GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Women continued to face various forms of gender-based violence, including being targeted as instruments of political revenge. Local women activists raised concerns about the safety and security of several women whose intimate photographs, videos and messages were leaked from the private accounts of arrested opposition activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev (see above, Freedom of expression and association). The activists accused the government of being behind the leaks and making those women targets of violence, including from their own families, by releasing their names, images and, in one case, their home address. The investigation into the alleged cybercrime was ongoing at the end of the year. 1. Azerbaijan: As Azerbaijani forces assume full control over NagornoKarabakh, it must respect and protect the rights of local ethnic Armenians, 29 September 2. Suggested Recommendations to States under Review in the 44th session of the UPR Working Group, 06 November 2023 – 17 November 2023, 14 September 3. “Azerbaijan: Blockade of Lachin corridor putting thousands of lives in peril must be immediately lifted”, 9 February 4. “Azerbaijan: Authorities must immediately release prominent scholar Gubad Ibadoghlu”, 7 September BAHRAIN Kingdom of Bahrain The rights of people deprived of their liberty were violated, although reports of torture and other ill-treatment declined compared to previous years. Authorities continued to harass and prosecute their critics, repressed some peaceful protests and twice blocked Shia Muslims from reaching the main Shia mosque in Bahrain. BACKGROUND In March, Bahrain hosted an assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a body bringing together elected legislatures from around the world. In late August, Bahrain invited members of OHCHR, the UN human rights The State of the World’s Human Rights office, to visit the country, then cancelled the visit on 13 September, the day before it was to begin. The same day, Bahrain signed a new agreement to bolster military and commercial ties with the USA. On 15 September, at a UK airport, Bahraini authorities prevented a delegation, including exiled human rights activist Maryam AlKhawaja and leaders from Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders and ActionAid Denmark, from boarding a flight to Bahrain.1 DETAINEES’ RIGHTS Until September, authorities at Jaw Prison kept inmates in their cells 23 hours a day and prevented hundreds of Shia prisoners convicted of violent or non-violent opposition to the government from holding group religious ceremonies in the prison prayer room, a restriction not applied to other prisoners. The prison administration continued at times to arbitrarily and punitively cancel prisoners’ phone calls and visits. Between 7 August and 11 September, hundreds of Shia prisoners staged a hunger strike to protest at these forms of illtreatment, which are contrary to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The prison authorities subsequently agreed to allow prisoners two hours a day out of their cells, group prayers twice a day in groups of up to 50 in the prayer room, and more calls and visits under better conditions. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Reports of torture and other ill-treatment declined compared to previous years. On 15 August, guards at Jaw Prison peppersprayed and beat prisoner Ahmed Jaafar for demanding to meet a higher-ranking officer to discuss the hunger strikers’ demands. Throughout most of the year, the prison authorities denied adequate medical treatment to imprisoned human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, arbitrarily cancelling his hospital appointments or making him wait for appointments for hours 89