Bahrain: Arrests, maltreatment and rising tension as the Day of the Martyrs approaches
A vicious attack last nigh by the regime’s death squads and riot police against a peaceful demonstrations led to injuries and arrests among Bahraini youth. The attack came as the demonstration started from Bani Jamra to the main Budaya’ Road and headed to the adjacent town of Duraz.
There had been a massive meeting at Bani Jamra to mark the first anniversary of the demise of Sheikh Abdul Amir Al Jamri, the popular leader of the uprising of the nineties. The attack started without warning as the demonstrators vowed to continue the struggle against the oppression, injustice and dictatorship of the Al Khalifa rulers. It was pitch dark along the road and the chanting of the demonstrators reverberated among the nearby houses. The attack was spearheaded by Sheikh Hamad’s death squads, notorious for their extra-judicial killings of Bahrainis. The attackers had laid in wait for those who took part in the memorial session which was addressed by prominent personalities including Mr Hassan Mushaime’, the Chairman of Haq Movement. When the aggressors used tear gas, chemical gases and rubber bullet indiscriminately, the youth scattered in the two villages and skirmishes with the aggressors continued for some time. The youth reacted angrily, throwing stones against the attackers. Arrests then followed, with beating and harsh treatment. It has now become routine for the death squads and riot police to administer torture and ill-treatment of detainees on the spot, and avoid taking prisoners, as far as possible. Among the detainees are: Sayyed Zuahair Sayyed Mousa Sayyed Jaffar Al Alawi, 15, Sayyed Ahmad Sayyed Majeed Sayyed Isa Al Marzooq, 17, from Hamad Town (Roundabout 17) and Bassem Mohammad Abdul Aziz Al Fatlawi from Duraz, Hussain Ali Mansoor Al Jamri and Hussain Abdul Jalil Ibrahim, from Bani Jamra. The Al Khalifa regime has been selected by the UN Human Rights Council for close scrutiny on its notorious human rights records.
The process will start in the Spring and the ruling family has snatched hundreds of millions of the oil revenues to finance its defence and bribe key persons in the media and human rights domain. It is now known that the following youth have been illegally detained and are being subjected to horrific torture by the angry death squads. The situation has remained tense as the ruling family continued its aggression against the Bahraini people. From the early hours of this morning helicopters have hovered around Duraz, Bani Jamra and other places in a show of warmongering mood.
At the same time, scores of police were seen collecting empty shells and gas canisters from the roads to remove any evidence of their aggression.
In recent days, arguments have raged against the deployment by Sheikh Hamad’s death squads of lethal weapons and illegal gases. Officials of the Al Khalifa-controlled ministry of the interior attempted to dodge the issue claiming that attacking Bahrainis was necessary for the security of the country.The tension was also rising in the wake of the prevention by the ruling family of a planned demonstration by the unemployed, the underpaid and those concerned with recent legislations to impose a tax on the extremely low salaries of the Bahrainis. The demonstration had been planned to take place yesterday (Friday 7th December) from Sheikh Hamad’s shura council to the cabinet office to call for real pay rises and the repeal of the proposed income tax. The United Arab Emirates government has recently announced 70 percent increase in all public sector employees as a result of the steep oil price increases. The Al Khalifa have kept the extra income from oil (amounting to over US$3 billion a year) to themselves, whilst Bahrainis were left to face up to the sharp levels of inflation and other costs. Death squads and riot police deployed around Manama closing all possible entries near the planned venue of the protest. The organisers have now called for another demonstration on 14th December.
A major demonstration is also planned for 17th December to mark the Day of the Martyrs, the day in 1994 when the ruling family ordered troops to kill Bahrainis.On Thursday night (6th Decemeber) a major seminar was held at Al Malikiyya village on “the housing crisis and the expropriation of land”. Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, the President of the Bahrain Centre for Huaman Rights and Mr Hassan Mushaime’, President of Haq, spoke about the massive thefts of land and money by the prime minister and his gangs. They both called for his dismissal and trial. Mr Mushaime’ challenged Sheikh Khalifa, who has been in the post of prime minister since 1971, to carry out a referendum to gauge his popularity.The situation is likely to escalate in the next few days as the Day of the Martyrs approaches. Graffitti has appeared on a wide scale in various towns and villages expressing determination to challenge the ruling family’s lack of legitimacy to rule the country. Many walls in Demestan, Karzakkan, Malikiyya and other villages have been covered with slogans against the hereditary dictatorship.
The walls of Al Nu’aim Secondary School have also been covered with the pictures of the martyrs of Bahrain.Meanwhile the decision by the Al Khalifa family to put a human rights activist on trial has been condemned by international human rights organisations. Mr Mohammad Al Masqati, 26, has been accused of forming the “Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights” without permission from the ruling family.Lord Avebury, the Vice-President of the UK Parliamentary Human Rights Group, has organised a seminar on the deteriorating situation in Bahrain to take place at 11 am, Wednesday 19th December at Moses Room, the House of Lords.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
08/12/2007