Aug98

August 1998

Seminar on the 23rd anniversary of the dissolution of parliament:

“The Crises of Justice and Freedom in Bahrain”

An important seminar was held on 20th August 1998 in the British parliament to mark the 23rd anniversary of the dissolution of the National Assembly in Bahrain. The distinguished panel of speakers was chaired by Lord Avebury and comprised Olivier Da-Lage, Middle East Editor of Radio France International, Grace Malden, member of the Bar Committee for Human Rights and other distinguished persons.

Lord Avebury started by saying that “over the period in which dozens of states have made the transition from dictatorship to democracy, Bahrain is unique in having gone the opposite direction and having remained there ever since”. “I have only to remind you that at the end of the seventies Russia and Eastern Europe was still in the grip of communism, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia were governed by racists and there were military regimes in power in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. And now all these countries have become democratic and respect for human rights in those places have been greatly improved.

Even in the Gulf you can see signs of progress with greater participation by the people in decision making and some extension of freedom of expression in certain countries. In Bahrain alone you still got this undiluted hereditary dictatorship coupled with severe oppression of anybody who dares to speak or act in support of liberal values”.

Mr.Olivier Da-Lage said “I used to be a corespondent based in Bahrain in 1981-82. I was freelancing for a number of papers and radios. Of course I knew I was being watched. I was under-surveillance…I did get warning at some stage. I was summoned to the Ministry of Information and I was told to be-careful not to report on the fightings within the ruling family. I published a book on the GCC countries, that was in 1985, in which I was describing the security apparatus of Bahrain extensively…and I know clearly they were not pleased with what I wrote which was something by the way everyone knows in Bahrain and outside.

In December 1994, when the unrest started spreading, I applied for a visa…for about two moths I called every second day the Ministry of Information…my usual contact was saying that he was not here and others were telling me that my application was being processed by immigration and I should be patient and wait. But in the mean time I was trying to do something about the situation, to report, and I was preparing a story for the “Le Monde Diplomatic” which eventually was published in March. Then there was no point asking anymore for a visa and once more I got indirect reaction from Bahrain and they were quite angry with the article. The common answer in the area and chiefly in Bahrain is to avoid problems with the press, just don’t welcome journalists.

The second problem which is similar is the refusal by official to give interviews to reply to questions. They just flatly denied the possibility to interview them. And for two years I was in charge of radio Monte Carlo in Arabic from 1995-97, and we tried to interview the Minister of Interior and Minister of Information of Bahrain, we sent faxes, many phone calls and they would just not answer. At the same time we did interview by telephone Mansoor Al Jamri or Shiekh Ali Salman. Afterwards they would say: look they’re one sided because when you listen to this radio or read this newspaper, you just hear one point of view”.

Dr. Abdul Hadi Khalaf, member of the Bahraini National Assembly said “we met, here, two years ago, we were commemorating the 25th anniversary of Bahrain’s independence and that was a commemoration that was interesting. It was the opposition groups inside and outside Bahrain that celebrated the country’s independence while the regime totally ignored it. It was fascinating because, about four months later, the regime celebrated another occasion that is 35th anniversary of the enthronement of the Amir. And if you look at it in retrospect you will see that there are two thing are being celebrated: one, the opposition trying to celebrate a state formation, the begning of a statehood, the beginning of the transformation of subjects to citizens, transformation of dependents to free agents. While the regime was celebrating the continuation of a tribal order. It seems to me the regime considers the country as the Al Khalifa while the rest (the people) are the subjects.

Grace Malden, barrister and member of the Bar Human Rights Committee said “the State Security Court is our main concern in Bahrain. We are also concerned about the widespread torture, the problem with exiles and the detention of children. The role of Ian Henderson is another concern for our committee. I just would like to say at the out set that I’d like to endorse the comments made by Lord Avebury about the recent concessions made by the government to the UN Sub-Commission and endorse the comments he made that hopefully the UN Sub-Commission will follow up and particularly the UN group on arbitrary detention will follow up problems particularly related to Sheikh Al Jamri whose a man who we also had some involvement with in corresponding to the Minister of Justice, Prime Minister of Bahrain and the Amir. Some of that concerns the committee has is the use of confessions in obtaining conviction, confessions that are obtained under torture. Also the problem the defendants have with the access to their lawyers, often not meeting their Lawyers until very shortly before proceedings commence, and so with little opportunity to properly brief their lawyers about their case. Similarly access to doctors and their family, just on a more personal level, which is often being problematic. Also the problems related to being detained without charge for considerable periods of time and there have been no right to appeal from convictions made in the State Security Court.

The hearings as I am sure many of you know are held in camera which means no one can attend. And just would like to refer to comments made by Mr. Da-Lage, that the committee had frequently requested that it be attend to observe the trials of the State Security Court. Because obviously that is one of the main areas of work the committee does but have frequently either being ignored or refused any attendance. As Mr. Da-Lage pointed out, one of the things that the committee is very concerned about is to retain a balanced view and not to make wild accusation or wild allegations and this is clearly very difficult when there so little cooperation from the authorities within Bahrain either in allowing us to attend trial or even communicating to us about the various procedure that I have referred to”.

Lord Avebury commented “Grace Malden mentioned the involvement of Ian Henderson and we all thought that he was going to disappear of the scene after he retired as the head of the security forces and to be by one of the royal family but this has not happened and Mr. Henderson is still there in the background offering his advice and now of course they have got a new official who is being sent from Britain. Mr. David Jump who is described as the legal adviser to the Ministry of Interior and I was told in a recent letter from Derek Fatchett, the Minister who deals with this region, that Mr. Jump is also acting as the spokesperson on human rights at the Ministry of Interior, a rather odd situation you may think for a sovereign state to have a foreigner acting as its spokesman for human rights!”.

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August 98: Independence Day Ignored; Civil Resistance Continues

* 15 August marks the 27th anniversary of Bahrain’s independence from Britain after 150 years of British control. In 1970, the UN security council voted in favour of the findings of the personal representative of the then UN Secretary General, Mr. Winspeare Guicciardi. The latter visited Bahrain in early 1970, toured the country and spoke to people in schools, clubs and other public functions. He then reported that the people of Bahrain “were virtually unanimous in wanting a fully independent sovereign state” and that such state would be modern once adopting a modern structure. Independence was proclaimed on 15 August 1971 to be followed by the joining of the UN and the establishment of a Constituent Assembly that ratified Bahrain’s constitution and paved the way for the National Assembly. The elected National Assembly lasted for less than 2 years, before its dissolution on 26 August 1975. The ruling family ignores the 15th of August and shows no pride for independence. Rather it is celebrated on 16 December, the day of the current ruler’s coronation.

* August 26, marked the 23rd anniversary of the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) after two years of its formation . On June 20, 1973 the Amir promulgated Law No. 12/1972 forming a Constituent Assembly to draw up the Constitution for the State of Bahrain. After drafting by the Constituent Assembly, the Amir ratified the Constitution on December 6, 1973. The Constitution defined citizens’ fundamental rights, and the system of government, stating that it should be based on the separation of powers. Before the end of 1974 NA’s session, the government submitted a draft law entitled “The State Security Measures Law.”

The draft law would grant the Minister of Interior the power to detain, for three years without trial or judicial review, anyone suspected of committing acts considered harmful to the security of the State. This draft law was unanimously rejected by all elected members of the NA. Despite the NA’s rejection of the draft law, the Amir issued the State Security Law on October 22, 1974. A crisis ensued between the NA and Government, leading to the dissolution of the NA and the seizure of the legislative power by the Amir and the Government. . According to Article 63 of the constitution, the current Government is unconstitutional.

* The official Bahrain government’s press announced a visit by Mr. Derek Fatchett, the British Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs to Bahrain on 14 September. This visit comes amid relentless campaign of slandering by the Bahraini (government-controlled) press against the British government. The fury of the Bahraini regime over Britain comes after three Bahraini exiles had been granted political asylum by the British Government, which in turn sent an indirect message to the Bahraini regime of the UK’s concern over the human rights crisis in Bahrain. In retaliation, the Bahrain Government accused Britain of “sponsoring terrorism”.

* The BBC World TV transmission to Bahrain has been blocked by the Bahraini regime. The stoppage was announced in the official press and was said to be temporarily. But speculations that the regime decision to stop the BBC World TV transmission is amongst a series of retaliations against Britain in light of the recent stance adopted by the UK government against human rights violations in Bahrain. The transmission was later re-directed to a lower type of channel.

* On the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the abrogation of the National Assembly, the Bahraini people demonstrated their civil resistance peacefully. Meanwhile, the regime’s security forces have continued to violate the basic rights of the peaceful citizens. A savage raid by the security forces against Sanabis resulted in an assault against three girls in their houses is a clear manifestation of the regime’s savageness.

* On the other hand, a number of persons are known to have been arrested in the in mid August. They are: Hassan Mehsen Abdul Karim, Falah Muhammed Habeeb, Kadhem S. Taher, Murtadha S. Abbas S. Taher, Rae’d Hassan Al Asfour, Ali Yousif Ahmed, Abdul Zahra Al Sari. In relation to Abdul Zahra Al-Sari, the security forces raided his house to arrest him but he was not present. So they seized his brother, tortured him and threatened him of more torture if he did not co-operate in the hunt against his brother. They then forced his brother to phone Abdul Zahrah on his mobile telephone and misinfor him of urgent illness requiring help for emergency hospitalization. Abdul Zahara rushed to his brother only to be met by the mercenaries who arrested him along with another person who happened to accompany him.

* The agents of the foreign security forces intensified their arson and sabotage campaign in the past few days. After the unusual silence on the acts of arson that swept the country during the past two months which targeted peoples’ private properties and businesses, the state-controlled media launched a campaign accusing the people of Bahrain of vandalising their own properties.

* On the other hand, the United Kingdom has had its share of the slandering by the regime’ssponsored press. So did the neighbouring State of Qatar. The Bahraini regime accuses the British Government of sponsoring terrorism and sheltering terrorists and supporting them financially.

* To show solidarity against the regime’s plan to vandalise peoples’ properties, the residents of Muqsh’a village have on Budayi Highway rebuilt, equipped and supplied a shop in the village that had been sabotaged by the security forces . The people wanted to deliver a message to the ruthless regime that they are aware of the government’s policy of sabotaging citizens’ properties in order to use it as an excuse to crackdown on them as well as a shield against international criticism. The people of Muqsh’a are simply saying, we care for one another, and the government is isolated and alienated from its own people.

* Bahrain still bans the visits of international human rights organisations which have requested it repeatedly and the UN thematic rapporteurs have pointed out the lack of cooperation of the State of Bahrain. Human rughs organisations urged the UN Sub-Commission to keep Bahrain on its agenda and to call on the Commission to create a monitoring mechanism on the situation.

* The human rights organisation “Liberation” submitted a statement before the UN Sub-Commission saying “ we remain concerned for human rights abuses in Bahrain. The condition has worsened in spite of the resolution adopted by the Sub-Commission last year which condemned the violations of human rights in Bahrain, in spite of the commitment expressed by the government of Bahrain. The concerns have been increasing since 1994 when the Bahrain government waged a harsh crackdown against a popular petition and a campaign calling for democracy and the release of detainee. The Bahrain government reacted harshly against the gathering and street demonstrations which lead to the death and injuring scours of people. Leaders of the campaign were harassed, arrested and forcibly exiled. thousands of people, including children as young as 12 years, were detained for long periods without trial or after unfair trials. Mistreatment and torture has been widely practiced leading in some cases to death in custody, as the new case of the 21 years old, Nooh Khalil Al Nooh who was allegedly arrested on the 19th July of this year, and his body was handed over to his family two days later with clear marks of torture. On the other hand, freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and association remain highly restricted. Mr. chairman, in light of the human rights situation in Bahrain, we urge the Sub-Commission to adopt a new resolution expressing its concern over the continuing abuses of human rights in Bahrain, and requests the Commission on Human Rights at its next session to consider the situation of human rights in Bahrain.”

* The fate of Mr. Abdul Jalil Abdula Khadim, 40, from Nuaim district, is still unknown after two months have past since he was arrested. His family has tried to find out his whereabouts or his condition but was not successful. Members of his family are worried about his fate. Mr. Khadim is the owner of the place where Nooh Al-Nooh (tortured to death on 21 July) used to work.

* The mysterious death of the citizen Habib Mohammed Ibrahim Al Hamar, 42, from Dar Kulaib village, raises fears of yet another possible martyr in less than a week. His body was found dumped under a car in Nuaim District on Friday 24 July, three days after Nooh was tortured to death. The area of Nuaim has witnessed a horrific besiege by the security forces on 24 July where they intimidated the residents of the district. Eye witnesses have mentioned seeing sever wounds on Mr. Al Hamar’s shoulders, back and jaws. It is widely rumored in Bahrain that Mr, Al Hamar was tortured to death by the besieging security forces.

* The agents of the foreign security forces intensified their arson and sabotage campaign in the past few days. After the unusual silence on the acts of arson that swept the country during the past two months which targeted peoples’ private properties and businesses, the state-controlled media launched a campaign accusing the people of Bahrain of vandalising their own properties.

* On the other hand, the United Kingdom has had its share of the slandering by the regime’ssponsored press. So did the neighbouring State of Qatar. The Bahraini regime accuses the British Government of sponsoring terrorism and sheltering terrorists and supporting them financially.

* To show solidarity against the regime’s plan to vandalise peoples’ properties, the residents of Muqsh’a village have on Budayi Highway rebuilt, equipped and supplied a shop in the village that had been sabotaged by the security forces . The people wanted to deliver a message to the ruthless regime that they are aware of the government’s policy of sabotaging citizens’ properties in order to use it as an excuse to crackdown on them as well as a shield against international criticism. The people of Muqsh’a are simply saying, we care for one another, and the government is isolated and alienated from its own people.

* State- sponsored vandalism is used maliciously to ruin citizens’ private properties. The latest victim of such policy is the “Mother Care” retail store in Muharraq town where a fire gutted out the store in the usual mysterious manner.

* Prisons allover Bahrain are overpopulated with political activists. Not a single day passes without arrests of innocent citizens. On 4 August, three of Abdul Aziz Al Zaimoor’s sons. One of Al Zaimoor’s sons( Mohammed) is a disabled child and psychologically unstable. The child’s father presented medical documents that proves his son’s condition but to no avail and Mohammed is still in detention.

* The 40th day of the martyr Nooh was commemorated across the country. The Al-Khalifa mercenaries besieged Al-Nuaim, but the heroic people of Bahrain defied

1. Torture and humiliation of people is the norm of the regime in Bahrain. Unheard cries of innocent Bahrainis echo in the torture chambers of the savage regime. One of the numerous crimes against the Bahraini people has come out to light recently. It is the case of Mr. Jaffar Abdulla Al Shamrukh, 27, Sanabis, who on 14 August, was dragged out of his bed after an unwarranted attack on his house by the security forces, headed by Khalid Al Wazan and Adel Flaifel. He was taken to Adlia Prison where he had been subjected to savage torture by the both Al Wazan and Flaifel. Mr. Al Shamrukh, was then transferred to the Dry-Dock prison and is being brought back daily to Adlia prison and subjected to torture by both mentioned torturers. It has become known that Mr. Al Shamrukh in critical condition and that his pelvic bone had been smashed. The torturers have reportedly threatened to torture to death Mr. Al Shamrukh, if his case came to light.
2. Religious persecution continues and the right to worship freely is denied. On Saturday 29 August, while a religious occasion was being celebrated in Shaikh Ebrahim’s Mosque in Karbabad, the security forces encircled the Mosque and attempted to arrest the Guardian of the Mosque (Saeed Al Shaj’ar). When they could not find him they abducted another person (Abdul Zahra Al Shaj’ar, 28) as a hostage until the Guardian handed in himself. Later, when the Guardian went to the police station, the two persons were both subjected to insults and threats by the notorious torturer Farook Al Ma’awda and were forced to sign a pledge preventing them from celebrating any occasion without a prior permission. The torturer Al Ma’awda has also forced the Guardian of the Western Mosque ( Mr. Ahmed Khalifa) to sign a similar pledge. These practices were never known in Bahrain, even under the Portuguese occupation in the 16th century.

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Forbes” adverts fail to white wash the regime’s atrocities

The US magazine, Forbes, announced two months ago that it will advertise Bahrain in a feature article. The article appeared in the magazine on 10 August. Forbes speaks of Bahrain as if it were an international workshop, not as a country with a nation. The adverts came after a visit by senior magazine editors to Bahrain last May. The visiting editorial staff was received by the highest ranking officials of the state to agree the remit for coverage.

In the promotional article, Forbes said “people living in Bahrain always mention how enjoyable the cosmopolitan lifestyle is”. It goes on to say “Bahrain is not an island paradise – that would be too slow”. These statements reflect that fact that many of these individuals find the “special” apartheid-style treatment they receive from the ruling family entertaining. Many of them arrive in Bahrain but will never bother to approach the people of the country. That would be a disturbing factor in their excursion. Instead, they go to the private beaches of the Amir and other members of the ruling family; they go to the settlement-quarters that are specially prepared for preferential treatment in line with the “apartheid” type of policies that actually exist in Bahrain.

Forbes magazine is led by Caspar W. Weinberger, as Chairman. As a US defense secretary in the 1980s, he had strong relations with Bahrain emanating from the military presence there. Many US politicians turned themselves into consultants of one form or another. Has Weinberger become a spin doctor for the Bahraini regime?.

In a recent editorial by Forbes, Mr. Weinberger inserted the name of Bahrain after Britain saying “Great Britain and Bahrain have remained, as always, steadfastly loyal” to the US policies in the Gulf.

In another commentary about “PATRIOT antimissile system.. and Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to protect our forces” , Mr. Weinberger criticized many things here and there but came back and inserted Bahrain in a penultimate and unconnected statement saying “The Administration should be praised for doing something right: inviting one of our oldest and best Arab friends, Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Amir of Bahrain, for a state visit” on 1 June!!

Contrary to Mr. Weinberger, the Loss Angeles Times of 3 June warned the US Administration against too much indulgence in double standard. “The visit of the emir is a good time to address this question (restoration of democratic rights). We can’t let every authoritarian ruler in the region simply invoke the word “terrorism” as the catch-all label for any political opposition. Serious violations of democratic and human rights are involved with real consequences for U.S. interests and regional stability. U.S.pressure has brought dramatic and encouraging liberalization in Kuwait over the past six years. Let Bahrain be next or else face an inflammatory Gulf”.

The London-based Dialogue newsletter commented in August “in the absence of “good government” in Bahrain it will be almost impossible to imagine the Gulf generally enjoying long-term stability and security”.

Buckling under UN pressure; Another victory for the nation

Nine UN Human Right Sub-Commission experts (out of 26) proposed (on 14 August) to condemn the atrocities of the government of Bahrain during the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission session held between 3-28 August. The Bahraini government was made to answer to its broken promises and its continued violations of human rights in Bahrain. Ghazi Al-Quseibi (Foreign Ministry Under-secretary) was flown to Geneva to join the encounter. The Bahraini governmental delegation held several meetings with the UN experts and promised to end violations within a year. However, the UN experts responded by saying that they heard such promises from the Bahraini government for many years, only to find out that the government respects non of its words of honour. The UN experts proceeded with the submission of the condemnation resolution and made it clear to Al-Quseibi that nothing less than a written pledge would be satisfactory.

As a result, the Bahraini government agreed to ratify “Article 20” of the “UN Conventions Against Torture (CAT)”. The government ratified CAT last February but excluded Article 20 of CAT. This article allows the UN body to investigate cases of torture that are submitted by Bahraini citizens directly to the UN without interruption by the Bahraini authorities. This concession was not found sufficient on its own to stop the condemnation, hence the Bahrain government made a further concession by promising to allow the “UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention” to visit the jails in Bahrain and to investigate the cases of those in detention.

These two concessions were deemed enough for the UN experts to withdraw the condemnation resolution. The opposition believes that the Bahraini government will try everything to bypass all its obligations. The opposition has pointed out that the torturing-to-death of Nooh Al-Nooh on 21 July came after the ratification of CAT. Torture is systematic and is used daily against the citizens of Bahrain. Despite all the apprehension, the Bahrain people have managed today (19 August) to win the support of the international community. The opposition welcomes the principled position adopted by the 9 UN experts: Mr. Begoa, Mr. Eide, Mr. Fix Zamudio, Mr. Diaz Uribe, Mr. Gooneskere, Ms. Hampson, Mr. Oloka-Onvango, Mr. Pinheiro and Mr. Weissbrodt.

The people of Bahrain will now watch the developments inside the country and it is expected that many cases of torture will be submitted to the UN Committee to start “direct investigation”. It is also hoped that the visit of the “Working Group on Arbitrary Detention” will be comprehensive and repetitive to ensure that the army of torturers recruited by the government is checked and reprimanded.

Last August, the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission issued an historic condemnation resolution (ref. 1997/2 dated 21 August 1997). However, the Bahraini government launched media attacks against the UN and intensified its violations. This year it was made to buckle, at least in words. The actions of the government will from now on be under microscopic examination.

Secret operations against opposition uncovered

The Bahrain intelligence service has been increasing its activities in London. Two years ago, two “security” companies were recruited for conducting espionage against the opposition. These were soon countered by the vigilance of the Bahraini community in London.

Last month, the US-based “Arab Times” revealed that the Bahraini intelligence service has recruited an Iraqi person for conducting for “publishing statements against the opposition”.

Omar Al-Hassan, is another person used by the feudal dictatorship in London. His lobbying has resulted in a series of failures and disasters for the Bahrain government PR. As a result, other routes are being sought by the Al-Khalifa family in London. Private Eye revealed part of those attempts.

Private Eye : 21/8/1998 No. 957: “WORLD OF HYPE: A SECRET lobbying operation involving Lord “£75O-per-hour” Bell is being conducted to persuade the government that its appeasement policy. Towards the brutal regime of Bahrain, known for its appalling human rights record, should remain unchanged.

Documents obtained by the Eye show that Tim Bell and The Policy Partnership, a lobbying company led by Lord Gillford, are advising the Bahrain regime, which is notorious for torturing political opponents (Eyes passim).

Last month Lord Giliford, a former executive with the infamous lobbyist Ian Greer, wrote to the Bahrain ambassador in London, Shaikh Muburak Al Khalifa. He supplied a detailed “Options of Action” memo soon after three Bahraini dissidents had been granted political asylum by the home office.

The Bahrain embassy was furious that the three were not sent back home for retribution and Lord Giliford sympathised. “Whilst the foreign office are acutely embarrassed both by the actual decision taken by the home office as well as the way in which it was announced,” he claimed, “they have little or no jurisdiction over the home office’s policy/actions in the asylum arena.” The lobbyist suggested tough and exciting initiatives by Bahrain to encourage the UK government to extradite dissidents. This included “a more open approach”, a “visit by the Red Cross to Bahrain” and “fact-finding trips to Bahrain by British MPs”. The 28-point action plan, copied to Bell’s company, also involves directly lobbying Tony Blair, Robin Cook and other senior minister But there were more intriguing proposals: “Prince Bandar [Saudi ambassador to the US] to express his concern through his own contacts at 10 Downing Street.

“Lord Prior [chairman of GEC and former Tory cabinet minister], in his capacity as chairman of Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, to write to Jack Straw setting out why these measures [granting dissidents refugee status] could jeopardise trade relations with Bahrain, Saudi and the UAE.

“Monitoring the actions of the dissidents.” This lobbying strategy.’ was discussed by the Bahrain ambassador with Bell on 28 July, and a week later with Bertie Way, a Bell executive, over lunch at the ultra-expensive Bibendum restaurant. Hopefully no one spoiled the meal by mentioning the torture chambers on the Bahrain Island of Nabih Salah”.

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“Dialogue” Magazine: August 98

Bahrain: The Need for Constructive Dialogue

Last June, the new British Foreign Office minis responsible for the Middle East, Derek Fatchett, described the Baliraini opposition as “moderate”, at the same time urging the al-Khalifa Government to “open itself up” to international human rights organisatio That was a month before the United States-based Hun Rights Watch issued a damning report On the crisis ins the country. Pressure on the regime, in fact, ” snowballing. At about the same time, the United Nation human Rights Sub-Commission passed a Resolution condemning Bahrain and demanding the release political prisoners. Even the US State Department Rep on Human Rights confirmed much of what Opposition has been saying since the early 1970s.

Yet the al-Khalifa themselves remain obstinate refusing to engage in ally constructive dialogue with opposition – despite the tatters’ willingness and the increasing recognition on the world stage – to disci “the Constitutional and democratic demands of people”. Indeed, the Constitution of Bahrain declares in Article (1) that, “the system of government in Bahrain democratic, under which sovereignty lies with people, the source of all powers. Sovereignty shall exercised in the manner specified in this Constitution’1 continues, “The citizens shall enjoy the right participate in the public affairs of the State and enjoy political rights”. The Bahraini Government, however remains intransigent, a quality that has far from endeared them to the international community.

The Constitution is an intrinsic part of “independent sovereign state” of Bahrain, and governing rules are, theoretically, above the whims those who wield authority in the country, according opposition leaders. It is also in compliance with Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Art 21 of which states that the “Will of the people shall the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures’

During a press conference on Bahrain last December in the British House of Commons Lord Rea stated I the rule of law in Bahrain did not exist and that there was no independent judiciary. “Trials are held in camera people are accused in absentia”. Jeremy Corbin MP spoke of the systematic denial of human and basic rights, torture, arbitrary detention and extra-judicial killings among other things, in the country. “The West adhere to human rights and democracy. We must not supply arms and equipment unless human rights respected”. Lord Avbury, the human rights advocate; criticised Britain for taking up any matters with al-Khalifa “behind closed doors” and the absence of public message encouraging the Bahraini Government take “another step in defiance of all the internationally recognized norms of justice”.

Bahrain is in trouble economically too. It is smallest and, today, least wealthy of the six Gulf monarchies. It is also tile most crowded. Recently released figure show that between 16-18% of urban households depend on financial support disbursed by private charities. In rural areas, strict requirements for security clearance have led to higher rates of unemployment. Some already argue that a restoration of the Constitution is a necessary prerequisite for averting an inevitable disaster. The general global decline in oil prices is also an important factor that could also threaten stability in the region, with serious economic and political consequences. Gulf Oil is selling at a particularly low rate and this will be reflected in development plans as it could lead to freezing or abandoning social projects. Another external factor is the development of a new axis in the region, with Saudi Arabia considering important reforms and the forging of new alliances and friendships, notably wit Qatar and Iran,

Politically, royal decrees in Bahrain are enforced without reference to any representative legislative assembly or public opinion and both the Legislature and the Judiciary are absorbed into the Executive. Mosques and religious places have been attacked by state officials and a council has been set up to, as the

Opposition claim, merely rubber stamp official decisions. Foreign journalists are no longer welcome and the press is under the control of appointed officials, Lawyers and academics face intimidation and the business community is suffering a severe loss of confidence.

Religious discrimination and persecution against the Shi’a majority has intensified. Mosques have not only been looted but desecrated, the latest being al-Zahra and Imam Ali Mosques in Sharakan and Dar Kulaib respectively.

Discrimination against Shi’a Muslims in public and private employment, as well as in higher education, continues. Particularly targeted are the several thousand people belonging to the Ajam community, descendants of Persian immigrants since the 1 920s, who are deprived not only of citizenship but also of many basic rights in education, housing and employment in the public sector. At the same time, according again to opposition sources, the Government is bringing in people from other countries to augment the existing security forces, many of whose members are given citizenship. Critics say this is in effect building a cordon sanitaire around the ruling family in the case of more serious unrest.

The al-Khalifa policy of no-dialogue with the opposition would do well to learn a lesson from developments other Gulf States. Realignments are important indicators for overall Gulf politics and economics in the future – and an important test for the international community who continue to wait and see whether the outcome will be optimistic. The Bahraini opposition is increasingly regarded as moderate and part of the fundamental changes towards civil society taking place in the region. In the absence of “good government” in Bahrain it will be almost impossible to imagine the Gulf generally enjoying long-term stability and security.

August 1998

Dialogue – London

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Intervention at the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights – August 1998

LBERATION

In Bahrain, the government discriminate the Bahrain’s minority of Persian/origin who art commonly known as bidoon or stateless. Many Of the bidoon who am ethnic and linguistic minority am second or third generation. Although they no longer claim Iranian citizenship, they have not been granted Bahraini nationality, Without citizenship thug individuals officially are unable to buy land start a business, or obtain government loam. The law don not address the citizenship rights of persons who Were not registered with the authorities prior to 1959, creating a legal problem for such persons and their first and language in economic; social and other hardships. Bidoon and Bahrainis who speak Fowl, rather than Arabic, as their first language also face significant social and economic obstacles, including difficulty finding employment. Many individuals of this minority have been forcibly deported by the government and denied reentry into Bahrain.

Without appeal to the Sub-Commission request the Bahrain Government to take steps to regularize the status of Bahraini bidoons population by facilitating their application for citizenship and passports, and end the practice of forcibly exiling Bahrainis who belong to Persian/origin minorities, and announce that Bahrainis living in exile an firs to return to the country. And request the Special Rapporteur on the Prevention of Racial Discrimination to investigate the Issue of Persian Origin minorities in Bahrain.

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Intervention at the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights – August 1998

FIDH

Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities 50st session 3-28 August 1998.

Written statement submitted by the International Federation of human Rights, a non Governmental organization in special consultative status (II), in accordance with Resolution 1996/31 Of the Economic and Social Council Since the Sub-Commission adopted resolution 1997/2 on Bahrain the international Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) and its member organization, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Bahrain (CDIIRB) have continued to register gross1 massive and systematic violations of human rights. In its statement Before the fifty-third session of the Commission on Human Rights, the FIDH and the CDHRB expressed its deep concern regarding the systematic violation of the human Rights in Bahrain. However, no step was taken by the Commission on this situation, They consider that this situation requires further examination by the Sub-Commission.

Torture and ill-treatments

The situation of prisoners remains very worrying. Torture and ill treatment of political detainees and prisoners is a wide and systematic practice. The detained leaders of the opposition, including Sheikh AI-Jarmri, have been subjected to tremendous psychological pressures. For example, Sheikh AI-Jamri has been forced to sign a confession, which would be used against him during his trial. Sh. AI-Jamri was transferred to the Military hospital early May as a consequence of these pressures he went through.

The FIDH and the CDHRB welcome the ratification of the Convention against torture by Bahrain, as requested by resolution 1997/2 Of the Sub-Commission. However, this important step will remain meaningless if not translated into acts. So far, the government has shown no political will to put neither legislation nor practice in conformity with the Convention.

Mass arrests and use of excessive force by police.

Mass arrests against pro-constitution activist continue following protest demonstrations and religious celebrations. During Muhram, from April 17 to May 26 3998, a period when people of the Shia community commemorate the Krabla massacre, the security forces attacked the cermons and the procession repeatedly, using fire-arms, tear -gas and Sticks, and arresting many Sanafes1 AI-Daih’ and Shakura were among tile targeted districts among the detainees are Abdullah H. AI-Sayegh1 66 years old, Abdulla Al-Bari, 15 years old1 Abdulla AI-Tublani 23 years old who are still in prison.

Hundreds of other arrested were added to the approximate 2000 political detainees.

Some of the arrested were beaten severely. Last May, Nizar AI-Qare served his sentence, but a few days after his release, the police came after him. He has been forced to be fugitive.

The Working group on arbitrary detention of the Commission on Human Rights has taken a number of decisions in the past years, declaring detentions to be arbitrary. The FIDH and the CDHRB call upon the Bahrain’s authorities to implement all decisions of this working group.

Harsh sentences arid unfair trials

Trials of many political opponents, including women and children, have continued to be held before the State Security Court.

On May 27th 1998 score or the pro-constitution movement activists have been tried before this Court. They were accused of burning the mosque of their community at Iskan Jedhafas. The verdict was based on confessions extracted under torture. Harsh sentences of up to seven years of imprisonment have been pronounced. Some of the accused are young men aged 19.

Discrimination

The Bahraini population is divided in two different communities. The Shia and the Sunnite.

Although the State of Bahrain has ratified the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1990, the discriminatory and sectarian policy against the Shia community continues in the Unlversity1 in governmental employment policies and in recruitment for the armed and security forces (the armed forces belong to Ministry of defence while security forces belong to Ministry of Interior) Those involved in opposition activities arc dismissed or their governmental jobs. The present state of fact is contravening the Convention, whose States Parties undertake to prohibit “the right to free choice of employment”. The national legislation was not amended so as to be in conformity with the Convention.

In order to introduce demographic change in its favour, the State of Bahrain follows a policy of recruitment of mercenaries among Arab Bedouins and expatriates to bolster the armed and security forces.

Restriction of freedom of expression

Contrary to “the right to freedom of opinion and expression” and “She right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association”, guaranteed by article 5 or the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the State of Bahrain has taken hard measures against NGOs. The lawyers Society was subjected to the State control, while tile cultural club AI-Oroba was banned to host a lecture. BBC correspondent Ismat AI-Muswai was ordered to stop reporting and prohibited to write in the local press along with the writer and journalist Hafed AI-Shaikh.

The FIDH and the CDHRB want to underline that hundreds of Bahrnini dissidents are still forced to live in exile.

Situation of children

The FDIH and the CDHRB express their deep concern reg3rding the situation of the children in Bahrain. Children are subjected to various forms of abuses as the case of a group from Sum who were arrested arbitrarily during the second week of May, for participating to demonstration. Among them were Hassan A. Hussein, 13 years old, Hassan Y. Ihsan, 14 years old, Abas J. Abdul-Rid, 15 years old and Jaber A. Ah, 16 years old. This situation amounts to a violation of article 37 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, ratified by the State of Bahrain in 1990 which reads: “No child shall be subjected to torture VT other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishinent”1 “no child shall be

deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. Thc arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used as a measure of last resort (…)”

Although the State of Bahrain has been a party to the Convention on the t’1gllts of the Child for 6 years, it has not yet reported on the implementation of the Convention. The FIDH and the CDHRB urge the government of Bahrain to submit their initial report to the Committee.

Persistent refusal of international scrutiny

The State of Bahrain still bans the visits of international human rights organizations, which have requested it repeatedly. The agreement that Bahrain passed with the CICK is not sufficient to prevent all other organizations observing the human rights situation in the State. The UN thematic Rapporteurs have pointed out the lack of cooperation Of the State of Bahrain. Their reports and their recommendations to the

Government of Bahrain has not been implemented.

The adoption of resolution 3997/2 sent a strong signal to the Bahrain authorities; it should not remain an isolated act, particularly as Human rights violations have continued in Bahrain since then. The FIDH and the CDHRB urge the Sub-Commission to keep Bahrein on its agenda.

They also request the Sub-Commission to call upon the Commissions to examine the situation of human rights in Bahrain and, if the Commission is unable to take action at its next session, to continue consideration of the matter at its 51st session under agenda item 2.

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Misc. News  

Images of torture uncovered; Mother Care gutted out

The Bahraini regime has never ceased to shock the world of its savagery and brutality.Cases that have been documented of the regime’s human rights violations are just a tiny minority of the numerous ones which take place behind the doors of the torture chambers.

The following two incidents have come to light lately which serve to illustrate the inhuman nature of the Al Khalifa Family . The first case: on 17 February, at midnight, the security forces raided the house of Mr. Abdul Hussain Habib Matar, from Ikir, and kidnapped his son Zakaria, 17. The security forces dragged the teenager to a near by farm and tied him to palm tree. Then they blindfolded him and started torturing him in a most vicious way until he was helplessly broken . Then they took him to one of the detention centres where he was detained in the toilets for 10 days with his eyes blindfolded and hands tied up. Then he was placed in a solitary cell for another 34 days during which time blindfold was never taken off for the whole period. In the Mean while, his family has tried to find his whereabouts but to no avail. After 44 days of the teenager’s torment the kidnappers took him to a deserted area and told him ” go home”.

The second case: 0n 17 February, on the same day, also at midnight, the security forces raided the family house of Mr. Fahdil Ali Sarhan, 17, from the same village, and kidnapped the teenager and dragged him to an excavation area nearby Ikir village. The security forces then threw Mr. Sarhan in a crater in the ground and was pelted with stones mercilessly until he lost consciousness and started bleeding heavily. The attackers thought that he died and left the scene of crime. When Mr. Sarhan regained consciousness he crept out of the hole and was found by an Indian worker at around 3 am. He was taken to the hospital between life and death. Mr. Sarhan is now slowly recovering at his house.

The following persons are known to have been arrested recently: 3 August, from Iskan A’li: Hassan Al Say’q, 18, Abdula Al Wasti, 18, Hussan Ali Ahmed Al Kazaz, 26(was arrested before for 3 years). From Nuaim: Saeed Salman Dawood, 18. On 2 August, from Daih: Ali Al Zaimoor, 15(was released on 4 August), Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al Zamoor, 16, Sadiq Abdul Aziz Al Zaimoor,17, Hisham Ali Hassan, 17. Shakir Saeed Al Ara’di, 17(was released on 4 August), Ahmed Jassim Fakhar, 17(was released on 5 August), Mohammed Salman Yousif Abdul Rasool, 18, Seyed Hussain Seyed Majeed Seyed Hussain, 18, Ali Ibrahim Hilal, 25(a teacher).

Bahrain Freedom Movement

10 August 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 9089

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State-sponsored vandalism escalates; UK is being slandered

State-sponsored vandalism continues in a bid to prevent the people from voicing their constitutional demands. Vandalism has continued to take place unabatedly recently where private and public properties have been targeted in many places. The unconstitutional State Security Law is used as a shield to protect the vandals. Mosques, assembly halls, houses, shops, and other properties have been targeted by the foreign mercenaries. The latest victim of this policy has been a petrol station in Jidhafs district. The perpetrators attempted to burn down the station but were not completely successful and the fire only gutted the station’s offices. The opposition has condemned the crime and called for an urgent inquiry to discover the perptrators. Government agents have occassionally carried out such acts especially when a a major event, such as the death of a prisoner under torture, took place.

State-sponsored vandalism has been used as an excuse to raid and ransack citizens’ houses in a most vicious way. Check points have been set up at the entrances of towns and villages where people and their cars undergo an undignified search. Tens of innocent citizens have been arrested for a State- fabricated accusations. Tents have been set up to accommodate innocent citizens where prisons have become overpopulated.

The state- owned media continued its campaign of slandering against the United Kingdom in a disparate attempt to force the UK government to divert its attention away from theongoing human rights violations in Bahrain.

State aggression against citizens has become commonplace in Bahrain and more common is the daily arrests of innocent people in order to plant fear in the society. These people are known to have been arrested recently: from Duraz: Seyed Mahdi Seyed Majeed Seyed Mahdi, 24, Nidhal Sheikh Abdul Hussain Abu Rwais, 16, Seyed Ali Seyed Hassan Al Moosawi, 13. On 19 July, From Muqsha’a: Ali Abd Ali Ali Ahmed, 14, Ali Hassan Ahmed Hassan, 16, Jaffar Ahmed Jassim Al Muwali, 17. On 26 July, from Muqsha’a: Abdul Hadi Mohammed Ali Ahmed, 17, Maytham Abdul Rasool Ibrahim, 17( he has two brother already arrest for more than one year.

Bahrain Freedom Movement

3 August 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 9089

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LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Security forces in the Gulf Arab state of Bahrain have carried out a series of “arbitrary” arrests in raids on several houses, a London-based opposition group said.

“In the area of Markuban, in Sitra, the mercenary forces (on Tuesday) attacked three houses and arrested Issa Ahmad Habib, 19, Hussein Abbas al-Amr, 18, and Nasser Abdel-Hussein al-Ali, 17,” the Bahrain Freedom Movement said in statement faxed to Reuters late on Wednesday.

“Eyewitnesses said the attackers burst into the houses without permission and terrified women and children,” it said. The group described these and other arrests as “arbitrary.”

Last week, the group said security forces had resumed arrests and raids on homes.

In Wednesdays statement, the group said another man had been arrested at his fathers home in Al-Sanabis area and the inside of the house wrecked. They then “took him to a torture centre,” the group said.

It said the security forces arrested three other men in their early 20s on Tuesday morning in the Daih area, and three more men in the Jidhafs area.

Bahraini newspapers reported last weekend that unidentified arsonists had set ablaze the offices of a petrol station in the Shiite village of Daih, causing damage and injuring one worker.

Bahrain, the Gulfs banking and financial centre, has been the scene of sporadic unrest since 1994. Members of the Shiite Moslem majority have been demanding economic and political reforms from the states Sunni Moslem rulers. [Reuters]

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British minister to visit Bahrain

August 26, marked the 23rd anniversary of the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) after two years of its formation . On June 20, 1973 the Amir promulgated Law No. 12/1972 forming a Constituent Assembly to draw up the Constitution for the State of Bahrain. After drafting by the Constituent Assembly, the Amir ratified the Constitution on December 6, 1973. The Constitution defined citizens’ fundamental rights, and the system of government, stating that it should be based on the separation of powers. Before the end of 1974 NA’s session, the government submitted a draft law entitled “The State Security Measures Law.”

The draft law would grant the Minister of Interior the power to detain, for three years without trial or judicial review, anyone suspected of committing acts considered harmful to the security of the State. This draft law was unanimously rejected by all elected members of the NA. Despite the NA’s rejection of the draft law, the Amir issued the State Security Law on October 22, 1974. A crisis ensued between the NA and Government, leading to the dissolution of the NA and the seizure of the legislative power by the Amir and the Government. According to Article 63 of the constitution, the current Government is unconstitutional.

The official Bahrain government’s press announced a visit by Mr. Derek Fatchett, the British Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs to Bahrain on 14 September. This visit comes amid relentless campaign of slandering by the Bahraini (government-controlled) press against the British government. The fury of the Bahraini regime over Britain comes after three Bahraini exiles had been granted political asylum by the British Government, which in turn sent an indirect message to the Bahraini regime of the UK’s concern over the human rights crisis in Bahrain. In retaliation, the Bahrain Government accused Britain of “sponsoring terrorism”.

The Bahraini regime had been denounced internationally for human rights violations against the Bahraini citizens. The regime’s sponsored-terrorism against the Bahraini people has been documented by the UN and other international bodies. The opposition welcomes Mr. Fatchett visit to Bahrain and hopes that it would contribute in the relieve of the suffering of the Bahraini citizens.

 On the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the abrogation of the National Assembly, the Bahraini people demonstrated their civil resistance peacefully. Meanwhile, the regime’s security forces have continued to violate the basic rights of the peaceful citizens. A savage raid by the security forces against Sanabis resulted in an assault against three girls in their houses is a clear manifestation of the regime’s savageness. On the other hand, a number of persons are known to have been arrested in the past few day. They are: Hassan Mehsen Abdul Karim, Falah Muhammed Habeeb, Kadhem S. Taher, Murtadha S. Abbas S. Taher, Rae’d Hassan Al Asfour, Ali Yousif Ahmed, Abdul Zahra Al Sari.

In relation to Abdul Zahra Al-Sari, the security forces raided his house to arrest him but he was not present. So they seized his brother, tortured him and threatened him of more torture if he did not co-operate in the hunt against his brother. They then forced his brother to phone Abdul Zahrah on his mobile telephone and misinformed him of urgent illness requiring help for emergency hospitalization. Abdul Zahara rushed to his brother only to be met by the mercenaries who arrested him along with another person who happened to accompany him.

Bahrain Freedom Movement

28 August 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 908

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 Bahraini opposition appreciated at conference on democracy

A conference on “Democracy in the Arab region: International positions and policies” was held in Oxford (UK) on 29 August. The conference was sponsored by the “Project for Democracy Studies in the Arab Countries”. The distinguished panel of speakers were composed of Dr. Abdalla Buouhabib, of the World Bank, Prof. Tim Niblock, Dr. Sami Thebyan, Dr. Abul Wahab Afandi, Dr. Ali Al Kawari, Dr. Ragheed Al Suleh and other distinguished Arab and international personalities. The conference debated the prospects of reform in the Arab world and the obstacles that contribute to lack of democracy and prevalence of despotism. The participants criticised the unaccountability of many regimes in the Arab World and their indifference to citizens’ rights and freedoms. The Bahraini regime has been used as an example of dictatorship and human rights violations by many of the speakers. Whereas, the Bahraini opposition has been complimented as “a peaceful movement that follows peaceful means in quest for reform in Bahrain”.

Inside Bahrain (30 August) the authorities shut down and sealed a printing shop in Sihla. Many shops owners have been targeted by the authorities as part of the collective punishment schemes being implemented against the natives of the country. The Al-Khalifa family uses mercenaries imported from the Syrian deserts during the implementation of these hate-based polices.

On 27 August, the eve of the 40th day anniversary of the martyr Nooh Al Nooh, large numbers of shops and stores have shut down and lights were turned off in wide areas of the country to pay tribute and respect for the martyr.

On 26 August, Ms. Huda Al Safaf, Sanabis, was summoned to a torture centre. She was accused of selling books from her house. Ms. Al Safaf was released the following day. The security forces have confiscated all the books in her library.

The vicious slandering campaign against Britain continues to take new dimensions in the Bahraini state- controlled press. In one of the newspapers( Akhbar Al Khalij), a cartoon depicting the UK’s flag as a four headed snake with four hands. One hand carried a bomb, a second hand carried a knife, the third carried a gun and the forth carried dynamite with timed clock. The comment under the cartoon said “those who sponsor terrorism”. The Bahraini regime is being internationally condemned for human rights violations against the Bahraini people. It has never ceased to deliberately falsify the truth and to direct unfounded allegations against opposition and sovereign nations alike.

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MANAMA, Aug 30 (Reuters) – A suspicious car triggered a security alert at the U.S. Navy’s Gulf headquarters in Bahrain but an investigation showed it was a false alarm, a military official at the base said on Sunday.

The official would not say whether the base, the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, had been evacuated in response to the security alert on Thursday.

Routine checks on cars entering and leaving the base indicated that “something was amiss” with one of the vehicles, prompting the Navy to take “appropriate actions,” he told Reuters. He would not say what action was taken.

The checks included undercarriage and trunk inspections and the use of sniffer dogs, the official said.

After thoroughly examining the suspect vehicle, the Navy “found nothing that was of concern,” he said.

The U.S. Navy in the Gulf has recently stepped up security in line with American efforts worldwide after U.S. ships unleashed cruise missiles on “terrorist-related” targets in Sudan and Afghanistan earlier this month.

The Fifth Fleet’s region of command also includes the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, from where U.S. ships fired 75 Tomahawk cruise missiles on Thursday at a factory near the Sudanese capital Khartoum and training camps in Afghanistan.

There are more than 800 naval and other personnel at the Fifth Fleet’s headquarters in Bahrain, while there are about 14 ships in the Gulf with some 15,000 sailors and marines on board. REUTERS

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