Bahrain: Gross human rights violations and why we have boycotted the elections
Concerns have been raised by local and international human rights activists in regards to the unlawful arrest, detention and maltreatment of two prisoners of conscience in Bahrain. ON Thursday 16th November, Dr Mohammad Saeed Matar and Hussain Abdul Aziz Al Habshi were kidnapped from the street by the death squads of the ruling family. Alarming facts have now become available surrounding the unlawful detention of the two Bahraini activists:
1- The arrests were carried out by the death squads which have ruled the streets in the past five years. They are part of Sheikh Hamad’s iron-fist policy in dealing with opponents.
2- The pair were arrested without a judicial warrant and adopted heavy-handed tactics in handling the two innocent civilians.
3- The pair were interrogated in Al Khalifa torture chambers, and were denied access to lawyers during interrogation. This is contrary to international norms which call for a lawyer to be present during interrogations.
4- Access to the detainees has been limited. So far only one visit by their families has been allowed, despite requests from their lawyers.
5- The detainees are considered prisoners of conscience. They have been accused of possessing leaflets calling for boycott of elections. The Al Khalifa authorities described this as a “crime”.
6- The detentions are taken as a prelude to a major crackdown against opponents who have really embarrassed the regime and exposed the incompatibility of hereditary dictatorship with democratic values.
Meanwhile, the regime has gone on a spending spree trying to impress international public opinion. Hundreds of foreign journalists have been invited, all expenses fully paid for them to stay in lavish accommodation. Foreign public relations agencies have been recruited to present a different image of the Al Khalifa than that of despotism, torture and human rights violations. In UK, the Policy Partnership Ltd has been employed to arrange the invitations and travel arrangements for UK journalists.
Election Process
A large section of the society has decided to boycott these elections, for the following reasons:
1- Any elections must be based on agreed terms of reference. Constitutions usually provide a common ground for the government and the people. In the case of Bahrain, the constitution is a document written by the government and imposed on the people. That is unacceptable.
2- These elections are meant to be a “referendum” on the Al Khalifa constitution. We refuse to endorse this document and will continue our struggle to achieve a contractual constitution similar to that of 1973.
3- The election process is not fair. There are no international monitoring, and the constituency boundaries are drawn by the ruling family and do not represent equal voting rights for the citizens.
4- These elections have come against the backdrop of a massive programme of political naturalisation with the aim of fundamentally altering the demographic balance against the majority Shia natives. We will not part of that criminal act which is tantamount to “ethnocide”.
Meanwhile the election process has been criticised by international observers for several reasons; first the lack of international monitoring, second; the lack of legislative powers of the elected members as the governments appoints half of the members of the “legislature”, third; the unbalanced distribution of candidates and votes among the regions of the country and for the, they are held in a state far from stable and tranquil, especially after the unlawful arrest of political activists, merely for expressing their beliefs.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
23 November 2006