A prominent Bahraini activist said he was detained at Gatwick Airport while returning from the UK on Friday. addressing Report on human rights violations in Bahrain to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Saeed Alwadai, advocacy director at the UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, told Middle East Eye that British Border Force officers stopped him after he landed but did not tell him the reason for his detention. Told.
Instead, MEE confirmed, they gave him a document stating that he was an “individual who may be arrested by a constable or who may be subject to a warrant of arrest.” Alwadai said he was released after two and a half hours.
MEE asked the Ministry of Interior why al-Wadai was held. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Border Force’s first priority is to maintain secure borders, and this includes checking that those wishing to enter the UK have the right to do so.” said.
Mr Alwadayi was also detained at a UK airport upon arriving from South Africa last month, but said it was unclear what prompted this or whether Friday’s incident was related.
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“The fact that there’s no explanation, nothing, it’s just in my head,” he said Friday. “I’m not sure, but is this an Interpol emergency notice? What is that?”
After her release, Al-Wadai told MEE that she was more concerned about a group of Bahraini women human rights defenders who were on their way back to Bahrain from Geneva after attending a council meeting on Friday.
Their visit included: thursday meeting Michelle Taylor, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“To be honest, I’m more worried about the safety of the people who came to Geneva to tell their story and convey the message on behalf of the hundreds of political prisoners in Bahrain,” he said. Ta. “What would you do if you were stopped and questioned?”
One Geneva woman, Ebtisam Alsagh, was detained for seven hours at Bahrain International Airport in March 2017 and interrogated on her return from the United Nations Human Rights Council, where she spoke about human rights violations.
“Urgent question”
Maya Foa, co-executive director of Ripley Live, called Alwaday a “courageous human rights defender and torture survivor” who was granted asylum by the UK due to violence and persecution by Bahraini authorities.
Mr Fore said: “Mr Said’s family has committed a campaign against Mr Said for his work exposing torture and coerced confessions that led to his death sentence, and for the role of British-funded agencies in covering up this abuse. “We are facing retaliation in Bahrain.”
“Mr. Said’s family is facing retaliation in Bahrain for his work exposing the torture and forced confessions that led to his death sentence.”
– Maya Foa, Reprieve
“Under these circumstances, Mr. Said’s detention today is clearly extremely worrying for Mr. Said and his family.”
He said the incident raised “urgent questions” for the UK government, particularly given that this year Bahrain was removed from the list of priority countries for human rights for the first time since 2015.
MPs and rights groups have criticized the decision to remove Saudi Arabia from the list, days after Bahrain pledged to invest £1bn in the UK.
“Ministers urgently need to check what kind of expression they are using.” [the UK government] Fore said he had been informed by the Bahraini government of Saeed’s citizenship and immigration status and assured the public that the government’s actions were in no way influenced by pressure from Bahraini authorities.