The vice-president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BHCR), Sayed Yousif al-Muhafdha has been detained at a protest commemorating the death of two Bahraini protestors.
Prosecutors ordered that Muhafdha was to be detained for a week due to a pending investigation that claimed Muhafdha had broadcast false information on Twitter.
Muhafdha, who has campaigned for the release of the detained BCHR president, Nabeel Rajab, has also been detained on several occasions by Bahrani authorities.
A BCHR statement described the Bahraini authority’s arrest of Muhafdha as part of an systematic targeting, harassment and detention of human rights defenders in Bahrain, and in particular those associated with the BCHR.”
Last month, the Bahrain government banned all public gatherings and rallies. Government minister, Shekh Rashid Al Khalifah, defended the decision stating, “repeated abuse of the rights to freedom of speech and expression could no longer be accepted.”
