InfopalSaudis condemned for harsh sentences, Bahrainis call for end of occupation
On 15TH August Amnesty International criticised Saudi Arabia for handing down a harsh verdict to a leading Shia cleric. It said that the harsh sentence of Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amr shows the disturbing pattern of harassment against the Shia community in Saudi Arabia. A court in the Saudi kingdom has given the Shia cleric an eight-year jail term and a ten-year travel ban. He has also been barred from delivering religious sermons. “Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amr is the latest Shia cleric to pay a very high price for refusing to be silenced,” said Said Boumedouha, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa. The cleric has been charged with criticizing the country’s ruling system and calling for political reform.
In a bizarre and sad episode regime’s forces pursued peaceful protesters with their four wheel vehicles, running over one of them. As he joined a protest to mark the Independence Day on Friday 15th August, Mohammad Ashoor from Al Ma’amir Town was hit by police vehicle and was seriously injured. He was taken to hospital but was later detained and transferred to torture dungeons. Almost all Independence Day protests were attacked by regime’s forces using shotguns and chemical and tear gases. Some protesters ventured into Manama calling for an immediate end to Saudi occupation of the country.
In one of most disturbing acts of contempt of justice fourteen people were sentenced to life imprisonment on the false pretext of killing one of the mercenaries defending Alkhalifa tribe, and taking part in peaceful protests. Despite protestations from their lawyers who detailed the torture inflicted on the Bahrainis, the dictator’s henchmen at the court read out the sentence. Almost all of the accused had formidable alibi to exclude them from any part in the alleged crime. More over nine of these innocent native Bahrainis had their nationality revoked by the Alkhalifa occupiers of the country. The Bahraini natives who were punished by revocation of their nationality are: Hamed Jaffar, Ahmad, 30, Nidhal Ali Mohammad Isa, 34, Hussain Jassim Isa Al Banna, 23, Sayed Hashim Radhi Hassan Majed, 22, Mohammad Abbas Ibrahim Mahdi, 25, Ali Ahmad Al Usfoor, 23, Jalal Ali Mohammad Ali, 21, and Ali Hassan Adam Qaher, 23.
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights reported that 30 Bahrainis have been arrested in the past week. Only three of them were subsequently released. Yesterday a 16 years old Bahraini youth was sentenced to three years in jail for taking part in anti-regime demonstration. Ali Abdul Hadi from Arad was falsely accused in connection with protests at Al Jabiriya Secondary School earlier this year. Another youth, Taha Isma’il Ramadhan was given 45 days detention pending investigation for participating in a demonstration. A blind youth, Jaffar Ma’tooq had been sentenced to ten years for inciting against the regime. Another Bahraini youth, Ali Mohammad Ali was arrested at the Saudi-Bahraini causeway and taken to an unknown location. Sayed Yousuf Sayed Abbas Al Alawi was detained during a night raid at his home at Hamad Town. On 17th August Ali Abdullah Salman and Abdulla Hassan Yaseen were arrested after their car had been stopped by mercenaries. Sadiq Al Qatari, from Sanabis was detained at the airport and taken to the torture dungeons.
The situation inside Bahrain has remained tense with daily protests in most of the towns and villages. In the past few days there have been protests and demonstrations in Manama, Sitra, Ma’amir, Sanabis, Duraz, Jidhafs and other places. The regime’s security forces, made largely of foreign mercenaries, repeated their merciless attacks on these protests, using their chemical and tear gases, in addition to the shotguns. Many people were injured in the last week with shotgun pellets.
The latest weapon being deployed by the dictator and his clique is the adoption of ISIS, the terrorist group wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq. Several pro-regime rallies and congregations in mosque were dominated by the ISIS flags, while Twitter accounts belonging to pro-regime people also participated in this psychological warfare against Bahraini natives who are seeking political change. Serious doubts are raised about commitment by USA and UK to combat against this terrorist group. They have refrained from taking action against Alkhalifa regime which is embracing these groups and allowing some citizens, including members of the dictator’s parliament, to travel to Syria and pose with the terrorists brandishing guns.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
20th August 2014