…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end
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The Great Tragedy of Bahrain’s Military Heros

by Courtesy

Testimony: Military personnel in Bahrain: killed, discharged from service, and awaiting trials
14 January, 2012 – BCHR

Last July, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights documented more than 248 violations affecting personnel in military services within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department of Defence, the two entities that are headed by members of the Bahraini Royal Family. Until this day those violations are ongoing. Bahraini authorities have killed, arrested, and discharged hundreds of military personnel, many of whom while currently released, are awaiting appeals courts that may send them back to imprisonment. This is a testimony from a military officer, who was arrested previously, describing some of the violations that military personnel have endured.

Below is the speech that was read on 28 December 2011 on behalf of military personnel in a solidarity stand at Al Wefaq National Islamic Society. It was written by Abdullah Abu Idrees, a military officer who was detained for months, and read by the brother of Ali Al Ghanmi, another military officer who is currently detained:

May peace be upon you,

I would like to begin by thanking Al Wefaq National Islamic Society for its stance in solidarity with military personnel. This is a true reflection of its stance towards the rest of society be it civilian or military.

I am not here to speak of an incident that affected me personally as my speech will be on behalf of all the honourable military personnel who refused to stain their hands with the blood of innocents. We are a special layer (of society) and differ from our civilian brothers. A doctor will conduct his duties in line with his profession’s requirements of humaneness and so does a teacher and staff in all sectors without expecting to be arrested, tortured, discharged, or even trialled.

I am not here to exaggerate or belittle their contributions, but to bring to light things many have been neglected in the minds of many people. As military personnel, we knew that our position was a dangerous one from the onset. We understood that refusing to obey military instructions would have dire consequences for us and our futures, yet we stood by our brothers in their demands for justice and refused to point our triggers at them. We carried the pain of our nation with them and shared their concerns. …more