Activists organized a sit-in in front of the Bahrain embassy in London, during which they called on the United Kingdom government to pressure the Bahraini regime to release prisoners of conscience.
Activists carried large banners that included pictures of leaders and figures of the February 14 revolution in Bahrain, calling for their immediate release.
They demanded a transition to democracy in Bahrain and that measures be taken against the authorities, due to human rights violations.
They also urged attention to the violations taking place in the Gulf kingdom, as a result of the deteriorating political situation in the country for a decade now.
They also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and put pressure on the Khilafia regime to release the detainees.
Last week, the British House of Lords discussed the human rights situation in Bahrain, in light of the human rights reports circulating about the deteriorating situation of prisoners, including children, in the Kingdom.
During the session, the lords and barons of the Council discussed how to urge the British government to pressure Bahrain to stop the violations against the opponents.
Members of the High Chamber of the United Kingdom Parliament directed a package of questions to the British Minister of State, Lord Ahmed, on various issues related to the violation of the Bahraini regime.
They asked the minister questions about the implications of British funding and technical support that the government is providing to the ruling family in Bahrain.
Activists on social media have called for a demonstration next Friday, in support of political detainees in Bahrain’s prisons.
They called on all segments of the Bahraini people to peacefully protest against the authorities’ persistence to keep detainees in prisons despite the fact that COVID-19 is widely spreading among them.
Families of political prisoners stepped up by taking to the streets during the past few days to pressure the Bahraini authorities to release their relatives.
Families of the detainees, including mothers who participated in an evening stand on a public street, warned of the seriousness of the health conditions of their children, in light of a frightening outbreak of the Coronavirus in prisons.
They denounced the cover-ups imposed by the Ministry of the Interior on the status of their family members, as the Ministry of Health procrastinated in revealing the results of the tests it conducted in Jaw Central Prison.
Parents carried banners and chanted slogans denouncing the prison administration’s starvation of their children.
Furthermore, detainees complain that the meals provided to them are insufficient to satisfy their hunger.
A security official in the notorious Jaw Prison took new penalties against political detainees after they protested to reject their miserable conditions.
Captain Mohamed Abdel Hamid Maarouf prevented the detainees from contacting their relatives.
Human rights activist Ibtisam Al-Saegh stated that this punitive measure came in response to the detainees’ angry protest.
Detainees, in buildings 12-13-14, went on a hunger strike, during which they returned the meals provided, due to their poor conditions.
Detainees complain about the delay and the small quantity of meals that do not cover their needs.
The US State Department criticized Bahrain’s human rights record, and accused the security authorities of committing various violations. This was stated in the Human Rights Report for the year 2020 issued by the Ministry annually; to shed light on the human rights situation around the world.
According to the report, human rights violations in Bahrain included torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and harsh detention conditions, including the lack of adequate medical care in prisons.
Violations also included arbitrary arrest, imprisonment of politicians, arbitrary unlawful interference with privacy, and restrictions on freedom of expression, the press, and the Internet, such as censorship and blocking of websites.
In addition, violations included interfering with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, imposing restrictions on freedom of movement, and revoking citizenship and restrictions on political participation.
