BPA: The stripping of journalist Ahmed Radhi is “horrendous” and the detention of “Ghada” and “Abdulemam” is a consecration of “the police state”, rather than “reform”

London 01 Oct. 14: The Bahrain Press Association “BPA” condemns the violations and abuse suffered by journalist Ahmed Radhi – 35 years –  from the Bahraini authorities while held in detention between the 25th  and the 29th  of September.

According to his family, and a video broadcast on You tube[i], the journalist Ahmed Radhi,who had been released Monday evening on a bail of 200 dinars (530 dollars), had been stripped from his clothes and filmed in non-decent positions after being interrogated about his political and media activities. As he put it.

Radhi confirmed, in a press statement published by “Sout al Manama” e-newspaper[ii] that he had not been subjected to physical torture, but he was tortured psychologically by being stripped, photographed, and verbally assaulted. 

 Ahmed Radhi – blogger and journalist who had worked for several media organizations  – is one of the journalists  targeted by the Bahraini authorities after the events  in February 2011,  he was arrested on May 16th, 2012, and suffered physical and psychological abuse  during his interrogation process , in order to force him into confessing to charges relating to freedom of opinion and expression.

The Association calls on the Bahraini authorities to investigate the incident, and bring those responsible for these heinous violations and abuse to justice. Noting that the continuation of these degrading violations and abuses against the human integrity, comes to assure the lack of intention or seriousness from the political authorities and security services to improve its humanitarian record, and that it continues its prosecution and restriction, jeopardizing the freedom of press and the safety of journalists.  

The Press Association condemns the continued detention of Bahraini human rights activist Nader Abdulemam by the Bahraini authorities’  since August 27 of last year. The detention is based on “malicious” charges relating to  “Insulting the Sahabi Khalid bin Walid on his personal account in Twitter.” according to the authorities. The Criminal Court has set the 15th of October  as the date for the next ruling.

It also  remains that human rights activist Ghada Jamsheer is in detention since September the 14th because of  writings published on  social networking site “Twitter” about corruption cases in Hamad University (Military) Hospital  in the island of Muharraq.

The Association believes that the continued detention of Nader Abdulemam and Ghada Jamsheer raises more concerns about the upsurge in arrests and prosecution against writing in “Twitter”. The Association calls on the authorities to immediately release all detainees on the background of  charges relating to freedom of opinion, speech, and expression.

It is noteworthy that the degree of violations against Bahraini journalists during the past year 2013 has  increased to more than 53 targeting cases ,11 arrests,  and six summoning cases with a year or more sentences given to charges related to writing on social networking sites, also, at least three photographers were  injured while covering  the protests. Along with  8  media personals and bloggers under arrest.