Bahrain Updates #8 [Tuesday, April 5, 2011]: The aftermath of the government’s crackdown
From: Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. <ccavell@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 10:15 PM
Subject: Bahrain: the aftermath of the government's crackdown
To: "Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. @ GMail" <ccavell@gmail.com>
(206) 734-8187
Date: Mon, Apr 4, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Subject: Bahrain over the past couple of weeks
To: ccavell@gmail.com
The demolition of Lulu has been the fastest project in Bahrain's history. You've lived in Bahrain, you know how long construction work takes here, Lulu was demolished and replaced with traffic lights within the week! Who knew a monument can be such a pain in the ass huh? http://bb.ta7a.com/upfiles/ta7a-tmG71478.jpg
Hundreds are being sacked just because they are Shia or because they are accused of participating in the nation wide strike or simply going to Lulu. Until today, news of arrests and people losing jobs are continuing.
They suspended Alwasat newspaper for a day yesterday, as I'm sure you've heard by now; they removed the chief editor, his deputy and the local news editor. Today, they were allowed to publish again under a new chief editor, a softer one.
Many people receive threats and insults on a daily basis for having opinions. Even on twitter, people are being harassed. http://wlcentral.org/node/1597
Bahrain TV continues to wage the hate campaigns they've been excelling at over the past couple of months. Every night, they grill someone and humiliate themselves and others in the process. Last night it was Bapco; tonight it was sportsmen who have had their pictures taken at Lulu; they had to pledge allegiance to the king on tv through phone calls and apologize for their "wrong" actions and for being ungrateful to the king who allowed them to represent their country in sports teams and congratulated them personally when they've had achievements. How dare they be ungrateful to such kindness!! They are basically visualizing the witch hunt that is being waged on everyone who took a stand or participated in anything against the government.
I'd like to say that I don't know what's becoming of us and of the country, but the problem is I know exactly what. We've been through this discrimination before; we lived this before. The government will do whatever the hell they want; they'll kill, torture, prosecute, banish and punish all of us. Their supporters, the willfully ignorant and the self-proclaimed neutrals will watch in silence. The world will condemn and watch without further ado. The US and UK will keep their interests here intact, and anyone of us who has an opinion, an ambition for a better tomorrow or even a thought of a better situation, will be squashed like a fly under the noses of all the aforementioned crowds.
All of this is making me ill, emotionally, and, for the past week, physically as well. I just feel like I need to scream most of the time. The rest of the time I feel like I just want to breathe, just one breath, where the air is light and not so heavy and filled with pessimism as it feels now.
They've killed two more people since we spoke last. First, a 15-year-old boy; he was sitting near his house talking with friends when security forces attacked Sar. He and his friends thought they were safe, for they weren't in the front area of the village where riot police were attacking. Before they could give it much of a thought, riot police were at their area and they were attacked. He got hit in the head, was taken to American Missionary Hospital in Sar, but passed away soon after that. Second is a 39-year-old man who'd been detained since 28 March. The Ministry of Interior announced he died of Sickle Cell Anemia complications and that they'd given him treatment for it, but it didn't help. Of course, they said nothing about the torture marks all over his corpse. If he died of sickle cell anemia complications, as they claim, I would imagine it had to do with their infamous torture tactics of making people sleep on wet floors with the AC blasting on them, and you can imagine the effect of this on a sickle-cell anemia patient–that's of course on a merciful day.
I don't know how to feel or how to act or what to do. I can't bring myself to think, and this damn flu won't go away.
I don't regret going out. I don't regret speaking up, and I don't think my beliefs and demands were uncalled for. I don't think that if we settled for less, we would be in a better place today. I just lost my respect for a lot of people. I can't imagine how anyone can live with themselves while condoning in one way or another what's happening to people. It pisses me off more when they say we don't agree with the brutal use of violence, because I can see them thinking right after that: "but the protesters had no right to push for those demands, far-fetched dreams should not have been pursued." My sentiments are such, not because I won't accept criticism but, because that notion alludes to the belief that the protesters sort of "earned" this punishment or that it's in some way justified or that we can't really complain about the current actions of the government, because no one told the protesters to shoot for the stars! This just sickens me.
I'm just amazed by the courage and patience of Bahrainis. They don't seem to be ready to quit trying any time soon. Of course, there are many who are scared for their jobs and wishing nothing had happened to disturb their pretty little fake lives that they had before Feb. 14; however, there are many more who are hanging on and saying the government can do what it wants, but real life will not go forward unless our demands are met, and we will not back down until that day. That's when I feel bad for feeling sad; how can I feel sad when I'm surrounded by such courageous people? Even if they seemed like a dreamy unrealistic bunch, that is some spirit that they have, and I love and respect them for it. My sadness won't get in the way of my determination; my broken heart will not weaken my will or belittle my ambition. I love my people and I love my country, and I owe them that much to say the least.
You don't have to send this one out; I know you're busy. I'm more writing to talk to you, more than anything else, I just feel better when I tell you how I'm feeling.
Below is my usual collection of news and materials Mar. 24 – Apr. 4, 2011. This time it includes the following:
- Bahrain News Agency reports;
- UoB students punished for online political activity. Rumor has it around 400 are already marked to be expelled;
- Religion and politics in Bahrain, blog entries;
- 25 Mar., 2011 – Day of Rage in Bahrain- report;
- Pictures collection;
- Videos collection, including popular documentary Bahrain's Dark Secret;
- Articles and reports from my readings covering most situation highlights;
- Last, but not least, interviews with families of detainees on how their family members were arrested horrifically by police.
· Bahrain News Agency official reports
o King issues two royal decrees appointing two new ministers in place of ministers who resigned in protest of the use of violence against civilians:
Popular joke: Only in Bahrain — 3 health ministers in one month!
o 40 students lose scholarships based on their political opinions http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/450842
o BNA statement on CNN reporters being arrested
http://bit.ly/gV8M6g
Unlike what the statement mentions, the crew were arrested from Nabeel Rajab’s house; they were interviewing him on Human Rights violations in Bahrain.
· UoB students punished:
o Bahrain's state-run university says it'll punish students for uploading protest videos to the internet http://t.co/ynjUEAa
· A good blog about Bahrain:
· Religion and politics in Bahrain:
o Depicting division — 2009 research which explains the divide in opinion today regarding the survival of the monarchy in Bahrain
http://bahrainipolitics.blogspot.com/2011/03/depicting-division.html
o More terrorist plots
o http://bahrainipolitics.blogspot.com/2011/03/sound-familiar-more-terrorist-plots.html
o Winning the Battle, Losing the (Media) War: Al-Wasat Edition http://tinyurl.com/3ws8ywq
· SaudiArabia forces and Bahrain regime troops murder peaceful, unarmed protesters then loot and destroy their cars. http://bit.ly/giRhHQ
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gO7Hs7VSPYYvsXzfmxJTKeJFJr9Q?docId=CNG.35c2caa5efa0e183b7b38a2d0e2b7f40.271
· 25th Mar 2011 – Day of Rage in Bahrain
o Early morning in the village of Bani Jamrah http://twitpic.com/4dhxo9/full
City trucks came accompanied by riot police to the village of Bani Jamrah, destroyed the entrance to the village consisting of an Arch with Quranic verses on it, a fountain and the cemetery wall; then they went inside the cemetery and destroyed the grave of the late Shaikh Abdul Ameer AlJamri, the national symbol for opposition during the 90s uprising.
o Burial of martyr Hani Abdulaziz, beaten to death and kidnapped from a construction site. He was shot and beaten severly. People found a disturbing pool of blood and bits of bones and flesh where he was attacked. Death certificate http://twitpic.com/4d87mt
Pictures from his burial procession and pre-burial bath. Muslims bathe their dead in a special ceremony then burry them in white cloth. http://14feb.no-ip.org/showthread.php?t=264857
o Bori today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmOAiOP9e1E&feature=player_embedded
o Bani Jamra
Crowds chanting “Bahrain is free. Leave peninsula shield!” “People want the fall of the regime,” and “Down, down Hamad”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEo6glS7tI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSoRZ0SGgu8&feature=youtu.be
o Vandals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZG0pifPpQ
o Demonstrator being arrested today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyeR_T7H_JQ
o Pictures
§ from today http://goo.gl/Ml4Ec
§ Rubber coated projectiles in Dair during protests http://bit.ly/fWvpHU
§ Picture taken yesterday in Karzakan Bahrain showing the GCC Army using bullets to disperse the demonstrators http://bit.ly/gHjbhl
§ Casings of ammunition used to disperse protests in Malkiya http://bit.ly/ee7XBY
o Isa Mohammed, 71, passes away after suffocating from CS gas in his residence in Ma’ameer.
§ Bahraini dies from suffocation, police shoot teargas | Reuters http://t.co/IOOjXUr
o Global Voices blog report http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/03/25/bahrain-a-friday-of-rage-dispersed-with-tear-gas/
o Sandstorm phenomenon
The day ended with most people at home, because a very strong sandstorm came our way from Kuwait. Each side saw it as a sign from Allah, helping them in their fight.
Some of the youth from areas close to Lulu thought it was a chance to march back there. They lasted a few hours, but the wind got the best of them and they went back. The army didn’t clash with them when they marched; I guess they knew they wouldn’t be able to last in the storm.
· Pictures:
o 1. Wrecked cars from #Lulu seen removed in unmarked trucks http://bit.ly/gjP66a
2. Wrecked cars from #Lulu seen removed in unmarked trucks http://bit.ly/fgAyUP
o 26th Mar 2011
§ 100s of injured protesters unable to reach medical care, arrests and attacks, more crimes against humanity in #Bahrain http://bit.ly/hz022O
§ Burial procession of Isa Mohammed Ali http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=943442&id=201903626489070
o Wefaq releases report on death of Aziz Ayad from Hajar, a Shia person who works at Bahrain Defense Force, one of the few Shias who work there.
Bahraini authorities had announced the death of Aziz Juma Ayad (33 years old) in mysterious circumstances, for his family received a call late on Thursday night (early hours of 25 Mar., 2011) letting them know of his passing.
Wefaq Society statement said: “We received a call from the family of Aziz Ayad, who worked as a soldier in Bahrain Defense Force; they told us he’d left and hadn’t called for 10 days, and when they asked about him, they were told he wasn’t allowed to have his cell phone.” Wefaq said further “the family got a sudden call telling them their son is being hospitalized at the Military Hospital and that he’s in bad shape. Two hours later they were told he passed away of a heart attack!”
Aziz is fron AlHajar village, lived in roundabout 22 at Hamad Town, and had been working at the BDF for the last 10 years approximately. He was buried on Friday 25 Mar., 2011; the pictures show marks of electric shocks on his fingers.
o Lulu roundabout in school textbook. Government denies it was ever called that officially! http://twitpic.com/4fhkf2/full
o Without further ado ladies and gents.. #Chopperguy http://bit.ly/e36gNT
· Videos
o Most popular documentary these days in Bahrain: "Bahrain's Dark Secret" http://tinyurl.com/3qou87x
o Irish song about Pearl roundabout “the Square Roundabout”. Many news channels tended to call it "Pearl Square" for a good while before shifting to "roundabout" after people pointed it out to them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeXhAEfvnV4&feature=youtu.be
o Vandals:
§ Faces of Bahrain: video on the masked Ministry of Interior hired or employed agents instigating violence and chaos in Bahrain. Including University of Bahrain events.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZmyVKL9UJc&skipcontrinter=1
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDscBOgR9cc
You have lived in Bahrain; you know that Bahrainis spend 5 – 7 years paying car installments, and that’s how 80-90% of the people buy their cars. These people are just criminal to the core.
§ Burning a mosque, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6zFjRHeGdQ
They have also ripped apart lots of the religious banners in the villages they raided. A testimony to their directed attack towards Shia, or their attempts again to insist to fight only Shia and sanction Sunnis to keep them under the impression that they are on their side and to keep gaining their support by propagating this false sense of safety from a nonexistent “threat”.
o Tunisian protest for bahrain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HCyAWux2O8
o Footage of riot police dispersing a procession marking the end of the three day funeral of Hani A.Aziz http://bit.ly/eDpSwm
o Documentary: Battle for Bahrain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbDvAoaHWQA&feature=related
o Riot police beating three young guys before arresting them http://bit.ly/fo2dBd
· Articles & Reports:
o IFEX alert on Bahrain http://info.ifex.org/View.aspx?id=263143&q=296759979&qz=03193c
o Why the House of Saud should be nervous http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/23/high_anxiety
o Assault on Protesters, Migrant Workers Continues in Bahrain http://bit.ly/g2Zv0z
o Time: Has Bahrain Opposition Thrown In the Towel? http://t.co/Sc5DS5R or http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2061560,00.html
o Foreign Laborers Targeted Throughout Bahrain http://t.co/lhIsuUJ http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55002
o Sign this petition by Amnesty International to support people of Bahrain, nationals & migrant workers whose rights have been violated in light of our current situation
o John D McHigh on covering protests in Bahrain http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/photoblog/2011/03/john_d_mchugh_on_covering_protests_in_bahrain.html
o Central Bank withdraws all 500 fils coins from banks, because they have the Lulu symbol (i.e. the depiction of the Pearl Roundabout) on them [Arabic] http://www.alwasatnews.com/3123/news/read/534225/1.html
o Bahrain falls mainly on the Shia http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/bahrain-falls-mainly-shia_555538.html
o The West is Bad. Now Can We Move On? http://thinkingfits.blogspot.com/2011/03/west-is-bad-now-can-we-move-on.html
o WLCentral: 2011-03-29 Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif has been arrested http://wlcentral.org/node/1428
o The Violence in Bahrain was no "Accident" http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/29/violence-bahrain-was-no-accident
o Bahrain 'Stop Targeting Patients Injured in Protests' http://bit.ly/fjLxCq
o CPJ: Journalists detained in Bahrain http://bit.ly/e0bV4Y
o "Hillary Clinton agreed to the cross-border use of troops to crush democracy in the Gulf, as a quid pro quo for the Arab League calling for Western intervention in Libya" http://tinyurl.com/6a4jlzu
o Human Rights Watch Report: http://bit.ly/e3dt00
o Time article on @mahmood's arrest http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2062268,00.html
o A silent apartheid in Bahrain http://www.uiargonaut.com/sections/opinion/stories/2011/april/4111/a_silent_apartheid.html
o Bahrain takes the fight to specific businesses: The National http://bit.ly/hZZyFi
o Bahraini blogger Mahmoud al-Youssef, a fierce critic of the government, released after a day in custody http://aje.me/eo2VWr
o Bahrain regime targets poets, children and women as well http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/9636-press-release-bahrain-regime-targets-poets-children-and-women-as-well
o Pakistan: Protest against hiring of mercenaries for Bahrain http://tinyurl.com/3vyy8e2
o Exposed: The US-Saudi Libya deal http://tinyurl.com/3hsynos
o Bahrain sacks absent employees http://tinyurl.com/3tta4xh
o Bahrain 400 detainees/disappeard within days of the imposition of a state of "national safety", including 10 women http://bit.ly/gw4WNg
o Bahrain suspends opposition newspaper http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0403/Bahrain-suspends-opposition-newspaper
o Latest GCC move on their Iran story; they held an urgent GCC Foreign Ministers meeting, discussing Iran’s interference and joint strategy to face it. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/03/us-gulf-iran-idUSTRE7322AF20110403?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_%20com&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter
o Bahraini and Syrian authorities try to impose news blackout, kidnapping in Yemen – Reporters without Borders http://en.rsf.org/bahraini-and-syrian-authorities-04-04-2011,39946.html
Interviews with people touched by the recent events in Bahrain:
· Accounts taken by a friend and posted on twitter; each line is her tweets as tweeted by her on the website:
o Meeting with family of martyr Abdulrasool AlHujairi:
§ Started my day with meeting widow of martyr Abdulrasool Alhujairi and her 3 children
§ her youngest 6 yr old Ali only knows that his father is with Allah, and cries every night cuz he misses his father
§ his daughters, 8 & 11 saw their fathers body after he died n kissed him on his forehead to say goodbye
§ Martyrs widow: "I wudnt believe my husband died, I had to see him myself. I never said goodbye to him."
§ "I miss him so much, cudnt let go before I saw him. When I saw him I kissed his forehead & stroked his cheek, and I said goodbye"
§ "My husband was the sweetest person, so loving and so gentle. The gov shows us that they attack all. and no1 is safe."
§ Asked "wat do u think of plans 4 tomorrow? all the protests?" she answered "Its right, they must do this, how long will we stay silent?!"
§ Young Ali came in2 the matam with his melted icecream, & I cud imagine him playing with his father. The father he will never again see
§ @ 34 she's a widow with 3 young children n she says "My husband is so generous, even in his death he is generous. He gives life to the ppl"
§ It took all I had not 2 break down while talking 2 her, her strength was unbelievable.
o Meeting with the family of a detainee (her uncle):
§ Next I went 2 meet my uncles wife, I hadn't been able to meet her since my uncles arrest
§ Three days after my uncles arrest I found his wife still scared and still shaking.
§ She showed me bruises on her body, I was in shock, they look like the bruises on martyrs bodies. black n blue bruises on her arms and legs
§ after they arrested my uncle they put guns to her 11 yr old twin boys heads, n told them they were going to shoot them
§ Then they came upstairs where she slept with her daughters n nieces. They put a gun to her 10 yr old nieces head to get her out of bed.
§ They pushed n threw all the children in a corner n started pulling my uncles wife from her hair from one room to another.
§ My uncles wife "5 men stood around me while I was on the ground. I was getting punched, slapped and kicked from all directions"
§ she said they used very bad language that she could never repeat.
§ My uncles wife broke down & started crying as she explained wat happened "they're animals, even animals could never be so cruel"
§ she cntnd "all I cud think abt while I was getting beaten was my children. They can kill me n my husband, as long as they leave my children"
§ uncles wife "Ruqaya (6 yr old daughter) doesn't cry, well @ least I cant hear her cry, but her face is always filled with tears"
§ "I'm so worried abt Ruqaya, she is only 6 and she wont stop crying, she keeps coming to my bed to check my bruises and ask me if I'm ok"
§ My uncles wife is still in shock, she kept saying "wat shud I do if they come again, wat if they take my children"
§ I asked wat she knew of my uncle, she said they've heard from other detainees that hes in Riffa police station. Otherwise she knows nothing
§ Nobody has even asked abt my uncle yet, fearing they too will get arrested the minute they put foot in a police station.
§ Nobody has even asked abt my uncle yet, fearing they too will get arrested the minute they put foot in a police station.
§ So I went to Riffa police station (with a journalist) to ask about my uncle.
§ @ the police station it felt like they were shocked any1 wud ask bout their arrested relatives. & they tried to scare me
§ stood in a room between 4 police, they had big smiles on their faces n told me "do u know wat national safety law is? any1 can be arrested"
§ I said "Ppl have rights. U have to have a warrant wen u arrest some1, he shud meet a lawyer, and contact his family. U cant just kidnap ppl"
§ policeman replied "who r u to talk to me like that! Have RESPECT!" I was surprised since I said nothing disrespectful.
§ he made a short phonecall n said "ur uncles not here!" I said "then where is he? tell me where to go look for him?"
§ policeman turned to the other police & said very loudly "Theres alot of rape going arnd these days" they started laughing
§ I pretended I didn't hear their threat, then they asked me 4 my full name & cpr number.
§ I was in the police station for more than an hr, most of the time they're looking for all my info on their computers.
§ Police then told me, military has ur uncle. why dont u go check with them and started laughing.
§ they indirectly threatened me, interrogated me abt my uncles political involvement, & got all my info. But told me nothing abt my uncle.
§ This has been a horrible day, 2 say the least. will protest 2morrow with my bros. Every day they convince us more why they must be overthrown.
