Bahrain: Special Forces Shoot and Wound Protestors with Shotgun Bullets
26 March 2009
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights express their deep concern regarding the use of shotguns by the Special Forces, that is a subordinate of the National Security Service, against the demonstrators in the escalating protests in Bahrain.
Bahrain: Special Forces Shoot and Wound Protestors with Shotgun Bullets
26 March 2009
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights express their deep concern regarding the use of shotguns by the Special Forces, that is a subordinate of the National Security Service, against the demonstrators in the escalating protests in Bahrain.
Based on the information supported by photographs, the Special Forces used this gun Friday 13 March 2009 to disperse the participants in the peaceful gathering in Sitra area, who were demanding the retrieval of their lands that have been taken up by the government for military purposes. The same Forces reused the same gun on Sunday 15 March 2009 at a gathering of some of the families who were demanding the release of their detained children by the Duraz roundabout. The use of that gun led to the injury of several protestors.
The shotgun fires a bullet which explodes directly after being shot, and which releases tens of solid balls that spread over a wide area to hit the largest number possible of targets, and leads to the injury of more people among the demonstrators. These solid masses penetrate the human skin, stop at the bones, and do not penetrate them. It is difficult to pull out these masses from the body later; there are tens of Bahraini citizens who still suffer from the penetration and settling of these objects in their bodies, since the 90’s. It is also difficult to treat or remove these masses due to their small size, and there are many who died in the incidents of the 90’s also due to the use of this gun which has been prepared for different purposes. It is believed that the gun that is used is the shotgun (Baikal MP-153) and which is usually used for bird hunting or for small animals.
The Special Forces in Bahrain increased its excessive use of force in the last months, and which is believed to be used to terrorize the participants in the protests, in order to cause the most possible damage to the demonstrators. The Special Forces in Bahrain are made up of foreign mercenaries, who the Bahraini authorities bring from some of the Sunni Arabian tribes, from Syria Jordan, Yemen, Iraq or from Baluchistan tribes in Pakistanis . Usually, the victims that are targeted are from Shiite villages and who form the majority of the native inhabitants of the country.
Mohammed Al-Maskati – president of the BYSHR – commented on this and said, “the Bahraini authorities pursue of excessive violence, and the targeting of demonstrators and shooting them with shotguns, and depending on foreign mercenary forces to do so will not only not solve the human rights and political crisis, but it will rather complicate it further”. He added, “The authorities in Bahrain have to respect the international commitments and conventions which it had adhered to both legally and morally, especially that it is a member in the Human Rights Council.”
The BCHR and the BYSHR recommend the following:
1. To stop using firearms, of all kinds, and to stop using excessive violence against the demonstrators.
2. To stop bringing in and using non-Bahraini mercenaries, with a sectarian agenda, in the various security services.
3. To form an independent investigation committee, which inspects the issue of using excessive force and illegal use of foreigners and to bring those responsible to trial.
4. To start an actual dialogue with the powers of society to resolve the crisis the country is going through, and to stop resorting to security solutions.