Bahrain under near lockdown in new round of Martial Law

Pre-emptive Crackdown in Bahrain against planned Tamarrod protests
2 August, 2013 – bahrain Watch

The Bahrain government is currently engaged in a new crackdown on activists and wider civil liberties. In the past few days alone, dangerous new legislation has been introduced, there have been many arrests including prominent activists, and the government has “sanctioned a witch hunt” through the creation of a “hotline” for citizens to report websites and social media accounts deemed to be against “public interests and targeting national unity and civic peace”. Security has been ratcheted up with reports of increased police presence in many different areas. Three deaths have occurred over the past week in “suspicious” circumstances, according to the opposition. All involved traffic accidents. Hussain Kadhem was in police custody at the time of his death. Two youths were fugitives when they were killed. Their family believe they were being chased by police. Meanwhile another protester is intensive care after being run down.

The government’s crackdown comes in advance of August 14th, when opposition groups are preparing a day of mass protest under the banner ‘Bahrain Tamarrod’ (Rebellion). The date is also symbolic. It marks the day when Bahrain gained independence from Britain in 1971 and has long been an occasion for opposition protest as the Bahrain government refuses to celebrate it. Bahrain Tamarrod was first announced on July 4th. The idea quickly gained support from the full spectrum of opposition groups and societies. On July 15th, Government Spokesperson Sameera Rajab warned against “involvement” with the movement. Despite this, popular support for Bahrain Tamarrod grew, whilst pro-government supporters and politicians began to escalate their calls for a crackdown.

On Sunday, July 28th, the National Assembly met to discuss new “anti-terrorism” legislation, having been recalled by King Hamad a few days prior. The politicians made a series of recommendations which were quickly supported by a range of government officials, including the Prime Minister, Crown Prince and even the Human Rights Minister. The recommendations were condemned by the opposition and by multiple local and international NGOs, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First.

The government has wasted no time in implementing them. On July 29th, King Hamad wrote to the Prime Minister, reportedly calling for “essential speedy implementation of these recommendations”. The Prime Minister subsequently directed “all ministries and concerned departments” start working on their implementation. He then chaired an extraordinary session of the Cabinet, who claimed that the recommendations would “inaugurate a new era of security, stability and safety in Bahrain.” In contrast, the BBC’s Bill Law wrote: “The recommendations if implemented in full would effectively return the country to a state of martial law.” …more