Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

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59 Year-Old Electrical Engineer Confined in Jail for Four Years – Hearings Re-Scheduled 20 Times, Finally Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

May 7, 2017

Dr. Khalil al-Halwachi, a Bahraini electrical engineer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for nonviolent expressive and associative activity.  Professor al-Halwachi was arrested in September 2014 because of  his association with a political group.  However, his charges did not relate to the group or his involvement with them.  He was charged with “possession of a firearm,” which was found when the police raided his home (al-Halwachi denies it was his and professes that it was planted) and “insulting the judiciary” (he stood in court and complained about court procedures).  Dr. al-Halwachi professes that he is jailed for his non-violent and peaceful political activism.  Dr. al-Halwachi indicates that he suffers from medical problems, including a stroke he suffered while confined, and for which he is not receiving medical care.  CCS has written the King requesting  a review of the case and Dr. al-Halwachi’s immediate release.

Status Update (2/9/2018): Daughter of Khalil al-Halwachi reports that prison conditions are deplorable after a visit to see her father. Food is served in Clorox bottles, prisoners unable to shower for days at a time, bugs, pebbles and coins have been found baked in bread that is served to prisoners, water for showers is weak and very cold.
http://en.abna24.com/news/bahrain/bahraini-activist-jaw-detainees-receive-food-in-bottles-used-for-household-cleaning-products_881683.html

Prior to, and following his sentencing, CCS and Scholars at Risk have called for his release as he is imprisoned for expressing his opinion and non-violent associative activity.

May 3, 2017

King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 1766 4587

Your Majesty:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

The Committee wrote you on March 21st expressing concern for Professor Khalil al-Halwachi, a 59-year old Bahraini electrical engineer and academic professor who has been in prison since his arrest in early September, 2014. We initially wrote you in September 2016 requesting that you review his case as he had a court hearing scheduled for October 20th. That hearing was postponed and reset for October 31st. That hearing, too, was rescheduled for December 29th (he has been subjected to 20 hearing cancellations). Finally, a hearing was held to address his case and on March 23rd he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Although he was arrested over two years ago, hearings in his case have repeatedly been delayed, conditions in the prison were reported as so harsh that he and others inmates have gone on hunger strikes in protest.  We are asking you to please review this case and release Dr. al-Halwachi as quickly as possible.

If we can provide you further information, please let us know and we will do what we can to assist.

Sincerely,

 

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Cc:

His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime Minister, Kingdom of Bahrain
PO Box 1000
Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain
info@moa.gov.bh
973 1 753 6343

The Honorable Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

OHCHR
Palais des Nations
CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland
InfoDesk@ohchr.org
41-22 917 9220

The Honorable William V. Roebuck

United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain
American Embassy in Manama Bahrain
Building 979, Road 3119, Block 331
Zinj District
Manama, Bahrain Manama
PAO@state.gov
973 1727 2594

The Honorable Rex Tillerson

United States Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC  20520
202-647-1579

Clare Robinson

Scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu
212-995-4427

Filed Under: Bahrain Tagged With: Academic, Bahrain, Dr. Khalil al-Halwachi, Electrical Engineer, Professor

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

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