October 30, 2017 – the family of human rights defender, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, have been sentences to 3 years in prison. It comes to no surprise as Bahrain is known to use these practices to silence activists and to repress civil society in order to protect the kingdom’s economic and financial interest.

The members of the family are the brother in law, the mother in law and Alwadaei’s cousin. The accusations used by the Bahraini authorities was that the members of the family planted fake bombs in the South West of Manama. The confession was extorted through torture.

The kingdom keeps silencing human rights defenders who speak out against the government’s crimes and injustice. ICSFT considers that this is an indirect threat against Sayed Alwadaei and shows that no one is out of the reach of the Kalifate. The government claims it is ready to crackdown on any revolt against the national system.

It is surprising that a country that calls itself democratic like the UK, minimizes the troubling situation in Bahrain. The silence cannot go unnoticedunder the interest of people. It is essential to act in the interest of human rights.

This intimidation, fitting in the kingdom’s modus operandi is far from news. In October, Alwadaei’s son and his wife were arrested by the English authorities after their participation during an Olympic gathering in front of the residence of the British Prime Minister in London, in occasion of the visit of the King of Bahrain to the European nation. Legal measures were taken against the family members, which questions the democratic level of the UK.

ICSFT deplores these acts against Alwadaei’s family and urges the international community and all relevant stakeholders to take action and ensure freedom of speech, opinion and peaceful assembly are respected. It is a shame that those who call themselves human rights defenders and democracy are those who promote the misery and humanitarian disasters known to the world today.