…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end
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Women in Bahrain constantly subjected to torture, arrests and violence

by Courtesy

Women in Bahrain on International Day to end violence against women: constantly subjected to torture, arrests and violence
25 November 2011 – BHCR

On this International Day to End Violence against Women, Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) condemns the human rights violations committed by the Bahraini regime against women in Bahrain. Women have played an important part of the Bahraini uprising with active participation and fierce activism. For their active role in calling for democracy and political reform, they were violently targeted. Four women were killed by live ammunition, suffocation of tear gas and intimidation. Many women were arrested, detained, tortured and sentenced up to 15 years imprisonment.

Bahiya Abdulrasool Al Aradi, 51 year old, is the first female martyr in Bahrain’s uprising. She was driving in Budaiya road when she went missing. Her last phone call was to her younger sister, when she heard gunshots near Al Qadam roundabout and tried to get off the road. Her family contacted all hospitals however they could not find her. On 19 March, they received a call from the authorities informing them that Bahiya is in BDF hospital on life support[1]. Her brother was allowed a visit lasting a few minutes. The next day she died due to her serious injuries. The authorities stated in her death certificate that she died of “Brain Injury”, however the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report recently published a confirmation that the cause of death was a gunshot from behind from a range of 50 to 75 meters[2]. No one was held accountable Bahiya’s death.

Zainab Al Juma and Zainab Al Tajer both died of suffocation due to tear gas that was excessively used by security forces as collective punishment on villages. Zainab Al Juma was disabled so she could not move from her room, while Zainab Al Tajer was walking when riot police attacked a peaceful protest nearby. Aziza, 29 years old, died after riot police broke into her home at midnight. She witnessed them beating one of her relatives, then they threatened her by directing a gun at her. Due to that, her blood sugar level boosted, causing her to faint and resulting to her death[3]. …more