Bahrain Mirror: Director of Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Sayed Ahmed Al-Wadaei, won, along with another activist, the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression award, an annual award granted by the organization.

In 2012, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) won the award which was received by the then president of the BCHR, Nabeel Rajab, who is currently detained in Bahrain.

The organization grants the award to human rights organizations and activists who make efforts to promote freedom of opinion and expression, work in a politically charged atmospheres and play a crucial role in documenting human rights violations and torture in their countries.

Al-Wadaei's winning comes in tribute to his institute's efforts in documenting human rights violations that have escalated in Bahrain since the outbreak of the popular movement calling for change on February 14, 2011. It is to note that Al-Wedaei runs the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

The Bahraini authorities retaliated against Al-Wadaei for his human rights activism and his protest during the king's passage in one of his visits to the British capital, London. The Bahraini authorities arrested a number of Al-Wadaei's family members, including his mother-in-law Hajar Mansour and her son Nizar Al-Wadaei, and sentenced them to prison terms after fabricating charges against them.

Al-Wadaei was arrested in Bahrain during the popular movement in 2011. He was tortured in prison before being released to immigrate to the UK and seek asylum there, noting that the authorities in Bahrain revoked his citizenship.

Arabic Version