Updates on Bahrain, release of prisoners without dropping of charges

8 August 2011

There are ongoing protests and attacks by riot police at the moment in a few villages around Bahrain. This is the 6th day of hunger strike for the military detainees as well as Head of Nursing society Roula AlSaffar and Deputy General of the Teachers society Jalila AlSalman. Families of the military detainees were promised that they will be released in the next two days. Jalila’s family say her health is doing poorly and there is great concern for the aforementioned detainees health and well-being.

8 August 2011

There are ongoing protests and attacks by riot police at the moment in a few villages around Bahrain. This is the 6th day of hunger strike for the military detainees as well as Head of Nursing society Roula AlSaffar and Deputy General of the Teachers society Jalila AlSalman. Families of the military detainees were promised that they will be released in the next two days. Jalila’s family say her health is doing poorly and there is great concern for the aforementioned detainees health and well-being.

Today a number of detainees were released (number is said to be around 147), amongst them resigned members of parliament Mattar Mattar and Jawad Fairouz. Amongst them also was human rights lawyer Mohammed AlTajer. Also amongst them was a 14 yer old boy (Ali Jafar Ahmed from Samaheej ).

In the cases we have documented, charges have not been dropped against those released.

This piece by Justin Gengler offers an overview of the released and Mr. Bassiouni’s involvement.

In a disturbing development, Bassiouni made statements to the press saying: “What I have found so far is the extraordinary willingness of the minister to listen to anything we bring to his attention and act on it, whether it’s suspension of police officers, arrest of police officers, or release of detainees,” he said. “It leads me to believe that on his part there was never a policy of excessive use of force or torture…that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. I think it was a case of people at the lower level acting, and there not being an effective chain of communication, control.”

These statements were met with widespread condemnation and loss of faith in the commission. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights will nonetheless continue to urge people to keep faith in the commission and to continue to provide them with cases of human rights violations and documentation.

There was a mass protest titled “March for self determination 6” in Bani Jamrah last Thursday. The protests were attacked by use of excessive force. Protesters kept regrouping and getting attacked, and protesters in several other areas started. Protests are still ongoing on almost a daily basis.

Picture of a boy after the security forces showered at least two villages with teargas: yfrog.com/h4grumej

Riot police throwing teargas at a woman as she gets out of her car to take her child out.

Waleed Zayman, 17 years old, Hussain Ghuloom Jawadi, 15 years old, Mahdi Kalzaman, 15 years old, Amir Ali Jeeran, 15 years old, Hussain Sajjad Moh’d, 13 years old, Ebrahim Esmail, 17 years old, Ali AlMajed (15) got 45 days imprisonment and his bro Hussain (13) got 7 days for illegal gathering. Arrested in Muharraq Picture of the boys

There is great concern as we have received news that the boys are being split up and put in cells with prisoners with criminal charges such as drugs.

AlJazeera English’s documentary on Bahrain that has received attention from both the people and the government.

AlJazeera’s piece on the channel started by Bahrain’s expats abroad and how it has been attacked by the Bahraini authorities:
english.aljazeera.net/vid..

Information on cases of detainees, as received:

1
Hashim almosawi is a 22 years old individual that was detained from marriot hotel parking in juffair at the 18th march 2011 , he was attacked haremfully at the parking and got blind eyed and taken to uknown destination with his younger brother . Hashim is a exceptional person ,he achieved second class on bahrain government high school 99.2 % and first class with owner Engineering bachelor holder from University of New castle , he’s the first bahraini to get choosed in the Thomas Addison scholarship programme in bahrain from General Electrical (USA) and was going to leave bahrain just few weeks after his his detention to study Masters in engineering of gas energy turbines . he was accommodated in the marriot hotel as part of an evacuation plan with other employees by GE itself . Hashim has no political relations and activities at all .

His younger brother was released same day and both was investigated and got treated in a very ruff way ,but authourities couldn’t get anything on him rather accusing him that hes a bachelor holder from UK and has a great salary . They saw his graduation project that he got talent merit patent certification for ,and accused him that its a terror plan . As hashim work on an american company ,he gets international calls from USA and Dubai on regular basis , but they still accused him of having an international relations with media.

-first 10 days in manama castle ,single jail ,blind eyes and tortured eventually
-signed on different papers after torture without seeing the content of them -second 10 days in dry dock ,single jail, blind eyes and tortured eventually
-after that he got into group jail , tortured on daily basis for 2 main reason they always repeat, your a UK bachelor holder and you have a great salary .

One of the Men responsible of managing Dry Dock jail (Name : Bader Ghaith ) was leading the torture on him and others eventually in different ways and methods.

Full name : Hashim Adel Al Musawi 22 years
old Movie on hashim : www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSCprEcA-W4
Facebook Page : freedom to sayed hashim almosawi

2
A protester was injured on Sunday 24 of July 2011 by riot police after they ambushed him following their crackdown on a march calling for the release of political detainees and the justified rights. After he fell riot police starting kicking him, beating him with their sticks on his face and head which lead to a wound in the back his head and bruises in the skull. They also insulted him.

Later, they forced to crawl on ground or they’d shoot him and leave him on ground. he crawled for 30 meters until one of the residents took him to his nearby house where the injured protester was in a very bad condition due to the ruthless beating . The house owner treated him with the aid of a nurse, but she couldn’t stitch the wound due to unavailability of proper tools/kit as well as swelling wound and shaking skull. Later he was taken to a professional where he was treated properly. The beating caused him bruises in the skull.

Videos for the injury:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1gFlgiNAIM
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3eTflpjcrY
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiifaSZbdxI
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M90xxK_ijg

Videos showing the screaming of the injured protester after riot police ambushed him, due to dark it wasn’t filmed directly
youtube.com/watch?v=giXYrFVXuZ8

3
Haitham Shubar Sharaf, married, father of two daughters. From Magabah

As sent by his wife:

“In the morning of 16th March my husband woke up to the 2nd Lulu attack news. He want out and we kept in contact. The road to Al Qadam roundabout was blocked by the army. At around 9 am we heard gun fire near Magabah. I kept calling him, I kept trying until his brother picked up and told me he got a slight injury in the foot. I believe him. But when I got to his father’s house & I was shocked to see he was hit in both legs & his hand. He lost his thumb!

I got out of the house heading to Budaya Medical Center where he was taken, but I wasn’t allowed to go there. Then a cousin called and he said they’re coming home. Later he came with torn clothes & bandaged feet & right hand. He was hit with live ammunition, 15 cm. He got hit trying to pick up someone from the ground. He came home & laid on the sofa. I offered him food but his hand was bleeding, we were tense and clueless. We called one of the nurses in the village hoping she could stop the bleeding. Before that his brother, a doctor in SMC, came. He took him to SMC to get treatment. We lost contact & we couldn’t go check on him because hospital was besieged. The hospital also had a shortage of food and no electricity. It was terrible moments.

The next day we wanted to visit, it was dangerous. After a hard time, checkpoints everywhere we got to the hospital. We saw his legs in a cast, legs & hands operated on. We wanted to take him out but everyone leaving got arrested. The next day he told me police came in, hit him & took pictures of him. His files were taken & he was forced to walk to the 6th floor despite not being able to. No one was allowed to visit. The next day they were taken. Taken to an unknown place, later we found out it was BDF hospital. We didn’t know for 5 days, if he’s alive or dead. On 22nd March Budaiya Police called us to bring clothes for him. We knew nothing & weren’t allowed to visit.

On 16th May he was taken to court, sentenced to 2 years. I met him & he told me he was tortured & beaten. He was taken from SMC in handcuffs despite a cast on his hand & a chopped finger! We appealed the sentence, it was reduced to a year. He was transferred to Jaw prison, he’s still being beaten.

All that my husband went through is a terrible injustice. He is a peaceful citizen who only wanted freedom & rights.