March 2012
source: the internet
Bahrain... A small island state near the shores of the Persian Gulf ruled by Al Khalifa royal family, and where its people have been struggling for over a year in the dark with almost no media coverage for their uprising. All forms of oppression have been utilized to sabotage their revolution, however, the determination to fight for freedom continues.
It started on 14 February with protesters going out chanting their demands to reform the regime especially after it was revealed that the Prime Minister - who is the oldest prime minister in the world staying in office for more than 40 years- bought a huge financial port with one dinar only. The peaceful rally was met with violence that resulted in one martyr, and another martyr dying in the first’s funeral. Consequently, the Bahraini protesters went for a sit-in at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, Bahrain’s caiptal. King Hamad apologized on State television promising of an investigation for the incidents, however, within 72 hours the civilian demonstrators were attacked in the early morning by the security forces which resulted in several deaths and injured among medics and doctors as well.
As one Bahraini blogger recalls -refusing to be identified for security reasons-, those incidents were followed by the state of national security that has been implied across the country prohibiting protesting and any kind of gathering under the name of the law. “People did not give in though, especially that we had many fallen martyrs by the regime’s thugs” The blogger said.
She emphasized on how the regime used the media to impose that the uprising is an agenda to incite for a sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shias. By implementing this, the Peninsula Shield entered The Pearl Roundabout attacking defenseless people and making massacres in March. Several mosques for Shias were demolished while the authorities claimed they were illegally built. The blogger Ali, who also refused to be identified for security reasons, indicated that the Committee which was formed and headed by Judge Mohammed Bassiouni had its utmost goal to negate any of the accusations against the regime for all the committed crimes. "In the Commission's report it said that 30 mosques were destroyed, while oppositionstatistics says that there are several other religious places have been demolished in number that ranges between 290 to 300,” Ali confirmed.
As a result, Bahrain’s top opposition group al-Wefaq condemned the government saying that violations by security forces against protesters has dramatically increased over the past few months when more than 40 people died in a heavy crackdown by the government against protesters in the Gulf kingdom. An independent commission later concluded that "excessive force" was used according to an article on BikyaMasr. The violence has fuelled anger especially in Shia areas against the Sunni ruling family and political elite.
The report indicated that “violations have increased” according to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report on November: “20 protesters have lost their lives since the commission began its work” late last June, an Al-Wefaq statement said.
In the report it was announced that cases of despotic arrest have also increased as citizens are detained for 30 or 45 days without any charge, adding that “security members who run over people, steal or break the law are not held accountable.” The report added that five people had died from torture, making the number of deaths reach to 35 people since February last year.
The Bahraini blogger was fired from her job as a journalist because the authorities knew about her opposition views. “I am always exposed to be kidnapped and tortured or shot inside my home. Killing is a very normal routine to them and they always manage to justify it.”
On the other hand, the crackdown againts Bahraini human rights defendants have reached its top. As the prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja who was the former President and co-founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) is sentenced to life prison on charges that has to do with protesting, he went on a hunger strike that lasted for more than two weeks and still on going. “This case is not only about me. It's about all those wrongfully detained in Bahrain,” those are Alkhawaja’s words as tweeted by his daughter, the prominent blogger (Angry Arabia). “My hunger strike is part of my Human rights work and I'll continue strike till I reach my demands despite consequences. I'm aware freedom is costly and that we must sacrifice,” He said.
Alkhawaja’s daughter Zainab, known as Angry Arabia, has also been arrested before in December 2011 when she had been trying to reach the site of the now-demolished Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama. She was charged with being involved in an illegal gathering, but was soon released due to the media pressure. “When I got a pen in prison, I wrote "To participate in a struggle for freedom, to sacrifice for liberty, is an honor not a tragedy,” she tweeted. She expressed her worry about her father’s health that is deteriorating day by day and how it is unknown what the future holds for him, “but I do know this, my father is a freedom fighter,” Zainab said.
Most of the Bahraini people feels the agony since the world is not paying attention to their case. Masooma Kazim, AUC Political Science Sophomore refers to, what happens in Bahrain as part of the international politics. “No one knows about what is happening to our country from discrimination and torture. At first the people’s demands involved having an elected parliament, but now the Bahraini are demanding the fall of the regime,” Masooma said. She thinks that the oppositions’ demands do not meet what the Bahrainis are calling in the streets, but that the people will still be struggling. This is what the blogger Mahmoud Al Mishal agrees on, “What unites us is not a doctrine or the opposition. We’re united because of loving what is good for the homeland. Start raising your flag, and look for who would lift it with you sincerely.”
