Bahrain: A martyr falls as regime forms militia

On 28th May Sayyed Hadi Sayyed Hameed, 26, from Karzakkan was martyred as a direct result of excessive chemical gas inhalation. He had been affected few days earlier when regime’s forces attacked peaceful demonstrators in the town. His funeral was turned into anti-regime protest with people chanting “Death to Hamad” in reference to the dictator who is wreaking havoc on the country. Sayyed Hameed had been arrested in 2008 and sentenced to three years imprisonment. He was subjected to severe torture while languishing in Alkhalifa torture dungeons. He is a celebrated freedom fighter who spent the best part of his life protesting against the most brutal and reactionary regime in the region.

In one of the most bizarre episodes the Alkhalifa court acquitted the killers of Fadhel Al Matrook who was martyred by police bullets on Tuesday 15th February 2011 (second day of the Revolution). The killer of another martyr, Hani Abdul Aziz, was reduced from seven years to six months. In recent weeks the same courts have sentenced up to 200 Bahrainis for jail terms of up to 15 years imprisonment for peaceful acts such as taking parts in protests, tweeting against the dictator or raising anti-regime slogans. Among these are under-age children.

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has issued an urgent action to stop ill-treatment of children behind bars. It said:  “Reports from Bahrain’s Jaw prison identified some of the youth that were reportedly tortured that day, amongst them two children, Jehad Sadeq and Mustafa Al Muqdad. To conceal what had happened, they were removed from their cells and held in solitary confinement. Jehad was reportedly beaten, cursed and insulted at the time of arrest. He was tried under the internationally criticized terrorism law and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment last month based on confessions extracted under duress.

Mustafa Al Muqdad, 16 years old, was arrested on 19 May 2011 after a house raid at dawn. He was reportedly tortured for two weeks after his arrest. According to the testimony, he was beaten with a plastic cable, deprived from sleep for three days and was forced to stand for days.  He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment at the National Safety court (vis-à-vis the Military court) which was later reduced to three years

In London, several Muslim organizations addressed the British Foreign Secretary asking him to act to stop the relentless attacks by the Bahraini regime against religious scholars. They said:  “We are very alarmed by these actions that the government of Bahrain and their security forces have embarked upon. This runs the real risk of escalating tensions through raising the stakes and agitating the population by targeting their senior religious leader. The forced entry into Ayatullah Qasim's home, as well as the attack on his family during the early hours of the morning, was a deliberate attempt to humiliate the Shia community in Bahrain. This represents a dangerous escalation, crossing a new red line that will have implications beyond just the Kingdom itself. We hope you will take a proactive stance to help in calming the current tensions in Bahrain and beyond.” The letter was signed by: Al-Khoei Foundation, The Council of European Jamaats, Dar Al Islam, Imam A li Foundation, Islamic Universal Association, Majlis Ulama Shia Europe, Muhammadi Trust, Rasool A’adham Foundation, The World Federation of KSIMC and World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League.

On another level, Zainab Al Khawaja, the jailed human rights activist has confirmed that a sectarian Apartheid regime is being implemented in her prison. The prison authorities have banned any interaction or mixing among the Shia and Sunni women prisoners. This action has coincided with the decision by the Alkhalifa regime to form an official militia groups comprising members of the Death Squads. This is yet another step to lead Bahrain into instability, chaos and absolute militarized dictatorship.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
30th May 2013