Bahrain: Arbitrary detentions; torture as the Al Khalifa’s HR records scrutinised
The fate of Abdulla Mohsin, 32, one of the political prisoners, is unpredictable as he lays semi-conscious at Room 6, Wing 207 of the Salmaniyah hospital. He had been transferred from his torture chamber to the hospital after his health took a dramatic turn to the worse on Monday morning, 7th April.
He suffers from respiratory complications as a result of blood pressure, torture and maltreatment. The opposition has accused the ruling Al Khalifa family not only of gross neglect but of deliberate maltreatment of the political prisoners. Several international bodies have been informed of the situation and urged to take action against the ruling family as it continues its crackdown against activists for their peaceful expression of opinion.
Meanwhile a young youth was arrested from the town of Karbabad. In the early hours of 7th April, Sayyed Adnan Sayyed Hadi Sayyed Kadhim, 17, was snatched by the death squads from his bed. Nothing has been heard of him since. On 5th April, another youth was detained. Hassan Radhi, 18, from Iskan JidHafs was arrested and tortured without mercy. His hands and feet are swollen as a result of intensive beating, hanging and maltreatment. He told his family during their first visit three days after his arrest that he suffers from severe pains as a result of torture. He also said that the torture session would begin at midnight and continue until the morning, with sleep deprivation in addition to beating, electric shocks and hanging.
Arbitrary arrests have claimed more victims. In the early hours of this morning, the house of Mohammad Habib Ashoor, in Karzakkan, was stormed by members of the death squads with the intention of arresting his son, Ali. His brothers were threatened with sentences and harsh revenge if they did not “cooperate”. He was eventually found at the second floor, beaten and arrested. The death squads then stormed the house of Mohammad Khalil Ashoor, in search for his son, Qassim. The doors of the house were smashed, but the youth was not there. A third house was then attacked; that of Ahmad Hassan. He was subsequently arrested at the family’s farm outside the town. The fourth house was then targeted; that of Ahmad Habib Ashoor, in search for his son, Habib. He was not there. Fifteen people have now been arrested from the town of Karzakkan for their role in targeting the farm of the notorious torturer: Abdul Aziz Atiyyat Allah Al Khalifa. Among them are: Sayyed Hadi Sayyed Hamid, 28, Mohammad Arafat, 27, Saleh Al Seeb, 28, Ammar Hassan Basri, 17, Ahmad Hassan, 33, Ali Mohammad Habib, 30 and Hassan Kashem, 28. Torture is said to be rampant inside the torture chambers and there are genuine fears for the lives of these men.
Reacting to these arrests, the people have organized several protests in various places. In Maqsha, tyres were yesterday burnt near the entrance to the village as a sign of anger. Riot police then attacked mercilessly, using rubber bullets and plastic bullets. Several people were injured in this aggression. At the entrance of the village of Saar, similar fires were seen yesterday as the feelings of anger among the youth reached unprecedented levels.
A Committee of the Families of Detainees has been formed to organize the activities seeking the release of their beloved ones. The Committee has called for a protest near the Bori Roundabout. The Committee represents the families of the political prisoners from Karzakkan, Demstan, Tubli, Saar, Daih, Karbabad and Jidhafs. The protest will take place at 4 pm next Saturday and is intended to attract attention to the fate of the political prisoners who are being held at various detention centres.
The Al Khalifa rulers are now seeking revenge for their fiasco at Geneva, where their crimes against the people of Bahrain have, this week, been exposed to the world. They have spent more than one million dollars in bribes and public relations to counter the opposition’s efforts that had succeeded in presenting the true picture of the regime to the world. It is expected that the ruling family will face more scrutiny for its dismal records on human rights.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
09/04/2008
