Marking 300 days of his hunger strike, forty-four international NGOs call for the immediate release of Bahrain prisoner of conscience Dr Abduljalil al-Singace.
Dr al-Singace has foregone food, and subsisted on water and IV fluid injections for sustenance since 21 March 2015. He began his hunger strike in protest to the worsening conditions in Jau Prison, after prison officials subjected inmates to collective punishment, torture, and humiliating practices.
Within days of his strike, Jau Prison authorities transferred him to the Qalaa hospital, where he is still being kept in a form of solitary confinement. He sees his family only irregularly. He is not allowed to interact with other patients, and has been denied necessary treatment.
Dr al-Singace is a member of the Bahrain 13, a group of thirteen peaceful political activists and human rights defenders sentenced to prison terms for their peaceful role in Bahrain’s Arab Spring protests in 2011.
The NGOs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN International, and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, have therefore called for his immediate release, for his medical needs to be met, and for the release of all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain.
Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for Committee to Protect Journalists: “Dr al-Singace isn’t just refusing food to improve his own situation, but the situation for all political prisoners held in Bahrain, one of the leading jailers of journalists per capita in the world.”
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy for the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy: “Dr al-Singace is a hero who gives us hope every day. His sacrifice resonates with us all and is a symbol for those seeking a bright future for Bahrain.”
PEN International: “The fact that Dr al-Singace remains in prison for his peaceful activities is completely unacceptable. Bahraini authorities seem determined to stifle critical voices through use of violence and intimidation. Dr al-Singace and all other prisoners of conscience should be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
ARTICLE 19
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Croatian PEN
Danish PEN
European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
Ghanaian PEN
Gulf Center for Human Rights
Icelandic PEN
Italian PEN
Norwegian PEN
PEN America
PEN Bangladesh
PEN Bolivia
PEN Canada
PEN Català
PEN Center Argentina
PEN Center USA
PEN Centre of German Speaking Writers Abroad
PEN Eritrea in Exile
PEN Flander
PEN Germany
PEN International
PEN Netherlands
PEN New Zealand
PEN Québéc
PEN Romania
PEN South Africa
PEN Suisse Romand
Peruvian PEN
Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF)
San Miguel PEN
Scholars at Risk
Scottish PEN
Serbian PEN
Trieste PEN
Wales PEN Cymru
Zambian PEN
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