HRF: Tortured Bahraini Women Show Why U.S. Arms Sale Must Stop
18 Oct 2011 – BCHR

In this special edition of FirstCast, we feature the voices of two brave women who have been detained the longest in Bahrain in connection to the crackdown of pro-democracy advocates. Roula al-Safar is a nurse, a humanitarian, and the head of the Bahrain Nursing Association who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jaleela al-Salman is a teacher and vice president of the Bahrain Teachers Association. She was sentenced to three years in prison and was awaiting an appeal under civilian court. LISTEN

BREAKING: Masked security forces in civilian clothing broke into Jaleela’s house at 3:00am today for the second time this year. They claimed to be executing a court order but carried no warrant of arrest. Neither her no her lawyer had received an official notice prior to her arrest. This special podcast carries Jaleela’s latest testimony of torture while in detention in Bahrain.

At the same time that the Bahraini government is violently cracking down on pro-democracy advocates, the U.S. Department of Defense is now preparing to sell $53 million worth of armored Humvees and missiles to the dictatorship in Bahrain. The testimonies of these two courageous women show why this arms sale must stop–a proposal that is at odds with United States foreign policy goals of promoting democracy, human rights, accountability, and stability in the Middle East. …source

Activists Continue to Take Stand in Bahrain Despite Hostile Crackdown
Posted: 10/20/11 – By Brian Dooley Director, Human Rights Defenders program, Human Rights First – Huff Post

Standing up for human rights in Bahrain is difficult and dangerous. Dozens of medics who helped treat injured protestors Bahrain in February and March and who told international media what was happening are back in court in the coming days. Some have already had unfair trials in the military court and their appeal is set for Sunday, October 23. They were sentenced — 20 of them — to terms of between five and 15 years in prison. The trial of dozens of other medics starts the following day.

Although much of the media attention has been focused on the medics, hundreds of others have been abused in detention and given unfair trials. The Bahraini regime has detained around 1500 people since it cracked down on democracy protests in February, and I have met many people who give credible reports of having been mistreated or tortured in detention.

Not all the human rights violations are committed in courts, police stations or prison cells. Those who join the almost daily demonstrations for democracy continue to be shot at by security forces that target them with tear gas, sound bombs, rubber bullets and birds shot. Several protesters have been killed in recent weeks.

Others defy the obvious danger and continue to expose the truth about the violent crackdown in Bahrain. Bahrainis who stand up publicly to promote human rights risk harassment and arrest. Human rights defenders remain in constant jeopardy from the Bahraini dictatorship. Despite those threats, they continue to document human rights abuses and work for political freedom. Below are some of their stories:

* Even though Mohammed Al Maskati of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights has spent most of this year under the shadow of arrest, he continues to publish details of human rights abuses. He has provided the international media — few of whom are allowed access to the country — with details of court cases and sentences. He has been prominent in fighting for dismissed students to be reinstated and has defied harassment and threats to speak out week after week for many months about the violent government crackdown.

* Abdulla al-Durazi heads the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS). Last September, after the organization published allegations of torture of 23 activists, its board of directors was dissolved due to “irregularities.” This year, after the calls for reform in Bahrain, authorities accused Al-Durazi of taking part in protests and disseminating false information.

Al-Durazi has also paid a price professionally. Until this year, he taught English at the University of Bahrain. This past summer, he told Human Rights First that he and 18 other academics were suspended in April and ultimately dismissed in August. The University ignored all the normal disciplinary procedures as it carried out their dismissal. The school subsequently turned in al-Durazi and his colleagues to the public prosecutor, who then accused them of taking part in peaceful protests. In addition to al-Durazi and his colleagues, the university has dismissed hundreds of students in recent months. Across the country, an estimated 2,700 people have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs during the crackdown. …more