2011 Detention
On 5 April 2011, along with members of the Bahrain national football team A'ala and Mohamed Hubail, Sayed Mohamed Adnan was arrested by the Bahraini authorities, who claimed that the footballers had taken part in "illegal, violent protests". Local human rights activists maintained that the three footballers, together with more than 150 other sportsmen, women and administrators, had been targeted for punishment because they had been involved in protests against the government.
On 23 June, it was announced that Mohamed Hubail had been secretly tried and sentenced to two years in prison by the Bahraini special security court established under the martial law regime imposed in March 2011. On 24 June FIFA, the world football governing body, announced that it had asked the Bahraini football authorities to provide information about cases of players detained during political protests.
Following allegations of government interference in the sport after Mohammed Hubail's prison sentence and the suspension of over 150 athletes, coaches and referees for taking part in anti-government protests, Bahrain faced a ban from world soccer. Suspension by FIFA could prevent Bahrain participating in Asian Olympic Games qualifying round matche.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, the trials appeared to bear the marks of political persecution and there were serious concerns that the due process rights of the defendants were not respected. On 29 June 2011 the Bahrain News Agency reported that the Bahrain Defence Force military public prosecutor had announced that "defendants involved at medical and sport crimes" had been released, but trials would continue in accordance with Bahraini legal procedures.
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Famous quotes containing the word detention:
“I would like you to understand completely, also emotionally, that I’m a political detainee and will be a political prisoner, that I have nothing now or in the future to be ashamed of in this situation. That, at bottom, I myself have in a certain sense asked for this detention and this sentence, because I’ve always refused to change my opinion, for which I would be willing to give my life and not just remain in prison. That therefore I can only be tranquil and content with myself.”
—Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937)