Serious abuses of Bahraini political prisoners, Saudi-Emirati rift widens
In the early hours of Friday 16th January, the house of Bahraini political prisoner, Ahmed Ali Radi Ismael was raided by the regime’s forces. The house, in Nuwaidrat town, was thoroughly searched without legal authorisation. The man had been detained two days earlier from his workplace in Jidhafs town. On Monday, Hassan Fadel Al Bahhar from Sitra-Wadyan was arrested for no clear reasons. He was on the causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, Tuesday 20th January, three youths from Nuwaidrat town were arrested. Abdulla Abbas Khatam, Hussain Al Asfoor and Ali Abdulla were summoned to appear at the police station in Eastern Rafaa town where they were interrogated and detained.
On Friday, 16th January, the political prisoners of Blocs 5 and 12 at the notorious Jau prison took part in a protest inside the jail in support of Mr Hassan Mushaima. More than 100 prisoners held their protest in the corridors and courtyard of the jail. They called for Mr Mushaima’s immediate and unconditional release and the provision of adequate medical care for his several ailments. Regime’s forces retaliated with imposition of harsher measures on the prisoners. The prison officers were harsh in dealing with the protests. They asked for more officers to stand outside the prison gates and curtailed the freedom and movement of the prisoners.
On Sunday 18th January, Bahraini youth, Reda Yasser Ahmed, from Sitra-Wadyan was detained. He had been summoned by the torturers for interrogation at Sitra police station where he was arrested.
Two Bahraini political prisoners have continued their open protest since 8th January. Murtada Faisal Al Nashab and Hussain Alhadi Ali Al Nashab started their protest inside the Central Jau prison to protest their continued detention at Bloc 4 which is designated for criminal detainees. They consider this as a serious violation of their rights, being jailed for their political opinion. Human rights activists have expressed serious concerns for their lives as their hunger strike continues.
The 9th anniversary of the martyrdom of three young Bahrainis was marked by the people. The three, Sami Mushaima, Ali Al Singace and Abbas Al Sami’e were executed by the khalifi killers in the early hours of 15th January 2017. They were unjustly condemned to death for taking part in peaceful demonstrations. The anniversary was widely marked by the people who took to the streets in various towns, raising their pictures and calling for their killers to be brought to justice.
A young man has died in suspicious circumstances inside a Saudi Jail. Mohammed Abdul Rasool, from Qatif, has been behind bars for a long time and was subjected to horrific treatment. The circumstances of his sudden death are not known, and human rights activists have called for a neutral enquiry into this tragic event.
Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled media are escalating their attacks on the United Arab Emirates, as the rift between the two Gulf powerhouses continues to deepen including over the conflict in Yemen. Reports on Saudi channel al-Ekhbariya in recent days have accused Abu Dhabi of committing human rights abuses and paying Yemeni separatists to campaign against the kingdom. Some pro-government social media accounts floated closing Saudi airspace and the land border with the UAE. The UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen earlier this month, where it backed a separatist movement that clashed with forces aligned to the country’s Saudi-backed government, had appeared to de-escalate tensions. But the renewed media attacks suggest that both sides remain at odds. Al-Ekhbariya on Tuesday showed what it described as UAE-run secret prisons in the Yemeni province of Hadhramaut, with scenes showing narrow cells behind metal doors painted in black. The reports came a day after Hadhramaut governor Salem al-Khanbashi accused the UAE of being behind detention sites.
On Sunday, the Saudi interior ministry confirmed the execution of three nationals, claiming they had committed serious crimes. It named the victims as: Hussain bin Salem Al Umari, Saud bin Hlail Al Anzi and Bassam Mohsen Al Subai’ei. They were accused of belonging to a “foreign terrorist cell”, planting explosives in vehicles belonging to the security services and sheltering a number of terrorists. According to the official news, they were tried, convicted and killed, without elaborating. The Saudi judiciary is often criticised by human rights bodies as falling short of international standards of justice, lacks transparency and that the trials are often held in secret.
The son of Sheikh Salman Al Awdah who has been in Saudi jails since 2017, said that his father is denied proper clothing despite the cold weather in his cell. This is a means of harassment that is tantamount to torture. An elderly person cannot tolerate the cold weather for long periods especially if he is confined within a small space that restricts his movement.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
21st January 2025