Hasan Mushaima ( ar, حسن مشيمع) is an opposition leader in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

and the secretary-general of the

Haq Movement The Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy ( ar, حركة حق حركة الحريات والديمقراطية) is an opposition political organization in Bahrain founded in November 2005 with Hasan Mushaima as its secretary general. Several of ...

, an important opposition party in Bahrain. Before forming Haq, he was a founding member of

Al Wefaq Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية; ), sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, was a Shi'a Bahraini political party, that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest co ...

and a leading figure in the 1994 uprising in Bahrain. He has campaigned for more democratic rights in

, and has been in prison in Bahrain since his arrest in 2011.

Political activity

1990s uprising

The Bahraini government has placed Mushaima under arrest several times, twice arresting him during the 1994 uprising. He was later jailed from March 1995 to September 1995 and again from January 1996 till February 2001. Mushaima was re-arrested in February 2007 and jailed for one day, and then was arrested and imprisoned again from January 2009 to April 2009.

Political activities in 2000s

In 2010 Mushaima traveled to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

to be treated for lung cancer.

Bahraini uprising (2011–present)

Ali Mushaima outside the Bahraini Embassy

Mushaima announced plans to return to Bahrain during the protests in February 2011, but authorities detained him in Lebanon while en route, possibly at the request of the Bahraini government. Mushaima finally did return to Bahrain on Saturday, February 26, 2011. On that day, he was described by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

as being "welcomed like a rock star," by protestors in

Pearl Square The GCC Roundabout, known as Pearl Roundabout or Lulu Roundabout (Arabic: ', "Roundabout of the pearl(s)" was a roundabout located near the financial district of Manama, Bahrain. The roundabout was named after the pearl monument that previously ...

. He reportedly told followers that "The dictator fell in Tunisia, the dictator fell in Egypt and the dictator should fall here." On 7 March 2011, Mushaima along with

Abdulwahab Hussain Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed Esmael ( ar, عبدالوهاب حسين علي أحمد إسماعيل) is a Bahraini political activist,Saeed Alshehabi Saeed al-Shehabi (Arabic:سعيد الشهابي, born 1954) is a London-based Bahraini political activist, journalist, commentator and member of the Bahrain Freedom Movement Bahrain Freedom Movement The Bahrain Freedom Movement ( ar, حركة أحرار البحرين الإسلامية, Harakat Ahrar al-Bahrayn) is a London-based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque. Its main medium is the Voice of B ...

, formed the "Alliance for the Republic" (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

:التحالف من أجل الجمهورية), because of their belief that the Bahraini regime lost legitimacy after the harsh crackdown on protesters using heavy weapons. One month after protests, the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

sent 1,500+ PSF troops (1,000 Saudi, some Qatari troops and 500 Emirati policemen) to crush the popular uprising there and also sent the Kuwaiti Navy to stop any aid to the protesters by sea. After the protesters were kicked from the Pearl Roundabout, many known rights activists operating in Bahrain were arrested, including Mushaima. On 22 June 2011, Mushaima was sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court for "attempting to overthrow the monarchy". On 30 April 2012, a Bahraini court ordered a civilian retrial of Mushaima and 20 other men convicted of leading the uprising. In 2018, Mushaima's son Ali Mushaima began a hunger strike outside the Bahraini embassy in London, protesting the denial of medical treatment for political prisoners including Hassan Mushaima. On 15 September 2021, he declined a conditional release offer.

References

Front Line: Ongoing harassment of Bahraini human rights defenders

Clashes erupt after two opposition figures are held in Bahrain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mushaima, Hasan Bahraini activists Bahraini dissidents Bahraini Shia Muslims Haq Movement politicians Living people 1948 births People of the Bahraini uprising of 2011 Republicanism in Bahrain Bahraini prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Bahrain Political prisoners in Bahrain

Political activity

1990s uprising

Political activities in 2000s

Bahraini uprising (2011–present)

See also

References