Bahrain has demanded that the International Criminal Police Commission take steps to extradite activist Fadhel Radhi back to Bahrain. Armenian authorities detained Radhi on 1 January 2016 following his escape from Bahrain, where he was sentenced to seven years in prison for “political and arbitrary” reasons. A number of human rights organizations issued a statement expressing serious concern over Bahrain’s attempt to extradite Radhi. They assert that Bahrain has a clear history of detaining and sentencing activists on unfounded charges and extracting false confessions through torture. The European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights (EBOHR) reports that Bahrain has repeatedly pursued human rights, civil, and political activists internationally, and uses international agreements to assist it in this regard.
ADHRB has documented numerous instances where activists detained in Bahrain have faced torture and mistreatment while in government custody. Since Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s execution in Saudi Arabia on 2 January 2016, Bahrain has taken additional action to suppress protesters and activists. Bahraini courts have handed down a series of harsh punishments to activists, including several life sentences and death penalties. If Bahrain succeeds in extraditing Fadhel Radhi from Armenia, he could face severe mistreatment while in government custody and may not receive a fair trial or hearing.
Tyler Pry is an advocacy intern at Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.
Photo courtesy of European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights.
