Dutch Channel: Ali Al-Shuwaikh Extradition Case Internally Discussed in the Netherlands, Opposition Makes Move to Uncover Circumstances

2019-03-11 - 8:42 م

Bahrain Mirror: A report aired by the Dutch (1V) Channel said that some opposition parties in Amsterdam began to move to uncover the circumstances surrounding Bahraini detainee stripped of his nationality Ali Al-Shuwaikh, who was handed over by the Dutch authorities to Bahrain in October 2018.

The report said the Dutch Government "unfortunately, carelessly dealt with the deportation of the refugee Mohammad" and even the Prime Minister (Mark Rota) said "we will not do anything to prevent his deportation and we will not follow the decision of the Immigration Department".

The channel stated that Amnesty issued a stern stance on Al-Shuwaikh case, and the harsh verdict against him, as he was deported to Bahrain last autumn and was treated harshly by the Bahraini regime as soon as he arrived. He was also sentenced to life imprisonment.

It said that what happened to Ali Al-Shuwaikh was a reprisal against him "due to the political activism of his brother who obtained asylum in Germany, while Ali's asylum request was rejected by the Dutch immigration."

The channel said "Ali Al-Shuwaikh's lawyer filed an appeal against the verdict through the court, but the immigration department rapidly extradited him to Bahrain before waiting for the appeal's outcome," adding that "Amnesty International considered it a human rights abuse, because human rights in Bahrain are not good, and the news that had arrived in recent years confirm significant human rights violations in this country."

The channel hosted a guest who confirmed that "Bahrain has been suffering from dictatorship for many years, and any dissident is sentenced to lengthy jail terms."

The report showed that after the Arab Spring, freedoms in Bahrain dramatically deteriorated, and that "since then, the regime has dealt harshly with its opponents."

The report also talked about the arrest of prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, whose case received a big echo, noting that the world was shocked due to the violent way the regime dealt with his dissidents.

The report also tackled the case of "Bahraini footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi who was arrested in Thailand and was about to be deported to Bahrain, claiming he participated in acts against the regime in Bahrain."

The broadcaster wondered "Why the deportation of this player to Bahrain stopped, while the Bahraini refugee the Netherlands was deported? Did the Netherlands make a mistake in the deportation decision?"

The second broadcaster in the studio said "the organizations that moved to help him in the Netherlands worked under the law of not returning the refugee to his country if there is a danger to his life, and this law is still controversial when a Sudanese refugee was also returned."

"The human aspect was supposed to be taken into account as well as the risk that will face the refugee who was deported to his homeland, but unfortunately this aspect has not been taken into account," said the Dutch university professor Ashley Tarlau in the report.

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