Bahrain: Civil resistance widens, British Ambassador’s event picketed

The civil resistance movement is gathering pace as the Al Khalifa occupiers become more alienated. Last night several towns and villages switched off their lights in protest against the continued detention of the pro-democracy political leaders.

 Duraz, Karranah and Karbabad led the move in response to a call by Haq Movement. Lights were switched off as scores of youth took to the streets, raising anti-Al Khalifa slogans, burning tyres and and expressing deep anger against the policies of occupation being implemented by the Al Khalifa. Among the worst policies is the building and expanding of settlements to the migrants imported into the country by the ruling family.

In response to the rising tide of opposition, the Death Squads, created and managed by the ruler’s court continued their repression against the Bahrainis. On 18th March, several people were kidnapped by these Squads including three young Bahrainis from the town of Karzakkan:  Hassan Mahdi Al Shakhouri, 25, Hussain Abdul Hassan Al Khatam, 25 and Ali Ma’tooq, 18. They are falsely accused of burning a car belonging to the illegal settlers
The people of Al Malikiyya were attcked yesterday by the Death Squads and foreign-staffed riot police as they took to the streets to protest the programme of illegal settlements and the genocide against Bahrainis. Men and women had congregated at 3.00 pm near the main roundabout of the town.

Despite discussions for 20 minutes, with a leading figure from the town, Sayyed Sadiq the mercenaries waged a vicious attack against the Bahrainis, injuring and maiming scores of them. Three journalists, including an Egyptian woman, who said they were from the New York Times were present when the Al Khalifa crime against the Bahrainis was committed. The vicious attack was witnessed by these journalists who expressed surprise and indignation at  what they saw.

According to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, shotguns were used against Bahraini protesters on Friday 13th March to disperse a peaceful rally in Sitra who were protesting against the occupation by Al Khalifa forces of their land. The same arms were subsequently used against the people of Duraz when they gathered last Sunday to demand the release of their children from the Al Khalifa torture chambers. Several protesters were injured.

These arms release shots that fragment into tens of small pelltest that penetrate people’s bodies causing injury and pain. Tens of Bahrainis have these pillets in their bodies as extracting them is tedious and painful. It is believed that the guns used are  of type Baikal MP-153  often used to catch birds or animals.

It has been disclosed that the ruling family has sought services of an Anglo-Australian company to develop new techniques that would automatically deny people access to “unwanted” opposition websites. This has come to light in the wake of widespread condemnation of the decision to order all providers to ban these sites. It was an open method of targeting them. The new company will be instructed to use “clever” means to close these sites without public knowledge. Some FM broacasters will also be banned as the ruling family struggles to contain the spiralling situation that has created the widest-ever wedge between them and the people of Bahrain.

On Thursday 19th March Bahraini exiles in London staged a picket outsied the headquarters of the Middle East Association in Bury Street, London W1, The British Ambassador to Bahrain, Mr Jamie Bowden had been invited to speak at a special lunch about Bahrain. The Bahrainin opposition has been furious at the way Mr Bowden had collaborated with the Al Khalifa occupation forces against Bahrainis. He had refused to issue visas to pro-democracy and human rights activists who had been invited to address the UK parliament and presented distorted image of the facts on the grounds.

A statement was distributed among the participants and pedestrians titled; “British interests cannot be served by hereditary dictatorships”. There weas widespread public support to the cause of the Bahrainis as images of mutilated bodies were exposed (in a discreet way). At the end of the meeting the Ambassador left the meeting from a back door.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
21st March 2009