Bahrain Mirror: Amnesty International urged the Bahraini authorities to "disclose Ali Isa al-Tajer's legal status and where he is detained, and give him immediate access to his family and lawyer," stressing that they "ensure that Ali Isa al-Tajer is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and is given prompt access to any medical attention he may require." Amnesty also called on Bahrain "to release him unless he is charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offence."

"Ali Isa al-Tajer was arrested on 5 November in Bahrain and has had no access to his family or lawyer since. It is not known where he is held, or whether he has been charged. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment," stressed Amnesty in a statement issued on Thursday (November 26, 2015).

"Ali Isa al-Tajer, a manager at the Al Khunaizi Group construction company, was arrested at around 5pm on 5 November at his family home in the village of al-Dair, by masked police officers in plain clothes. They came into the house through the back door without any warning and searched Ali Isa al-Tajer's room and car, taking his mobile phone and two laptops. They did not present any search or arrest warrants, or say why they were arresting him. They told his family they were taking him to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). Ali Isa al-Tajer's arrest and detention may be linked to the work of his brother Mohamed al-Tajer, a well-known human rights lawyer," it added.

"Ali Isa al-Tajer called his family about an hour after his arrest and said he was at the CID, but the number he called from was in the al-Qalaa area, where the Ministry of Interior's National Security Agency (NSA) is known to be located, not ‘Issa Town, where the CID is. This, together with the lack of information given about the reason for Ali Isa al-Tajer's arrest and place of detention, has led his family to believe he may be held by the NSA. Ali Isa al-Tajer called his family very briefly on 11 November and said the detaining officers had told him he would soon be released. He called again six days later and said only that he would soon be released. He called again on 24 November and said the same thing. Each time he has called his family, it has been from the area of al-Qalaa," Amnesty further stated.

According to the organization, his lawyer, his brother Mohamed al-Tajer, has written to several institutions including the Special Investigations Unit, Inspector General of the NSA and the Ombudsman of the Ministry of Interior, asking where Ali Isa al-Tajer is detained, what, if any, charges he is being interrogated about and if he has been charged, and asking to be present during Ali Isa al-Tajer's interrogation. He has not received any response, nor has Amnesty International, who wrote to the Bahraini authorities on 13 November.

Arabic Issue