The continued detention of eight Bahrainis in Saudi Arabia without charges
Fear to be victims of political conflicts and sectarian tension
Bahrain government is urged to do more to guarantee the rights and safety of its citizens
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights – May 26, 2008
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is highly concerned about eight Bahraini teachers who are still in detention for more than two months in solitary confinement in (Hayr Prison – Riyadh) which seems ad hoc to security issues, without any charges or the possibility to provide legal advice.
The continued detention of eight Bahrainis in Saudi Arabia without charges
Fear to be victims of political conflicts and sectarian tension
Bahrain government is urged to do more to guarantee the rights and safety of its citizens
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights – May 26, 2008
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is highly concerned about eight Bahraini teachers who are still in detention for more than two months in solitary confinement in (Hayr Prison – Riyadh) which seems ad hoc to security issues, without any charges or the possibility to provide legal advice.
The detainees are: Majid Abdalrasol Salman Al-Ghasra, Abbas Ahmed Ibrahim, Sayed Ahmed Alawi Abdullah, Issa A.Hasan Ahmed, Mohammed Hassan Ali Marhoon, Mohammad Abdullah Al-Moamen, Ebaraim Marzam and Mohamed Mahdi. The detainees and their relatives are in amounting concern since it is not clear what the nature of the case is and what is the fate of the detainees.
It is reported that the Eight Bahrainis were on a visit to Riyadh during their work holiday. Through their return to Bahrain they strayed the road entering a military area, where they were detained. For the first four days, they were considered as missing persons and their detention was not disclosed after intense efforts of their families in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The detainees were allowed to meet their parents only after 55 days of their detention. Detainees have told their parents that they have been subjected to severe psychological pressure during interrogation on details of their lives. Interrogators accessed their emails, and pressured every one of them to get information about himself and his others friends. The detainees were also interrogated on their affiliations and beliefs – as they belong to the Shiite denomination where as the ruling regime in Saudi Arabia, belong to the Wahhabi-Sunni doctrine hostile to Shi’a.
The press in Bahrain has widely sympathized with the detainees and members of Parliament urged Bahrain government to take action to release the eight citizens. The government issued a decision to work hardly for their release and Amnesty International issued an urgent action about the case, however, the fate of the case is still unknown.
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) fears that the eight detainees are victims of the political conflicts and sectarian tension in the region. The BCHR calls on those concerned to do what ever possible in order to secure:
• The immediate release of the eight detainees as long as there are no charges against them
• Guarantee the rights of detainees in accordance with international standards, including allowing visits and contact with them regularly by parents and lawyers, and ensuring their right to legal consultations and the presence of lawyers during interrogation
• A more serious and transparent action by the Government of Bahrain to guarantee the rights and safety of its citizens.
Attached: A detailed report on the Case and the measures taken by their Relatives from the date of their detention on 29 February 2008 until 30 April 2008.
A Detailed Report on the Case of the Eight Bahrainis Detained in Riyadh and the Measures Taken by their Relatives from the date of their detention on 29 February 2008 until 30 April 2008.
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Date and reason for leaving Bahrain:
The eight detainees left Bahrain in the morning of Friday 29 February 2008, heading to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through King Fahad Causeway using two cars, four in each vehicle. The aim is to visit tourist and ancient attractions in the Kingdom. The had a laptop, a paper tourist map of Saudi Arabia that had some of the attraction areas they had intended to visit. They also had a GPS to use with the map as they had no guide.
Communication with the eight people was cut from the first day and their families were not able to communicate with them on their mobile phones which were on but seemed to have been confiscated from them as none of them replied. On the following day, Saturday 1 March 2008, the family of one of the detainees received a phone call from their son in which he informed them he would return to Bahrain “tomorrow” Sunday, hanging up without giving any other information.
Causes of Detention:
The causes of detention as mentioned by the detainees themselves when visited by some of their family members were as follows:
The group set out to Saudi Arabia in a tour. They began to visit some tourist areas on their way to Riyadh. The group lost their way as they took a non-main road to Riyadh. Having walked for about one hour without knowing where they were, they found themselves in front of a military base, so they decided after some hesitation to go up to the guards and ask them to show them the way to save the time of looking for the way on their own, but they were surprised by a number of military soldiers rounding them up and putting them in an open area which looked like a stable for around 48 hours, then we were transferred to Al Hayer prison in Riyadh where they were kept in isolation each in a chamber not more than 2×3 meters in size.
Relatives are inquiring at the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
On Sunday 2 March 2008 a delegation of the relatives of the detainees went to Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Manama, Bahrain, to inquire about the reason behind the disappearance of their sons as it may be the case that the Embassy of Bahrain in Riyadh may have been in possession of any information in relation to the fate of their sons. Unfortunately, though, the Ministry disclaimed receiving any information about the disappearance of their sons, but promised to do its best diplomatic efforts through its Ambassador in Riyadh to find out and then inform the relatives about the latest news. The Ministry was presented with the names of the missing eight, their personal and phone numbers as well as details of their two cars.
The Governor of the Northern Governorate meets the relatives of the detainees:
On Tuesday 4 March 2008, a meeting was held in the Northern Governorate between representatives of the detainees and the Governor HE Jaffar Bin Rajab and two representatives from the Ministry of Interior, names Lt Abdul Rahman Al Rumaihi, Intelligence, and Khamis Abdul Rasool from the Interpol. However, the meeting did not yield any favorable result.
Relatives inquire about their sons through their friends in Saudi Arabia:
Relatives were then forced to inquire about their missing sons through the people they know in Saudi Arabia, particularly via His Eminence Shaikh Hassan Al Saffar, the known Shiite Clergy in Saudi Arabia, who promised to promptly make a move to reassure them about their sons. In forty-eight hours, the relatives received a phone call from Shaikh Hassan Al Saffar telling them that the eight lost people are detained by the Saudi Authorities due to their entering a sensitive area. Subsequent to this bit of news the Ministry of Exterior in Bahrain made a break out of its silence through a few words to confirm the news without giving any details.
Representatives of the relatives meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
The relatives of the eight detainees forwarded a request to the Ministry of Exterior in Bahrain asking for a meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Nazar Al Baharna which was set to be on Monday 10 March 2008. The result of the meeting was what had already been mentioned in the media by the Ministry that the eight were being detained by the Saudi Security Authorities in Riyadh without specifying their place of detention or the reason behind detaining them. It became clear that the information in possession of the relatives was more than that provided by the Minister. Three of the relatives’ representatives also held another meeting with the same Minister on 18 March 2008 without yielding any new progress except the repetition of promises to make practical moves towards freeing the detainees and that they would come back to their families in Bahrain.
Several Meetings and Repeated Pleadings
The families of the eight detainees formed a committee to follow up their sons’ case and find out about their fate. The committee comprised eight persons, one to represent each family, and the committee started to hold meetings accordingly. For days after the detention of the eight people, the relatives received information that their sons were detained by the Saudi Authorities at Al Milz Prison after entering a prohibited area. However, the Bahrain Ministry of Exterior denied having any official information about the matter. Soon after, the Ministry released a very short statement through the official newspapers confirming the news. At this point the relatives began their appeals to the Bahraini political leadership at the top levels and via the newspapers as well as through written appeals signed by the representatives of the relatives of the detainees. Written and verbal appeals were sent to many characters of whom are:
• His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa the King of Bahrain via Shaikh Nasser Al Osfoor, the Judge of the High Jafaria Court.
• HH the Prime Minister through a verbal appeal forwarded by Shaikh Sadeq Al Marzooq (Al Jamri) who called for an urgent meeting for the relatives one day prior to meeting HH the Prime Minister, but the meeting was put off because of the sudden travelling of HH the Prime Minster, after which no other meeting was arranged for even after the return of the Prime Minister.
• HE the Minister of Interior Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, but the relatives failed to obtain a permission to meet them.
Moving from the inside of Saudi Arabia:
As all doors were closed in Bahrain, relatives started to move towards the inside of Saudi Arabia, appealing for the top leadership of the Saudi Kingdom starting from the Custodian of the Two Holey Mosques King Abdulla Bin A. Aziz, Crown Prince HH Amir Sultan Bin A. Aziz, Minister of Interior HH Amir Naif Bin A. Aziz, HH Amir Salman Bin A. Aziz the Amir of Riyadh.
A meeting was also organized between Mohammed Al Ghasrah the brother of the detanee Majeed Al Ghasrah and the President of the Human Rights Society in Saudi Arabia Dr. Turky Al Sidairy in his majlis in Riyadh on Saturday 20 March 2008, where written letters were submitted to Dr Al Sidairy to the aforementioned Saudi Leaders, but he advised they would be of no effect and that he is informed of the issue of the eight detainees. He thought their issue is simple and not complicated and advised that it would soon be resolved. Dr Al Sidairi promised to follow up the matter personally and inform the relatives of all new developments. The following day, Al Ghasrah talked to the Embassy of Bahrain in Riyadh to enquire about the matter but nothing new emerged. On Monday 31 March 2008, Al Ghasrah visited the Bahrain Embassy in Riyadh and from their he phoned the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nazar Al Baharnah, to complain about the very slow process towards a solution for the issue, After which al Ghasrah received confirmation about the place of detention where the eight detainees were kept, so he promptly requested from the Embassy to work on quickly arranging a visit to his brother. He was lucky enough to obtain a visit permit scheduled to be on Wednesday 2 April 2008 at one o’clock in the afternoon, where he met his brother for about one hour.
Before the event of Al Ghasrah visit to Dr Al Sidairi and his visit to Bahrain Embassy, there had been another attempt by another representative, Mohammed Mirzim Al Haddad the brother of the detainee Ebrahim Mirzim Al Haddad, ln Sunday 23 March 2008. Al Haddad visited the Bahrain Embassy in Riyadh and reminded them of their responsibility to officially reply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but none of this happened. Al Haddad also informed the Embassy officials that Shaikh Hassan Al Saffar, the well-know Shiite Clergy in Saudi Arabia informed the relatives that their sons were detained in Riyadh. In its response to such information, the Embassy promised the relatives to restart work on the matter again.
Parliamentary groups join the efforts:
Relatives avoided involving any political entities in the issue so that it is not utilized by some parties who might politicize it, which might lead to worsening it rather than solving it, leaving negative effects on the detainees. However, relatives, after all hopes were blocked, saw that the Parliament must play its role in this issue. The Al Wifaq Society were the first to be put in the picture. Al Wifaq was successful in generating a consent among most parliamentary blocs to produce a resolution with desire that obliges the Government to provide the Parliament with a detailed report on the progress of all efforts exerted to release the detainees and return them to their families.
Visiting the Eight Detainees in Al Hair Prison in Riyadh
Finally…after a long period of patient waiting the relatives received a phone call from the First Secretary in the Bahrain Embassy in Riyadh, Mr. Moosa Al Neaimi informing them that the Saudi Ministry of Interior has agreed to allow four of each of the detainees’ families to visit their sons, i.e. allowing a total number of thirty two people to carry out the visit.
The families left Bahrain on Wednesday 23 April 2008 on a bus provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Riyadh Palace Hotel in Riyadh where they were met by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain Mr. Mohammad Saleh Al Shaikh who held a twenty-minute meeting with the families briefing them on the nature of their work toward the issue of their eight sons, with a speech full of reassuring and sympathetic expressions. However, the families could not hide their disappointment from the unenthusiastic handling of the issue by the Embassy and generally by the Government. After that the group handed two letters of pleading to the HE the Ambassador, one to HH Salman Bin Fahad, the Amir of Riyadh, and the other to HH Amir Naif Bin Abdul Aziz the Minister of Interior in Saudi Arabia. HE the Ambassador promised to deliver the two letters after knowing their content. The relatives also asked the Ambassador to take the opportunity of the existence of HH the Prime Minister in Riyadh to talk to Him and present Him with the issue and the Ambassador promised them to do so as well. After that the families started to set out to the prison to visit their sons, but only two families at a time taking around 100 minutes for each visit. To that the visit to the last two detainees was over around eleven o’clock before mid-night.
The eight detainees informed their families that they had been kept in isolated chambers of 2×3 meters. They did not know about the visit. It was clear they were not subjected to body torture, but their psychological state was not favorable. They looked exhausted and psychologically worn out. Their bodies looked emaciated and lean. Their weight is clearly at loss compared to their weights before they left Bahrain. Besides, their faces looked very pale and yellowish due to the pressure they had been put under in their isolation and squeezed detention. One of the detainees experienced a state of hysteria and hit his head repeatedly against the wall of his chamber in more than one incident and was taken to hospital where the physician stated he did not have any psychological problems according to the detainee’s responses to the doctors questions which were started with the following question, “Are you Shiite?”. Therefore the detainee was taken back to his chamber.
Let alone the psychological torture they are subjected to during the investigation session as they are taken out of the chambers blind-folded and cuffed then subjected to a load of questions by more than one investigator. The questions covered even the smallest details of their families trying to put pressure on them to confess doing things they have nothing to do with. They were regularly promised they would be released, but soon again be put under more pressure by other investigators asking them the same questions to tell them nothing is recorded against them and so on. That had its effect on their faces and physical stat. They were especially surprised by questions relating to the smallest details. One of them was reminded by the investigator that he had traveled to Iran in 1997. He even specified the period he stayed in Iran in a very accurate manner which encouraged the detainees not to say anything which is not true at all during the investigation and that is what happened all the way through. They had confidence in themselves and had no motive to say anything but the truth. This confidence kept their responses to the investigator tact without any fear. They were not worried about question relating to their religion and where they send their Khums or which strikes they joined in Manama. Their responses were true and clear. The most worrying thing was the attempts by the investigators to illicit information and get confessions that the detainees had any kind of association with regional powers such as Iran or foreign organizations such as Hizbulla. All this investigation and handling of the matter did not show a hope of releasing them soon which put more pressure on them leaving them in disappointment and disparateness, forcing them to inform their families that they would carry out a hunger-strike until they were released and their suffering is ended.
Furthermore, one of the detainees said that the Government of Bahrain shall be held responsible for his health if he carries out a hunger strike.
The detainees mentioned to their visitors that they had been very disappointed at the slow method of handling the issue by their government. As soon as the next morning emerged the families returned to Bahrain after loosing their positive hope. They returned to Bahrain on Thursday 24 April 2008 without a feeling that releasing their sons would be soon.
The Statement Released by the Families on the Visit
On their return to Bahrain, the families issued the following press release published in the newspapers on Sunday 27 April 2008:
Thanks to Allah whose trusts are never lost, and thanks to Him in sorrow and in joy. Now that Allah graced us with a visit to our beloved ones, we find ourselves obliged to publish the truth to the public as well as officials, in Bahrain and to the outside world showing and clarifying the following points to avoid confusion and unfavorable talks:
First:
After the failure of the families to obtain a permission to meet HM the King of Bahrain, and after their failure to obtain a similar permission to meet HH the Prime Minister, the effort of the Bahrain Embassy in Riyadh was able to obtain a permission to visit their detained sons in Riyadh on Wednesday 23 April 2008. The Ministry of Foreign affairs provided a bus to transfer the relatives to and from Riyadh and provided their meals which was appreciated by all the relatives.
Second:
The Embassy of Bahrain in Riyadh gave the choice to the families to either travel on Tuesday 22 April 2008 and the stay overnight in Riyadh at the expense of the Embassy or travel on Wednesday to meet the time of visit at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. The families chose the second choice to leave Bahrain very early morning on the day of the visit without staying overnight.
Third:
The bus arrived in Riyad around the noon of Wednesday 23 April 2008. The First Secretary, Mr. Moosa Al Neaimi, of the Embassy of Bahrain guided the bus to Al Riyadh Palace Hotel where the families stayed. When the relatives arrived in the hotel they were surprised by being told they would not be able to go altogether and only two families at a time and the families are staying in the hotel at the expense of the Saudi Ministry of Interior who will also provide two small buses to transfer the families from and to the hotel.
Fourth:
Before commencing the visits to Al Hair Prison, the families were asked to go to the eighth floor to meet HE Mohammed Saleh Al Shaikh who was waiting for them in one of the meeting rooms in the eighth floor. He met them with excellent hospitality and respect and explained to them the nature of their actions toward their eight sons, with lots of assurance and sympathy to the families who seized this un recurring opportunity of meeting the Ambassador, especially that he would leave the hotel to meet HH the Prime Minister who is on a visit to Riyadh, to express their disappointment of the way the Government and the Embassy treated their issue. Having talked to the HE the Ambassador, the families handed him two letters, one to be submitted to HH Amir Salman Bin Abdul Aziz the Amir of Riyadh and the second to be submitted to HH Amir Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior to deliver them at his responsibility. HE showed his readiness to help and fulfill the request of the families. The families also asked the Ambassador to put the matter before HH the Prime Minister to be informed of the issue and he promised to do so during that twenty-minute meeting before leaving them to the airport to meet HH the Prime Minister. The First Secretary stayed with them to complete the process of the visits to the detainees.
Fifth:
The first family visit to the prison commenced with two families only as planned by the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia at one in the afternoon. And as each visit lasts for about ninety to a hundred minutes, the last families to visit their sons finished their visits around midnight. The trip to the prison took about half an hour and when the bus arrived they asked one of the families to enter a newly built facility at a time. When they became inside the other family was asked to go in but in a different room. They were nicely met by the members of the police in the building. They were checked and their belongings were kept at the entrance. Then they were allowed in. When they went in the families are surprised to see their son enter the room un cuffed and unblind-folded. His surprise was even more as he did not expect the visit. The rooms became in a mourning-like with everyone crying or weeping. And so is the case to all the visits.
Sixth:
It was clear they were not subjected to body torture, but their psychological state was not favorable. They looked exhausted and psychologically worn out. Their bodies looked emaciated and lean. Their weight is clearly at loss compared to their weights before they left Bahrain. Besides, their faces looked very pale and yellowish due to the pressure they had been put under in their isolation and squeezed detention.
Seventh:
One of the detainees experienced a state of hysteria and hit his head repeatedly against the wall of his chamber in more than one incident and was taken to hospital where the physician stated he did not have any psychological problems according to the detainee’s responses to the doctors questions which were started with the following question, “Are you Shiite?”. Therefore the detainee was taken back to his chamber. Let alone the psychological torture they are subjected to during the investigation session as they are taken out of the chambers blind-folded and cuffed then subjected to a load of questions by more than one investigator. The questions covered even the smallest details of their families trying to put pressure on them to confess doing things they have nothing to do with. They were regularly promised they would be released, but soon again be put under more pressure by other investigators asking them the same questions to tell them nothing is recorded against them and so on. That had its effect on their faces and physical stat. They were especially surprised by questions relating to the smallest details. What surprised the eight detainees was the very accurate information that is related to their personal life that one of them said that the investigator told him about his visit to Iran some years before and the exact period during which he stayed in Iran.
Eighth:
Among the questions asked were questions in relation to the religious leaders and who they pay their Khums as well as questions about their participation in activities such as strikes and sit-ins in the streets of Bahrain. The responses of the detainees were very clear and honest without any ambiguity or hesitation. What worried the detainees was the concentrated questions by which investigators tried to illicit confessions from the detainees that imply their belonging to regional countries such as Iran or organization such as Hizbullah. All this investigation and handling of the matter did not show a hope of releasing them soon which put more pressure on them leaving them in disappointment and disparateness, forcing them to inform their families that they would carry out a hunger-strike until they were released and their suffering is ended.
Furthermore, one of the detainees said that the Government of Bahrain shall be held responsible for his health if he carries out a hunger strike.
Nineth:
Each visit continues for about 90 to 100 minutes and then the family is ordered to end the visit, only to restart crying and weeping again with sadness over the faces of everybody, even more than the beginning of the visit. The visits ended with the detainees wondering more than ever before at the attitude and stand of the Bahrain Government in handling this case. The detainees were asking if they were not good citizens, or if they have ever done anything wrong to their country to which they gave all their loyalty and effort. “Don’t we have rights like the other citizens that oblige our country to endeavor to release us?” “Why are they treating the matter so coldly?” “Has our home country forgotten us so easily although we have thought of it without a stop?” All such wonders were uttered by the detainees in front of their families requesting from them to deliver their voice of suffering and complaint to the top people of the Country and at the highest levels.
Tenth:
The families left Riyadh in the early morning of Thursday 24 April 2008 without even having breakfast. Their hearts were broken and their hopes and dreams vanished as they were driven back to Bahrain without a foreseen hope. In the bus back, everyone was even more sad than they had been when they were on the trip to Riyadh. They were crying and weeping all the way to Bahrain. It was easy to read on the gloomy faces the sadness, surprise and astonishment that was left on them by the worry and fear of the unexpected future of their sons.
Following the aforementioned details, we, the relatives of the detainees join our sons whose voices rise from their chambers demanding from our Government to bear its responsibilities toward our sons. We also hold our Government, the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, responsible for what might the conditions of our sons be if they decide to go on a hunger-strike, or the possibility of fabricating any accusations to them as we know up till now that no charge has been claimed against them since February 29, 2008. All that happened was that they lost their way and found themselves in front of military base in which there is nothing wrong. They thought asking the way from a friendly military person would certainly lead them to the right path, and with all the innocence they had they approached the man asking for help. Instead of the courtesy they expected they were treated otherwise. We demand our Government to seriously follow up the matter and endeavor to release them and bring them home to rejoin their Country’s moving construction lead by HM the King of Bahrain, King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, May the Almighty Allah Bless Him.
The Families of the Eight Detainees in Riyadh
Relatives of the Eight Detainees Meet the Bahraini Human Rights Activist, Mr. Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja:
Having faced closed doors, the relatives of the detainees decided to resort to the Bahrain Human Rights Center to promote the case of their sons internationally. They coordinated with the President of the Center Mr. Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja in a meeting with him on Saturday 26 April 2008. Abdul Hadi requested from the relatives to provide him with a detailed report on all their moves and the progress of their moves since their sons had been detained until the date of the meeting him. A bilingual Arabic/English report was prepared and is ready for delivery.
Relative Meet the President of Al Wifaq bloc Shaikh Ali Salman:
A meeting was held on Monday 28 April 2008 in the headquarters of Al Wifaq bloc between the relatives of the eight detainees and the President of Al Wifaq bloc in the presence of the Member of Parliament, Mr. Jalal Fairooz, and Mr Mirza Al Qatary the Head of Follow up and Surveillance Committee. The relatives informed the President of the bloc of the development of the case, especially the recent visit to the detainees in Riyadh. Shaikh Ali Salman expressed his blocs’ readiness to move at all possible levels and respond to the relatives’ demands, promising to forward the case to HM King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in the meeting scheduled between them.
It is worth mentioning that this is the second meeting with Al Wifaq bloc, after the first meeting with MP Jalal Fairooz and Mr Mirza Al Qatary.
A Telegraph to the Custodian of the Two Holey Mosques:
The most recent actions taken by the relatives before writing this report is sending a telegraph to the Custodian of the Two Holey Mosques King Abudlla Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud the King of Saudi Arabia. The telegraph was sent in the morning of Wednesday 30 April 2008, 08:30 a.m. using fax number (17261152) of BAtelco.
That was a detailed report on all the movement and actions carried out by the relatives of the detainees since they were detained on Friday 29 February 2008 until Wednesday 30 April 2008.
Representatives of the Families of the Eight Detainees.
For them:
Mohammad Al Ghasrah
0097339416961
Ghalib Al Oraibi
0097339678631