Video Shows Bahraini Mother’s Strife and Her Daughter Reading Poem That Lead to Her Arrest and Torture
Ayat al-Gormezi
Twenty year-old Ayat al-Gormezi was arrested on 30 March 2011 after reading poems at a pro-democracy rally in Pearl Square in which she criticised the ruling family in Bahrain and asked for transparency in her country’s governance. Subsequently she was forced to turn herself in when masked police threatened to kill her brothers unless she surrendered. She has not been seen since her arrest, although her mother spoke to her once by telephone and Ayat said that she had been forced to sign a false confession. Her mother has since been told that her daughter has been in a military hospital after being tortured with electric shocks.
Ayat al-Gormezi appeared on 2 June 2011 before a military tribunal in Manama on charges of “insulting the king, taking part in banned gatherings, and spreading false information.” The trial has been adjourned until Sunday 12 June 2011, when a verdict is expected to be delivered. She is the first woman to go on trial following the unrest and it is feared she will face a heavy prison term if convicted.
Please send appeals:
- Expressing serious concern about the arrest of Ayat al-Gormezi;
- Calling for her immediate and unconditional release;
- Urging the Bahraini government to drop any charges against Ayat al-Gormezi that may infringe her right to freedom of expression;
- Seeking immediate guarantees that she has not been tortured or ill-treated in detention;
- Urging the Bahraini authorities to abide by their obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and to end the violent crackdown on those who are peacefully expressing their opinions.
Send appeals to:
His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O.Box 555
Rifa’a Palace
Kingdom of Bahrain.
Fax: 973 176 64 587Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al-Khalifa
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
P.O.Box 450
Al-Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain.
Fax: 973 175 31 284Please also send copies of your appeal letters to the diplomatic representative for Bahrain in the UK:
His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid Al Khalifa
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
30 Belgrave Square,
London
SW1X 8QB
Fax: 020 7201 9183
Email: ambassadorsoffice@bahrainembassy.co.uk
