Bahrain: Unlawful arrest of three opposition figures
Three prominent figures of the opposition have been arrested in the early hours of this morning. At around 3.00 am (12.00) scores of police vehicles and special armoured cars driven by the Death Squads surrounded the houses of Mr Hassna Mushaime’ the Secretary General of Haq Movement, Sheikh Mohammad Habib Al Miqdad, a prominent religious figure and public orator and Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace, a University Lecturer.
The main doors of their houses were smashed as their families were deep asleep. Women were attacked, and children terrorized in these pre-dawn raids that have become symbols of state terror in the troubled island of Bahrain.
The three had been targeted by the ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who has transformed his rule into one of the most ruthless regimes in the Middle East. Since he came to power on what appeared to be a “reform ticket” following the death of his father in March 1999, the country has sunk into deeper troubles. At least four Bahrainis have been killed by members of the Death Squads, organized and managed by the minister of the royal court, Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa; Mohammad Juma Al Shakhouri, Mahdi Abdul Rahman, Abbas Al Shakhouri and Ali Jassim. Many young Bahrainis have been arrested and at least sixty political prisoners are languishing in jails for taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations, or expressing non-conforming views.
The arrest of the three notable figures is a serious development that could throw the country into deeper political turmoil. In December, the ruling family announced that it had “uncovered” a plot to overthrow the regime. This was given as excuse for the arrest of 14 young Bahrainis. They were subjected to severe torture that led their lawyers to demand an independent investigation into their well-being behind bars. The request was turned down by the authorities. Some of the youth were then paraded on TV screens to “confess their crimes” in a stage-managed play that had been poorly presented. The aim was to implicate senior figures who had refused to be silenced by the threats issued by the ruling family that alleges that the “plot” was a result of the “incitement” by some members of the opposition including the three persons arrested this morning.
Bahrain has finally descended into chaos. The situation is on the brink of an all-out rebellion against the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship that has failed to reform the political system. The self-styled king rules by a tailor-made constitution that has been rejected by the majority of the Bahrainis. The country is undergoing a serious demographic transformation, engineered by the ruling family to alter the historical religious and ethnic balance. In the past two weeks, many websites have been banned and all providers have been warned not to provide proxies to those websites.
This was a prelude to the forthcoming arrests and crackdown against Bahrainis.
The people of Bahrain appeal to the outside world to intervene to protect them from the wrath from the Al Khalifa who have wreaked political, human and environmental havoc on the country. The three leaders must be released immediately and uncodintionally.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
26th January 2009