Bahrain: rejection of investigation into ethnic genocide against the natives
The case of Ahmad Atiyyat Allah Al Khalifa, the brother of the notorious torturer, Abdul Aziz, is fast becoming a central issue in Bahrain’s domestic politics. Atiyyat Allah, the Cabinet Affairs Minister, is heading a secret web, funded by the royal court, to alter the demographic balance in the country in what amount to ethnic cleansing against the native Baharna population.
His role was uncovered last year by the Al Bandar report which presented damning evidence of Atiyyat Allah’s horrendous crimes and the role of Sheikh Hamad’s office in the criminal plot. The minister of royal court, Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, one of the most notorious sectarian figures in Bahrain, was also shown by the Report as the main force behind the ethnic cleansing policies of Sheikh Hamad.
What is making the case more intriguing is the attempts by ruling family to suppress any attempt to scrutinise those two individuals and their criminal roles. Sheikh Hamad has extended impunity to them. It is now more than one year since Al Bandar’s report was published but the Al Khalifa have failed to answer to the charges laid against them by the report. Instead, they have issued directives banning any media coverage of the report or discussions about it. When members of Sheikh Hamad’s incumbent parliament attempted to question Atiyyat Allah, these attempts were thwarted. The feelings among the natives are boiling as the ethnic cleansing continued unabated. It is expected that the situation may escalate in the coming months as the natives become more aware of the disastrous consequences of the political naturalisation process undertaken by Sheikh Hamad.
Meanwhile, anger has also surfaced as it became clear that one of the most senior officials of Gulf Air was allowed to slip through the net and flee the country after reports of embezzlement at a massive scale within the company. Jeff Living fled to London last Thursday amid reports that he had recruited six consultants at a cost of US$6000 per day. He is also said to have submitted an invoice for US$4.2 million allegedly for “services rendered by those consultants and another company linked to Living. The company’s auditor refused to endorse the invoice. Jeff Living had been paid a monthly salary of around US$275,000 in addition to housing allowance of US$6000 and US$1500 car allowance. To complete his package he received an annual bonuses totalling more than US$120,000. He fled with most of the documents that could be used to indict him. There are speculations that senior members of the ruling family had assisted him to flee.
These intrigues come at a time when poverty has reached record levels as official corruption takes monumental dimensions. Several seminars and films have highlighted this phenomena in a country which has plenty of oil wealth. The predicament of many of the youth is now forcing many of them either to leave the country to nearby states or organise protests to highlight their plight. One such desperate youth is Mr Ali Salman, a young unemployed citizen from Al Hamala village. Mr Ali Salman, a young unemployed citizen from Al Hamala village. Yesterday he stood near the royal palace, raising a banner calling for decent employment and asking for his rights as a native citizen whose rights are usurped by occupiers and settlers. He was immediately arrested by members of the death squads, run by the royal court, maltreated and warned against any protests. He was later released after strong warnings and threats of serious consequences if he continued his legitimate demands for employment.
At another level, a massive demonstration was organised on Friday to mark the International Qud Day and call for an end to the occupation of Palestine and especially Jerusalem. The issue of occupation Hitss sensitive nerves with the ruling family who had occupied Bahrain by force and who have embarked on a new programme of settlement for newly-naturalised foreigners. The demonstrators called for and end of occupation and the right of indigenous people to determine their own destiny. The demonstration passed peacefully despite intimidation from death squads.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
09/10/2007