Bahrain: More attacks by Death Squads as US contradicts Al Khalifa claims
The escalation of repression by the ruling family is leading the country to a gloomy future. As more attacks on liberties and public freedoms continued, so did the protests, the anger and the fear.
Yesterday, the house of a young man, Imad was raided by scores of Death Squads members, creating fear among the women and children. Few days ago Imad was abducted by these shadowy, by heavily armed militias operating under the command of the royal court, taken to a secret location, beaten up until he fell unconscious. This time the punches were designed to inflict maximum pain but no visible marks. He was then dumped in the street fighting for his life. More than 30 people have now been subjected to this “summary justice” which has now become an icon of the Al Khalifa “democracy”. They are now raising the stakes by targeting the majority of the native population who have rejected to be conned into a hopeless political venture designed to maintain the police state mentality and protect the ever-expanding dominance by the Al Khalifa family.
On Monday 13th Septermber, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, mentioned Bahrain by name when she spoke about the attacks on human rights defenders. She was opening the current session by the Human Rights Council. It was a serious blow to the efforts of the ruling family to enhance its reputation worldwide.
At the same meeting, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) delivered a speech in which it denounced the recent attacks on activists in Bahrain. The statement said: “A full-blown human rights crisis has developed over the past two months in Bahrain. On September 4, 2010 Bahrain Television (a government-led TV channel) aired a 31-minute broadcast during which the names of 22 Bahraini individuals, who had been added to a list of suspected terrorists and accused of being involved in an underground terrorist organization, were displayed. This list included the most prominent Bahraini human rights defenders, bloggers and activists. Many of these human rights defenders are now in prison and face charges of terrorism.
This aggressive crack down on human rights defenders began on August 3, 2010 with the arrest of Dr. Abdul-Jalil Al-Singace. He was arrested upon his return from London, after participating in a seminar in the British House of Lords about the deteriorating human rights situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In the proceeding days Abdul-Ghani Al-Khanjjar, Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahlawi, and Jaffar Al-Hisabi were also arrested. All are prominent human rights defenders.
The list of those who have been imprisoned or subject to forms of intimidation is too long to list here but have also included Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Mr. Rajab has been living in eminent threat of imprisonment and torture after being accused of terrorism for his engagement at UN human rights mechanisms including this Council in March of this year. . This Council, and its member states should no longer remain silent on the critical situation in Bahrain ahead of the upcoming parliamentarian elections in the kingdom.”
In a crushing defeat to the Al khalifa’s crackdown against Bahrainis, the Americans have refuted the allegations of a plot to topple the regime. In his daily press briefing on 15th September, Philip J. Crowley, the US Dept of State said: We are in touch with Bahraini authorities and have expressed our concern. At the same time, we have confidence as Bahrain evolves that you don’t have to make a choice between security and democracy, and that this is the message that we’re sending to the government”. When asked: “Do you have any reason to believe the government’s claim that these opposition figures were trying to sort of arrange a coup against the royal family?” His answer was: “I don’t know that we’re aware of any information along those lines”
Bahrain Freedom Movement
17 September 2010
