Bahrain woman teacher rearrested

Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:35PM GMT

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Jalila al-Salman, deputy head of the Bahrain Teachers' Association

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have rearrested the Vice President of Bahrain Teachers Association, Jalila al-Salman, in an overnight attack on her house.

Regime forces broke into Jalila al-Salman's home at 3:00 a.m local time on Wednesday and detained her without an official notice or arrest warrant.

Witnesses say more than 30 masked security forces in civilian clothes were involved in the operation.

Her arrest came just a few days after she spoke about her detention and having been tortured by regime forces. She had also talked about the human rights situation in Bahrain.

A military court has already sentenced her to three years in jail for attempting to overthrow the Al Khalifa regime. She is now awaiting an appeals court verdict.

Amnesty International has condemned her re-arrest, saying that her detention "appears to have been intended to intimidate her and her family and to put them through another terrifying ordeal."

"She has told us how she was previously ill-treated and verbally abused after she was arrested in the middle of the night by armed officials following popular protests in Bahrain in March. This latest action by the security forces inevitably raises renewed concerns about her safety in detention," Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Malcolm Smart said following Salman's arrest.

"She does not present a serious flight risk but has continued to speak out about her own experiences in detention and the plight of others, leading us to fear that this is the reason for the action taken against her this morning," Smart added.

Jalila al-Salman was released from jail on bail on Aug. 21 after her health seriously deteriorated due to her refusal to eat. She had gone on hunger strike on Aug. 5 in protest to her illegal detention and torture. She was hospitalized on August 16 with chest pain and released days later.

HM/PKH/HGH