Bahrain Mirror: The President of the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) Yusuf Rabie said that the Bahraini authorities' decision preventing the Secretary-General of Bahrain's main opposition group Al-Wefaq from having contact with the outside world is considered a belittlement of prisoners' rights.

Rabie emphasized that the authorities are violating through this action the first and second Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which stipulate allowing the prisoners,under the necessary oversight, to call their families and parents, as well as obliging the authorities to keep the prisoners up to date with the course of events through the available means.

He further explained that Al-Wefaq Secretary-General is a prisoner of conscience according to international human rights organizations and he has the right to practice his rights guaranteed by the international laws, even while in prison, including having contact with his followers in the outside world through his Twitter account or the statements he writes on various occasions.

Rabie demanded the authorities of the Jaw Central Prison to stop restricting the prisoners' freedoms and to giving Sheikh Ali Salman and all the other prisoners their rights. Jails should be organized communities, not a place for violations and restriction of prisoners' freedoms.

Arabic Issue