Amnesty International has today called on the Bahrain authorities to halt its intensified crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and movement after a week which has seen the suspension of the country’s main opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and the stripping of the nationality of its spiritual leader, and the arrest of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience Nabeel Rajab.
The past week has also seen a group of five activists, including human rights defenders, prevented from travelling to Geneva to take part in the United Nations Human Rights Council session and Jalila al-Salman, vice-president of the Bahrain Teacher’s Association, prevented from travelling to Oslo to take part in the Arthur Svensson award ceremony. On Saturday, another human rights defender, Abdulnabi al-Ekri, was also prevented from travelling to Geneva.