Petition for the release of Ebrahim Sharif in Bahrain

Meeting of the SI Council at the United Nations in Geneva, 12-13 December 2014

12 December 2014

We, the undersigned, on behalf of the Socialist International are writing to request the immediate and unconditional release of Ebrahim Sharif, the iconic nationalistic leader and former Secretary General of the National Democratic Action Society (Waad), who is a prisoner of conscience serving a five (5) year sentence in the prisons of Bahrain in the aftermath of the 2011 popular rights movement.

Sharif has languished in prison despite his unequivocal status as a political prisoner and has been charged under laws which were conveniently applied to restrict basic freedoms and criminalise legitimate opposition to government. We are concerned that the Government of Bahrain, despite its international obligations and confirmations of implementations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) Report recommendations asserting his status as a political prisoner and the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), persistently fails in meeting expectations and complying with its aforementioned obligations.

Sharif has served three quarters of his sentence since his arrest in 2011. In accordance with Bahraini Law of Criminal Procedures, Article 349 stipulates that prisoners shall have the right of early release. Accordingly, we call on the Government of Bahrain to process his release immediately and without further delay to demonstrate its sincerity in instilling genuine reform.

Yours sincerely,

George Papandreou, President

Luis Ayala, Secretary General

 دﺩﯾﻳسمبر 2014

نحن اﺍلموقعونﻥ أﺃدﺩناهﻩ،٬ منظمة اﺍلاشتراﺍكﯿﻴة اﺍلدوﻭلﯿﻴة،٬ نطالب بالإفراﺍجﺝ
اﺍلفورﺭيﻱ وﻭغﯿﻴر اﺍلمشروﻭطﻁ عن إﺇبراﺍھﮪﮬﻫﯿﻴم شرﯾﻳف،٬ اﺍلقائد اﺍلوطﻁني
اﺍلرمز وﻭاﺍلأمﯿﻴن اﺍلعامﻡ اﺍلسابق لجمعﯿﻴة اﺍلعمل اﺍلوطﻁني اﺍلدﯾﻳمقراﺍطﻁي
(وﻭعد) وﻭھﮪﮬﻫو سجﯿﻴن رﺭأﺃيﻱ ﯾﻳقضي حكم اً بالسجن ( 5) سنواﺍتﺕ في
سجونﻥ اﺍلبحرﯾﻳن على اﺍثر مطالبتﮫﻪ بالإصلاحﺡ اﺍلسﯿﻴاسي في أﺃزﺯمة
.2011

وﻭﯾﻳقبع سجﯿﻴن اﺍلرأﺃيﻱ وﻭاﺍلضمﯿﻴر شرﯾﻳف بالسجن رﺭغم كونﮫﻪ سجﯿﻴن
سﯿﻴاسي وﻭقد وﻭجﮭﻬت اﺍتﮭﻬاماتﺕ لﮭﻬم بموجب قواﺍنﯿﻴن طﻁبقت بشكل
ﯾﻳناسب تقﯿﻴﯿﻴد اﺍلحرﯾﻳاتﺕ اﺍلأساسﯿﻴة وﻭتجرﯾﻳم اﺍلمعارﺭضة اﺍلمشروﻭعة
للحكومة. وﻭنحن نشعر بالقلق من أﺃنﻥ حكومة اﺍلبحرﯾﻳن تفشل
باستمراﺍرﺭ في تلبﯿﻴة اﺍلتوقعاتﺕ وﻭاﺍلامتثالﻝ بالتزاﺍماتﮭﻬا اﺍلدوﻭلﯿﻴة،٬ على
اﺍلرغم من تعﮭﻬداﺍتﮭﻬا وﻭتأكﯿﻴدھﮪﮬﻫا بتنفﯿﻴذ توصﯿﻴاتﺕ اﺍللجنة اﺍلبحرﯾﻳنﯿﻴة
اﺍلمستقلة لتقصي اﺍلحقائق وﻭ توصﯿﻴاتﺕ مجلس حقوقﻕ اﺍلانسانﻥ اﺍلتابع
للأمم اﺍلمتحدةﺓ،٬ اﺍلذﯾﻳن بدوﻭرﺭھﮪﮬﻫما ﯾﻳؤكداﺍنﻥ كونﮫﻪ سجﯿﻴن سﯿﻴاسي.

لقد قضى شرﯾﻳف ثلاثة أﺃرﺭباعﻉ فترةﺓ حكمﮫﻪ منذ اﺍعتقالﮫﻪ في عامﻡ
2011 ،٬ وﻭوﻭفقا للمادﺩةﺓ 349 من قانونﻥ اﺍلإجراﺍءاﺍتﺕ اﺍلجنائﯿﻴة
اﺍلبحرﯾﻳني،٬ ﯾﻳكونﻥ للسجناء اﺍلحق في اﺍلإفراﺍجﺝ اﺍلمبكر. وﻭفي ضوء
ذﺫلك،٬ فإننا نطالب حكومة اﺍلبحرﯾﻳن بالإفراﺍجﺝ عنﮫﻪ فورﺭاﺍً وﻭدﺩوﻭنﻥ
مزﯾﻳد من اﺍلتأخﯿﻴر وﻭذﺫلك لتثبﯿﻴت صدقﮭﻬا في غرسﺱ بذوﻭرﺭ اﺍلإصلاحﺡ
اﺍلحقﯿﻴقي.

تفضلواﺍ بقبولﻝ فائق اﺍلاحتراﺍمﻡ،٬
(اﺍلموقعونﻥ)