Sep98

September 1998: Atrocities and violations resisted by citizens

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Bahrain: While the regime celebrates, another victim dies

The people of Bahrain were saddened today, 30 September, with the death of yet another victim, Mr. Mohammed Al-Sayyah, 28 years old, from Sitra-Wadyan. For more than three years, Mr. Al-Sayyah had been in hospital suffering from incrementally increasing pain that ended with his death in Salmaya Hospital.

Mr. Al-Sayyah, a university graduate, was initially arrested on 5 April 1995 and tortured severely by a Jordanian officer named Mahmood l-Akkori (so-called Abo-Fakhri) until 12 July 1995. His condition had deteriorated following the session of torture under Al-Akkori. He had been subjected to electric shocks and was severely beaten on sensitive parts of his body. He was then stripped naked and forced to sit on a bottle which caused him to suffer immensely after his release. Months later, he developed cancer and the pains continued with him until his death.

As the people of Bahrain poured into Sitra to mourn the death of Mr. Mohammed Al-Sayyah, the regime was living in a fictitious world of its own. It announced that some 500 personalities have been invited for a “major celebration” on 5 October. In this celebration the regime aims to whitewash its stained image of human rights abuses. Those invited include Mohammmed Faeq, the Secretary General of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights as well as several others who had been told that they will be invited to see how Bahrain achieved an “excellent” record in human resource development. The “human resource development” scheme adopted by the government does not mention how the resources of citizens are drained and killed in the torture chambers of the interior ministry. The scheme does not say anything about importing tens of thousands of mercenaries from the Syrian deserts for the sole purpose of oppressing the nation. The scheme does not mention anything about the collective punishment adopted by the security forces. The scheme also does not say that Bahraini human resources are driven outside the country to trivial jobs the Gulf. The scheme does not divulge how the Prime Minister’s office intervenes to force down the salaries paid to Bahraini resources in Kuwait and the UAE.

The people of Bahrain read in the local papers that they are well looked after. They look around them to see a government that deals with them through foreign mercenaries in all vital areas of life. They look around to see that most families in Bahrain have suffered from arbitrary detention, torture, extra-judicial killing, forcible exile, alienation, denial of all political and civil rights, and total disregards to human dignity.

Bahrain Freedom Movement

30 September 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 9089

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* The name of yet another British colonel is echoing in the torture chambers of Bahrain. Colonel Thomas Bryan, in his late 50s, has taken over many of Ian Henderson’s roles. Reports from prisons described the brutality with which this torturer adopts against his victims.

* The Buday’a Police Headquarters is one of many in which torturers use for commiting their crimes. Citizens have identified a number of these torturers. They are: Farooq Al Mu’awdeh, Director of the HQ, Ibrahim Al Khatir, Isa Thamir Al Dowseri, Ali Al Khalifa, Abdul Salam Al Oreifi, Ahmed Hoteimi. To further increase the intimidation of citizens, other different terror-gangs are assigned to drive around in villages with civilian cars and plain clothes with guns on their waists to spread terror. A number of these terrorists have been identified. They are: Maher, Jordanian, Torki, Syrian, Awwad, Syrian, Naham, Syrian, Adel, Bahraini.

* The case of the Pro-democracy personality, Ms. Hussa Al Khumairi (a former director of at the Ministry of Education in Bahrain) against the Ministry of Education has been investigated by UNESCO. Ms. Al Khumairi was dismissed from her position and blacklisted by the government following her refusal to retract her name from a petition which she and other pro-democracy women had initiated in 1995, calling for the restoration of the National Assembly and end to abuses committed by the security forces. The former Education Minister, and now the Bahraini Ambassador to France (Dr. Ali Fakhro) who ordered the dismissal of Ms. Al Khumairi, has been summoned by UNESCO (Paris) to answer questions of why he had dismissed her. Dr. Fakhro failed to explain his actions and attempted to deflect the investigation by claiming that Ms. Al Khumairi was not paying “adequate attention to her job”. It is worth mentioning that UNESCO has granted Ms. Al Khumairi an honorary medal for her excellent efforts in adults education.

* The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) convened its meeting last week at the UN offices in Geneva . Mounting concern over racial discrimination in Bahrain has led the committee experts to list the Bahraini regime for probing the racist policies systematically implemented against the citizens in all public functions, particularly at the University of Bahrain.

CERD is charged with overseeing the implementation of the UN treaty for the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. States that ratified this treaty are required to submit an initial report to the Committee within one year of the assumption of their obligations, and thereafter every two years. The Committee may request a report from the state party at any time. Bahrain ratified CERD on 27 March 1990, but the government has refrained from ratifying Article 14, which allows CERD to consider communications from individuals who are victims of racial discrimination inline with the Convention. Also, the Bahraini government has never submitted any report to the Committee since its ratification of the Convention, thus, disrupting the work of CERD and making it difficult to carry out its mandate.

Last March CERD raised its concerns about Bahrain and warned the government against failing to submit a report by end of August 1998. The government refused to submit any report to answer the allegations. Hence CERD decided to list the Bahraini regime for further probing in the next meeting to be held in March 1999. CERD action followed documented evidence submitted by Bahraini citizens relating to the official (undeclared) policy of discrimination adopted in all public functions and all corporations controlled by the government. The documented evidence of racial discrimination policies are contradictory to the obligation of the government as per the UN Convention it signed in 1990. The representative of the government of Bahrain requested to be given a “final chance” to respond and to report on the situation in Bahrain.

The government was forced by the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission on 19 August 1998 to allow the “Working Group on Arbitrary Detention” to visit Bahrain within a year. The Sub-Commission also forced the regime to abandon its reservation against Article 20 of the Convention Against Torture (CAT), thus paving the way for the Bahraini citizens to submit complaints directly to the UN Committee for investigation.

* The ICRC has reported in its 1997 Annual Report that it has visited 23 detention centres in Bahrain and met with 2, 111 detainees. Last May, the Interior Minister said only few hundreds are in prison.

* The political prisoners in Jaw Prison went on hunger strike on Sunday 6 September, in an attempt to draw the attention of the international community to the miserable conditions in that prison. The strike was spurred on the same day (6 September), when one of the prisoners (Moneer Al Shaikh) was savagely beaten by the prison guards after asking them for some water to wash out.

The prisoners were also protesting against two mercenary policemen in Jaw prison who are accused of sexually abusing prisoners under their custody. The abusers are knnown as: Suhail, a Pakistani and Ebrahim, a Syrian. The opposition calls on the international community to intervene for the protection of citizens under detention.

* In a leading article appearing in Al-Quds of 8 September, the pro-democracy Bahraini personality, Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Nuaimi advised the government to reflect carefully on itsfailures and to respond to rational calls for establishing justice and rule of law. Mr.Al-Nuaimi provided extensive assessment of the iron-fist policy that is back-firing on thegovernment. He said “the government has recruited many persons abroad in an attempt towhitewash its ugly picture. In doing so, the ruling Al-Khalifa family has plundered thenation’s wealth in a lost cause”. The government’s drive to supplement its torturers withmercenary pens has proved a total failure in a changing world, where facts can never behidden anymore. The iron fist and the iron curtain did not stop the UN experts in Genevafrom forcing the regime last month to concede and to announce its preparedness forallowing a UN Working Group to visit Bahrain for investigating the situation.

* The Bahraini writer, Hafedh Al Shaikh, was summoned for interrogation by the secret service on 13 September. The interrogation of Mr. Al Shaikh comes after he was seen a day before conversing with a group of Syrian mercenaries in Muharraq. Mr. Al Shaikh said to the mercenaries ” do you think that it would be acceptable for Bahrainis to go to Syria and get money and privileges in return for suppressing Syrians.” It is worth mentioning that Mr. Al Shaikh had been under restriction from writing in local and regional press and was threatened to be expelled from “Akbar Al-Khalij” news paper if he attempted to write anything related to the situation in the country.

* 14 September: The Kuwaiti appeal court adjourned the trial of Bahrainis accused of distributing pamphlets against the Bahraini regime. The case has been deferred until 24 October. ” The Court agreed to the defence’s motion to attach the so called illegal pamphlets and the testimonies of three state security personnel to the case” said Mr. Khalid Al Shatti, one of the defence lawyers. Mr. Al Shatti added ” We are looking for justice, and the inclusion of these documents is what we have always sought”. The Bahrainis living in Kuwait are being sacrificed by the Kuwaiti authorities as part of an unholy deal with the Bahraini intelligence department.

* On 16 September, a court presided by a member of the ruling Al-Khalifa family decided to postpone the hearing for the case of the Bahrain Bar Society. The society was dissolved by the government earlier in the year in reprisal against the holding of a seminar that was addressed by the pro-democracy figure, Dr. Monira Fakhro. The Bar Society was represented in the court by the three last presidents and three last secretaries. The court session was adjourned until 10 October.

* 20 September, Mr. Abdulla Fakhroo, 70, has been taken back to prison after spending six days in hospital. Mr. Fakhro was admitted to the BDF Hospital after suffering a health problem in his respiratory system. Doctors indicated that he showed symptoms of cardiac problem. The reason for Mr. Fakhroo eventual collapse was the on going psychological torture he endured by the intelligence mercenaries. His collapse came after the prison officials have brought into his cell a savagely tortured and exhausted young boy. When Mr. Fakhroo saw the horrible scene, he immediately collapsed. The regime have taken upon itself to silence all voices that dare to criticise. Mr. Fakhroo is one of those leading personalities who stood fast, calling fordemocratic reform in the country. Mr. Fakhroo was later released on 23 September.

* On 26 September, at 3 am, in Markuban village, the security forces were seen setting fire in one of the villagers cars. Six security forces’ vehicles have raided the small village and ransacked houses and arrested a number of innocent people. The regime has systematically resorted to this method of vandalising people’s properties in order to use it as an excuse for more repression.

On 28 September, the security forces raided Sarr and arrested the following persons: Jaffar Hashim, 15, Basam Jaffar, 15, Alawi Jaffar, 17, Fadil, 17, Jalal Hassan Ashur, 15, Ali Ahmed, 20, Hassan Ali, 15. On 30 September, the following were arrested from the same village: Hadar Alawi, 23, Yunis Alawi, 29, Shakir, Matoog, 25 ( was arrested before for 7 months).

Prisons have become home for Bahrainis who refused to let go their beliefs in democracy and freedom. The following persons are yet another example of the almost daily convoys of Bahrainis unlawfully arrested. They are: Jaffar Seyed Hashim Seyed Salman, 16, Sarr (the security forces raided his parents’ house and destroyed its contents then arrested him), Jassim Habib Jassim, 23, Sarr, Seyed Hadar Seyed Salman Seyed Muhsin, 23, Sarr, Seyed Hassan Seyed Seyed Salman Seyed Muhsin, 9, Sarr (Seyed Hadar and Seyed Hassan are brothers and was released the following day along with Mr. Jassim). On 26 September, Hussain Al Bastani, Markuban, Jaffar Abdulla Hassan, Markuban, Mansoor Ibrahim Al Ata’r, Markuban ( all were arrested before).

The following persons have recently been arrested and nothing is known abouth them. From Al Kharjiya (Sitra): Mahdi Ahmed Abdula, 32, Abdul Nabi Hassan Habil, 21, Ali Abas Habil, 17, Abdulla Ahmed Abdulla Al Mu’min, 17, Maki Rida Maki, 16. From Buri: Mohammed Salman Al Najafi, 15, Hussain Salman Ibrahim, 16, Ahmed Kadim Al Buri, 15, Ahmed Hassan Ali Al Arib, 18, Ahmed Hassan Kadim Al Hiji, 19, Seyed Ahmed Seyed Alawi Seyed Tahir, 18, Haytham Abdul Rasul, 19, Kadim Abdul Karim Kadim, 16. From Dair: Seyed Basha’r Seyed Alawi Seyed Ali, 21, Seyed Ghasan Seyed Hashim Seyed Ali, 21. Also from Sarr: Ali Abdul Rida, 21, and his brother Abdul Hussain, 25, Seyed Hadar Seyed Mohammed Seyed Salih Seyed Salman, 20, Seyed Ghazi Seyed Abul Nabi Seyed Hashim, 20, Seyed Fahdil Seyed Salman, Seyed Salman Seyed Alawi Seyed Taj, Mohammed Fardan, 15, Seyed Alawi Seyed Hashim Seyed Salman, 21, Seyed Hussain Seyed Mahfud, 22, Ali Ahmed, 23 (the last three persons have been released after a week of torture).

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U-Turn on UK

The Bahraini rrown prince, Sheikh Hamad Al-Khalifa paid a visit to the United Kingdom on 6 September, just a week before the announced official state visit of the British Foreign Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs, Mr. Derek Fatchett, to Bahrain on 14 September. The Bahraini state-controlled press has suddenly abandoned the slandering campaign against Britain and changed its direction (almost 180 degrees) to praising the UK Government and the “progress in relations between the two countries”, ” Bahrain praises UK terror fight” and ” Bahrain lauds UK steps to fight terror”. The visit was said to be for “bolstering co-operation and friendly relations between the two countries especially in the political, economic and military fields”.

Over the past two months the Bahraini authorities have bombarded the UK with waves of unfounded allegations as part of a vicious campaign. The press accused Britain of hosting and sponsoring terrorism. “Bahrain also rejects any type of violence and terrorism, no matter who is responsible for it” said the crown prince. This is one of the statements which has been used by the regime over the past three years to defame the Bahraini people for demanding political reforms.

Such statements do not reflect the reality in Bahrain. On the contrary, they have become meaningless especially when the international community condemned the Bahraini regime’s violation of human rights and discrimination against the citizens of Bahrain .The European Parliament adopted two resolutions expressing deep concern over the regime’s violations of human rights. 

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Fatchett calls for respect of human rights in Bahrain

Fatchett’s views ahead of the visit

Ahead of travelling to Bahrain, Mr. Fatchett declared his views in a reply letter to a member of the British parliament. He coutlined the British Government policy towardsthe abuses of human rights in Bahrain, in particular, the death under torture of Nooh Al Nooh, saying “as you know, it is our policy to engage any government aboutserious abuses of human rights. Following the first reports of the alleged death in custody of Mr. Nooh Abdulla, our Ambassador in Bahrain raised the case with the Under Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in the Foreign Ministers absence) on 25 July. Letters were also sent to the Interior Ministry by the Embassy on 26 July and 1 August. Unfortunately, the Bahraini authorities would only confirm the matter was still under investigation. Nevertheless, we are concerned about these allegations. If substantiated, it would call into question the Bahraini government’s commitment to the UN Convention Against Torture which they recently ratified. I have asked our Embassy to continue to press the Bahraini authorities to provide details and official confirmation about the events surrounding the death of Mr. Nooh Khalil Abdulla.”

State-controlled press responds

The Bahraini State-controlled press worded the Bahraini regime’s views on human rights on 17 September. Where it disregarded the respect for and observance of the fundamentals of human rights. “Bahrain views such rights to be manifested primarily in what the state is providing for its citizens by way of a decent standard of living as embodied in good education, health services and the development of human resources” said the Bahrain Tribune quoting what a Bahraini official had said to the British minister, Mr. Derek Fatchett, during his visit to Bahrain on 14 September. The Bahraini regime flagrantly proclaims that the right to life, dignity and free opinion and expression are not the sort of rights that Bahrainis should have. This is contrary to the principles of indivisibility, interrelation, and interdependence of all human rights, as set out by the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.

The British minister ended his visit to Bahrain on 15 September. MHe waslabeled as”evasive” by the Bahraini authorities after he declined unfounded allegations against Britain. Mr. Fatchett rebuffed the implied accusation of the naivety of the British society for granting Bahraini exiles asylum and freedom of speech.” Britain is a civilised country and that is why we carry out our obligations to protect rights to freedom of speech” said the British minister. He added “freedom of speech is valuable to us and we cannot stop people campaigning”. The state-controlled press voiced the regime’s accusation against the British press and the BBC World Service as being ” a propaganda mouthpiece” for the peaceful Bahraini opposition who seeks democratic reform in the country. The British media is neither controlled by nor serve as a mouthpiece for the British government hinted Mr. Fatchett in his reply to these allegations.” The BBC is a wholly independent organisation” said Fatchett. He added ” it is an arm’s length relationship the government has with it and any attempt at editorial interference would be totally wrong”.

” It was in consistence with Britain’s long-standing commitment on international obligations” said the British minister, regarding the granting of political asylum to Bahrainis who have either been exiled or fled for fear of persecution. The Bahraini regime is eager to sign an extradition treaty with Britain in a hapless move to pressure the UK to abandon its values and commitment to international obligations. The Bahraini regime known for its quibbling and violations of international conventions expects other sovereign nations to behave likewise.

Human Rights Watch

Press Release: on Bahrain, Friday 10 September

Human Rights Should Be High on Agenda in U.K.-Bahrain Talks

“We applaud the government’s recognition that torture and arbitrary detention are a problem in Bahrain. But Bahraini citizens shouldn’t have to die before the government is willing to act.”

Hanny Megally, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division

(New York, September 11, 1998) — As a top British minister prepares to travel to Bahrain, Human Rights Watch urged that the disturbing human rights situation in that country be on the agenda of all high level meetings with Bahraini officials. Derek Fatchett, the U.K.’s Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, is visiting Bahrain for two days starting Monday, September 14.

Human rights conditions in Bahrain have seriously deteriorated since the current political unrest began in late 1994. Violations include arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in custody, unfair trials, and restrictions on freedom of expression and association. At least seven persons have died in detention or shortly after their release since the unrest began. The latest victim, Nuh Khalil `Abdallah Nuh, twenty-three, died two days after his arrest on July 19.

Human Rights Watch called on Bahrain to appoint an independent procecutor to investigate allegations of torture and deaths in custody, and to take steps to guarantee freedom of expression and association.

Bahrain announced last month that it would allow a visit by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and reconsider its reservation to Article 20 of the Convention against Torture — thereby allowing the Committee against Torture to conduct confidential investigations into allegations of torture in Bahrain.

“We applaud the government’s recognition that torture and arbitrary detention are a problem in Bahrain,” said Hanny Megally, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. “But Bahraini citizens shouldn’t have to die before the government is willing to act.” Megally urged Bahrain to quickly make its declaration in favor of Article 20, and to set a date for a Working Group visit.

Megally was also critical of steps Bahrain has taken this year to increase already severe restrictions on the right to freedom of association, and in particular to stifle the activities of the Bahraini Lawyers’ Society.

“The Lawyers’ Society was perhaps the last place in Bahrain where people could come together to talk about the problems facing that country,” Megally said. “If Bahrain’s lawyers are intimidated into silence, what hope is there for ordinary citizens to speak their minds?”

Fatchett’s visit comes only days before a September 16 court hearing on the appeal of theelected board of the Lawyers Society against their forced replacement by government supporters.

Details on deaths in detention, actions taken against the Lawyers’ Society, and HumanRights Watch’s recommendations to the Bahraini government are summarized below.

Deaths in Custody

Human Rights Watch has received reports of at least seven deaths due to the torture, mistreatment or medical neglect of detainees in Bahrain since the unrest began in December 1994.

The most recent victim, Nuh Khalil `Abdallah Nuh, twenty-three, was reported to be in good health when he was detained in the al-Na`im district of Manama by members of Bahrain’s security forces on July 19, 1998. When his body was returned to his family on July 21, it reportedly bore marks indicating Mr. Nuh had been tortured while in custody.

Other recent cases include Sheikh `Ali al Nachas, a blind Shi’a cleric about fifty years old, who died on June 29, 1997 in al-Qal`a Prison in Manama, where he had been held incommunicado since his arrest on April 23, 1997; `Abd al-Zahra Ibrahim `Abdullah, twenty-seven, who died on June 6, 1997, five days after his arrest during clashes with security forces in the village of Sanabis; and Bashir Abdallah Ahmad Fadhil, whose body was returned to his family for burial on May 18, 1997, two days after his arrest during an assault by security forces in the village of Daih. Eyewitnesses to the arrests of `Abdullah and Fadhil reported that both men were beaten at the time of their arrests.

Tightening restrictions on freedom of association: the Lawyers’ Society

Despite the guarantee of freedom of association in Bahrain’s constitution, Legislative Decree 21 of 1989 includes a broadly-worded provision, Article 18, which prohibits organizations from engaging in politics, in violation of the internationally recognized right of persons to engage in peaceful political activity and participate in public affairs.

The Lawyers’ Society until recently appeared to be exempt from this blanket prohibition, and regularly held “internal events,” to which it invited non-lawyers. In late January 1998, the society sponsored a meeting on “The Tehran Conference, The Doha Conference, and Their Repercussions for the Region.” After the meeting security forces reportedly interrogated the society’s staff about who attended and spoke, and the ministers of justice and interior separately questioned Lawyers’ Society president Abbas Hilal about the meeting.

On February 28, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs `Abd al-Nabi al-Shu`ala dismissed the society’s elected administrative board and canceled a general assembly meeting scheduled for March 19, at which new elections were to be held. That same day the minister issued Decree 4 of 1998, charging the society with being in violation of Article 18 of Decree 21/1989, and appointing a new board charged with presenting recommendations for reforming the society. The decree provided for an automaticone-year extension of the term of the appointed board if new elections are not held within its first eleven months.

More than seventy members of the society filed a legal challenge to the government’saction, which will be heard on September 16 before a special court headed by Sheikh Khalifa bin Rashid Al Khalifa, the head of the State Security Court. The minister of laborhas reportedly met with lawyers leading the court challenge to press them to drop theappeal, to agree to seek permission for all society activities, including internal meetings,three months in advance, and to refrain from any participation in politics. The lawyers were also instructed to remain silent about these meetings.

Despite repeated requests by Human Rights Watch, Bahraini government has yet to makepublic any evidence to substantiate the charge that the Lawyers’ Society is in violation of Decree 21/89 or any other laws or decrees governing its activities, or to clarify whatactivities it considered to be serious enough breaches of the law as to require the removalof the elected board less than three weeks before already scheduled general elections.

Recommendations

In light of the worsening situation with respect to freedom of association and continuedreports of deaths in custody, torture, and mistreatment of detainees, Human Rights Watchcalls on the government of Bahrain to take the following steps:

•Appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate deaths alleged to have occurred at thehands of the security forces, as well as acts of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment alleged to have been committed by officers of the Special Investigation Service, the Criminal Investigation Directorate, and the Public Security Force. Such a prosecutorshould be empowered to report publicly on the findings of the investigation, and to bringcharges against any officials implicated as responsible for ordering, carrying out, ortolerating acts of torture or acts resulting in wrongful death.

•Amend those laws and decrees that unduly restrict the ability of citizens to exercise theright to free speech and to freedom of association, such as Article 18 of LegislativeDecree 21/1989, to bring them into compliance with international human rights standards.

•Immediately halt all efforts to undermine the Lawyers’ Society, or to interfere with itsconducting its legitimate activities as a legal professional association.

For further information:

In New York: Hanny Megally

Clarisa Bencomo

In Washington: Joe Stork

In London: Urmi Shah

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Reuters on Bahrain : Sep 11, 1998 Eastern

Rights group condemns Bahrain human rights record

NEW YORK, Sept 11 (Reuters) – An international rights group on Friday slammed Bahrain’s human rights record and urged a top British minister to raise the subject with the Gulf Arab State’s rulers when he visits the island later this month.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement ahead of the visit by British

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Derek Fatchett to Bahrain on September 14 that

human rights conditions in the island have “deteriorated seriously” since unrest by local

Shi’ite Moslems began in 1994.

“Violations include arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in custody, unfair trials and restrictions on freedom of expression and association,” the statement said. “As a top British minister prepares to travel to Bahrain, Human Rights Watch urged that the disturbing human rights situation in that country be on the agenda of all high level meetings with

Bahraini officials,” it said. Human Rights Watch said at least seven people have died in detention or shortly after their release since the unrest began. The latest victim, named Nuh Khalil Abdallah Nuh, 23, died on July 19, only two days after his arrest, it said.

Human Rights Watch said it welcomed Bahrain’s announcement last month that it was ready to allow a visit by a United Nations working group on detention. But it said Bahraini citizens “shouldn’t have to die before the government is willing to act.” Members of the island’s majority Shi’ite Moslem community have launched sporadic protests, bombings and arson attacks since December 1994 to demand political and economic reforms by the Sunni-led government. The campaign has abated recently.

Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa al-Khalifa said in remarks published by a Bahraini newspaper in May that all detainees were being treated in ahumane way “which confors with the human rights norms which we respect.”

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AFP on Bahrain, Friday 11 Sep 1998

Rights group demands probe into Bahrain prison deaths

NICOSIA, Sept 11 (AFP) – The US group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called onauthorities in Bahrain Friday to open an enquiry into allegations that prisoners in Bahraini jails had been tortured and that several people had died in custody.

Bahrain should “appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture and deaths in custody, and to take steps to guarantee freedom of expression and association”, the group said.

HRW appealed to visiting British junior foreign minister Derek Fatchett to raise the issue with his hosts. The human rights situation should “be on the agenda of all high level meetings with Bahraini officials”, it said.

Human rights conditions in Bahrain have seriously deteriorated since the current politicalunrest began in late 1994, it said.

Violations included arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in custody, unfair trials, andrestrictions on freedom of expression and association.

HRW said it had received reports of at least seven deaths due to the torture, mistreatmentor medical neglect of detainees in Bahrain since the unrest began in December 1994.

The Shiite opposition is agitating for the reestablishment of parliament, which wasdissolved in 1975.

At least 38 people have died in the troubles.

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Reuters on Bahrain

Sep 15, 1998

Bahrain moving to protect rights-British minister

MANAMA, Sept 15 (Reuters) – British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Derek Fatchett said on Tuesday he saw signs that Bahrain was moving ahead to protect human rights in the Gulf Arab state.

“I welcome very much the relationship which the government of Bahrain has established with the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) over detainees,” Fatchett told reporters in Bahrain.

“Its recent accession to the U.N. convention against torture and the commitment given last month to the U.N. Human Rights sub-commission to invite the working group of arbitrary detention to visit Bahrain” were signs of progress in the right direction, he said.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Friday that human rights conditions on the island had “deteriorated seriously” since unrest by members of the majority Shi’iteMoslem started in 1994.

“Violations include arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in custody, unfair trials and restrictions on freedom of expression and association,” it said in a statement.

Fatchett said: “Friends occasionally have differences, but one of the strengths of our relationship (with Bahrain) is that any differences can be discussed frankly.”

He said Bahrain had voiced its concern over activities of Bahraini opposition leaders living

in Britain, some of whom had been deported by the island state on accusation of fuelling the unrest.

Fatchett said he explained steps taken by the British government to further tighten its laws against those conspiring to commit crimes overseas.

“We have always made clear that we will not tolerate the use of the United Kingdom as a base for the promotion of any form of terrorism,” he said.

Fatchett ruled out the extradition of Bahraini activists living in Britain who are wanted by Bahrain. “There are no extradition proposals on the table at the moment,” he said.

Responding to a question about granting political asylum to activists, the minister said: “I explained that we have a long-standing commitment to carry out our internationalobligations. We will only act within those obligations.”

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BBC on Bahrain

BBC Radio 4

Report on 26 September 1998

Programme: “From Our Correspondents”

Kate Aidi introduced the report as follows: “It is nearly four years now since the outbreak of popular demonstrations in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Bahrain, a small, but oil rich island has seen a number of protests over the last few years mainly involving demands for greater democracy. The security services have responded harshly and there is little reference in the local press to what is going on. The Sunni Muslim dominated government has done its best to prevent news of internal strife reaching the outside world as well. The dissent occurs mainly in areas inhabited by Shia Muslims who make up the majority of the Bahraini population. The BBC’s Martin Asser has just been to the island”.

Martin Asser speaking: “The day after my arrival in the capital, Manama, a local paper reminded its readers that, “the BBC is a tool of the Bahraini opposition”. It is not true of course, but the BBC and the World Service in particular, is far from popular here with the Ministry of Information. Simon Ingram, who was BBC Middle East correspondent, when pro-democracy unrest broke out, was one of three British journalists portrayed as rabid dogs in a newspaper cartoon. In this part of the world, few insults match that of calling someone a dog. Rabid dogs are killed on site.

The BBC’s own Arabic-speaking Bahraini stringer has not been permitted to file since last year. The thing is, we send BBC reports to Bahrainis in their own language, where they reach the ramshackle Shia villages dotted around the island. It is there where the calls for a parliament are strongest. It is also there the Bahraini police go to work. In fact, it is a bit misleading to call them Bahraini police. They are made up of Pakistanis, Beluchies, Syrians, Jordanians, and Yemenis -Sunni Muslims to a man- who have been brought in to put down any manifestation of dissent, without mercy. British officers are in charge of this force. The brains behind the operation belong to Ian Henderson, a Scot who learnt his trade in Kenya, putting down the Mau-Mau rebellion. He has been in Bahrain since the sixties, a polite man, and owner of Manama’s biggest aviary. About two thousand Shias are in prison, most of them were convicted of crimes of sedition and sabotage, based on confessions made during interrogations by Colonel Henderson’s men. A few confessed to murder, the rest are held without charge, often being released after a few months to make room for others in Bahrain’s overcrowded jails.

I was told by my minders that I could go anywhere I wanted in Bahrain, and speak to anyone I wanted to. Nevertheless, I made sure the minders were not around to see me get into a taxi to go by night to one of the hot villages, as the areas of dissent are known. Sanabis is just a few kilometres from Manama, but it is a world apart. It is a surprise to see poverty in a region that floats on a sea of oil and gas, but here there is poverty in abundance. There is also fear. At first no one would talk to me. I explained in Arabic that I was not from the police, and I wanted to know their opinion because I was a journalist, but no journalist had been here for months or years. Later as I was walking down an unlit street, a battered old car drew up and a hand beckoned from inside. The owner said he had nothing to lose by talking to me. Sure he was afraid of getting arrested, “ but that could happen anyway, and already had” he said. It was more important for the world to know what was happening inside Bahrain. Once I made contact with one, my task became easier with the others. In fact it is hard to meet people not affected by the situation, when they are prepared to talk about it. Villagers told me torture is routine and systematic. Patterns emerged in our conversations. A former inmate at Jaw prison told me confessions are obtained by beatings and what is called ‘al-ta’aligah’ -where prisoners are trussed up for hours with a bar tucked under knees and over elbows. An inmate of Khamis centre prison said there was sexual abuse, with prisoners forced to squat down naked on empty fizzy drinks bottles. Attack by Alsatian dogs is used as punishment . When I met a group of young men in a mosque, they were reluctant to go into detail about what went on in the woman’s prison in Issa town.

Some prisoners never get the chance to confess. I met relatives of a young Shia man, called Nooh al-Nooh, whose battered corpse was delivered two months ago to a Bahraini hospital, two days after he was arrested at a shop where he worked.

Back in the air-conditioned comfort of the Ministry of Information, I was told by my host that anything I had heard was mere exaggeration. Of course police had to deal with vandals and trouble-makers. The only reason children were arrested was because their leaders had conscripted them for propaganda purposes. So why had I seen shot-gun marks on the ceiling of a mosque in Sitra. “Foreign policeman had stormed and smashed up the place”, the locals said. “Nonsense” replied my hosts, “more crude propaganda invented by Shias, who wanted to destabilise the country.”

If so, those Shia were incredibly lucky I had stumbled on their efforts. In a country where independent reporting is rare, they’d have to be pretty desperate to vandalise their own place of worship on the off-chance of a visit by the BBC.” END.

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Commissioning agents for plotting against the opposition

How long is it going to take before the current regime in Bahrain realises that there is no hiding from introducing reforms in the country?

The regime has never ceased to resort to futile acts to avoid people’s demands for reform and to deflect criticim of the international community. The people of Bahrain are well aware of the government’s plans and are vigilant enough to counter peacefully any irresponsible move to create terror and havoc in the country.

One of mischievous plots by the government against the innocent citizens is the vandalism of private properties of ordinary people for the purpose of accusing the people themselves of perpetrating these crimes. In such plot, immediately after the vandalism takes place, the regime would order its mercenaries to arbitrarily arrest any citizens. The arrested persons are in turn taken to the detention centre and subjected to horrendous torture and abuse in order to force them to sign pre-prescribed confessions. Then they would be taken to the scene of the crime and forced to depict instructions recited by the intelligence police and acted by the fatigued innocent citizens. The depiction would then be video taped and edited and sent to international bodies.

Another type of plot that has been uncovered recently was designed to undermine the opposition abroad, mainly in Britain. The government has never ceased to hire private surveillance and lobbying companies in order to hinder the opposition’s activities. A secret operation against the opposition involved lobbying certain groups to persuade the British Government to turn a blind eye towards the brutal regime of Bahrain has been uncovered. The operation’s action plan consisted of 28 points and was written by Lord Gillford who belongs to a lobbying company called Policy Partnership. The main aim of the lobbying is to encourage the UK Government to extradite the Bahraini exiles. Such lobbying costs enormous sum of money in order to gear up the plan. The amount of the sum of money involved becomes clear when it is known that one of the key figures in the lobbying is Lord “750 Pounds-per-hour” Tim Bell. Whereas the magnitude of the operation becomes obvious when it is known that Lord Prior (chairman of Arab-British Chamber of Commerce) as has been revealed by “Private Eye”.

A more bizarre plan that the government is thrusting ahead with in a mistakenly calculated approach. It would soon realise that it was one of the worst mistakes it had done. The government has commissioned an Iraqi person to issue statements under a fictitious organisation named “Bahrain Human Right Society”.

The Bahraini intelligence commissioned this Iraqi individual who lives in London for publishing statements in favour of the regime. The first revelation about this Iraqi person appeared last month in the US-based “Arab Times”. The regime-backed individual hastily published statements congratulating the Bahraini government for its “impressive” human rights records.

The agent also accused the people of Bahrain of abusing themselves and burning their properties. However, this Iraqi individual used different names for the months ( equivalent to August and September) that are customary adopted in Iraq rather than in Bahrain, thus exposing himself, and failing miserably in his mercenary activities. The failure of the government to bring a single Bahraini name to appear publicly and face the facts is indicative of the nature of a regime that has never trusted Bahrainis and that has always depended on mercenaries of all types.

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Misc. News

The following persons are known to have been arrested recently: Seyed Kamel Seyed Majid and his three younger brothers, from Bilad Al Qadim, Mohammed Al Kidaihi, Bilad Al Qadim, Mullah Hani, As’ad Ashur, As’ad Marzooq. On the other hand, it became known that Mr. Hassan Mizal, 22, Ma’amir, who is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, has been subjected to sever torture in prison which resulted in his nose being broken.

The following names have been notified of the intention to bring them before the State Security Court for trial. Some of them are already serving sentences imposed on them by the same court. They are: Mansoor Ali Ali, 23 (already serving a sentence for 3 years), Hussain Sadif, 20 (already serving a sentence for 3 years), Mohammed Sadif, 23, Hussain “Abo Du’a”, 18 ( already detained without trial for 3 years in Dry-Dock prison), Nidal Abdula, 18, Hussain Ali, 22, Muhammed Al Fardan.

The security forces recently attacked the residential areas in Duraz and arrested the following people: as part of the collective punishment programme: Abdulla Isa, 12, Murtadha S. Abbas S. Taher 16,released, S. Kadhem S. Taher 16, Salah Hasan, 18,Fadhel S. Abbas, Seraj 15, and his brother Suhail Ahmed Abdul Abbas, 17, Sayed Ahmed S. Qasim, 17, and his brother Sayed Sadiq S. Qasim, 15. The latter two brothers (Sayed Ahmed S. Qasim, 17, Sayed Sadiq S. Qasim, 15) have a third brother in detention for long time. Their mother angrily faced the foreign mercenaries who stormed her house to arrest the two sons saying, “I have a fourth one who is only four years old, would you also arrest him?” The foreign mercenaries replied “not this time”.

 

Gruesome violations of human rights are taking place in Bahrain amid international criticism and the expected visit of the high level British official to the country. The security forces broke into two houses in Markuban (Sitra), on 12 September. In both cases the front doors of the houses as well as their contents have been reduced to ruin. It was at 3 am when the innocent inhabitants have been terrorised by the unwarranted intrusion to their private property. Two of their sons have been unlawfully dragged out of their beds and taken away. They are Isa Ahmed Habib, 20, Nasir Abdul Hussain Al A’li, 18. The two persons were then released after 8 hours of terror in a detention centre.

On the early hours of 10 September, house-to-house search was carried out by the security forces on Ikir village. The terrorised villagers woke up to the sounds of mercenaryforces breaking into their houses. The reason that has been given for terrorising the village was to search for two teenagers. They are: Mohammed Abdul Hussain Jassim Abdul Nabi, 17, Abdul Khaliq Jassim Mohammed Yousif, 14. The teenagers have been found and were savagely beaten on the spot in front of others. Later that day, they were brought by the security forces to be photographed next to pro-democracy slogans printed over the village’s walls.

A procession took place on 4 September, in the Capital city of Manama in which people called for constitutional and political reform in the country.

 

The following were known to have been arbitrarily arrested recently: from Sanabis: on 29 August, Jihad Rida Ahmed, 18, Jabir Jaffar Al Madih, 19, Hussain Ahmed, 16. On 28 August, Hanza Isa Al Hama’r, 19, Daih (was released after 4 days), Jaffar Jum’a Abdula, Muqsha’a. On 1 September, Hussain Ali Maki Ali Hussain, 24, Sanabis, Rida Jaffar Al Sabagh, 21, Sanabis.

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Bahrain: Al Jamri holds out against regime’s repression

Three years ago, on 25 September 1995, the leader of the constitutional and democratic movement in Bahrain Sheikh Al Jamri was released after six months of detention without any charge. Tens of thousands of people took part in the reception of Al Jamri, when people from all over Bahrain greeted him in a show of popularity and support that took the regime by surprise. On 21 January 1996, Al Jamri was re-arrested following the back-sliding by the government on an agreement for reconciliation.

Shiekh Al Jamri is now in detention just short of three years for no crime other than attempting to seek a peaceful solution for the political crisis. The Bahraini regime is exerting extreme, cruel and systematic psychological, and sometimes physical, torture against Al Jamri to force him to succumb and sign falsified accusations in which the regime seeks to revenge against the pro-democracy leader. Sheikh Al Jamri, 60, has been admitted several times to the hospital suffering from exhaustion and ill-treatment.

On 24 September, pro-democracy statements spread across Bahrain, painted on walls across the country. One statement said” if there were free expression of opinion, the people would not have resorted to writing on walls”. Another statements emphasized peoples’ steadfastness and support for Al Jamri such as ” Al Jamri is the hero who declined to give away for tyrants”.

It has come to light recently that 50 persons are detained for a period which exceeded 3 years without charge. Amongst these persons are: Mohammed Al Ghanim, 28, Mohammed Al Khazar, 25, Ali Ahmed, 20, Haidar Abd Al Baqi, 25, Taha Saeed, 26, Mohammed Fardan, 18. On the other hand, it became known that Mr. Mohammed Al Say’ah, 28, was in coma for 8 hours on 23 September. He was transferred to Salmania Hospital, ward No. 56. He is suffering from a bad illness in his unary system, which resulted from the torture he had been subject to during his period of arrest.

Mr. Abdul Amir Al Aradi, an Engineer in detention, has been sacked from his job. A letter of his dismissal from the Interior Ministry has been sent to the Works Ministry where Mr. Al Aradi was working. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Al Aradi has been arrested last month from his place of work without apparent reason.

The following perons are known to have been arrested recently: Zuhair Al Sab’a, Fadel Al Ramil, Ali Al Ramil, Mustafa Al A’li, As’ad Ashur, Asa’d Aziz, Seyed Jaffar Seyed Majid Seyed Abdula, 14 (he was arrested along with his two elder brothers, they were released the following day but Seyed Jaffar is still in detention). The regime arrested at least one person accused of speaking to a BBC correspondent who visited the country with the Brithsh Foreign Minister Mr. Derek Fatchett on 14 September. The arrested person is a teenager by the name Yasser.

Bahrain Freedom Movement

26 September 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 9089

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September 1998 (Editorial)

 Torture mentality defeated in Geneva

Victory for human rights

The developments of the past few weeks have demonstrated beyond doubt the need for an immediate response from the Government of Bahrain to the legitimate demands of the constitutional movement. For the first time in the history of this small Gulf island, the internal problems have become an international concern forcing the Al Khalifa ruling tribe to send one of the top officials, after a hasty decision, to Geneva to negotiate a face-saving formula to avert international condemnation. The UN human rights experts (forming the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission) had proposed a resolution condemning the Al Khalifa for their violation of human rights and demanding an immediate halt to the arbitrary arrests and summary trials in kangaroo courts. Last year the UN Sub-Commission had passed a similar resolution.

Last February, The Al Khalifa were forced to sign the Convention Against Torture (CAT), a step that spared the ruling family the humiliation of facing an international condemnation last spring for its bad record on human rights. However, it placed a reservation on Article 20 of the convention which enables victims of torture to present their cases to CAT Committee, thereby robbing it of the power to investigate irregularities in the treatment of thousands of Bahraini prisoners. As reports of systematic use of torture persisted the international community felt obliged to take these allegations more seriously, and Francoise Hampson, the British expert at the UN Human Right Sub-Commission, sponsored a carefully-worded resolution condemning Bahrain’s human rights record. Eight other experts joined her giving the resolution the necessary number of sponsors.

No sooner had the official Bahraini delegation to Geneva learnt of the proposed resolution than did they dispatch a team headed by the deputy foreign minister to Geneva. This time, however, the business was more serious and a resolution seemed certain. The faces of the international experts were grim as they studied the reports of more serious crimes of torture. Nooh Khalil Al Nooh, the 22-years old young man had just been slaughtered by the Al Khalifa’s torturers and images of his tortured body were already circulating in the corridors of the Geneva UN Palace.

Ghazi Al Quosibi, the deputy foreign minister of Bahrain, had to face up to the new charges against the Al Khalifa, but found himself unable to defend the bad record of his Government. Ultimately he told his bosses that the only way to avert a public humiliation for the Al Khalifa was to make substantial steps to appease the human rights experts. His proposals were immediately sanctioned by the prime minister. The Al Khalifa ambassador (Ahmad Al-Haddad) at Geneva had to read the statement of surrender to the experts, thus saving the skin of his bosses.

The surrender note read by Al-Haddad on 19 August stated: “I am pleased to draw this Sub-Commission’s attention to the following recent development: (1) Having recently acceded to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Government is actually studying the withdrawal of Bahrain’s reservation regarding Article 20 of that Convention within one year, and, (2) The Government has also agreed to extend an invitation to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for a preparatory visit to Bahrain – the date of which will be fixed in consultation with the Chairman of the Working Group”.

The surrender note went on to say “In the light of these developments, which clearly probe the willingness of the government of Bahrain to engage in and pursue constructive dialogue with the UN’s human rights mechanisms, I hope that this Sub-Commission will lend its support to my Government and the draft resolution concerning Bahrain be withdrawn. I would also like to thank the co-sponsors of the draft resolution, and all members, for the useful exchange of views that has resulted and the positive dialogue achieved”.

As a result of this surrender, the UN experts agreed to withdraw the draft resolution and to investigate the intentions and seriousness of the government’s officials. A day later, the UN experts read what the government’s press in Bahrain claimed to be a “victory for the government in the UN”. The co-sponsors took note of all these manoeuvres and false claims and will use these propagandist articles against the officials of the government.

The UN experts have clearly demonstrated the ability to bring the Al Khalifa to an international public tribunal, and succeeded in extracting concessions that would otherwise be impossible to get.

Having made substantial gains in the field of human rights with the admittance of the ICRC, the ratification of the Convention Against Torture, withdrawing by the Government of its reservations on Article 20 of the convention and pledging to allow a visit by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the people in Bahrain are now focusing their attention on the next step. This would be to force the Al Khalifa to sign the two important conventions on political and civil rights and economic and social rights. The political forces have embraced themselves to an uphill struggle but are confident they will reach the summit one day. The international reputation of the Al Khalifa is being eroded with time, and their authority within the country is being conducted through the use of ruthless tactics, a means that has backfired many times. Torturing people to death is certainly not the best way to deal with opponents, and certainly it is not the safest.

The horrifying pictures of the tortured body of Mr. Nooh Al Nooh, were more effective as a tool in the campaign to convince the international concerned bodies of the need to take steps against the mentality of torture and inhumane treatment of people.

This development is certainly a matter of grave concern to the other rulers of the Gulf states. Defending the rulers of Bahrain is not the best method to achieve stability in the region. If the Al Khalifa continued their campaign of terror and intimidation, the international community will gradually find itself embroiled in the situation with terrible consequences to the ruling tribe. This eventuality may have a knock-on effect on other regimes in the region. Questions will be asked about other rulers who support state-terrorism of the Al Khalifa. Files of human rights abuses, lack of democratic practices, totalitarianism, and absence of civil society norms, may all be subjected to international scrutiny. The Bahraini opposition has no design to take up these issues except in the context of the crisis in Bahrain but the longer this crisis continues the more likely that they will be taken up by other players in the field.

The Al Khalifa have proved themselves prone to international pressure despite their attempts to show a “brave” face, by claiming false victories. As the struggle continues, more pressures are likely to be exerted on the Al Khalifa regime, and the longer the crises remains unsolved the more dramatic any solution will become.

The opposition has not challenged the existence of the ruling Al Khalifa tribe but the nature of the ongoing dispute between the people of Bahrain and the ruling tribe may lead to a wider international role in the region. However strong may the ties between the Al Khalifa and their backers, there will come a time when the voice of the society will echo in the various corners of the world. The world will gradually come to understand that one of most important sources of instability in the regional politics is the existence of totalitarian regimes which live outside the sphere and spirit of modern times.

Bahrain Freedom Movement

1 September 1998

Fax: (44) 171 278 9089