Bahrain Mirror: Human Rights Watch strongly criticized the British government for not publicly calling for the charges raised against prominent Bahraini opposition figure Ebrahim Sharif to be dropped.  Bahraini authorities have charged the prominent political activist with "inciting hatred of the political system" after he criticized Bahrain's government and the November 8 to 11, 2016, visit to Bahrain by Britain's Prince Charles.

In a statement issued on Friday (November 18, 2016), HRW said the charge against Ebrahim Sharif, former leader of the National Democratic Action Society, carries a prison term of up to three years and is a clear violation of his right to free expression.

"The pomp and ceremony of a royal visit shouldn't be followed by the arrest of peaceful critics of the government," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Given that the British government requested this trip, it's incumbent on them to call publicly for Sharif's release."

Sharif, whom authorities released pending trial, told Human Rights Watch that officers from the Cyber Crime Directorate called him in for questioning on the morning of November 13. He said they questioned him about his comments in the Associated Press article, after which a public prosecutor charged him with violating article 165 of Bahrain's penal code, which states that "a prison sentence shall be passed against any person who expressly incites others to develop hatred or hostility toward the system of government." Sharif denied that his comments incited hatred of the government system.

Sharif told Human Rights Watch that Bahrain airport officials had prevented him from leaving the country on November 5, stating that he was under a travel ban. On October 24, officials at the causeway that links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia had informed his wife, Farida Ghulam, that she was under a travel ban.

In a statement Sharif provided to Human Rights Watch on November 15, 2016, he described the government's actions as "fear tactics ... commonly used by undemocratic governments to prevent human rights defenders and political activists from defending thousands of voiceless people tortured, imprisoned, forced into exile or banned from travel."

"Ebrahim Sharif is facing jail for criticizing a royal visit the British government asked for, yet London still can't bring itself to call for the charges to be dropped," Stork said.

Arabic Version