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May 1996: More citizens are killed by security forces,many others are arbitrarily sentence

1 May: The Associated Press reported that “witnesses and residents said fire on Sunday (28 April) gutted the tire store in the village of A’ali, south of Manama. Smaller fires, ignited with old tires and fuel drums, were also started throughout the three-day holiday that ended Tuesday (30 April), and there were also explosions using gas cylinders, they said. The activists also set several tires ablaze on a road leading to Saudi Arabia, creating a wall of fire that disrupted busy traffic”. Two of the mothers, Mona Habib Al-Sharakhi (daughter-in-law of Sheikh Al-Jamri) and a six-months pregnant lady, Iman Salman Ibrahim, who were unlawfully arrested on 29 February, were released on 1 May on bail after paying 200 dinars ($500). The sister of Iman, Zahra Salman Ibrahim, a mother of four children and whose husband has been in detention since January 1995, remained in jail for 2 more weeks together with Nazi Karimi who was snatched from her bedroom on the dawn of 29 February.

3 May: Mr. Ali Al-Motgawwai, Ghazi Abdul Hassan and three other Bahrainis were arrested in Saudi Arabia and handed over to Bahrain interior ministry.

On May 3, Fadhel Abbas Marhoon of the village of Karzakkan was fatally shot by a patrolling BDF unit. On July 2, 17-year-old Ali Taher was shot and killed by security forces during a demonstration in Sitra. 4 May: Uprising areas of Bahrain started the day fully prepared to stand by their principles and commemorate the 40th day of the martyrdom of Isa Qambar who was executed on 26 March by the ruling Al-Khalifa family after flawed and unfair trial. Three mothers were arrested in Ekr following a mass demonstration. A 30-year old mother by the name Najma was arrested together wither her baby. The baby was released later and had to be admitted to hospital. Two other mothers were also arrested with Najma: Zainab Al-Mukhtar, 40 year old, and Rabab Dhaif, 55 years old. They remiand in jail for a week.

5 May: Manama was wrecked by several explosion at 2.00am on Sunday morning heralding another wave of violence and counter violence in the country. Two seven-storey buildings as well as several shops were damaged. Security forces started attacking residential areas in the past few days and many areas were put under siege yesterday, including Daih, Sanabis, Karzakkan, Bani Jamra, Duraz, Abo-Saibaa. Women went out in demonstrations at night in Tobli and Bani Jamra denouncing the atrocities of the security forces and calling for the release of their children. Children marched on the main Budaya Highway near Abo-Saiba and Karranah and blocked the road while carrying posters of the jailed leaders. The trial of the leading opposition figure Mr. Ahmad Al-Shamlan ended today with the government failing to prove its points that the leading figure has been behind arson and sabotage.

6 May: A unit belonging to the Bahrain Defence Force committed a crime against the peaceful people of Bahrain. Fadhil Abbas Marhoon, 25 years old, from Karzakkan village was shot and injured by live ammunition fired by security forces on 3 May. The security forces arrested him despite the fact that he had been injured. The next thing the family of the martyr knew was a call from the security forces informing them that the their son has been buried under the supervision of the riot police in Hoora Cemetery at 6.00 am.

US State Dept Human Rights Report stated : Fadhel Abbas Marhoon of the village of Karzakkan was fatally shot by a patrolling BDF unit.

A home-made bomb exploded near the airport in Muharraq on 6 May, wounding two policemen. A security source told the Associated Press that the wounded men were “Pakistani policemen. Bahrain has long recruited Pakistanis, Jordanians and Syrians to serve in its police and armed forces”.

7 May: Karzakkan, the home village of the martyr Fadhil Abbas Marhoon, was flooded with crowds of people who visited the family of the martyr and declared their disgust at what the hated security service did. losion. Residents of Sitra were shocked to see units of riot police deployed without any reason. These units started beating people haphazardly in what is now becoming a routine collective punishment exercise.

7 May: A very strong explosion, believed to be the work of the security department levelled to the ground a 3-storey building in Sanabis killing Salman Al-Taitoon, 28 years old, his wife Fadeela and 3-year old soon Ali. Four others were injured.

8 May: Residents in Karzakkan went out in solidarity with the family of the martyr Fadhil Abbas Marhoon who was killed and buried by security forces. The residents of Sanabis, Daih and Jedhafs went out in mass demonstrations after 8.00 pm on 8 May denouncing the atrocities of the foreign-led and foreign-staffed security forces. Soon after, units of riot police encircles the area, blocked the main Budaya Highway and started firing live ammunition. Columns of fire spread during the clashes and clashes continued till mid-night. Earlier in the day helicopters continued to fly at low levels.

8 May: The State Security Court jailed 11 people for one to five years for anti-government protests. The State Security Court, whose rulings cannot be appealed, sentenced four men for one year each and ordered them to pay 500 dinars ($1,300) each. Six others received three years each and one received five years.

10 May: Residents in Daih took to the streets on and clashed with security forces.

11 May: at night, residents of Sanabis went out in a demonstration denouncing the government and accusing the security forces of blowing-up and killing Salman Al-Taitoon and his family. Following the clashes, columns of smoke covered the area and loud explosions were heard.

12 May: Residents in Duraz went out in a demonstration and clashed with the security forces.

13 May: A young mentally-disabled person was killed by security forces during clashes in Daih last week. Abdul Amir Hassan Rustum, 26 years, was captured the preceding night by the security forces. The severe beating caused his death in the morning. A group of youth were sentenced after unfair trail as follows: four were jailed for five years and two for two years. Two others received 12-month suspended sentences.

14 May: Kuwait security officers visited “Al-Ta’aminat Al-Ejtemaeya” in Kuwait, the work place of Jamil Abdul Ghani Abdulla Ali, 25 years old, a Bahraini citizen, and drove him away to the borders with Saudi Arabia and handed him over to some security officers from Bahreain. His Kuwaiti wife was not informed about the fate of her husband. She complained to the Kuwaiti parliament. The Kuwaiti interior minister stated that his Bahraini counterpart phoned him a day earlier and requested the hand-over. This was done without any respect for legal procedures.

17 May: Security forces attacked and deployed rubber bullets in Bilad al-Qadim. Other areas were also attacked including Zenj, Khamis, Sehla, Maamir, Tobli, Karanah, Karbabad, Duraz, Karzakkan and other areas as part of the oppressive campaign against the religious premises (mattams). At least 21 people were arrested from Bilad Al-Qadim alone. Two people were severely beaten by police in public: Abdul Jaleel Saeed Ahmed Al-Noaimi and Mohammed Radhi Al-Noaimi. The security forces also attacked footballers in Bilad al-Qadim and haphazardly arrested the following players: Maytham Mohammed Al-Eskafi,18, Murtadha Saleh Al-Eskafi, 16, Ali Abdullah Abdul Wahab Al-Eskafi,16, Huasin Ahmed Ali Ebrahim, 16. Later at 8.00 pm, riot police attacked “Al-Takya Mattam” and severely beaten the preacher (Sayed Abdullah) and many people in the audience including Ghazi Al-Haddad and his brother Ramzi. The latter were arrested and the Mattam was closed. The religious premises (Mattams) in Sehal were also ransacked and their contents destroyed. In Duraz, the security forces turned themselves into painters and spent most of heir times trying to paint over the slogans written on the walls. The interior minister summoned heads of major mattams in Manama: Mansoor Rajab, Ibrahim Mansoor, Fuad Al Haji, Sayed Hussain Alawi, and Haji Ahmed Saloom. The meeting ended with the latter declaring that they will not succumb to any pressure and will go ahead with the processions as usual.

19 May: The BBC World TV broadcast of a film showing how security forces savagely attack civilians and break demonstrations was jammed by the Ministry of Information in Bahrain. Bahrain TV interrupted the BBC transmission on 16 May at 7.05 pm GMT. BBC second broadcast on 18 May (midday) was also jammed by the Bahraini authorities which are desperately attempting to prevent the spreading of news about the pro-democracy uprising. Sources close to the government indicated that Mr. Ian Henderson, the British officer in-charge of the security apparatus has recently recruited 150 more British officers to work for him. Mr. Henderson and his deputy, Mr. Bryan, are nearing their retirement ages and such recruiting is indicative of how deep the crisis in Bahrain is.

19 May: Seyed Ali Alawi Al-Khabaz was brought before the unconstitutional state security court. His family was not told about the outcome of the trial.

20 March: On the occasion of Ashora, two senior leading Bahraini religious figures, Seyed Jawad Al-Wedaei and Seyed Alawi Al-Ghoreifi, issued a statement to the nation calling on them to unite all their activities and show solidarity with each in the face of the threats against the Shia community in the wake of the continued attacks by security forces. Bilad al-Qadim suffered the worst atrocities and many youth are being picked up on a daily basis. Riot police attacked the mosques and mattams in a desperate attempt to implement the new policy of confiscating the religious rights of the Shia community. Youth and security forces clashed near “Mattam al-Jeshi”. Tear gas, rubber bullets and cylindrical batons (5″x1.5″ sizing) were deployed by riot police. They also stormed “Mattam Haji Mansoor Al-Sateeh”, clashed with the audience and arrestedseveral of them.

21 May: The French Le Monde published an article based on an interview made with opposition figure Mr. Hussain Mossa. Mr. Mossa stated that the people of Bahrain have made their constitutional and peaceful demands through petitions, the latest of which was signed by 10,000 people last March. However, the government responded with violence. The Loss Angeles Times published a lengthy article on Bahrain on 15 May. It concluded: ((So Bahrain’s situation festers – an intransigent government faced by a popular opposition that will not be quelled. “In the end, they will have to make concessions” the diplomat predicted. “They’ll probably do everything too late”. Ibrahim observed: “The unrest will continue until the government restores the parliament. I think it will get much worse”.

22 May, the unconstitutional state security court brought the numbers of those sentenced haphazardly to 53 people during two months. The said court sentenced three people to 10 years imprisonment and imposed a record fine of about $1.1 million. The victims are: Ahmed Kadhem Al-Huda, 28, Ali Ibrahim Ali Ahmed Ismael, 25, and Samir Ahmed Ali Al-Sheikh, 26.

22 May: The crown prince’s military units staged military maneuvers with UAE troops in a show of forces against the unarmed people of Bahrain.

26 May: More than 70 people were arrested in Manama alone. This followed the mass distribution of leaflets calling for an end to “the reign of terror imposed by the ruling family on Bahrain”. Dawn raids were mounted all over the country and many youths leading the religious procession were arrested. Many elders were summoned and ordered to provide the names of youths who assume leading roles in the procession. These encounters end up in a stormy way, with the security officers threatening elders of the community and the latter resisting the intimidation. Community leaders decided not to distribute food for the public in solidarity with the families of martyrs and with those in jail.

27 May: The health of Sheikh Abdul Amir Al-Jamri, the leading figure in jail since 22 January 1996, has deteriorated and a medical doctor specializing in heart problems was called in to see him in a prison situated in Safra paramilitary town. This is the first time that Sheikh Al-Jamri has ever seen someone from the outside world. Since his arrest, no lawyer or member of family has ever been allowed to see him.

27 May: Seyed Jawad Al-Wedai, the leading religious authority in Bahrain, delivered a speech, today in the grand religious place “Mattam Madan” in the capital Manama, and stated that he had been contacted by the interior ministry regarding his call for a new procession to emerge from Ras-Romman mosque on 28 May. Al-Wedai said “I see no taste in life under oppression” and informed the gathering that he decided to call-off the procession to avoid bloodshed. Earlier, the chief of Manama police, Abdul-Salam Al-Ansari met with elders from Manama and asked them to speak to Seyed Al-Wedai regarding the new procession. However, he was told that Seyed Al-Wedai is a religious authority and was entitled to call for such a procession. On the tenth of Muharram, Dr. Faisal Al-Zeera was sent by the government to Seyyed Jawad Al-Wedai. Al-Zeera (member of the powerless Shura Council) stated to Al-Wedai that he managed to convince the authorities to allow the new procession to go out. But Al-Wedai stated that “we do not need anyone’s permission for our religeous affairs”. Armoured vehicles with commandos (new unit made of Pakistani nationals) were deployed in the capital in a show of muscle.

29 May: Nine youths and Teenagers (all from Duraz) were sentenced to TEN years imprisonment on 29 May by the unconstitutional state security court as follows: Hussain Mohammed Al Asfoor, 22 year old, Hussain Asoori,19, Muneer Ali Hussain Al Asfoor,18, Shafeq Hussain Al Asfoor, 19, Ali Abdul Waheed Shihab, 20, Hamdi Abdul Jalil Al-Gurbal, 20, Emad Jaffer Al Alawi,19, Mahdi Sheikh Abbas Al Rayyis, 17 and Ali Mohammed Hassan Al Hamran,17. Ebrahim Khalil Abu Ruwais, 17, was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Ali Ahmed Saleh, 20, and Ammar Abdul Hussain Al-Mutgawwi, 15, were sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. The last three were told that they will be brought before the court for another charge. The government spokesman, Seyed Al-Baboli (an Egyptian), stated that “an explosion on 29 May, on the roof of a house in Jedhafs injured the wife of a man in detention”. The injured (pregnant) woman, Nawal ali Abdulla, 20, who suffered a miscarriage, is the wife of Ali Hassan Mansoor, 26, who was detained earlier in the year as part of the crackdown against the community and is expected to appear before the state security court on 7 June. It was known that the government started using rubber bullets and tear gas on the night of 28 May and besieged Daih and Jedhafs the following day (29 May). One person (Ali Hassan Yousif) lost his eye as a result of a rubber bullet fired at him (by security forces) in Karbabad. He is now being treated in the International Hospital. Clashes in Qadam resulted in the arrest of 15 youths. On the 11th day of Muharram (29 May) In Daih, thousands of people poured into the area defying the siege and clashed for two hours with riot police starting at 2.30. More than 25 people were arrested and another person is reported to have lost his eye because a rubber bullet.

UNREST IN PERSIAN GULF ISLE OF BAHRAIN HAS U.S. UNSETTLED MIDEAST: SO FAR, AMERICANS HAVE NOT BEEN TARGETS OF POPULAR DISCONTENT. BUT REGIONAL STABILITY LOOKS AT RISK By John Daniszewski Times Staff Writer [LOS ANGELES TIMES; 5/15/96]

Manama, Bahrain — Just outside the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in this Persian Gulf oil emirate, teenagers throwing rocks recently clashed with police armed with tear gas and rubber bullets. The disturbances and police roundups lasted for days. But throughout it all, not one brick was hurled in the direction of the American base.

That is among the incongruities in this small but strategic country. It has been shaken by 17 months of anti-government protests led by militant Islamic clerics. But during the tumult, the large U.S. military presence that helps support the  government has rarely rated a mention by dissidents. “As long as they do nothing to me, I have nothing against them,” said Ibrahim, 15, a Shiite Muslim who took part in the battles with police next to the 5the Fleet administrative headquarters.  The Navy personnel who jog on the narrow streets of his poor neighborhood do not provoke even mild resentment, he said, noting, “Anybody is welcome in our land, as long as the government agrees to the demands of the people.” “THE BASIC RULE IS: ARAB RULERS STAY IN POWER…[THE SAUDIS]…”WON’T STAND FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE IT WOULD SET A BAD PRECEDENT.”

Will that always be true? U.S. officials are increasingly worried about Bahrain’s growing problems. Stability and cooperation in the gulf are top U.S. strategic goals — to ensure a steady supply of fuel to the West — and Bahrain more and more looks like a crumbling house in a tough neighborhood.

One of the United States’ strongest allies in the region, this country of fewer than 600,000 people has been the scene of steadily escalating violence since December 1994 pitting the Sunni Muslim-led government against members of the Shiite community. Shiites make up 70% of the population and are demanding greater democracy and the restoration of the parliament dissolved by the emir in 1975.

The fight has spiraled into bombings and fatal arson on one side and mass arrests and alleged torture on the other — all over an island group, a little over half the size of Los Angeles, that is fast running out of the oil that underpins its economy. That reality is the heart of the problem.

Bahrain is first gulf producer exhausting its oil supply. Its output is 42,000 barrel a day is a fraction of percent of the world’s production. But by 2006 ……… its supply will be depleted.

Like other gulf states, Bahrain is desperate to diversify economically. Already it hosts a string of international banks whose gleaming offices line the waterfront; it has become a major aluminum smelter; it has developed a small but significant ship repair industry. It is experimenting with tourism, building posh beach resorts aimed at wealthy Arabs and Europeans. “BAHRAIN MORE AND MORE LOOKS LIKE A CRUMBLING HOUSE IN A TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD.”

But can Bahrain shift to a post-petroleum economy while coping with what amounts to a (popular) resurrection? Clashes with police occur almost nightly. And… bombing have targeted hotels, restaurants and other sites across Bahrain…. In the worst such incident, seven Bangladeshi guest workers died in the fire-bombing of a restaurant just outside Manama in March. The death toll from the unrest since 1994 is now at least 28.

Opposition leader Sheik Abdul Amir Jamri has been imprisoned since January. Houses and fences across Bahrain are covered with graffiti demanding his release.

So far, the planted bombs have been primitive and placed for psychological effect more than harm. “The idea is to tell the government, ‘Wecould close this country down if we wanted,'” according to one diplomat. The U.S. Embassy has warned Americans to exercise caution when moving about Bahrain, and several foreign banks have been shifting operations to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain’s principal economic rival. The government of Sheik Isa ibn Salman Khalifa, the emir, would like to portray the uprising as the thin edge of an Iranian Khoimeini-style fundamentalism to the oil states of the gulf. While it is true that Shiite religious leaders at the forefront of the protests are trained in the Iranian holy city of Qom, most diplomats and

political analysts  regard Bahrain’s unrest as a home-grown affair.

Shrinking oil revenues have nearly halved per capita earnings since the early 1980s, hitting hardest at the Shiite underclass, hungry for jobs and political influence denied by the Khalifa dynasty that has ruled for 213 years. Young Shiite protesters have seized on the demand for a return of the parliament dissolved after only one year in existence, and they will fight to the end. “We call it a new intifada,” said Ibrahim, referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. (Because of his fear of police informers, the youth insisted on being interviewed in a car parked behind an apartment building rather than in his own neighborhood.)

Bahrain’s strategic importance is obvious. It is midway up the gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, the doorway for much of the oil fueling the West. About 3,500 Americans live in the country, which provides the lami base for the 5th Fleet guarding the shipping lanes and shielding the Arabian Peninsula from any military assault from nearby Iraq or Iran. The Khalifa family is closely linked with the rulers of neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain has become a playground for rich Saudis who travel the 18-mile causeway to Manama to party at the capital’s clubs and discos. “This is the Las Vegas of the Middle East,” one diplomat said. Bahrain’s opposition believes that the United States must pressure the Khalifa regime to accept reforms. “If I was in Haiti or China they would speak loudly about democracy” one dissident businessman said. Most government critics oppose the violence adopted by radical elements, said Ali Kassim Rabia, one of the former parliament members who in 1994 began circulating a petition calling for parliament’s reinstatement.

The moderate opposition does not even challenge continuing executive rule by the Khalifa dynasty, he said, adding “We cannot insist on all matters to be solved in one day.” Anti-foreigner sentiment in Bahrain is directed mainly at the 190,000 laborers from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines who hold two out of three jobs — while up to a third of the native Shiite population is out of work. Government opponents assert that many politically well-connected Bahrainis have become involved in a corrupt visa practice in which they demand lucrative payments from workers they bring in. This would give families in the Sunni elite an economic stake in bringing in more Asians, even as native Shiites go unemployed. Western governments are advising the country to wen itself from imported labor. But instead of taking meaningful steps toward reform, the Khalifa family is relying on its foreign mercenary police and the 11,000-strong Sunni-dominated army while losing touch with the majority of the people it governs, according to diplomats. “The basic rule is: Arab rulers stay in power,” one foreign envoy said. The Saudis and other conservative gulf states, the envoy said, “won’t stand for anything to happen, because it would set a bad precedent.” So Bahrain’s situation festers– an intransigent government faced by a popular opposition that will not be quelled. “In the end, they will have to make concessions,” the diplomat predicted. “They’ll probably do everything too late.” Ibrahim observed: “the unrest will continue until the government restores the parliament. I think it will get much worse.”