Bahrain: British arms used to crush peaceful demonstrators as regime’s sadistic torturer allowed to attend Olympics

As efforts to ban the notorious torturer, Nasser bin Ahmad from attending the London Olympics continue, it has transpired that the UK Government has ignored several requests and pleas supported by irrefutable evidence against him.

Despite the Foreign Secretary’s assertion that anyone proven to have engaged in torture would not be granted a visa, the Alkhalifa dictators have boasted of sending one of the most sadistic torturers Bahrain has seen to London. There are now mounting fears for the lives of three prominent detainees who had testified that Nasser, the son of Bahrain’s dictator, had personally tortured them. Sheikh Mohammad Habib Al Miqdad, Sheikh Mirza Al Mahroos and Mohammad Hassan Jawad said that Nasser had hurled verbal abuses as he punched and kicked them in the Spring of 2011. They did not only recognize him but he also introduced himself as “This is Prince Nasser” as he punched Sheikh Mohammad Habib Al Miqdad knocking him to the ground before setting upon him with all kinds of torture. London Olympiad would go in the books of history as one that embraced people who had committed crimes against humanity. That would be disastrous to London Olympics.

Meanwhile the Alkhalifa hereditary dictatorship has tightened its grip by banning any form of public dissent especially in the capital, Manama. Even the registered political societies have now been banned from organizing any protest. In the past few weeks their leaders had been targeted for assassination by regime’s forces in daylight. The head of Al Wefaq Society was hit in the back as he led a peaceful demonstration last month.

The societies had called for country-wide protests today, but have been banned. The regime has decided to undertake an all-out war against Bahrain’s people, supported by both USA and UK governments who have been unyielding in supporting a bloody regime which had invited foreign troops to occupy the country.

The Revolution has, nonetheless, continued unabated. At least 20 demonstrations have taken place every day in various parts of the country. Regime’s repression has intensified, and tens of people have been wounded with shotgun wounds. The American and British support has emboldened the bloody regime to intensify its use of chemical gases hurled not only on demonstrators but inside houses crowed with children and elderly people. Yet the resolved of Bahrainis has now reached a point of no return in the struggle to overthrown the hereditary dictatorship. People now believe that the American and British support may delay this but cannot prevent it.

Over the past few days calls from many international human rights bodies have been made for the immediate and unconditional release of Nabil Rajab, the President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. He has been threatened with extermination by security forces run by John Timony and John Yates. There is mounting fear for his life as his wife said that no news have been received from him for several days. The dictator has decided to exact revenge against Mr Rajab for accusing him of giving the orders to kill and torture Bahrainis.

The Alkhalifa court has adopted delaying tactics to prevent his early release. The four most prominent human rights activists have now been put out of action. With the serious injury sustained by Zainab Al Khawaja who was shot and wounded by Timoney and Yates forces last year, Nabil Rajab, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja and Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace are languishing behind bars.

 The continued supplies of lethal arms to Alkhalifa regime which is intent on killing Bahrainis has cause alarm among those monitoring the arms trade. Both USA and UK have resumed supplies of lethal weapons to this dictatorship. Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the regime’s crown prince is on arms-purchasing tour in USA as he declared his unyielding support to the killing of Bahrainis while hiding behind a façade of deceptive calls to conditional dialogue.

In London, meanwhile, wisdom of resuming arms supplies to Alkhalifa regime have been questioned. In the Parliament Denis MacShane (Rotherham, Labour) said on 16th July: “We are still exporting arms to Bahrain, where the death toll mounts, the numbers in prison grow and the torture continues. I am curious to know whether the Minister has any moral qualms about that.” Gerald Howarth (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (International Security Strategy), Defence; Aldershot, Conservative) replied: “As the right hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well from his experience in the Foreign Office, we have one of the most stringent arms export control arrangements in the world, and we look very carefully at these matters.

I should add that Bahrain has been an extremely important friend and ally to both the United Kingdom and the United States.” He has thus confirmed what the Bahraini people have feared most; UK complicity in the bloody attacks on their women and children by the regime using British arms.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
20th July 2012