King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain;
His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister
Their Majesties,
We, the undersigned, write with urgency regarding Hassan Mushaima, a 75-year-old Bahraini political activist who has been imprisoned for exercising his right to freedom of association and expression.
Mushaima is currently serving a life sentence in Bahrain, and his family fears he may be approaching end-stage renal disease. He requires urgent medical treatment, which he is currently not receiving, even though he is being held at the Kanu Health Center, a medical facility. In addition, Mushaima was found to have severe kidney problems and has been denied access to his medical records. Given the serious threat to Mr. Mushaima’s health and well-being, we respectfully urge you to secure his immediate and unconditional release, during which time he will receive appropriate medical care and have access to his medical records. Masu.
serious deterioration of health condition
On November 30, 2023, Mushaima’s doctors at the Ministry of Health at Kanu Health Center suggested that his kidneys were severely damaged and that he may soon need dialysis. When Mushaima insisted on knowing more about the damage, her family said doctors told her they could not release the information without permission from the interior ministry.
His family is extremely concerned about his deteriorating health and the lack of information provided about his diagnosis and health crisis.
This concern is compounded by the fact that Mushaima has multiple chronic conditions, including gout, diabetes and fluctuating blood pressure. Despite these serious medical conditions, he faced systematic medical negligence during his detention, with authorities preventing him from receiving proper treatment for years.
Most recently, he had to wait months to see a nephrologist, was refused a visit to the dentist for a toothache, and was refused treatment for hearing loss in his right ear. Nor has he been referred to a neurologist to check for hand tremors. Mushaima is in remission from lymphoma cancer, but for the past two years prison authorities have denied him the regular cancer screenings and other specialized medical care he needs.
Surprisingly, on November 15, 2023, Mushaima’s diabetes medication was changed due to its negative effects on her kidneys, and her doctor said that the new medication was causing her blood sugar levels to become unstable. In a December 6, 2023 phone call, Mr. Mushaima told the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy that despite his unstable blood sugar levels, he was not provided with an insulin pump and other medical equipment to regulate his insulin levels. He said he has not done so. Mr. Mushaima and his family are deeply concerned that his health will deteriorate as a result of authorities denying him necessary medical care. Mr. Mushaima was imprisoned solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly, and he should never have been imprisoned. Mr Mushaima’s health condition is deteriorating, making it increasingly urgent that he be released immediately and unconditionally. In the meantime, he needs to receive proper treatment.
Sincerely,
- Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
- amnesty international
- Article 19
- Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
- Civicus
- Democracy Now in the Arab World (DAWN)
- European Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ECDHR)
- fair square
- freedom house
- Human rights first
- Human Rights Watch
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Project for Middle East Democracy (POMED)
- REDRESS Freedom Initiative
- Raft Human Rights Foundation
background
Hassan Mushaima is a leading figure in Bahraini’s opposition, a founding member of the defunct political party Al-Wefaq, and a former leader of the Bahraini political organization Al-Haq Movement for Freedom and Democracy. In 2011, he was arrested for his involvement in Bahrain’s democratic uprising and sentenced to life imprisonment in a mass trial along with other opposition leaders and human rights activists.
Mushaima is the victim of what Human Rights Watch described as a “highly functioning system of injustice” in which authorities subjected him to physical and psychological torture and gross violations of his right to a fair trial. It is being said. As a result of the horrific torture Mr Mushaima suffered, he developed severe health complications and required multiple surgeries.
Amnesty International considers Mushaima a “prisoner of conscience” and calls for his release have been echoed by UN experts as well as British and European Union parliamentarians. His case was most recently featured in the UN Secretary-General’s report on retaliation, presented at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council.
Since July 2021, he has been detained at Kanu Medical Center, where he has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, which amounts to torture under international law, and has been denied access to sunlight. He said being confined to his room was “worse” than solitary confinement, as he is completely isolated except for visits from his family.