Latest News on arrest of Bahrain Human Rights Defender Zainab Alkhawaja, arrested with her is Masooma AlSayed

Verified Sources Report:

20 Dec, 2011 – URGENT: Public prosecutor orders release of Zainab Alkhawaja and Masooma AlSayed on bail as case against them will be heard at later date.

16 Dec, 2011 – Slide Show – Zainab, Civil Disobedience. HERE

15 Dec. 2011 – At 10:00PM MST US – Zainab Alkhawaja and Masooma AlSayed will be detained for 7 days. According to lawyer: Masooma Alsayed was kicked in her leg and is now limping, was not seen by doctor Zainab when arrested had something sprayed in her eyes and was unable to see for approx an hour. Zainab in police station was beaten on head, arms and legs, as she was unable to see. Zainab recognized the voice of the policewoman who beat her, prosecutor refused to write it down lawyer attempted to show prosecutor video of the arrest, he refused to see it policewoman came in with bandaged arm claiming Masooma and Zainab hit her. Zainab refused to sign statement unless policewoman’s name was taken who hit her Prosecutor got angry and made everyone leave the room, awaiting decision.

15 Dec. 2011, At 7:50PM MST US – Zainab Alkhawaja, 27 year old Human Rights Defender has been arrested following a protest and has been charged with, illegal gathering, assaulting a female officer, inciting hatred against the regime. Masooma AlSayed also arrested has been charged with, illegal gathering, assaulting a female officer. At this hour both are awaiting a decision whether they will be held or released on bond.

….updates to follow.

MORE – Anonymous Source – 15 December, 2011

Today Bahraini security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of opposition supporters attempting to protest alongside a highway leading to the island kingdom’s capital (more details: HERE. *Zainab Alkhawaja, 27, *a human rights activist*, *has participated in this peaceful protest. She staged a sit-in on a roundabout with several women. The riot police have responded with shooting tear gas canister on the women where all of them left the place except Zainab. She continued her sit-in peacefully to exercise her right to freedom of expression in accordance to the declaration of the Human Rights. The police again shot tear gas canister, this time directly on Zainab: video – HERE

The female police came toward Zainab and handcuffed Zainab. As seen on recorded video HERE and the attached photos, Zainab has been slapped and hit on the face, dragged from the handcuff itself on ground all the way through to the pavement then to the street, she has her Muslim head scarf removed from her head. It’s very worrying the way she was ill-treated in public.

She, as well as another woman Ms Masooma alSayed were then taken to the police station and referred to the general prosecution “for taking part and calling for illegal gathering and one of them attacked public security female employee near Busaiba” MOI Tweet HERE The available videos clearly shows no kind of physical assaults practiced by Zainab.

At the general prosecution, Zainab told the lawyer that the female officer ” took my scarf off and tied it around my mouth to stop me from speaking”. Lawyer Zahra Masood who is with zainab Alkhawaja in the general prosecution, said that zainb looks tired & hardly opens her eye. She is still there (since around 9pm Bahrain time) as we write these words.

Zainab is mother of 1 year old child. Her husband, father and uncle are all in jail. He *father* is the prominent Human Rights activist AbdulHadi AlKhawaja, a former Regional Protection coordinator for the Middle East with Front Line and former President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). He is now in jail and sentenced to life be military court for taking part in the Feb 14 protest. Her husband Wafi, was arrested along with her father and is now sentenced to 4 years in jail also by a military court.

Zainab has been targeted before, arrested from Bahrain UN house in June 2011 HERE and before that she summoned for interrogation at the police station.

See this video where Zainab talks about her activism, family, human rights, Abdulhadi and the difficulties of struggling for human rights in Bahrain: HERE More information about her below.

*We call you to take immediate action to guarantee the release of Zainab AlKhwaja and her fellow who were arrested and assaulted for merely exercising her right to freedom of expression and assembly in accordance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please take every action in your hand to call for her release and protection from further targeting and ill-treatment. The officers responsible for the seen
violence against AlKhawja can be easily identified and should be taken accountable for he clear assaults they have committed.