URGENT ACTION

HARASSMENT OF SEVERELY ILL EX-MP CONTINUES

Osama al-Tamimi, a former MP who has suffered continued harassment together with his family by security forces, suffered a stroke following his arrest on 6 August 2019, leading to his hospitalization. Following his release by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) on 11 August 2019, Osama al-Tamimi attempted to leave Bahrain to Oman to seek medical care on 16 August 2019. The airport authorities did not allow him to board the plane, citing a travel ban. The police later summoned him to appear at the al-Hoora police station on 18 August 2019; as his health deteriorated further he was immediately transferred to hospital where he was diagnosed with renal failure.
  
TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Minister of Interior Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah Al Khalifa 
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 1723 2661
   Twitter: @moi_Bahrain 
Your Excellency

On 6 August 2019, following his arrest by the authorities, former Bahraini parliamentarian, Osama Jaber Muhana Al-Tamimi, suffered a stroke and was taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex. After his release, he discharged himself from hospital to seek private treatment.

On 11 August 2019, Osama al-Tamimi was released by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). In the early hours of 16 August, he attempted to leave Bahrain to Oman with his family. The authorities at Bahrain International Airport prevented them from travelling, citing a travel ban imposed by the public prosecution as investigations into fraud allegations were still ongoing. The same day, while he was receiving private medical treatment, police surrounded his home and served him with summons to appear at the al-Hoora police station. On 18 August, Al-Tamimi attended the summons accompanied by his lawyer. As his health deteriorated, he was not interrogated, and he was immediately transferred by ambulance to hospital again. Since then, he has suffered kidney failure for which he is now undergoing dialysis in a private clinic. His home is permanently under surveillance by members of the State Security who have been harassing members of his family. Police detained him again on 29 August after checking out of a medical clinic, citing that he would be interrogated by a forgery expert. He was released the next day. Amnesty International has strong reasons to believe that his investigation by the CID on fraud allegation could be politically motivated.

We call on you to order a halt to the harassment of Osama al-Tamimi and his family and to guarantee that pending his trial, his due process rights are respected in line with international standards of fair trials. We also urge you to lift the travel ban imposed on him if he requires specialist medical treatment abroad.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Former MP Osama Jaber Muhana al-Tamimi was known as a harsh critic of the Bahraini government while in parliament and as one of the few Sunni parliamentarians willing to speak out against the Sunni ruling elite’s repression of the majority Shi’a population. Since 2012, Osama al-Tamimi has been subjected to a pattern of harassment by government authorities and false accusations in the government-linked press, while several unresolved crimes have targeted al-Tamimi’s personal safety and businesses. On 6 August 2019 members of the CID arrested his at his home. The CID later issued a statement announcing that he had been arrested for fraud.

On 9 August, Osama al-Tamimi is seen, under police guard, in the emergency department of the Salmaniya Medical Complex, a governmental hospital. On 11 August, his family established that he had suffered a stroke and they were allowed a short visit, the first since his arrest. The same day, the CID released him and despite his family’s and doctors’ advice, he discharged himself and sought private medical treatment. In the following days, Osama al-Tamimi suffered several nose bleeds, had difficulties eating and breathing. On 15 August, while he was visiting his doctor at the private hospital accompanied by his brother, members of the CID came to his home asking to see him and scared the family. This prompted him to decide to travel abroad, first to Oman. 

In the early hours of 16 August, the airport authorities stopped him and his family from travelling. The same day, while he was attending treatment in a private hospital, policemen surrounded his home where his children were home alone. They then slipped under the door written summons to appear at al-Hoora police station two days later and shouted that they would raid the home if Osama al-Tamimi did not comply with the summons. On 18 August, after visiting his doctor, he attended the police station accompanied by his lawyer. But in view of his medical deterioration, the CID postponed the interrogation and instead called an ambulance to transfer him immediately to Salmaniya hospital. On 21 August, Osama al-Tamimi was diagnosed with kidneys failure: one kidney stopped working and the other is functioning at 30%. On 25 August, he underwent his first dialysis and is now hospitalized in a private clinic.

Since 16 August 2019, members of the State Security have regularly been surrounding Osama al-Tamimi’s home, scaring and harassing members of his family despite the fact that he is being hospitalized and in a very serious condition. On 29 August, al-Tamimi’s young daughter posted on her Instagram account: “Large number of police officers are breaking our doors now and my father is in the hospital”. The State police entered and sent all the family members present in the house to their bedrooms and switched off the electricity mains. This resulted in Osama al-Tamimi’s three-year-old child fainting and having difficulty breathing. Al-Tamimi then decided to check himself out again from the clinic to be with his family. When he arrived at the house, the police were there to detain him again stating that he would be interrogated by a forgery expert. The next day, al-Tamimi was released and his family took him again for private treatment.  

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Arabic and English 
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 15 October 2019 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFERRED PRONOUN: Osama Jaber Muhana al-Tamimi (he/him)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde11/0858/2019/en/

Additional Targets

Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs 
P. O. Box 450, al-Manama, Bahrain 
Fax: +973 1753 1284
E-form: http://www.moj.gov.bh/en/ 
Twitter: @Khaled_Bin_Ali
Salutation: Your Excellency

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

HIS EXCELLENCY SHAIKH FAWAZ BIN MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
30 Belgrave Square SW1X 8QB Tel: 020 7201 9170 Fax: 020 7201 9183 information@bahrainembassy.co.uk 

Please check with your section before sending appeals after the above date.