infopalPilgrims killed due to Saudi negligence, Alkhalifa must not be armed by US
The Saudi authorities have confirmed the execution verdict passed on a young boy from AlAwwamiyah in the Eastern Province. Ali AlNimr, a relative of Sheikh NImr AlNImr, had been sentenced to death for allegedly targeting policemen and participating in anti-regime protests.. The Saudis have been carrying executing people at an alarming rate without due process of law. In the first six months of this year the number of those executed reached 200. International human rights bodies have expressed outrage at the increasing rate of executions which amount to “extra-judicial killing”. People were also angered by the lack of care by the Saudi authorities after a crane crashed at the Holy Sanctuary housing the Ka’ba on Friday 11th September. More than 110 pilgrims were killed in this incident. The annual pilgrimage has been plagued by deadly accidents causing hundreds of deaths.
Meanwhile Saudi and Alkhalifa dictators have been angered by the victory of Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership elections of the Labour Party. The results has been welcomed by millions of people with free thinking and humane approach to politics, both in UK and outside. It has shaken the British establishment to its core and is likely to force some elements to plot against Labour Party winning the next general elections. Native Bahrainis had prayed deep from their hearts for Mr Corbyn’s victory as he had always stood with them against Alkhalifa dictatorship. In an article published on Sunday 13th September, the day after his victory, Jeremy Corbyn wrote in The Guardian: “Isis is utterly abhorrent and President Assad’s regime has committed appalling crimes. But we must also oppose Saudi bombs falling on Yemen and the Bahraini dictatorship murdering its democracy movement, armed by us.
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has documented at least 20 arrests in the week 6-13th September. Among them were one woman and one child. On 14th September a native Bahraini musician was arrested. Yasser Khalifa was snatched from his home in Sitra by masked members of the regime’s death squads. He had previously been to various kinds of harassment while working with Bahrain Aluminium (ALBA). From Tubli a young man was detained while trying to cross the Bahrain-Saudi causeway. Mahmood Hammad was detained on his way to perform pilgrimage (Hajj). His home was also raided and his nephew, Ahmad was also arrested. From Duraz, masked members of Death Squads in civilian clothes kidnapped Raja’ei Baddao and took him to the notorious torture houses.
Bahrain’s dictatorship has adjourned at least 20 trials of native Bahrainis who had participated in anti-regime peaceful protests. Yesterday, Sheikh Ali Salman was brought to the Alkhalifa court, handcuffed, for an appeal his lawyers had lodged earlier. Fearing backlash at the ongoing Human Rights Council’s session in Geneva, the case was adjourned until 14th October. So was the case of Majeed Milad, a prominent figure form AlWefaq who is behind bars for tweeting anti-regime remarks. On 13th September Zainab Al Khawaja’s trial was also adjourned until October. She is charged with four offences relating to freedom of expression including tearing the picture of the dictator, Hamad AlKhalifa. The regime is now revenging from his innocent opponents by jailing them for months under the pretext of trial adjournment.
On 8th September The Washington Post published an article titled “Five human rights abusers backed by the U.S. whom you never heard of”. It said: “Here are five of the most egregious U.S.-backed violators operating today that Americans have never heard of”. It mentioned Islam Karimov; president of Uzbekistan, Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa; ruler of Bahrain, Emomali Rahmon; president of Tajikistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov; president of Turkmenistan and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; president of Equatorial Guinea. On Bahrain’s dictator the article said: “He had cracked down heavily on largely Shiite protesters during 2011 Arab Spring revolutions with the help of soldiers from neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More than 30 were killed, mostly at the hands of Bahraini security forces, and hundreds more were wounded, according to human rights groups. Hundreds more were arrested and scores faced trials before a military court.”
In Washington, calls have been made to halt arms sales to Alkhalifa dictators. Two senators: Ron Wyden representing Oregon and Jim McGovern representing Massachusetts’ 2nd Congressional District have tabled new bill calling for a stop on arms exports to Bahrain. In an article they said: “We are deeply disappointed by the U.S. State Department’s recent decision to resume arms sales to Bahrain. U.S. arms sales should never aid and abet the repression of peaceful protesters, and we are introducing legislation to roll back this misguided decision.”
Bahrain Freedom Movement
16th September 2015