Bahrain Mirror: Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Laura Boldrini called on the dean of the Italian La Sapienza University to suspend the collaboration between the educational institution and Bahraini authorities, citing the deteriorating human rights situation in the kingdom.

The agreement signed between the university and Bahrain in Rome is related to establishing "King Hamad Chair in Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-Existence". This chair was established in November 2018 and entails direct funding to La Sapienza from the Bahraini government.

The Bahraini authorities have used the King Hamad Chair as evidence of the Kingdom's commitment to freedom of religion, tolerance and interfaith dialogue in international fora, contrary to the severe human rights and freedom repression, according to Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.

Boldrini called on the rector in an urgent letter to put an end to this collaboration as it only serves whitewashing purposes and degrades the integrity of the institution.

Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have consistently issued reports based on numerous testimonies and facts regarding systematic attacks, arbitrary arrests and restrictions on human rights and freedoms in Bahrain.

In the same context, a prominent member of the German Parliament addressed the German Foreign Ministry to inquire about the situation of detained Bahraini human rights activist Abduljalil Al-Singace. Tobias Pflüger asked "to what extent (and in what way) are the Foreign Ministry and German Embassy in Manama taking actions in his favor?

Pflüger said that Al-Signace case is an integral part of the Bahraini government's practices of intimidating political opponents and suppressing critical opinions.

He concluded by saying that the allegations against Al-Singace are politically motivated, and there are evidences that he was tortured and ill-treated in custody, denied the necessary medical care and contact with his family.

Arabic Version