Ebtisam al Saegh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ebitsam al Saegh | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Human rights defender |
| Organization | SALAM DHR |
| Known for | human rights activism |
Ebtisam al Saegh is a human rights defender from Bahrain with the organisation SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR).[1] She is considered a "vital human rights advocate" at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly dangerous in Bahrain.[2]
In November 2016 al Saegh was questioned by authorities under suspicion of “inciting hatred against the Bahraini regime” and “threatening public safety and security” for posts she had made on Twitter.[3]
In May 2017, Amnesty International documented the arrest, torture, including sexual assault, of Ebtisam al-Saegh at the Bahrain's National Security Agency (NSA).[4] When al-Saegh was detained in May 2017, she was physically and sexually abused, and received threats to murder her and her children.[5] She was told by the officers involved in her torture that she was being targeted because she was a human rights defender and that her perpetrators were from Bahrain's NSA.[6]
On 3 July 2017, Ebtisam al-Saegh tweeted about the ill treatment of women at the hands of the NSA and held the King of Bahrain responsible for their actions.[7] On the night of 3–4 July 2017, al Seagh was detained at approximately 11:45 p.m. local time by state security forces. According to Amnesty International, around 25 officers claiming to belong to the Criminal Investigation Directorate arrived at her house in five civilian cars and a minibus without an arrest warrant.
Her whereabouts are unknown and the fear is she will face the same or worse treatment this time.