Bahraini religious figures targeted, Saudis continue arrests, executions
On Friday 11th October, Sheikh Ali Al Sadadi, the Imam of the largest Friday Prayers in Bahrain was arrested after he had delivered the Friday sermon. He led the prayers at Imam Al Sadeq Mosque in Duraz and condemned the Israeli attack on Gaza and Lebanon. Regime forces swiftly arrested him without due care to his role as a religious scholar and leader. On Saturday, a large demonstration to condemn his detention was held at his hometown (Sadad), calling for his immediate and unconditional release. Regime forces encircled the town and prevented many people from reaching the mosque.
Several native Bahraini were summoned for interrogation by the notorious CID branch. The president of the Scholars Council, Sayed Majeed Al Mish’al was summoned for interrogation after he condemned the detention of Sheikh Ali Al Sadadi. He also called for his release. On Sunday 13th October Ali Khalil Abu Jassam from Karranah town was summoned by the CID torturers, interrogated and detained.
Arrests of native citizens have continued unabated. Yesterday Ali Baqir from Duraz town was detained when he was summoned to appear at the CID headquarters. On Saturday 12th October, Sayed Abbas Taher from Abu Saiba town was detained by the CID officers. Four others from the same town were also detained: Hussain Helal, Mohammed Mansoor, Ahmed Yassin and Sayed Mahmood Ali. On the same day many other natives were arrested. Baqir Jaffar Mohammad Hussain Abu Rwais from Duraz. Mohammed Al Mudaweb from Jidhafs was summoned by the CID officers on Saturday and detained. The wave of arrests includes Sajjad Mohammed, from Duraz town and Elias Abbas from Sanabis town yesterday.
Sayed Hassan Al Sharakhat from Jidhafs was arrested and transferred to the notorious Dry Dock prison. From Abu Quwwa town Mohammed Hamid Salman was detained. From the same town Yousuf Ahmed was also arrested. On Monday 14th October, photojournalist Hamid Al Qadami was detained at the Bahrain-Saudi causeway. Mohammed Zain AlDin from Duraz was arrested on 11th October and was remanded in custody for seven days by the regime’s prosecutors.
On Monday the father and brother of two martyrs were summoned for interrogation. Hajji Jawad Al Shaikh (father of martyr Ali Al Shaikh) was asked to appear at Sitra Police Station. Hajji Munir Mushaima (brother of martyr Sami Mushaima) was summoned by the officers at the Exhibition Road Police Station. When UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Bahrain this week, Maryam Al Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights activist urged him “to raise the case of my father, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and the rest of the unjustly imprisoned political prisoners.” She added: “The UK, together with its Danish ally, should take immediate diplomatic initiatives to secure the release of my father and all political prisoners.” It is not known if he took up the opportunity to call for the release of the Bahraini political prisoners.
On 11th October the management of Jau prison imposed severe punishment on the striking political prisoners at Blocs 6,7 and 9. Regime’s henchman, Hamad Al Dowsari made a visit to the prison and ordered several forms of punishment. Warm water for showers was cut, banning family phone calls and cutting drinking water. He said that these criminal orders may only be stopped when the prisoners end their strike
The co-founder of The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) Mohammed al-Bejadi was arrested in 2018 and remains detained without charge. He was arrested several times for his activism, and memorably declared: “I don’t have a family member in detention… but all prisoners of conscience are my family.” Calls have been made for him to be released immediately. Another ACPRA co-founder Dr Mohammed al-Qahtani completed his ten-year sentence in November 2022, but he remains forcibly disappeared. Along with fellow Saudi human rights defenders, he received the Right Livelihood Award for his visionary and courageous efforts. This is an international award to “honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today.”
Another execution by the Saudi authorities last Saturday has increased the number of executions this year to 213. The government announced the killing of Murad Al Sharaihi in Ha’il city in Eastern Arabia. Two days earlier seven human rights NGOs issued a statement condemning the escalating use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. On the World Day Against Death Penalty (10th October), MENA Rights group joined partner NGOs in condemning the soaring number of executions in Saudi Arabia and urging Saudi authorities to implement a moratorium on the death penalty. According to data from the Saudi Press Agency, the authorities executed at least 200 individuals in the first nine months of 2024 alone, more than the number of executions for any whole year in the past three decades. This shows the Saudi authorities’ flagrant disregard for the right to life and contradicts their own pledges to limit use of the death penalty. During their Universal Periodic Review (UPR) this year, the authorities accepted only one of the 22 recommendations relating to the use of the death penalty, showcasing their lack of commitment to meaningful reform.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
16th October 2024
