Scores arrested in Bahrain, UNHCR addressed on Saudi HR abuses
Arbitrary arrests of native Bahrainis have continued unabated. Two young men from the town of Karranah were detained two days ago: Ahmed Al Hamadi and Mohammed Al Ejaimi were snatched from their homes and taken to the torture chambers to serve a one-year prison sentence imposed by the khalifis. At least six other Bahraini teenagers have been arrested after being ordered to appear for questioning by police. The boys have been identified as Hassan Muhammad Al-Aboud, Mahmoud Al-Aboud, Ali Abdul-Rasul Al-Aboud, Nasrallah Jaafar Dhaif, Ahmed Ali Hubail, and Reda Ali Kadhem. The six appeared before the public prosecutor’s office. Some of them were detained and harassed by police in the past. On 24th September two native Bahrainis from Sanabis were also detained. Qassim Faisal Al Samei’ and Reda Khaled Khamis were arrested when they were summoned by the torture officials at the Exhibition Road police station. A young Bahraini boy, Mohammed Hassan Radi has also been given one year jail sentence for taking part in a pro-democracy protest.
There has been an outcry against a decision by the Biden administration to support the khalifi torturers. the U.S. Embassy in Manama tweeted it out on Tuesday: Congratulations [Bahraini ministry of interior] law enforcement officers for successfully completing Advanced Social Media Investigations training. The training focused on how terrorists and terrorist organizations use social media for operations, recruiting, and disinformation. This initiative was organized by the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Office and the Antiterrorism Assistance program. The Bahraini government has a very different definition of “terrorism” and “counterterrorism” than Americans might understand those words. Bahraini authorities consider calling for the end of the monarchy or running a human rights organization to be terrorist acts. According to the State Department’s own human rights report, “calling for the end of the monarchy” is “considered a terrorist act” in Bahrain.
Bahrain’s opposition Al-Wefaq group documented more than 130 rights violations at the country’s Jau Prison in the month of August. Most of the violations involve the denial of medical treatment to detainees during the weeks-long mass hunger strike at the detention facility. Political prisoners, Sayed Reda Sayed Khalil and Ali Essa Abdul have begun hunger strike in protest at preventing them from pursuing their studies.
Anger is widely spreading in the country following the death of at least two Bahraini soldiers who were sent to their death by the khalifi dictators. The two were part of the khalifi contribution to the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen that had started in 2015 and ended in disaster for the aggressors. Despite the cessation of most of the hostilities after the defeat of the aggressors, the khalifis continued to send people to their death. On Monday a missile fired by the Yemenis near Jazan on the border with Saudi Arabia killed at least two Bahraini soldiers.
On Thursday 21st September, Human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja resumes his hunger strike after the prison administration failed to fulfil the promise made to him the day before. On Wednesday, two officers had a meeting with Al-Khawaja and informed him that the transfer of prisoners in Building 14 (where leading opposition activists are held) would not involve restraints (handcuffs), and they would not be transported in the Turkish vehicle. They also assured him that an appointment with a cardiologist would be scheduled soon. As a result, Al-Khawaja stopped his hunger strike and signed a statement stating that he had suspended the strike. However, one of the prisoners from the leading activists Building (B 14) went for an external appointment, and a police officer at the gate informed him that they were unaware of any new decisions or changes. Al-Khawaja then decided to resume his hunger strike.
Since the present 54th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva started on 11th September several NGOs addressed the session on the human rights in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. ALQST has made three submissions, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR. It documented the deteriorating human rights situation in the kingdom since the last UPR in 2018. Its submissions include an individual report, covering broad human rights trends in Saudi Arabia, and two joint reports exploring in more depth thematic areas of concern, on digital rights (with Access Now) and the death penalty (with Reprieve, ESOHR, MENA Rights Group, The Freedom Initiative and ECPM).
Saudi Arabia crown prince Mohammed bin Salman says he does not care about accusations of ‘sportswashing’. The Saudi regime has been accused of investing in sport and using high-profile events to improve its international reputation. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) led the takeover of Newcastle United last year and launched LIV Golf. “If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then we’ll continue doing sportswashing,” Bin Salman said. He told Fox News: “I don’t care [about the term]. I have 1% growth in GDP from sport and I am aiming for another 1.5%. “Call it what you want – we are going to get that 1.5%.”
Last month Saudi Arabia sentenced a secondary schoolgirl to 18 years in jail and a travel ban for posting tweets in support of political prisoners, the latest example of the crown prince’s utter intolerance of independent critical voices. Saudi Specialised Criminal Court handed out the sentence in August to 18-year-old Manal al-Gafiri, who was only 17 at the time of her arrest.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
27th September 2023