Bahrain Freedom Movement

Bahrain: Pressures mounts against the regime

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 10/07/2007

The plight of one woman could have significant impact on thousands of dispossessed families in Bahrain. Safiyya Ahmad Ali, 36, from the town of Dair in Muharraq, has been living on the street for the past ten days, with no decent lodging.

The UN was wrong to honour a dictator and mass murderer

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 28/06/2007

The people of Bahrain have been enraged by the decision by a UN committee to grant Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s despotic prime minister for the past 36 years, the prize of “human settlements”.

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 18/06/2007

Since the government decided to impose a 1 percent tax on all employees within what it calls “the Law of unemployment” there have been an outcry with a total rejection of the bill. The ruling family’s decision has only led to more polarisation in the political situation with the majority of Bahrainis rejecting what they view as an attempt to legalise robbing them of more money while the ruling family continues to expropriate more that 60 percent of the oil income.

A stagnant political regime in changing times

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 01/06/2007

The international community has taken the right decision by denying the Al Khalifa ruling family membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Govrnment of Bahrain failed to achieve support from any other country when it sought to renew its membership of the Council. It was good news for human rights activists who have repeatedly campaigned against transforming the Council into an ineffective body whose members are those who commit more human rights violations than non-members.

Bahrain: Political prisoners tortured and summary justice for demonstrators

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 23/05/2007

A young detainee has been transferred to hospital after his health deteriorated following extensive torture at the hands of the government agents. Ali Saeed Al Khabbaz, 22, from Sanabis has been taken three times to hospital since he was arrested two days ago. Concern has been raised about his physical health after his family was denied access to see him.

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 21/05/2007

The situation in Bahrain has deteriorated rapidly in the past few weeks and the stage has now been set to more polarisation between the people and the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship. What happened in the past three days has now set the stage for this polarisation with emerging consensus for the Sheikh Hamad’s regime to go. The world has made significant steps towards democracy everywhere except in the Gulf region.

Bahrain: Tension rising as Mushaime and Khawaja decide to ingore the trial

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 18/05/2007

Mr Hassan Mushaime, the Secretary General of Haq Movement and Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, the President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, have said they would not attend their trial on Monday 21st May. The trial was ordered by the Al Khalifa ruling family in revenge for the comments by the two popular leaders criticising the ruler, Sheikh Hamad for his dictatorship, blundering people’s wealth and imposition of a strict tribal regime on the country. The statement said the trial as “Politically motivated”, and refused to cooperate with the attempts to intimidate the people by threats, arrests and show trials.

Bahrain: four developments indicate serious rise in tension

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 07/05/2007

The reverberations from the decision by the ruling family to put three activists on trial are taking new dimensions. The situation in the country is expected to take a new turn to the worse as the civil resistance movement takes deeper roots in the Bahraini society. The situation is becoming more polarised as the people become further disenchanted with the policies of the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship.

Bahrain: The crisis deepens as repression intensifies

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 17/04/2007

The clashes between the people of Bahrain and the Al Khalifa death squads have intensified in recent days, with casualties on both sides. The events of Sanabis in the past few days have confirmed the long-held suspicion that the regime is attempting to annihilate the people with every dirty means at its disposal.

Criminal acts by the Al Khalifa against demonstrators

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 14/04/2007

As the political crisis in Bahrain deepens, demonstrations have become a recurrent event on daily basis. On Friday, the Al Khalifa rulers prevented a peaceful demonstration in protest against their criminal acts against the people of Bahrain.

Bahrain: Murder of a citizen; death squads suspected

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 01/04/2007

The Al Khalifa ruling family has refused to form an inquiry into the crime that has shocked Bahrain, despite numerous calls to that effect. In the early hours of Friday 30th March, a young Bahraini citizen was shot while on duty as a security guard at Al Bustan Hotel in Manama.

Bahrain: More attacks on freedom as minors are summoned for trial

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 19/03/2007

As the political strife continues in Bahrain, the Al Khalifa regime has become more cruel in its treatment of Bahraini citizens who peacefully express their opinion. The attack on the peaceful demonstration last Friday by the riot police has triggered a spate of anger among the citizens who are increasingly becoming disappointed by the lack of real political or economic reforms.

Young Bahraini students behind bars as Al Khalifa tighten their grip

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 05/03/2007

Students of Jidhafs School have been warned by the ruling family against participating in demonstrations calling for the release of other detainees. The warning was issued after a massive demonstration by students on 1st March calling for those who had been arrested during an earlier demonstration on Tuesday 27th February. The demonstrators were photographed by naturalised teachers and agents of the secret service.

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 23/02/2007

Political disturbances in various parts of the country erupted yesterday and today as the people of Bahrain continued their pro-democracy protests and called for an end to the hereditary dictatorship of the Al Khalifa clan.
Bahrain: More victims of torture as the situation becomes more volatile

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 20/02/2007

Bahrain’s ruler has ordered the re-commissioning of the massive networks of torture chambers which had been temporarily closed in 2001. More Bahrainis are now detained, tortured and then released. It is a practice intended to inflict maximum pain to opponents in a short time to avoid attracting outside attention. People of Bahrain are now feeling the extent of betrayal of the Al Khalifa ruling family as it seeks to alter the social and religious composition of the country. Death squads have become the main force in combating the rising public discontent. A new element has made these squads more dangerous. Recent reports have spoken of a new recruits from former Ba’thists from Iraq. Camps have been opened to train members of the death squads to deal with the new realities following the failure of Sheikh Hamad’s political programme and the new resurgence among the discontented youth.

Bahrain: Al Khalifa Torture Chambers receive more innocent Bahrainis

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 12/02/2007

The political crisis in Bahrain is deepening following the decision by the Al Khalifa rulers to open up their notorious prisons to Bahraini political activists. Six were snatched yesterday by their death squads, while three others were detained and interrogated at the Bahrain-Saudi causeway.

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 05/02/2007

Calls are being made for an urgent investigation into the misadventure ordered by the royal palace in Bahrain last week after it emerged that several people were injured as a result of police aggression. The uprising of Friday 2nd February had shocked the Al Khalifa occupiers and forced them to concede defeat as wave after wave of protesters emerged in various parts of the country not only to challenge their authority but also to declare their rejection of the hereditary dictatorship and its outdated mode of rule.

Senior opposition figures arrested in Bahrain

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 02/02/2007

In the ealry hours of Friday 2 February 2006, scores of police and special branch members dressed in civilian clothes surrounded the house of two leading opposition figures and arrested them for undisclosed reasons.

Bahrain: Prison sentences for possessing political leaflets

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 31/01/2007

A Kangaroo court today passed unlawful prison sentences against two Bahraini activists for possessing leaflets. A foreign judge, sentenced two citizens to one year and six months imprisonment for possessing leaflets calling for boycotting the illegal elections last November.

Bahrain: More repressive attacks waged against innocent demonstrators

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 19/01/2007

A peaceful demonstration calling for the release of two innocent citizens was viciously attacked today by the Al Khlaifa’s thugs on orders from the royal palace. Many young men were injured including a youth who was hit in the head. The demonstration was called for by the families of the two detainees; Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Sahlawi and Hussain Abdul Aziz Al Habshi, who have been languishing in torture cells for the past two months. Their guilt is possession of leaflets urging people to boycott elections for powerless bodies. Many calls have been made to the ruling family to release the hostages but to no avail. Today’s demonstration took place near the town of Daih. Riot police were deployed to prevent the demonstration whose organisers had already obtained a permit to hold it. Women and children were frightened by onslaught who mercilessly attacked the participants and caused enormous fear among the children.

Bahrain: When peaceful expression of opinion is criminalised

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 08/01/2007

A kangaroo court yesterday, presided over by s foreigner, refused to order the release of two citizens after eight weeks in illegal detention.

Bahrain: More arrests and torture by Al Khalifa to celebrate the New Year

Bahrain Freedom Movement – 02/01/2007

The execution of Saddam Hussain has been welcomed by the people of Bahrain who had lost several of their sons at the hands of his regime.

Bahrain: Demise of Sheikh Al Jamri, the historic leader

BFM – 19/12/2006

The demise of Sheikh Abdul Amir Al Jamri was announced in Bahrain yesterday after an illness that lasted three years. Last night, tens of thousands of citizens joined the spectacular funeral that stretched over several kilometres in a show of defiance unparalleled in recent years.

15/12/2006

The attack on freedom of expression continued unabated with Government’s death squads assuming new role in attacking those who venture to express themselves. When people decided to express solidarity with the prisoners of conscience languishing in Al Khalifa torture chambers Sheikh Hamad dispatched heavily armed forces to the spot where the demonstration had been planned to start, preventing people from approaching the area and pointing their guns to the heads of would be protesters. Manama suddenly became like a garrison with death squads roaming its roads especially in the vicinity of the planned demonstration.

07/12/2006

The appointed half of the Shura council has been announced only toindicate the reality of the Al Khalifa destructive political programmein Bahrain. Out of forty appointed members, 20 are Sunnis, 18 Shia,one Christian and one Jew.

Bahrain: More political prisoners on the eve of pseudo-elections

24/11/2006

Another young citizen, Mohsin Al Salman, 27, has been kidnapped today by the death squads of Sheikh Hamad. He is from Jad Hafs area and had been in jail before. Earlier this year, he spent with his brother, Jawad, several months in torture chambers because they had participated in a peaceful protest at the airport.

23/11/2006

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:

Bahrain: Outrage as two activists are taken hostage

17/11/2006

The arrest yesterday of two political activists has, once again, exposed the real nature of the hereditary dictatorship in Bahrain . Dr Mohammad Saeed and Hussain Abdul Aziz Al Habshi were arrested for possession of what the interior ministry claimed to be “leaflets with seditious intentions”. The Al Khalifa described the possession of anti-regime leaflets “a crime”. Dr Mohammad Saeed is a qualified dentist who owns a practice in Manama. He had been arrested in the nineties and spent two years behind bars. He was subjected to horrific torture under the supervision of the notorious torturer, Abdul Aziz Atiyyat Allah Al Khalifa and Adel Flaifel.

Bahrain: Attacks on freedom as Al Khalifa dirty plots unveiled by Al Bandar

08/11/2006

The ferocious attack on the freedom of speech and expression took a sharp turn to the worse on Friday night when a peaceful gathering was mercilessly attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Secret report exposes the rape of a country by Al Khalifa

08/11/2006

The sensational revelations last month by high-ranking official within the Government of Bahrain made history. Perhaps it was the first time in the recent history of this troubled island that such irrefutable documentary evidence of the evil activities by the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship had come out to the open.

Bahrain: Deeper crisis on 35th anniversary of independence

23/08/2006

Following the submission last week of the largest petition to the Office of the United Nations Secretary General, calling for a new democratic constitution, a new phase in the struggle has begun.

11/08/2006

The people of Bahrain have solidly supported the right of the Lebanese and Palestinians to fight occupation and demand the release of their prisoners. These people understand the significance of both: the occupation and the prisoners, or more realistically, hostages.