Bahrain: New martyr as leaders boycott political trials

A young Bahraini youth has been martyred after being hit by police vehicle a few weeks ago. Mohammad Rahdi Mahfoodh, 25, died as a result especially with the lack of care he had received at a hospital run by the military.

The martyr who is from Saar Town, received horrible injuries but the police did not notify his family until the following day. No details have yet emerged about the period he had remained at the scene before being taken to hospital. His funeral, attended by many people, was attacked viciously by the mercenary forces employed by the Al Khalifa.

Hassan Salman, father of fifteen year old Mohammed, has stated that his son was raped by police forces during his abduction and torture. The family from Jum’a have been left devastated by the ordeal that Mohammed described to them during his arrest.

The government-employed torturers repeatedly raped him and threatened that if he did not sign a confession to the crimes that had been attributed to him, they would capture him again and torture him this time until death. The fifteen year old therefore submitted to the accusations made towards him in front of the prosecution out of immense fear for his life.

Mohammed’s parents have confirmed the rape of their son who has been suffering severe pain and bleeding since his arrest by security forces.

The leaders of the revolution were taken to a “civilian” court one year after a “military” court sentenced them to life imprisonment for calling for change of regime and government. The thirteen men (out of 21 considered to be the leadership of the revolution) had been mercilessly treated after their arrest and during their earlier trial.

On Tuesday 21st May the first session was held at the court which was presided by an Alkhalifa culprit who acted as the judge and the enemy of the accused. At that session Mr Abdul Wahab Hussain and Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja took turn to speak, presenting an accurate account of the horrific treatment they had been subjected to during their incarceration at the Alkhalifa dungeons.

Their testimonies would dwarf the crimes attributed to Charles Taylor, the former President of Sierra Leone who has recently been sentenced to 50 years jail at the International Criminal Court.

At the second session on Tuesday 28th May, the “civilian court” was addressed by Mr Hassan Mushaima and Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace who also presented damning account of their ordeal. As soon as they completed their testimonies, they left the court and vowed not to return. They would rather be sentenced in absentia as the verdicts and sentences are a political decision by the dictator and his clique, supported by the United States.

The release of Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al Khawaja from their incarceration at Alkhalifa dungeons marked one of the biggest blows to the pride of the ruling clique who have been condemned worldwide for arresting the four most senior human rights activist in the country.

Both had challenged the torturers while in prison, urged the people outside to continue their peaceful protests and refused to abide by the rules of the torturers. They fought a war of wills; achieving victory against the Alkhalifa torturers.

Meanwhile Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja has ended his hunger strike after succeeding in drawing the attention of the world to the plight of Bahraini political prisoners and forcing the U-turn on the military trials conducted by the regime last year.

The popular protests within the framework of the revolution have continued unabated. Days and nights have witnessed demonstrations in most towns and villages as the 14th February Alliance vowed to continue the struggle until the regime is changed. There is no mood for allowing the Alkhalifa hereditary dictatorship to continue in government after the crimes they had committed especially in the past sixteen months.

The unanimous popular verdict against their rule has made it almost impossible for their allies to defend them especially as they continued to refuse an form of meaningful dialogue with the political forces. This refusal has played into the hands of the revolutionary youth who see the regime incapable of either serious dialogue of reform.

International human rights organizations, especially Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeated their calls for the immediate release of the political prisoners from the Alkhalifa jails.

The human rights world has been enraged by the latest claim by the ruling clique that they have decided to jail eight Bahrainis to 15 years for what the regime claims to be “plotting to carry out terrorist acts” in liaison with Iran. This mantra has been repeated hundreds of times by the regime mouthpieces over the past three decades although the Bissioni Commission had admitted that it had found no evidence to suggest an Iranian role in the Bahraini revolution.

The revolutionary youth expressed relief as the regime continued to make it impossible for the political societies to engage in meaningless dialogue that had turned into a joke.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
1st June 2012