Bahrain: Protest by the unemployed amid fears of harsh treatment of hostages

As the economic situation becomes more pressing, the Bahraini unemployed are, once again, taking action to highlight their plight in a country that, if properly ruled and managed, could ensure decent jobs to everyone.

The Committee for the Unemployed Graduates is holding a peaceful picket on Sunday 6th September outside the Ministry of Education at Isa Town. The organisers hope that this action may help to focus the attention on their plight. Many graduates have been seeking jobs for long times, extending to several years, while the ruling family imports foreigners to take up the available jobs. Its main motives are both political and sectarian. It is part of its policy to force the natives, under the pressure of unemployment ant lack of housing, out of the country. This, the Al Khalifa hope, would help to change the natural demographic balance in Bahrain. In the past, many of the unemployed were arrested, tortured and abused in revenge for their protests. Bahrain is the only Gulf country ruled by people who had come from outside and bear no blood or cultural bonds to the natives.

Meanwhile the plight of 30 political prisoners is causing concern among their families, the human rights activists and the public. Most of them have been languishing in Al Khlaifa torture chambers for almost two years for protesting peacefully against the tyranny and oppression of the ruling family. Some of them are facing serious charges including killing one of the foreign mercenaries in clashes during a demonstration in December 2007.

Others are accused of taking a gun from one of the police cars in the same period. In neither case could the ruling family prove its case. In  the case of the dead mercenary, the defence lawyers had obtained irrefutable documentary evidence that he had died seven months before the alleged incident, including a death certificate from the hospital. As for the gun, the ruling family has failed to produce the gun. It could not retrieve it, neither could it get confessions from the Bahrainis that they had it.

These baseless charges will still be used against the victims as the judiciary is in the hands of the ruling family. The prosecution and judges are controlled by them and their verdicts and evidence are provided by the oppressive regime. It is expected that harsh sentences will be issued possibly including execution. The Al Khalifa will then enter into a bargaining exercise to change the verdict in return for concessions form the opposition. This is among the worst human rights violations as the life and death of citizens are subject to political bargaining.

Meanwhile, several groups have joined their efforts to try to save the Bahrainis who are being held hostage by the Al Khalifa under trumpeted charges. They include Haq Movement, the Wafaa National Trend, Bahrain Freedom Movement and others. They will hold several activities in support of the hostages for one week form 7-13th October. Among these hostages is Hassan Salman who is accused of publishing the names of torturers working with the ministry of the interior. He has been targeted for harsh revenge as the regime’s spies and torturers are exposed to the public.

The situation has been made more grim by the insistence of the ruling family to persecute Mohammad Al Masqati, for his human rights activities. He is accused of defending human rights without the agreement of the ruling family. This has caused an outrage within the international human rights bodies who reject the nationalisations of such activities by the ruling family.

This case comes against the backdrop of the arrest of Mr Nabil Rajab, the President of Bahrain Human Rights Centre for supporting a Bahraini family as it protested the continued detention of Abdul Rahim Al Merbati by the Saudi government. The protest took place two weeks ago outside the Saudi Embassy in Manama. The protesters were arrested by the police, taken to the police station and warned against participating in any future protest against the Saudis.

A new group against the political naturalisation has been launched on Facebook, under the title “No to Political Naturalisation in Bahrain”. The address is:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54988688264

Bahrain Freedom Movement
4th September 2009