EI is particularly focusing on the appeals, on Sunday 11 December, of the Vice-President and President of the BahrainiTeachers Association (BTA). Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb are appealing of the sentences issued on 25 September by the military National Safety Court of First Instance to three and ten years’ imprisonment, for their involvement in peaceful protests last March.
Seven other BTA board members are also on trial and 76 teachers were sacked for similar baseless reasons. A larger number of teachers are still suspended. Most BTA Board members and sacked and suspended teachers have had the opportunity to share their experience with Fred van Leeuwen, the General Secretary of EI during his mission to Bahrain in November. All reported on the unjust treatment they suffered.
The revision of the convictions is also highlighted in the strong recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). On 23 November, it recommended the Bahraini authorities “to review convictions and commute sentences of all persons charged with offences involving political expression, not consisting of advocacy of violence, or, as the case may be, to drop outstanding charges against them.” A full section of the BICI report focuses on the teacher situation (paras 1340 to 1549)
The International Labour Organisation jurisprudence also stresses the importance of the“principle of prompt and fair trial by an independent and impartial judiciary in all cases, including cases in which trade unionists are charged with political or criminal offences.”
UPDATE: The appeal of BTA leaders, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi Abu Dheeb, has been postponed to 19 February, in order to include the recommendations of the BICI report, which in effect will prolong the detention of Mahdi. Despite the worrying health condition of the BTA President, the court refused to release him, as his lawyers had requested. Jalila, who was in contact with Mahdi for the first time since July, reported to EI that he was "very thin, weak and pale".
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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1. Contact your government and the diplomatic representation of Bahrain in your country, requesting them to urge the Bahraini authorities to:
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- Revoke the sentences againstJalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb and drop all charges againstother BTA leaders;
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- Reinstate the teachers dismissed and the students expelled, together with their salaries and scholarships;
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- Drop the suspension of all teachers and academics;
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- Respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of teachers, students and union activists in accordance with international labours norms;
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- Implement the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
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- Engage in a respectful and peaceful dialogue to set up and institutionalise mechanisms to respect fundamental human rights of Bahraini teachers and to end the violations which include arbitrary arrests, detentions, unjust sentencing and dismissals.
Send appeals to:
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- His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain
Fax: +973 17664587
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- Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister
Fax: +973 17533033; +973 175 32839
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- H.E. Majid bin Ali al-Naimi, Minister of Education
Fax: +973 17273656; E-mail: moe@moe.gov.bh
Copies to:
2. Express your solidarity with the Bahraini Teachers Association, through EI.
3. Give visibility to the situation of teachers in Bahrain in your magazine, on your website, during meetings and via other appropriate means.
4. You can show your solidarity with the Bahraini teachers by sending a message to the Bahraini government through the LabourStart campaign.
Learn more about the context of teachers’ unions rights in Bahrain and what EI has done so far by checking information on the EI website http://www.ei-ie.org
EI will endeavour to keep you updated on all developments. For additional information or to discuss possible action, contact the EI Human and Trade Union Rights Coordinator.
