Bahrain Mirror: The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) stated that the Bahraini authorities accused Sheikh Maitham Al-Salman, Head of the Religious Freedom Unit of Bahrain Human Rights Observatory, of "inciting hatred against the regime and spreading false news."

BCHR stressed in a statement issued on Sunday (August 9, 2015) that the investigation Al-Salman is undergoing centres around his comments to a media outlet that was published online about his fear that the authorities could use collective punishment in Sitra. BCHR also expressed its concern that "the arrest of Maitham Al-Salman comes as part of a policy of targeting human rights defenders and restricting their activities to stop them from working freely and prevent them from publishing information about human rights violations, as guaranteed by international treaties and conventions, or a step in the framework of retaliating against activists participating in UN events."

BCHR called on "governments and international organizations to put pressure on the Bahraini government to: drop all charges leveled against Sheikh Maitham Al-Salman and allow him to continue his work on a local and international level to enhance tolerance and fight extremism, violence and hatred; put a stop to all forms of restrictions that threaten freedom of expression and opinion in Bahrain; and guarantee respect for human rights and basic freedoms according to international standards for human rights."

Arabic Issue