Bahrain: Calls for UN inquiry as regime intensifies human rights abuses
As the repression continues so does the people’s unrelenting revolution. As more martyrs were killed, thousands others have joined the caravan of dignity and freedom. The latest martyr is Mrs Fakhriyya Al Sakran, 55, who had been gassed heavily causing her to lose her life on Tuesday 2nd January 2012.
The excessiv use of chemical gases has led to at least twelve fatalities in the past four months. Many more have become incapacitated as result.
This is in addition to thousands injured and at least sixty people who have lost one or two eyes. The Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship is becoming more vicious as it is cornered by the revolutionaries. It is a regime on the verge of collapse and it seeks to exact revenge on those who have defeated it. The regime’s own investigation commission had found it guilty of systematic torture and extra judicial killings.
When it appointed another committee to oversee the “implementation” of the recommendations of the investigation commission, some people, mainly foreign regimes friendly to the Al Khalifa, thought they would see a new chapter of relative justice. But their hopes were dashed this week when the chairman of the supervisory committee submitted his resignation.
Ali Saleh Al Saleh, a life-long servant of the regime realized that he was being used as a scapegoat by the regime, that he would not be allowed a free hand in the implementation, and that he would yet be required to issue false statements to whitewash the senior members of the Al Khalifa.
His resignation that he handed to the dictator has ended the Bissiouni bitter legacy; both in terms of the findings of his commission and the implementation of its recommendations. This has now paved the way for a more objective and comprehensive international investigation into the crimes committed by the Al Khalifa against the Bahrainis. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been urged to take a pro-active stand and send a team of investigators. Last month she had sent a team to undertake an “assessment” in the hope that the implementation of the recommendations would go some distance to address the grievances of the people.
Now that the situation has become worse in terms of killings, torture, arbitrary detention and refusal to adopt any of the recommendations, the time has come for a more serious approach to this protracted crisis in a country that has been under occupation for more than nine months. Failure to do so is tantamount to abandonment of human duty which is also a crime against humanity.
The people have re-energised their souls and shot forward to the streets to hasten the demise of the regime. They are now being ferociously punished by the Al Khalifa regime and the Saudi occupiers. The human losses are great, but the aim is noble; to re-build a ruined country on the basis of consensus of its people. The world has seen what crimes this dictatorship is capable of committing. It had killed innocent civilians, many of them children. It continues to arrest children as young as 12 years of age.
Yesterday the scores of detainees included at least three children; Amir Abdul Samad Fathi, 14, Ali Ahmad, 13 and Mohammad Jamil, 16. Among those martyred were children, the youngest of whom is the six-days old Sajida Faisal Jawad. They include Sayyed Hashim Sayyed Saeed, 15, who was killed by police shots on Saturday, the last day of the year. Ali Al Sheikh, Ahmad Al Qattan and several others were under 16 when their lives were robbed from them by the regime’s killers. Many are not allowed to attend school for taking part in the anti-regime activities.
People are now angry at the response by the United States and Britain to the crimes of Bahraini victims of Al Khalifa terror. Instead of supporting a smooth transition form dictatorship to democracy the two governments sent two former police officers with unclean records. The first was described by Miami New Times as “John Timoney, America’s Worst Cop”. The other was linked to the phone hacking scandal although he was later cleared.
He resigned his post as an assistant police commissioner. Since their arrival in Bahrain human rights abuses have intensified with people targeted by chemical gases insider their homes.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
6th January 2012
