Bahrain for the immediate release of these defenders before it is too late.
