Political naturalisation haunts Bahrain’s regime, Calls to arrest Saudi MBS
his is part of his policy to alter the population balance in the country in his favour, by granting foreigners the Bahraini citizenship to secure their loyalty in his war with the natives. However, his officials have suddenly started to realise the dangers of this policy. Yesterday the regime’s interior minister announced that a new committee would review the tens of thousands of people who had benefited from the political naturalisation programme. Native Bahrainis consider this unlawful and have used it to substantiate their claim that the present dictator had engaged in what amounts to “genocide” against the natives. To pre-empt legal actions for his crimes against the people, he ordered setting up the committee to look into these cases. It is expected that it would claim that most of them are legal. In 2009 around 200 prominent personalities signed a petition calling for an end to the political naturalisation programme, but the dictator refused to do so. He has been obsessed with the idea of altering the population balance in the country.
On Sunday 16th June Bahrain’s regime forces arrested two young people from the town of Abu Saiba. Alaa Yasser Abdulla and Sayed Mahmood Sayed Ali were detained from the street and taken to Budaya police station where they were held until their next appearance before the prosecutor’s office. On 11th June Haidar Abbas from Karzakkan was detained in a raid on his home.
Native Bahrainis are facing more persecution as they prepare to mark the events of Ashoora to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. The regime forces have summoned several people from Aali town who were hanging black cloth in nearby streets to mark the martyrdom of the fifth Shia Muslim Imam, Al Baqir and preparing for Ashoora. They include Hussain Abdul Zahra, Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Fadel, Sayed Ali, Ahmed Ashoor, Mohammed Al Jaziri and Mohammed Faisal.
Protests against the visit by Israeli military officials to Bahrain were held in several places in the past few days. The khalifi officials held several meetings with the Israeli generals despite the public rejection and protests. In Samaheej town people demonstrated on Sunday demanding cutting the links with Israel and the release of political prisoners. On Friday 14th June people of Abu Saiba and Sanabis also protested against the presence of the Israeli generals in the country. The military and security links between the ruling family and Israel have angered the people.
Despite the regime’s highly publicised claims that native Bahraini political prisoners would be released on the advent of Eid Al Adha this week, only a few were set free from the torture cells. Most of them were convicted common law criminals. At the same time a spate of new arrests has taken place as the people continue to demand political rights. None of the political prisoners at Jaw prison were released. Five political prisoners were released having served more than half their three months prison sentence. They had been convicted for taking part in demonstrations supporting the people of Gaza.
This week many Bahrainis flocked to visit the graves of the martyrs. For the past thirty years the natives have taken it upon themselves to visit the cemeteries where martyrs are buried on the second day of Eid. Mothers, wives, sisters as well as other relatives and people spent hours at the cemeteries reciting the Holy Quran and chatting about the lives of the martyrs who were mercilessly killed by the khalifa regime. Sometimes arrests were made. Intimidation by the security forces never ceased.
On Friday 14 June 2024, a Press Conference in Puglia, Southern Italy called for the arrest of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Saudi Crown Prince. It was organised by “No Peace Without Justice,” with the participation of President Tara O’Grady and Secretary General Niccolò Figà Talamanca, as well as Avv. Fabio Maria Galiani. It dealt with the request for the arrest of Saudi Prince Mohamed Bin Salman for the torture and murder of Jamal Khashoggi and his pulling-out from attending the G7 Summit. The participants called for the arraign of MBS saying: “Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman evades a request for arrest for the torture and murder of Jamal Khashoggi, by pulling out of the G7 Summit.”
The Saudi Special Criminal Court (SSC) has sentenced two clerics. Sayed Khidr al-Awami was sentenced to 25 years and Sheikh Abbas al-Saeed to 27 years in prison for speeches they gave in support of human rights. The two clerics from the Eastern Province of Arabia were arrested on 11 November 2020. They were students of martyr Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr who was beheaded in January 2016. A third person, Ali Jassib Al Tehaifa was given 27 years. He was detained in 2022. He had been in jail for six years (2012-2018). Hussian Al Zayed was given 24 years. Both men are punished for their activities as bloggers. They are also banned from travel after their release for the same number of years after they have served their prison sentences.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
19th June 2024