…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end
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Bahrain Students: Expelled, detained, and prosecuted

by Courtesy

Bahrain Students: Expelled, detained, and prosecuted for expressing their views , as the country starts the National Dialogue
06 July 2011

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its deep concern for the continuing and escalating systematic targeting of university students by the Bahraini regime and the Ministry of Education, which are supposed to protect the students’ right to education, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Despite previous calls[1] from BCHR and other rights groups[2] , the Bahraini authorities continued targeting students with expulsions from universities, arrests and prosecution in military court. Up to now, around 300 students have been reportedly expelled in less than two months.
Interrogating Students On Campus

Investigation committees has been established to interrogate the students in University of Bahrain, Bahrain Polytechnic, Bahrain Training Institute and other educational institutions, accusing them of false and baseless allegations like “participating in marches to overthrow the regime” and criminalizing their exercise of basic rights for expressing their opinions.

The investigation process, as described in detail by the students, was as far as could be from professionalism and respect to the students. More than 20 students from Bahrain Polytechnic said almost the same story about the process. They were called for a meeting without knowing the reason; a panel of four headed by Deputy CEO, Dr. Mohammed Al Aseeri, who has been recently appointed, started with reading the accusations that were all around “participating in marches to overthrow the regime” which they all denied.

Students were asked:
– Do you have a facebook account?
– What is your username?
– Have you posted anything anti-government? (They were shown screenshots of their facebook accounts if they deny that they have)
– Have you participated in any marches to overthrow the regime?
– Have you been to lulu (Pearl) roundabout? When? And how many times?
– How long have you been studying in the university?

The answer to the questions above would be followed by one of the members of the investigation panel stating that the student is studying because of the generosity of the king and the ruling family and that they should be more appreciative for the education they were getting. …more