Asylum seeker deported by NL unjustly given life in prison in Bahrain: Amnesty Int'l

A Bahraini asylum seeker who was deported by the Netherlands was sentenced to life in prison in his native country, without being given a trial, Amnesty International and asylum seekers' organization VluchtelingenWerk said to NRC based on discussions with his family. Ali Mohammed Al Showaikh's nationality was also revoked and he was fined 1 thousand euros, NOS reports based on reports based on reports in local media.

The 27-year-old Showaikh fled to the Netherlands in 2017 because he feared reprisals because of his brother's political activities. His asylum application was rejected and he was deported to Bahrain in October. According to Amnesty, he was arrested upon arrival and then tortured. Last week Thursday he was convicted for helping "refugees accused of belonging to a terrorist group", according to local media.

According to Amnesty International and VluchtelingenWerk, the Netherlands is guilty of a serious human rights violation, because Showaikh was sent back while "it is known how Bahrain treats relatives of political activists". Since 2016 the human rights situation in the country deteriorated significantly and over 150 critics and their family members were subjected to severe repression, Amnesty International previously said.

When asked about Showaikh's sentence, the Dutch immigration and naturalization service IND told NRC that it "never responds to individual case histories".