Bahrainis detained for Gaza protests, Ethiopians protest killings by Saudis
As the native Bahrainis continue their protests against the continuing bombing of Gaza by the Israeli forces, the khalifi regime has continued its crackdown on those taking part in those protests. This week several Bahrainis were detained. Mohammed ALQallaf and Sayed Ayman Mustafa were arrested and remanded in custody for seven days. They are accused of participating in pro-Palestine protests. Another boy was also arrested. Muhammad Alyan was taken to Roundabout 17 police station and subjected to horrific treatment and abuse. Then he was arrested. Also Abdul Aziz Shakir Ali Al Shawk from Sanad town was attacked in his car and taken to custody where he was severely interrogated.. He was detained for seven days for taking part in protest against the bombing of Gaza. Two other Bahraini minors have been taken into custody after being sentenced to a year in prison. Sajjad Jaafar and Hussein Ayoub were jailed for joining peaceful protests. There were massive demonstrations in Duraz, Al Dair, Al-Sanabis and elsewhere. They raised banners calling for the war to stop and for the UN to start war crimes tribunals to try the Israeli leaders who have committed serious crimes against humanity.
The khalifi regime forces have also summoned two children. Yousef and Yassin Fadel Al-Tajer, aged eight and six respectively, for questioning over their participation in pro-Palestine peaceful demonstrations. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said special forces and officers recently used “excessive force” against political prisoners and tortured many of them. Some were held incommunicado for up to 36 days, it said.
Last Friday 270 religious scholars signed a statement in support of Palestine and against the Israeli aggression. They called on the world community to take appropriate actions against the Israeli occupiers for their crimes against the Palestinians. They emphasised their inalienable right to defend themselves and their land. They said that it is the nature of the Zionist enemy to kill and maim. They also called for boycotting the Israeli occupiers and enforce sanctions on them. The Israeli ambassador in Bahrain must be expelled, they said.
On 24 October 2023, the European Court for Human Rights ruled unanimously that the Netherlands was to pay Bahraini refugee Ali al-Showeikh “50,000 euros (EUR) in respect of non-pecuniary damage.” A press release issued by the Registrar of the Court stated that “Dutch authorities’ assessment of risks when expelling a Bahraini national to his country of origin was not rigorous enough.” The Court concluded that “the Dutch authorities had failed to properly assess the alleged risk to the applicant of ill-treatment before removing him to Bahrain in the context of his last-minute asylum application, in violation of Article 3 (procedural obligations).” On 20 October 2018, Mr al-Showeikh was expelled from the Netherlands following a rejection of his asylum claim and forcibly returned to Bahrain. According to Amnesty International, he was arrested at the airport and interrogated by the Criminal Investigations Directorate for 11 days during which time he was denied access to a lawyer. On 28 February 2019, Bahraini court sentenced him to life imprisonment relying on coerced confessions and stripped him of his Bahraini citizenship in an unfair trial. He was accused of terrorism charges that could not be proven. He was then given another sentence of six years (5+1) on separate political charges.
It is now one year since detained Saudi human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani has been allowed any contact with his family, with misleading details about his whereabouts. Seventeen human rights bodies have signed a letter calling for his immediate and unconditional release. They said: We, the undersigned organisations, reiterate our call on Saudi Arabia’s authorities to disclose the whereabouts of detained Saudi human rights defender Mohammad al-Qahtani and allow him contact with his family. Al-Qahtani has been forcibly disappeared for a whole year and must be released immediately and unconditionally. They added: We urge the authorities to allow him immediate contact with his family and provide him with the necessary medical care. Saudi Arabia must ensure a free and enabling environment for all human rights defenders, and allow them to carry out their legitimate activities without undue restrictions or fear of reprisals.
Ethiopian activists have held several protests at Saudi embassies in several countries against the killing of Ethiopian migrants at Saudi borders. In June 800 were killed in cold blood as they approached the border from Yemen. In the past week Saudi authorities arrested 15,453 people for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to an official report, a total of 9,865 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 3,610 were held over illegal border crossing attempts and a further 1,978 for labor-related issues. The report showed that among the 782 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 68 percent were Yemeni, 29 percent Ethiopian, and 3 percent were of other nationalities.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
25th October 2023
