Bahrain: Ruling family suffers more international scrutiny as it intensifies repression

Another damning report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has shattered the dreams of Bahrain’s ruling family that it could continue deceiving the world opinion. In the latest report on 30th April, HRW accused the ruling Al Khalifa family of disregarding the torture evidence against its agents.

 The government had appealed an October 2009 lower court ruling that acquitted the 19 because of the apparent coercion of their confessions and the absence of any other evidence linking the suspects to the death of a security officer. The appellate court made its ruling despite a report by government doctors that found most of the accused men had injuries consistent with their accounts of abusive interrogation techniques. “This appeals court decision flies in the face of Bahrain’s claim that it has a policy of zero tolerance of torture during interrogation of criminal suspects,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The government hasn’t offered a single shred of evidence linking the defendants to the incident other than these thoroughly discredited confessions.”

Earlier in the week the occupation Al Khalifa regime had suffered a major setback when a hearing held at the United States Congress brought together three international witnesses who scrutinized its policy of torture and other human rights abuses. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission organized the hearing on Tuesday 27th April and lasted two hours. The hearing listened to Joe Stork, of Human Rights Watch, Stephen McInerney, Director of advocacy for the Project on Middle East Democracy  and Katie Zoglin, Senior program manager for Middle East and North Africa at Freedom House .

The ruling family sent one of its agents, Mohammad Al Ansari, to counter the witnesses but he failed drastically to present a case of any substance.

The ruling family has not only failed in its attempt to alter the facts surrounding its systematic human rights abuses, but it has also destroyed the chances of success of its newly decreed human rights commission. Under the repeated punches from the international community, the Al Khalifa decided to create its own human rights arm, comprising several of its notorious agents. On the day of its inception, one of its members was at the Congress hearing presenting a weak case that fatally harmed the commission and brought it to outright disrepute.

These developments have come at the backdrop of intensifying internal pressure related to the continued human rights abuses, the failure of the ruler’s political programme and the anti-Shia Muslim campaign that has polarized the government policies against the majority of the population.

The US-based International First Aid Organisation has honoured Mr Ibrahim Al Demstani for giving first aid to a victim of the Al Khalifa terror in mid-March. Mr Al Demstani was arrested for helping the victim who had been hit by the Death Squads with a shotgun. He was subsequently released and has now been honoured for living up to the international standard of morality expected from nursing staff. This step has angered the ruling family which has suffered many setbacks in its international standing and reputation in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Bahrainis have been outraged by the recent attacks that targeted Hamad Town, Mhazza in Sitra and Malikiya. Sitra was encircled for several days as the ruling family wanted to enforce their decision to re-arrest 19 Bahrainis in revenge for speaking to Human Rights Watch. The people of Sitra were subjected to vicious aggression by the foreign-staffed riot police and Death Squads. Five Bahrainis were arrested: Jaffar Juma, Mohammad Radhi, Isa Hassan and Jaffar Akbar. People commemorating a religious festival were attacked at Hamad Town on 26th April. A similar attack on Malikiya on 19th April led to the arrest of a five young Bahrainis: Abdul Hadi Mazal, 33, married with three children was arrested on 26th April.

Hassan Abdulla Bu Rashed, 32, married with four children was arrested on 25th April. Sadiq Ali, 18 was arrested on 13th April. Abdulla Hassan, 18 was arrested on 13th April after sustaining horrific shotgun wounds. and Muhammad Awn, 19 was arrested on 19th April.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
3rd May 2010