[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9161-9163]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FREE NABEEL RAJAB

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for the immediate and 
unconditional release of Nabeel Rajab, the prominent Bahraini human 
rights defender who remains in custody in Bahrain after being arrested 
a year ago. He is currently being detained in a hospital.
  Nabeel is a leading human rights activist known across the region and 
beyond for this peaceful views. His work is internationally recognized, 
and he has won several major human rights awards.
  Nabeel has been unjustly imprisoned several times since 2011, when he 
participated in protests against the Government of Bahrain and joined 
calls for democratic reform.
  In April 2015, he was arrested following tweets criticizing the 
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen and the treatment of detainees 
in Bahrain's Juw Prison. He was released after 3 months, but 
prosecutors ordered his rearrest in June of 2016. He is being held on 
numerous charges and is on trial in

[[Page 9162]]

two separate cases for his human rights work. If convicted on all 
charges, he would face up to 18 years in jail.
  So what kinds of charges are we talking about? He is accused of 
insulting national institutions, spreading tendentious rumors, and 
offending a foreign country. In other words, he is accused of 
exercising his right to freedom of speech.
  Last December, a court ordered Nabeel's release on bail, but he was 
immediately rearrested for making ``false or malicious'' statements in 
TV interviews where he criticized Bahrain's refusal to allow 
journalists and human rights groups access to their country.
  I have experienced that, by the way. In August of 2014, I was denied 
permission to visit Bahrain with Brian Dooley, who works with Human 
Rights First.
  Since his arrest last year, Nabeel has undergone two operations, 
suffered heart palpitations, required emergency medical care, and 
developed other medical conditions. After the first operation, he was 
returned to prison with an open wound and had to be rushed back to the 
hospital 3 days later to treat the resulting infection.
  His trials have been postponed more than a dozen times since his 
arrest last year, most recently yesterday. Nabeel has spent most of the 
last 10 months in solitary confinement after The New York Times 
published an op-ed by him last September. In that piece, Nabeel urged 
the Obama administration to use its leverage to resolve the conflict in 
Yemen instead of fanning the flames by supplying arms to the Saudi 
coalition.
  A second New York Times piece by Nabeel appeared just last month on 
May 17, where he urged the Trump administration to review its relations 
with authoritarian regimes like Bahrain.
  I include in the Record these two articles so this House can see for 
itself the kinds of opinions that the Bahraini Government considers so 
dangerous.

                [From the New York Times, Sept. 4, 2016]

                      Letter From a Bahraini Jail

                           (By Nabeel Rajab)

       Riffa, Bahrain.--I write this from a Bahraini jail cell 
     where I have been detained, largely in isolation, since the 
     beginning of summer. This is not new to me: I have been here 
     before, from 2012 to 2014, in 2015, and now again, all 
     because of my work as a human rights defender.
       Nor am I alone: There are some 4,000 political prisoners in 
     Bahrain, which has the highest prison population per capita 
     in the Middle East. This is a country that has subjected its 
     people to imprisonment, torture and even death for daring to 
     desire democracy. My close colleague Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was 
     tortured and sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for his 
     human rights work.
       No one has been properly held to account for systematic 
     abuses that have affected thousands. In 2015, I was arrested 
     on new charges of ``insulting a statutory body'' and 
     ``spreading rumors during a time of war'' for posts on 
     Twitter. The police held me from April to July last year. I 
     was released only after the king of Bahrain issued a pardon 
     in an earlier case, also related to views I had expressed.
       Despite the pardon, the 2015 charges and a travel ban 
     remained in place, and I was threatened with further action. 
     The head of the cybercrimes unit at the Criminal 
     Investigation Directorate in Bahrain summoned me and my 
     family to a meeting, where--in front of my children--he 
     warned me that if I didn't stop my advocacy work, I would 
     face up to 15 years in prison.
       That threat became reality when I was arrested in June. The 
     warrant came from the same cybercrimes unit chief who 
     threatened me last year, and I now face prosecution for my 
     work exposing human rights abuses. The authorities even added 
     a third charge of ``insulting a neighboring country,'' 
     meaning Saudi Arabia. They have also laid a new charge 
     against me of spreading ``false news,'' in relation to 
     interviews I've given to the news media. It's quite the rap 
     sheet.
       My supposed ``insult'' to Saudi Arabia relates to tweets I 
     posted calling for an end to the war in Yemen, a war 
     escalated by the Saudi-led coalition to which Bahrain belongs 
     and for which the United States provides support, The United 
     States has authorized multibillion-dollar arms sales to the 
     Saudis since the war began last year.
       From the beginning, I was against the war. The civilian 
     death toll was immediate and catastrophic, and I spoke out 
     against the unfolding humanitarian crisis, calling for peace. 
     Now, I am paying the price.
       I met Secretary of State John Kerry on his visit to Bahrain 
     earlier this year and was glad to talk with him about our 
     difficult situation. Mr. Kerry criticized the boycott of the 
     2014 election by opposition parties, although the 
     opposition's demand was simply for a constitutional monarchy 
     in place of Bahrain's autocratic system. Since that election, 
     the leader of the largest opposition group, the Wefaq 
     National Islamic Society, was sentenced to nine years for 
     ``promoting violence,'' and the society was suspended and its 
     assets frozen.
       I would like to ask Mr. Kerry now: Is this the kind of ally 
     America wants? The kind that punishes its people for 
     thinking, that prevents its citizens from exercising their 
     basic rights?
       The government has gone after me not only for my comments 
     on Yemen, but also for my domestic activism. One of my 
     charges, ``insulting a statutory body,'' concerns my work 
     shedding light on the torture of hundreds of prisoners in Jaw 
     Prison in March 2015. The State Department has highlighted 
     the same problem, but last year lifted the arms embargo it 
     had placed on Bahrain since the repressions that followed the 
     2011 Arab Spring protests, citing ``meaningful progress on 
     human rights reforms.'' Really?
       After I met Mr. Kerry, I was interrogated at the Interior 
     Ministry by the chief of the cybercrimes unit, the one who 
     later ordered my arrest. He wanted to know everything about 
     my conversation with the secretary of state. That official 
     interrogated me again in April after I signed an open letter, 
     with 25 other activists, calling on President Obama to 
     discuss human rights and the plight of activists in the 
     Middle East when he visited Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
       The Bahraini government tried to pressure me into publicly 
     disavowing the letter. I refused.
       Recent American statements on Bahrain's human rights 
     problems have been strong, and that is good. But unless the 
     United States is willing to use its leverage, fine words have 
     little effect. America's actions, on the other hand, have 
     emboldened the government to detain me and other rights 
     advocates: Its unconditional support for Saudi Arabia and its 
     lifting of the arms ban on Bahrain have direct consequences 
     for the activists struggling for dignity in these countries.
       Instead of fanning the flames in Yemen by supplying arms to 
     the Saudi coalition, Mr. Obama's administration should use 
     its leverage to resolve the conflict. Working to secure the 
     release of people who call for peace, and are trying to build 
     democracy in the region, would serve that aim.
       Update: After this Op-Ed essay was published, Nabeel Rajab 
     was charged with publishing ``false news and statements and 
     malicious rumors that undermine the prestige of the 
     kingdom.''
       Nabeel Rajab is the president of the Bahrain Center for 
     Human Rights and an advisory committee member for Human 
     Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division.
                                  ____


                [From the New York Times, May 17, 2017]

                  Don't Profit From Abuses by Bahrain

                           (By Nabeel Rajab)

       Yemen has entered its third year of war, and war crimes are 
     being committed at an escalating rate. For Yemen's children, 
     facing a man-made famine, this conflict between Houthi rebels 
     and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia has begun a new phase of 
     horrors.
       Despite that, President Trump is planning to make Saudi 
     Arabia the destination of his first state visit this week. 
     Meanwhile, his administration already decided to lift all 
     human rights restrictions on arms sales to my country, 
     Bahrain, which is a partner in the Saudi-led coalition 
     fighting in Yemen. This reckless pursuit of profit without 
     any strings attached--including a lucrative deal for 19 F-16 
     fighter jets worth $2.8 billion--will aid and abet the 
     destruction of Yemen, intensifying the country's humanitarian 
     disaster.
       It fills me with shame that my country, Bahrain, is bombing 
     Yemen, with United States support. And while the Saudi-led 
     coalition continues its air assault on Yemen, Bahrain is also 
     trying to crush civil society back home. This other, domestic 
     campaign is aimed at people who, like me, cannot abide 
     injustice and are willing to speak out.
       Even so, we look to our friends in United States for 
     strength and a united vision for a better future. Americans 
     expect to have a government that is accountable, and that 
     respects and protects its people's rights. That is our great 
     ambition, also, in the Gulf.
       We know we risk much in calling for this. Some of my fellow 
     activists have been tortured, sentenced to life imprisonment, 
     even killed. But I believe that respecting human rights and 
     fundamental freedoms is the way to attain peace, stability 
     and prosperity in any nation; I have devoted my life to that 
     ideal.
       Criticizing war crimes and torture on Twitter, speaking to 
     journalists about our dire situation in Bahrain and the Gulf, 
     and writing this newspaper: For these actions, I now face a 
     total of 18 years' imprisonment. I've already spent more than 
     10 months in jail, mostly in solitary confinement. One of the 
     charges against me derives from my taking a stand against the 
     war in Yemen--not only because it causes misery and tragic 
     loss of life, but also because it fosters violence and 
     terrorism across the region.

[[Page 9163]]

       Does the Trump administration know that former Bahraini 
     soldiers have left the country to join the Islamic State? 
     Does Washington know that Bahrain allows no Shiite citizens 
     in its military even though Shiites are a majority of the 
     population? Does the White House know that the Bahraini Army 
     is a sectarian force that publishes books endorsing the 
     murder of Shiites who do not ``repent''?
       When I criticized the fostering of extremism in the 
     Bahraini Army, I was tossed into prison for six months. 
     Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isaal-Khalifa, has just approved a 
     constitutional amendment allowing military courts to try 
     civilians on unspecified charges of ``terrorism.'' It is a 
     law so vague and sweeping that my act of criticism could now 
     result in a military prosecution.
       This same Bahraini military, newly empowered, will soon be 
     awarded its new American-made jets to fly over Yemen.
       Bahraini citizens recognize that the United States is a 
     superpower, but that status should not depend solely on its 
     military capacity. American power should also be built on 
     respect for justice, equality and human rights--the core 
     principles upon which the United States was founded. It is 
     these values that should dictate American foreign policy, not 
     the profit margin of Lockheed Martin, maker of those F-16s 
     destined for Bahrain.
       The Trump administration must review its relations with 
     authoritarian regimes like Bahrain's. These problematic 
     alliances cost the United States far more in the long term 
     than any gain it makes from arms deals. Human rights and 
     justice should be a consistent priority in American foreign 
     policy, not applied in one case, ignored in another.
       All our destinies are tied together. What will happen to 
     Bahrain if everyone who supports peace, democracy and the 
     rule of law is in jail? To whom will Bahrain's 
     disenfranchised youth turn to for support and guidance? These 
     are the questions the Trump administration must ask itself 
     before it sends my jailers another batch of fighter jets.
       I am realistic about what to expect. After all, President 
     Trump recently played host in Washington to Saudi Arabia's 
     deputy crown prince and Egypt's president for life without 
     bringing up human rights. But I have faith in the American 
     people and civil society, as well as the lawmakers who 
     continue to challenge these shortsighted, morally unsound 
     policies.
       Meanwhile, my trial date kept being moved. First, it was 
     set for April 16. But this was the day of Bahrain's Formula 
     One Grand Prix, the biggest sports event in the country, so 
     that was embarrassing for the government. Then, my trial was 
     rescheduled for May 3. But that happened to be World Press 
     Freedom Day, so the authorities pushed the date back again, 
     to this week.
       My detention has entered its 11th month. My health has 
     declined. I'm recovering from a painful surgical procedure, 
     yet the authorities have made every part of my detention as 
     difficult as possible. My lawyers have been obstructed from 
     providing me the best possible defense. But what I have 
     endured is a small fraction of what the people of Yemen have 
     suffered, largely because of the military intervention of 
     Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and their allies.
       For my part, I will not stand idly by. I urge Americans not 
     to do so, either. They must all call for an end to the Trump 
     administration's unconditional support for my country's 
     misdeeds at home and abroad.
       Nabeel Rajab is the president of the Bahrain Center for 
     Human Rights and an advisory committee member for Human 
     Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division.

  Mr. McGOVERN. Under Obama, the State Department repeatedly called on 
Bahrain to release Nabeel and drop the charges against him. It also 
tied the sale of F-16s to Bahrain to improvements in human rights.
  In contrast, the new administration has lifted the hold on the F-16 
sales and failed to call for Nabeel's release. When President Trump met 
with the King of Bahrain on May 21, he told him: We are going to have a 
very, very long-term relationship. I look forward to it very much--many 
of the same things common.
  It was Trump's quote.
  I am not sure what the President had in mind, but let's review what 
has happened in Bahrain this year. On January 5, the government 
restored arrest and investigation powers to its national security 
agency notorious for torturing detainees in 2011. This reverses one of 
the few security sector reforms outlined in the Bahrain Independent 
Commission of Inquiry that the government carried out.
  On January 15, Bahrain carried out its first execution since 2010, 
killing three men who were allegedly tortured into making false 
confessions.
  On February 21, Bahrain's constitution was amended to allow military 
courts to try civilians.
  On May 31, the government dissolved the secular opposition political 
party Wa'ad, and it was the last major opposition party still operating 
in the country after the al-Wefaq party was dissolved last summer.
  On June 4, the government ordered al-Wasat, the country's only 
independent newspaper, to be suspended indefinitely.
  Mr. Speaker, Bahrain is headed down an increasingly authoritarian 
path. It is closing off all avenues for peaceful dissent.
  But the President of the United States does not get it. Could that 
have to do with the income he earned when the Bahraini Government held 
its National Day celebration at Trump International Hotel last 
December?
  What I know is that appearances matter, and Bahrain is an 
increasingly volatile dangerous place for our military personnel. We 
should not enable the Bahraini Government's repression. I call for the 
immediate and unconditional release of Nabeel Rajab and others jailed 
for their peaceful political views, and I urge the Trump administration 
to join me. I thank my colleagues for listening.

                          ____________________