Bahrain: Four martyrs in one day as America’s worst cop beats the drums
This week was one of the bloodiest in the one year old revolution. Four Bahrainis were killed on Wednesday at the hands of the Al Khalifa forces in several ways.
Hajj Saeed Ali Hassan Al Sakri, 65 from Aali Town was martyred after he had inhaled excessive amounts of chemical and tear gases fired by the forces that are run by John Timoney, US worst cop ( http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-09-20/news/john-timoney-america-s-worst-cop/).
The gases were fired on the martyr’s home in the early hours of Wednesday 25th January. He died few hours later. Abbas Al Shaikh, 22, from Iskan Jidhafs, was also martyred as a result of complications resulting from being hit by police with a rubber bullet two months ago. Mohammad Ibrahim Yaqoob, 17, from Sitra was tortured to death on Wednesday. He was pursued by several police cars during a peaceful protest and was run down.
He was captured with some wounds. A police video released later in the day showed him in relatively good shape talking to his torturers. He was subsequently tortured to death. His torturers, operating under John Timoney, called is family to collect his body. The forth was Muntadhar Saeed Fakhar, 35, who was also hit by police car, taken prisoner and tortured to death. This escalation in killing Bahrainis has angered Bahrainis who have vowed to avenge the deaths of their martyrs by bringing down the Al Khalifa regime.
Meanwhile, Bahrainis have intensified their civil resistance to the Al Khalifa dictatorship and Al Saud occupation. The past week has seen upward turn in protests that covered almost every corner of the country. Every day and night people have poured into the streets chanting “People want regime change” and “Down with Hamad”. The response of the regime has been cruel and barbaric.
John Timoney has instructed his forces to fire indiscriminately their chemical and tear gases into the alleys, roads and houses, causing gas inhalation that proved fatal in many cases.
On 26th January Amnesty International issued a statement titled “Bahrain’s use of tear gas against protesters has caused multiple deaths”.
It further added: “Bahrain must investigate more than a dozen deaths that followed the misuse of tear gas by security forces, Amnesty International has said after another person was seriously injured by a tear gas canister in Manama this week.
On Tuesday, 20-year-old Mohammad al-Muwali was seriously injured and hospitalised after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister launched by riot police responding to an anti-government protest in the capital city’s Karrana neighbourhood. Amnesty has called on the US government to suspend transfers of tear gas and other riot control equipment to the Bahraini authorities.
US-made tear gas canisters and baton rounds were found in the aftermath of the 17 February 2011 raid by riot police on peaceful protests at what was then called Pearl Roundabout in Manama. The USA halted a pending arms shipment to Bahrain in October 2011 amid outcry about ongoing human rights concerns.
It has been reported that the Brazilian government has set up an inquiry into reports that Brazilian companies were selling tear gas to the Bahraini government. This followed the death of more than fifteen people after inhaling those gases.
The United States has warned its citizens to avoid travelling to Bahrain in the coming weeks as Bahrainis prepare to celebrate the first anniversary of their revolution against the Al Khalifa dictatorship.
In recent weeks anti-American slogans were raised by demonstrators who believe that the Obama Administration has stood against the Bahraini revolution and granted the regime material and psychological support. The US is seen as complicit in the murderous policies of the Al Khalifa that have caused more than 65 deaths including men, women and children.
Instead of exercising pressure on the regime, the White House has sent a former police officer to oversee the brutal crushing of Bahrainis.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
27th January 2012
