Bahrain’s political tension intensifies, Saudi activists persecuted
The policy of intimidation and repression by the Bahraini regime has continued. This week several people were summoned for interrogation by the CID officers. They include Abdul Majeed Abdulla (73) (also known as Hajji Sumood) and Ali Hammam (52). Some members of Sheikh Ali Salman’s family have also been summoned for interrogation. He is the Secretary General of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society and was detained in 2014. The summons have also included Sayed Jamil Kadem, another Al Wefaq member, Sheikh Ali Al Mustarshid and Sheikh Jassim Al Khayyat, both religious scholars.
Four young Bahrainis detained at Bloc 17 in Jau Prison have continued their hunger strike that they had started one week ago. They are protesting their illegal detention for more than three months. They have not been charged or tried. Ali Yousuf, Hassan Masood, Ahmed Abdul Latif and Ali Reda Mashakhil (all from Samaheej town) have had their detention extended repeatedly since their arrest on or before 20th January.
Last week a popular lamenter was arrested, interrogated and abused. Mahdi Sahwan who has been in and out of jail for the past 35 years was summoned by the CID officers and detained. A public outcry forced the khalifis to release him after one week of incarceration. His detention came after he described the American Ambassador in Manama as “The Ambassador of Death”.
The illegal detention of three political prisoners has been extended by 15 more days. Ali Al Zaaki (from Maqaba town), Ahmed Abdulla (from Karzakkan) and Ali Mohammed (from Barbar) were detained for taking part in a peaceful protest in February. On Sunday 20th April the detention of Jihad Nabeel Al Samee’ (from Sanabis town) was extended for seven more days by the khalifi prosecutors. He has been in prison since his arrest on 17th April after being summoned by the CID officers at Budaya’ police station.
Native Bahraini youth, Hussain Ali Baddao once again needs more serious treatment. He has had two operations to his head for injuries he had sustained on 19th July 2024. He was shot by the police when he participated in a protest calling for the release of the political prisoners. His health has been deteriorating as a result of the injuries and the inadequate treatment. His family is seriously concerned for his health.
Protests have continued in several areas of the country. On Friday 18th April several demonstrations erupted to express support for the people of Yemen and Palestine. In the towns of Samaheej, Meqsha’ and Abu Saiba’ the participants raised slogans calling for the release of the political prisoners and reform the political system.
The quality of the drinking water at Jau prison has deteriorated so much that the political inmates have insisted on getting bottled water from the prison canteen. So far, the political prisoners are denied the right to buy bottled water from the canteen, while other common law prisoners are able to buy bottled water.
The family of Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace, 66, has expressed grave concerns for his health after refusing to take solid food since July 2021. This week he also stopped taking medicines in protest against the delays and interruptions in providing those medicines. He also threatened to stop taking salts if the issue of the medication is not solved within a week. He has lost almost half of his weight and is suffering various ailments including irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure. He is riddled with polio since birth. He is held in a room at the Kanoo medical centre where Hassan Mushaima is also held, but the two are not allowed to see each other.
The execution spree in Saudi Arabia has continued. Yesterday the ministry of interior said that two people were beheaded in Mecca city. It said they had been charged and convicted of smuggling drugs. Rakan bin Abdul Aziz Al Dowsari and Majed bin Ahmed Al Otaibi, both Saudi nationals were sentenced by the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) that issued the death sentence which was ratified by the king. Two days earlier a Syrian national was also beheaded at the city of Al Jawf on similar charges. Ibrahim Sayer Al Khalaf was accused of smuggling Amphetamine drug tablets and was caught, charged, sentenced and killed.
Political and human rights campaigners have called for the immediate and unconditional release of a Saudi woman activist. Nourah al-Qahtani has been held in solitary confinement for over two and a half months by the Saudi authorities. A mother of five, Nourah was arrested in 2021 for tweets and possession of a banned book. She was sentenced to 45 years in prison, followed by a 45-year travel ban.
Over 5000 people have now signed the petition calling for the release of another woman activist, Manahel al-Otaibi — a fitness instructor and women’s rights activist jailed by the Saudi authorities for her peaceful activism. She was detained in 2022 and subjected to a horrifying catalogue of human rights violations, including incommunicado detention, solitary confinement and various forms of physical and psychological abuse. Her active supporters have vowed to keep the pressure up until she is released.
This week, Alqst (a Saudi human rights NGO) and The Human Rights Defence Clinic, hosted at the Centre for Applied Human Rights – University of York, have collaborated to launch ‘Justice Delayed is Justice Denied’ — a campaign to end arbitrary detention and ensure the release of Waleed Abu al-Khair, an arbitrarily detained Saudi human rights defender and lawyer.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
23rd April 2025
