To All Living Things
"She was arrested on October 15, 1996, apparently on suspicion of possessing illegal literature." |
"A number of them have been held as hostages in order to coerce male relatives to give themselves up to the authorities..." |
"Please send a letter to His Highness the Amir of Bahrain immediately if possible but no later than December 20, 1996." |
Back to: |
Amnesty Action:
Fear
of Torture/Legal Concern
by Kathy Gay
his week VegSource presents an
action from Amnesty International on Bahrain.
Amnesty International is very concerned
about 
the safety
of a 16-year-old student in Bahrain. She was arrested on October
15, 1996, apparently on suspicion of possessing illegal
literature. She has not yet been brought to trial and her
precise whereabouts are currently unknown. Amnesty is
concerned that she is at risk of torture or ill-treatment
while in detention.
Specific information about this action is included in the sample letter which follows.
Background Information
Many women and young girls, including
school students, have been arrested in Bahrain since the
outbreak of 
widespread protests in December
1994 calling for the restoration of parliamentary
democracy. A number of them have been held as hostages in
order to coerce male relatives to give themselves up to
the authorities, or as punishment for the opposition
activities of their male relatives. Others have been
arrested for their participation in anti-government demonstrations.
Most of those arrested have been held incommunicado
without charge or trial for up to two months before being
released. Some of them have reported that they were
beaten or subjected to insults and humiliation while in
custody.
Amnesty International has sent numerous
appeals to
the Bahraini government on behalf of these detainees but has
received no substantive response to date. On July 16,
Amnesty published a report detailing its concerns about
human rights violations against women and children in
Bahrain, including arbitrary arrest, incommunicado
detention and torture. The only response thus far is a
letter dated July 31 from Bahrain's Ambassador to London
stating that the report "has no factual basis
and...no evidence to substantiate the accusations made in
it."
How you can help
This action expired on December 20, 1996, and its accompanying sample letter removed.
On January 10, 1997, Amnesty International announced that the 16-year-old student had been released!
Thanks to everyone who sent letters to government officials in Bahrain on her behalf.
__________________________________________________
Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.