Loss in the Time of Revolution

Loss in the Time of Revolution
11 February, 2012 – by Flo – Witness Bahrain

Witness Bahrain team members spent the evening visiting families of those who have lost loved ones in the revolution. Story after story of young boys seemed ripped apart limb from limb, killed by tear gas canisters to various parts of the body, beaten to death to the point of internal bleeding without any visible bruises. And of course, each story came complete with slideshows of the boys living and photos of them lying cold, dead and bloodied on the mortician’s slab.

All of the dead detailed below are from Sitra, a collection of 6 villages on one of Bahrain’s outlying islands. The first time Witness Bahrain visited Sitra we were told it is the capital of the revolution because of the resilience of the people there and because of the strength of their ongoing and nightly demonstrations against the regime.

Meeting with families and loved ones of those killed is always a moving and affecting experience. Witnessing the loss of anyone’s loved ones is always difficult, whether it is amidst revolution or not. Combine that with stories of youth shot down before their time and graphic post mortem images of those same youth sewn back together after being dragged under vehicles or lying in pools of their own blood in the street and the experience becomes another thing all together.

Part of the resilience of those in struggle that I have encountered in more then one time and place is that these losses do not leave the people destroyed. People have an understanding that these losses are the unfortunate price that needs to be paid when fighting for justice – especially, as is usually the case, when fighting against violent regimes bent on doing nothing but protecting their own interests.

These are the stories we heard:

Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Shaikh was 14 years old when he was killed on August 31, 2011, by a tear gas canister to the head. Ali was a part of a demonstration in his village at the time of his death. In a video shown by his family, you can see Ali fleeing as police pursue him through the streets of the village. Moments later, shots are heard and the next video shows Ali lying face down in a pool of blood pouring out of his head. As Ali’s friends attempt to approach, police again fire tear gas surrounding his lifeless body in a cloud of gas, making it impossible for Ali’s friends to retrieve his body. …more