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August 1996: A “Week of Peaceful Civil Resistance” ends with another death under torture

1 August: The war of graffiti intensified following the deployment of a new police unit with special equipment for jet-painting the walls to cover-up the pro-democracy slogans. The people of Bahrain respond by writing more slogans confirming that the spirit and will of resistance is stronger than the foreign-staffed security forces. One of the walls in Karbabad (facing main highways) is now being called by locals “the Wall of Freedom” for the number of times it had been pained over .

5 August: The State Security Court, presided by members of the ruling family and staffed with Egyptian judges, passed arbitrary sentences against the following: Five people were jailed for three years and were each fined 500 dinars ($1,326). A sixth person was acquitted. They were accused of causing a fire in a school in Sitra. Three others were jailed for terms ranging from two to three years and were each fined 500 dinars. The three were accused of setting a shoe-repair shop in Manama on fire. A fourth person was jailed for two years.

6 August: Fire columns were seen in Daih in what is believed to be a renewed wave of clashes. Six people were arrested in Magaba following skirmishes with security forces on 5 August.

7 August: A joint statement was issued by the Bahrain Freedom Movement, the Popular Front in Bahrain and the National Liberation Front of Bahrain. The statement said “The ruling establishment, alone, holds the keys to solving the current crisis. We call on the Amir to assume his constitutional responsibilities and to declare his support for directing the efforts for national reconciliation and for initiating a serious and meaningful dialogue with the Committee for Popular Petition with the aim of salvaging the country”.

8 August: Mass gatherings were held in many parts of the country in mosques and assembly halls ignoring the provocative measures of the foreign-staffed security forces. The latter started establishing check points in Sitra and other uprising areas in a desperate attempt to intimidate the public. They also attacked and ransacked the contents of a mosque in Sefala village of Sitra after dawn prayers. In Bani Jamra, the security forces attacked and ransacked Matam al-Khudr (religious assembly hall). Later on the residents responded by exploding gas cylinders in protest against this savage attack. Columns of fire were also seen in Duraz. In Daih, protesters raised placards carrying photographs of the jailed leaders and declared the start of the peaceful civil resistance activities. Similarly in Sanabis the youth went out in cars declaring the start of the week for peaceful civil resistance

9 August: The opposition has called for a week of peaceful civil resistance starting on 9th August and lasting until the 16th of August to protest against the vicious policies of the ruling family. The 40th day anniversary of the martyr Ali Taher, 17 years, will be commemorated on 11th August. On the other hand, the 15th of August will mark the 25th anniversary of the British decision to withdraw from Bahrain. Twenty five years of independence have been dominated by one prime minister adopting the same out-dated mentality that resulted in the dissolution of the National Assembly in August 1975 and created instability and loss of national pride. The opposition has called on the people of Bahrain to withhold from paying utilities and services bills in the period between 9 and 16 August and to reduce shopping activities to necessities. Furthermore, the opposition has called for the switching-off of utilities (electricity, water and telephone) for fifteen minutes on Friday 16 August, starting at 12.00 pm (mid-day). The latter is in solidarity with the prisoners of conscience being tortured and held as hostages. Dow Jones news agency reported (9 August) the events in Bahrain and quoted a leading BFM member saying “there will be an autumn of fury if the government goes ahead with three executions …. the whole country believes the three are innocent and they are being held as hostages to blackmail the opposition into ending the 20 month constitutional uprising”.

12 August: Security forces besieged the residential areas in Sitra and other main regions to prevent the commemoration of the 40th day anniversary of Ali Taher, 17, who was shot dead by one of the foreign-staffed death squads on 2 July. The siege of towns and villages by the foreign forces started early on 10 August resulting in arbitrary arrests amongst the citizens of the country. On the evening of 11 August, burnt tyres were used in Sanabis to defend the area from the atrocities of the attackers. In Duraz, 50 security officers surrounded a house were women gathered for commemorating the martyrdom of Ali Taher. Loud explosions were heard in the area following the siege. In Sehla, the security forces attacked a gathering in an assembly hall (Matam) and closed it down. Similarly in Sanad and Sar, security forces clashed with residents who were commemorating the occasion. Daih witnessed intense activities and security forces were deployed to attack the area. The counters and Customer Service desks at the Ministry of Electricity were the first to be affected by the opposition’s call to avoid paying utilities’ bills between 9-16 August. The participation in the activities of the “Week for Peaceful Civil Resistance” surged to 90% in uprising areas. Wall-writings intensified and the new police unit equipped with jet-painting failed to cover-up the slogans confirming the aims and demands of the popular uprising which is entering its 21st month.

13 August: Sitra, the island which the ruling family hates most, witnessed heavy clashes with security cars chasing masked youth and children. Columns of fire spread in Sanabis and Daih where the foreign security forces had established check points to block entries and exists. A restaurant in Daih (Al-Ghadeer) was damaged during the clashes. In Sar, one person, Sayed Adnan Saeed, was injured by the bullets of the attacker. No one know his whereabouts. In Bilad al-Qadim, burnt tyres were placed on the road until late evening (12 August) in response to an attack by the foreign forces. Karzakkan and Duraz also witnessed similar clashes and activities. Southern Sehla which came under attack had scores of its people taken away. They included: Mostafa al Roffai, Ali al Roffai, Maytham al Roffai, Majeed al Mobasher, Ali Ahmed al Molla, Abdull al Hadi, Abass, Jjaffer Abdul-Rasool (head of the local Matam – assemly hall), Ali Habib al Molla, Hani Jaffer Abdul-Karim, Molla Taqi Al-Qarea, Sadiq, Mohammed Ali, Jaffer Ahmed al Molla.

The military officer in-charge of the University of Bahrain dismissed twenty citizens on sectarian basis. Furthermore, a new policy of accepting students on sectarian basis has been imposed strictly this year. This was evident in the way students with high scores have been pushed aside because of their background.

15 August: Mass gathering of men, women, youth and children was organised in Hoora Cemetery in the capital Manama, where several of the martyrs were forcibly and secretly buried by the foreign-staffed security forces. The gathering people commemorated their martyrs and called on the government to stop killing the sons and daughters of Bahrain.

Clashes and arrests took place in Sitra, Markh, Sar, Karzakkan, Karranah and other places. Slogans demanding the restoration of parliament were written inside the fort of Al-Khamis prison and police station. Several employees have been reprimanded after failing to find out who and how could someone write slogans inside a police station.

16 August: Both the ruling Al-Khalifa family and the foreign security forces were angered by the popular response to the call of the opposition for a peaceful civil resistance week between 9 and 16 August.The central market in Manama witnessed a visible 50-60% drop in activities. Payment of bills dropped by 60% and the electricity, water and telephone were switched-off for 15 minutes on 16 August at 12.00 noon. Many people had been arrested and several were injured during the attacks of the security forces against residential areas. Bilad al-Qadim and Nuaim (Manama) witnessed clashes with the security forces.

17 August: Another person dies under torture. Seyed Ali Amin Mohammed, 19, (from Karbabad) was arrested on 13 August at 3.00 pm local time while heading to his place of work in Manama. He was amongst other people who had been picked up arbitrarily by the foreign-staffed security forces. Another person known to have been arrested with him was Mohammed Hassan Al-Sari, 24. On 17 August, the relatives of Seyed Ali were ordered to collect the dead body of their son and to speedily bury him at the same time. Seyed Ali was interrogated by the notorious torturer Khalid al-Wazzan. About a thousand person instantaneously gathered in the Cemetery and those who managed to see the naked body described the signs of torture. Electric shocks were applied on his body, his top part was blackened with cluster of blood.

US State Dept Human Rights Report stated: “On August 15, 19-year-old Seyed Ali Amin from the village of Karbabad died in police custody, reportedly after being beaten and tortured during interrogation at the police station in the village of Khamis. To date the Government has not investigated or prosecuted any police or security force personnel for these incidents.” 19 August: At 2.00 am, the foreign forces raided a house in Jedhafs and arrested a respected lady, Hanan Abd Ali, 24 years old. She was released a week later. Sheikh Nasser Al-Qadami was summoned and threatened that he will be detained if he delivers any sermon in the grand al-Sadek mosque in Qafool. In Sihla, senior members of the community were taken prisoners along side many youths. A 14-year old boy, Abdulla Ahmad Matrook was taken hostage to force the older 23-year brother, Ahmad, to hand himself for detention. A person by the name Hussain Abdul-Aziz was arrested in the airport upon his return from Kuwait where he works.

20 August: Mass gathering was organised in Karbabad with more than 3500 people for the 3rd day commemeration of the latest martyr Seyyed Ali Amin Mohammed. The foreign forces attacked the gathering, arresting more than 80 people, smashing private cars and damaging private properties. A siege was imposed on Karbabad and this was continuing till the writing of these lines (30 August). Clashes spread to principal uprising areas and continued for more than a week.

28 August: The interior ministry issued a statement claiming to have arrested two people following an attack on the Russian Consulate in Zenj, Manama, on the dawn of 26 August. The Russian charge-d’affaires in Bahrain Sergei Peskov told Itar-Tass that “the policeman on duty at the building of the Russian consular office, where several members of the Embassy staff reside, was badly wounded – the attackers fired a handgun at him several times. None of the Russians was hurt”. Nothing is yet known about the shooting, the first of its kind, and it is not yet known whether or not there is a political motive connected to events outside Bahrain.

31 August: At night, columns of fire were seen in Bani Jamra, Daih and Sanabis. One restaurant (Al-Shu’la Restaurant) located in Daih caught fire as a result of the clashes between the residents and the foreign-staffed security forces. A column of fire was seen in the middle of Budaya Highway (near Al-Borhama) and reports spoke of a boiling anger in the principal uprising areas. In one of the raids on 31 August, the foreign forces wanted to arrest Mohammed Abd Ali from his house in Shakhoora, a village to the west of the capital Manama. Mohammed was not at home. Hence, the security forces rounded up 16 members of his family and took them hostages. They included Mohammed’s wife, Noor-al-Huda Al-Moqdad, 21 years old, and their 2-months old boy. Other hostages included the bothers-in-law: Abdul-Salam, 25, and Abdul-Qader, 26; Mohammed’s sister (who is pregnant in her eight month, the father, Abd Ali and the mother. Fourteen of the relatives were released on 2 September, but the wife Noor-al-Huda Al-Moqdad and the baby remained in custody as hostages until Mohammed hands himself to the foreign forces.

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15 August: 25th independence anniversary celebrated

Mass gathering of men, women, youth and children was organised in Hoora Cemetery in the capital Manama, where several of the martyrs were forcibly and secretly buried by the foreign-staffed security forces. The gathering people commemorated their martyrs and called on the government to stop killing the sons and daughters of Bahrain. Clashes and arrests took place in Sitra, Markh, Sar, Karzakkan, Karranah and other places. Slogans demanding the restoration of parliament were written inside the fort of Al-Khamis prison and police station. Several employees have been reprimanded after failing to find out who and how could someone write slogans inside a police station. The opposition has called on the people to switch-off utilities (electricity, water, telephone) for fifteen minutes on Friday 16 August, at 12 noon.

In London, the opposition held a conference in the British House of Parliament on 15 August to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bahrain independence. The conference was chaired by Lord Avebury, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group and was addressed by Dr. Abdul Hadi Khalaf, Dr. Ala’a Al-Yousuf, Dr. Mansoor Al-Jamri and Mr. Hussain Mossa. Lord Avebury commented on the British legacy and the role being played by Mr. Ian Henderson which is “giving Britain a bad name”. Lord Avebury expressed his unhappiness with the way the British Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been responding to the issues of human rights violation in Bahrain which is in contrast to the way the Foreign Office would handle similar abuses in a country other than Bahrain. Moreover, the procedures of the Bahraini State Security Courts are considered to be shameful and in contravention of all international conventions as well as the country’s constitution.

Dr. Khalaf, the Bahraini ex-MP and lecturer of Sociology at Lund University in Sweden, described his personal encounters with the British legacy, when in 1963, he was “interrogated by the then chief of security, Bob. He was also one of the first five people to be interned under the powers of the State Security Law in 1975. The British were instrumental in the suppressing of the popular uprising between 1953-56 and it was the British who jailed three opposition leaders in 1957 in St. Helena. When in 1968, the UK Labour Government decided to pull out of the east of the Suez, the local Gulf sheikhs offered to pay for the cost of British troops in the Gulf. But the British decision was irreversible. The ruling family was under pressure from the opposition to yield to the demands of popular participation as part of the unwritten social contract under which Bahrain gained independence. The ruling family was reluctant to give in. However, the need for legitimacy forced members of the ruling family to go to the public. For the first time, they spoke to people about their aspirations. Also, the ruler Sheikh Isa, took the unprecedented step of visiting the grand ayatollah Seyed Mohsin Al-Hakim in Najaf (Iraq) to gain his support for urging the Shia community to express their wishes in favour of an independent state. The Shah of Iran accepted the results of the UN mission which confirmed the status and independent sovereignty of Bahrain. The ruling family turned its back directly afterwards. But the opposition organised major industrial strikes and some 10,000 people gathered in front of the government offices demanding popular participation, labour rights and freedom of expression. Hence, we had a parliament and a constitution. Soon after the 1973 war, oil revenues started to flow and the ruling family had another option for buying loyalty. A year later, the State Security Law was enacted and following from that the parliament was dissolved in 1975. On the other hand the ruling family has consistently raised the defence and security budget. For example the budget rose from $22M in 1974 to $236M in 1983, more than ten folds in less than ten years. When the wealth of oil dwindled in he 1990s, the government was unable to buy-off loyalty and the hence the call for constitutional rule re-surfaced. Without the latter, the ruling family has no legitimacy”.

Dr. Ala’a Al-Yousuf, an economist and member of the BFM stated: “The government has belatedly acknowledged the existence of unemployment and its relevance to the current political crisis. Last month the minister of labour and social affairs announced the opening of a job and training centre and expressed his hope that this would contribute to social stability. Until then the government had insisted that the protests were acts of sabotage by people who were receiving instructions from abroad to destabilise the country. A serious attempt at addressing the problem of unemployment would be based on an honest diagnosis of the extent and nature of the problem. The government still insists that the rate of unemployment is 1.4% without explaining how they derived this figure or why it is a problem when it would easily represent the lowest rate of unemployment in the world (Japan’s is 3.5%). The government is also not admitting to the real nature of unemployment whatever its size. It has consistently claimed that there are three reasons: Bahrainis have high wage expectations, Bahrainis are not prepared to undertake certain lowly jobs, and Bahrainis lack the necessary skills. We believe that the education system has failed the Bahraini youth and that there are disparities between different regions on sectarian lines. There are now administrative barriers to employing Bahrainis in certain sectors, e.g. defence and security as a result of which large numbers of foreigners are employed. The labour market is segmented by nationality between Bahrainis and non-Bahrainis, by sect between Shia and Sunnis, by tribal affiliation between Al-Khalifa and others and hence Bahrainis are restricted as to which jobs they are allowed to take and as to how much they can be paid”.

Dr. Mansoor Al-Jamri of the BFM noted “the 25th anniversary ought to have been celebrated by both the government and the people. The government decided to ignore the jubilee occasion. This can be explained by referring to the response of the present foreign minister more than 25 years ago when he expressed his astonishment at the decision of the British to withdraw. In fact, independence does not mean much to a tribal rule. We are being told that this type of governance is a product of local Arab culture. It is not. It is the product of Anglo-Bedouin alliance that was founded in 1820 through agreements between tribal sheikhs and the (British) East India Company. More than 20 months of struggle proved to the world that the people of Bahrain are for modernity and civil society, and not for a despotic tribal system. The people of Bahrain are facing an extremely dangerous situation. All margins of liberty are being eliminated. Next October, the government plans to announce the establishment of provinces system that links all public functions to the interior ministry. This is being coupled with the enlargement of the unconstitutional and all-appointed Shura Council. The Bahraini authorities are inviting British MPs to attend for a celebration in October. We call on the MPs to question the government on its abuses of human rights, its violation of the country’s constitution and to enquire why it insists to march backward”.

Husain Mossa, of the Co-ordinating Committee between the Popular Front and National Front of Bahrain stated that “We are suffering from a system that was created by Britain and that continues to rely on Britons. This system is dictatorial, outdated and bears no relation to the claims of the West that they promote democracy. The responsibility for the misery and deterioration of human rights conditions do not lie with the ruling family only but also with the powers that prop-up the current situation”.