Mass arrests in Bahrain, tension on anniversary of Khashoggi murder
The reverberations of the Israeli assassination of Sayed Hassan NasrAllah, the leader of Hezbullah in Lebanon have continued in several countries. The victim was not only a political leader but he was a religious scholar. In Bahrain, the people defied a ban by the regime on religious services for his souls. There were protests, statements, tweets and articles condemning Israel. The protests are seen as a rejection of the government’s unpopular normalisation agreement with Israel (signed back in 2020). A statement on his departure was signed by the senior clerics who urged people to hold Quran recitation sessions for his soul. As a result of these activities, many native Bahrainis, including heads of religious congregation halls and mosques were summoned and warned against holding vigils or memorial sessions for NasrAllah and those who lost their lives with him. There are fears and apprehension of the possible scenarios of how the situation may develop as the Israelis threaten to escalate its attacks on Lebanese Hezbollah.
Yesterday, young native Bahraini, Salman al Zaaki was detained after he was summoned for interrogation and torture. Another youth, Hussain Naji Fateel was arrested for participating in a peaceful protest in support of the people of Lebanon. The regime’s prosecutors also ordered the detention of Bahraini youth, Hussain Al Sammak for one month. He was accused of a posting a political statement on his Instagram.
Regime’s prosecutors ordered the detention of two Bahraini youths for two weeks. Ali Al Baqqali and Mohammed Moosa from Sanabis were detained for attending peaceful protests. Yesterday’s arrests continued further. Among the new detainees are: Ali Reda Jaffar and Sayed Ahmed from Sanabis, Sadeq Hassan Marhoon and Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, both from Malikiyah town. Photojournalist, Mahmood Marzooq from Malkiyah was summoned to appear before the CID officers for interrogation that often involves abuse and torture. Sayed Hassan Sayed Isa, Sayed Ali Sayed Sadeq and Mohammed Fadel all from Markh town were also detained. Ali Jassim Al Hady from Nuwaidrat was arrested also.
Regime’s child prosecutors have extended the detention of seven children from Sitra for 15 more days: The children, Hussain Saleh Ali Abbas, Ali Salman Makki Marhoon, Ali Ahmed Omran Kudair, Mohammed Isa Khatam, Sadeq Khalil, Mohmood Aman and Yousuf Tawq were arrested on 6th August for taking part in a peaceful protest. Their detention has been repeatedly extended.
On 29th September two natives: Mohammed Munir Mushaima and Maitham Mahmood were arrested as they left Sheikh Ibrahim’s Mosque in Sanabis. Two days earlier Ilyas Abbas also from Sanabis was detained. On the same day, a young man from Duraz, Mohsin Marzooq, was arrested. He had been released on 5th September under a “royal pardon”. On 28th September, young native Hassan Abbas from Karzakkan was arrested by an armed group of officers.
On Monday 30th September young Bahraini Ali Hussain Al Sheikh from the town of Daih was detained. On the same day Yasser Darwish, from Sanabis was arrested. Ahmed Shahin from Bani Jamra was also detained. Other detainees on that day include Mohammed Ali Qambar, the son of martyr Ali Qambar from Nuwaidrat town who was arrested by the CID officers. He was summoned to appear at Qudaibiya police station.
From Shahrakken Ali Hussain Yaqoob was detained by armed officers on Sunday 29th September. Also, Hussain Mohammed Al Qassab from Abu Saiba town was arrested on Sunday apparently for taking part in a peaceful protest that day. Also, young Bahraini Ali Naji from Samaheej town was detained for participating in a peaceful protest.
Today marks six years since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey. Justice remains elusive, emboldening Saudi leaders to commit further abuses. The anniversary is being marked by Saudi dissidents in several cities including a vigil at the Saudi Embassy in London.
On 30th September a Syrian man, Sami Sabri Anfous was executed by the Saudi authorities. He faced drug-related charges and was sentenced to death in an unfair trial. This is the the 200th execution in Saudi Arabia so far in 2024, the highest number in recent Saudi history. Human rights bodies have called for an immediate moratorium on capital punishment. Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial killings commented: The authorities must immediately establish a moratorium on executions, and order re-trials for those on death row in line with international standards without resorting to the death penalty.
Human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair has been awarded the prestigious Anna Dahlbäck Award 2024 for his courageous activism. The award honours his commitment to human rights, as he remains unjustly detained in Saudi Arabia. Human rights activists including Alqst have called for his release.
In his latest annual report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres drew attention to Saudi human rights defenders Loujain al-Hathloul and Mohammed al-Qahtani, who continue to be subjected to reprisals in retaliation for past cooperation with UN human rights mechanisms.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
2nd October 2024
