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12 May 2014

Dear Mrs. Miriklis,

I am writing to you in utter shock and sheer disappointment at the decision of BPW International to award the Prime Minister of Bahrain1, Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, with

the BPW International President’s Gold Award. To salvage the reputation of BPW International, and for the respect of Bahraini women suffering over the last 41 years that

the Prime Minister of Bahrain has been in power, I urge you to rescind the award.

BPW International is an organisation founded upon the principles of gender equality and the empowerment of women. According to Article II of BPW Constitution XXVI (2008)2, the aim of your organisation is to work for “equal opportunities and status for women in the

economic, civil and political life in all countries” and “the removal of discrimination”. Moreover, as outlined by the 2002 BPW International Handbook3, your vision is to

“achieve a just and equal status for women in all levels and areas of society.”

You have worked to advocate in opposition to violence against women alongside

organisations such as the United Nations and have even launched a survey4 in 2012 claiming, “Violence against women and girls cannot be ignored. We must join hands to

build a future that is free from Violence Against Women and Girls. As we fill the survey, we

must ask ourselves, AM I DOING ENOUGH?”

1 http://bpw-international.org/bpw-worldwide/bpw-africa/latest-news-bpw-africa 2 http://www.bpw-international.org/BPW-Previous/pdf/BPW-I-Constitution 08.pdf 3 http://www.bpw-international.org/images/pdf/Handbook 2002.pdf 4 http://bpw-international.org/s-work/leading-advocacy/violence-against-women

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It is therefore out of utter shock that I find the same organisation awarding the leader of a

country that has in the past three years killed, tortured, degraded, ill-treated, sexually abused, arbitrarily imprisoned, threatened and insulted innocent women.

In February 2011, thousands of Bahrainis, including innocent women and girls, took to the

streets peacefully demanding human rights, civil liberties and equality. Men, women and children of all sects and backgrounds stood together in their calls for justice. The result

was a vicious crackdown against them leading to the killing of over 120 individuals and the torture and imprisonment of thousands. Women and girls had their homes forcefully

raided nightly, they were battered, abused and made to witness members of their family receiving the same treatment. Their houses are pelted with tear gas canisters nightly (and to this day) and their children are sitting in prison’s solitary confinement without an inch of

human security.

“Am I doing enough?”

On April 2013, a woman—Rihanna Al-Mosawi5—attempted to stage a protest during the Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Bahrain. She was arrested and detained appearing in

court for the first time on 11 July 2013. Rihanna was stripped twice during her detention, forced to stand naked in the prison corridors whilst security personnel watched and

threatened her with rape. Rihanna was later tortured. The court sent her back to prison despite her revelations and later sentenced her to five years imprisonment.

On 15 March 2011, a woman—Bahiya Abdelrasool Alaradi—was shot in the head and

killed by Bahrain security forces whilst driving. Her family were not told of her location and only informed of her death four days later. No one was ever held accountable to date.

Two other women—Zainab Al Juma and Zainab Al Tajer6—were subsequently killed through the excessive and disproportionate use of tear gas by security forces in villages.

Zainab Al Tajer was a disabled woman who could not even move when tear gas was shot into her home.

5 http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/6243 6 http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4861

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Even women professionals have been targeted in this manner. In 2011, Dr. Fatima Haji

was arrested for treating wounding injured protesters, during a home raid by masked men. She was blindfolded in detention, punched, kicked and forced to stand for several

days whilst being sexually molested without food or water. Another woman doctor, Dr. Nada Dhaif, was also arrested for treating protesters in 2011 and subjected to torture and

ill treatment.

More than 40 masked policemen arrested Deputy President of the Bahrain Teachers Association, Mrs Jalila Al Salman, on 29 March 2011. She was threatened with rape,

beaten and forced to stand in solitary confinement. She was prevented from going to the toilet, drinking water and fed dirt.

Mrs Rula Al Saffar, President of the Bahrain Nursing Society, was also arrested on 4 April 2011 for providing treatment to injured protesters in hospital. During her detention she

was tortured, subjected to sexual assaults and threatened with rape.

“Am I doing enough?”

Bahrain ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2002 with four damaging reservations that eliminates the essence of the

Convention. This were Article 2 on the adoption of measures to eliminate discrimination; Article 9(2) on the transmission of nationality to children through their mother; Article 15(4)

on the freedom of movement of women and choice of residences; and Article 16 on marriage and divorce. In 2008 UN CEDAW Committee, a committee that BPW

International claims to work with, stressed7 that these reservations are “contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention.”

Whilst your organisation is handing the Prime Minister and award, Bahrain under his

administration has not even adopted measures to eliminate discrimination against women and have gone further in discriminating against women in national legislation8. Bahraini

7 http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws42.htm 8 http://adhrb.org/2014/03/adhrb-advocacy-associate-delivers-oral-intervention-on-womens-rights/

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women are systematically discriminated against through family laws9 including marriage,

divorce, custody of children and nationality. Even the representation of women in political life, which the award supposedly recognises, has been abysmal. Only 27.5% of the upper

house of Parliament, members of which are appointed by the King based on loyalty, are women. There are no women judges10 in the Sharia or Criminal Courts and only 7 women

judges in civil courts. Moreover, marital rape is not considered a crime by the government and domestic violence is not addressed in the penal code. This was criticised by Human

Rights Watch in their 2014 world human rights report.11

According to the 2014 Human Rights Watch annual report12, “Bahrain’s human rights record regressed further in key areas in 2013 and the government made little real progress

regarding reforms it claimed to pursue.” This has included continued torture, ill treatment,

arbitrary detention, prosecution and harassment of government critics, the lack of

accountability, the lack of freedoms of association, expression and assembly and the failure to protect women and migrant workers.

The Committee to Protect Journalists13 has ranked Bahrain as 2nd worst in the world for number of journalists imprisoned per capita and Freedom House ranked Bahrain, in its

2014 World Freedom Report14, as ‘Not Free’ and as the 3rd worst country in the Middle East and North Africa for Freedom. The US State Department 2013 Human Rights

Report15 found that Bahrain takes part in the arbitrary or unlawful depravation of life, torture and degrading treatment. It also found that prison conditions are ‘harsh’ and that

both youths and adults are mistreated and abused in detention. In December 2013 Amnesty International showed dismay at findings of arbitrary detention, abuse, torture

and sexual assault against children in Bahrain by security forces.

9 http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared Documents/BHR/INT_CEDAW_NGO_BHR_14750_E.pdf 10 http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper 11 http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/bahrain?page=3 12 http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/bahrain 13 https://cpj.org/2014/02/attacks-on-the-press-in-2013-bahrain.php 14 http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/middle-east-and-north-africa-fact-sheet%22 %5Cl %22.U14qddyCt5G 15 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/220560.pdf

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It is extremely disappointing that your organisation has ignored all of this and decided to

hand an award to the Prime Minister. If you do not rescind the award, the reputation of your organisation and its legitimacy will be in tatters. This letter will also be sent to your

relevant partners, funders and award organisers.

I hope that you consider the above and re-consider the award in solidarity and respect for the women in Bahrain that continue to live in fear and distress as a result of the Prime

Minister’s crackdown.

Yours Sincerely, Ahmed Ali

Head of Legal Affairs Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy

45 Chalton Street London NW1 1HY