Bahrain: Volatile situation amid lack of exit strategy
The political strife is gathering momentum as a prelude to the Day of the Martyrs on 17th December, with daily protests in various parts of the country. Yesterday, the residents of Al Maqsha town went out to the main road, burning tyres at the entrance of the town and chanting anti regime slogans.
Few minutes later, the foreign-staffed riot police approached the area to extinguish the fires. The protesters had three four demands; the immediate release of the political prisoners, ending the attacks against activists, drawing a democratic people’s constitution and stopping the political naturalisation project. Several Bahrainis are languishing in jails, falsely accused of killing a Pakistani mercenary.
Similar protests took place in other areas. In Bani Jamra, Abu Saibe’ Daih and Samaheej, tyres were burnt in the middle of the main roads in these areas last Saturday 31st October. In Dair town, Northern Bahrain, running battles between the youth and the foreign mercenaries continued for several hours. The people expressed their repugnance at the continuation of the ruling family’s polices of discrimination, repression, political naturalisation and illegal detention and abuse of Bahrainis. The foreign-staffed riot police deployed sound bombs, tear and chemical gases and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.
In Sitra, demonstrators took to the streets protesting the arrest of innocent Bahrainis. They closed the roads with burning tyres and raising their fists as they chanted anti-regime slogans. The riot police attacked the demonstrators mercilessly as they fled the scene. Running battles between the Bahrainis and the foreign mercenaries continued for one hour at least. Some houses were raided with damage to the properties.
On Tuesday 3rd November, the youth of Karzakkan demonstrated near the entrance of the town. Tyres were burnt to prevent the heavily-armed Death Squads from entering the town and wreaking havoc on the residents. The riot police made extensive use of tear and chemical gases as they attempted to exact collective punishment against the Bahrainis. The message of the protesters was clear; they stand in one trench with the prisoners of conscience who have been mistreated by the regime’s torture officials.
The above protests are sample of the daily events in Bahrain whose people are now fed up with the political system imposed on them by the use of force. In those villages and towns, protests have continued over the past weeks and are likely to escalate in the coming few weeks as the people prepare for the Day of the Martyrs.
These developments followed the “human chain” event that was organised earlier in the week. It was organised by the political societies to protest the continuing demographic change being implemented by the ruling Al Khalifa family through the political naturalisation programme. People stood alongside each other, holding hands and stretching for more than two kilometres, starting from a central mosque in Manama named after Ahmad Al Khalifa, who had started the occupation of Bahrain two centuries ago. The chain reached the Bahrain National Museum. The participants carried banners with the slogan “No to political naturalisation”. More than 10,000 Bahrainis took part in the event.
The Al Khalifa ruling family resorted to more sinister tactics. In addition to the heavy-handed treatment of protesters, government agents have, in recent times, used extremely sectarian language to create a wedge among the various factions of the opposition. Its aim is to weaken the national consensus that has existed for eight decades of struggle against the hereditary dictatorship. Circulars and statements signed by unknown entities have been produced by the secret service as a weapon to undermine the national unity. Fictional names have been used along the lines of the groups operating in Afghanistan and Iraq. The aim is to create fear in the minds of the activists. These tactics have failed in the past and are unlikely to work this time.
Meanwhile, a Bahraini scholar accompanied by three others were stopped, searched and abused by the regime’s terror apparatus. They were returning home earlier this week from Saudi Arabia via the Causeway when they were stopped, searched and taken hostage for several hours. No reason was given to justify this inexcusable infringement on personal freedoms. Sheikh Maitham Al Salman and three others were targeted this time for abuse and harsh treatment. The aim is to undermine the elected members of the ruler’s chambers.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
5th November 2009
