Bahrain: 23 Detainees in the Recent Arrests, an Updated List

HAQ: Movement of Liberties and Democracy- Bahrain
حق: حركة الحريات والدموقراطية- البحرين

22 December 2007 www.haaq.org, Email: haaq.bahrain@gmail.com


URGENT-Press Release

Bahrain: 23 Detainees in the Recent Arrests, an Updated List
Reports of Three Tortured Detainees Hospitalized
Detainees not reported to public prosecutor


As of this moment, confrontations have started between protestors in Malikeya and the Special Forces (SF) which showered them with rubber bullets and chemical tear gas. The protest came as a result of incarcerating two relatives of the detainees from the village carried out a sit in protest before the detention center in Hamad Town, just before sunset today. The event is becoming ferocious, as it is few days back, and sounds of shots of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters is heard from a distance.

At 7pm local time, families of Bani Jamrah detainees (mainly women) held a protesting sit-in which ended an hour later without any clashes, irrespective of the presence of the Special Forces nearby.

Just after sun set over 30 jeep and a carrier full of armed forces surrounded a small farm, called Abdulrasool's, between Sanabis and Daih in a small village called Marwazan. Witnesses reported that some of the detained activists were transported with their eyes covered, to Abdulrasool's farm, and were coerced, under the threat of weapons, to act of digging the ground and hiding weapons, with video recording under the light of hand torches. This is not the first time that this place, or other farms, were used by the security Authorities for place of acting by the detainees under the threat of weapons in preparation for declaring a conviction of confession of the convictions. This recorded material is used by the public prosecutor to present and convict the detainees in the court, which apparently to be declared soon. It is to be noted that none of the detainees was brought before the public prosecutors who have been putting off lawyers came forward to defend the detainees. Official statements indicated that the weapon is in the possession of the Authorities.

Families, mostly women, of the detainees have been reporting to the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) whose officers have been turning them away, by verbal insults, threats and the use of female police to conceal the whereabouts and the condition of their beloved ones. This has made the families more anxious to learn about the condition of the detainees, after reports of subjecting them to severe torture and beatings while standing, banned from sleeping, not given food and prevented from going to rest room. Furthermore, news spread about the deterioration of the condition of three detainees who were transported to the Bahrain Defense Force Hospital. No further details are available.

CID in Adelyah, south of Manama, is a well-known place for interrogation and torture during the protesting events of the nineties, lead by a group of intelligence (Bahraini and non-Bahraini) and torture experts and torturers. The detainees have still not been taken to the public prosecutor, amidst official statements by MOI (Ministry of Interior) that they will face charges of endangering Public Security and will be trialed on the basis of Code of Terrorism of 2006 or/and the notorious Penal Code of 1976, on the missing weapon and blaze of the police jeep.

Around 5pm Local time (2pm GMT), over 30 jeebs with one solder-carrier filled with heavily armed forces gathered at the southern side of Sanabis village, while others set a check point at the entrance to the area from the north, waiting to move to the inside of the village. A number of armed soldiers stood alert near Al-Daih from the north near Geant super store. Eye witnesses have reported recognizing the high ranking officers of the armed forces in Sanabis of being non-Bahrainis (their skin color indicates that they are Syrian, Jordanians or Iraqis), while most of the ordinary soldiers are from Baluchistan of Pakistan, Yemenis, Jordanians and Syrians).

Late this afternoon, two of relatives of Malikeya detainees in the south west of Bahrain held a short sit-in in front of the detention center in Hamad Town, before being attacked by the armed forces and detained in the same center, increasing the number of arrests. Contact with people in Malikeya reported their release at 9pm local time (6pm GMT).

The families and supporters of the detainees in Bani Jamrah have declared that they will hold a protesting sit-in at 7pm local time (4pm GMT). It is expected that it will be faced with ferocious force, and the number of arrests will increase fueling unrest in many areas in Bahrain.

The activists arrested under the allegation of the "stolen" weapon are:
1. Naji Fateel (Bani Jamrah)
2. Essa Abdulla Al-Sarh (Bani Jamrah)
3. Mohammed Abdulla Yusuf Al-Sankis (Sanabis)
4. Shaker Mohamed Al-Hamali (Al-Hamala)
5. Mohammed Al- Modaweb (Jidhafs)
6. Husain Al-Mudaweb (Jidhafs)
7. Osama Rabia (Nuaim)
8. Hasan Ahmed Nasser (Sitra)
9. Ibrahim Abdulla Makki Dalal (Karranah)
10. Mahmood (Dar Kulaib)
11. S. Ali Mohamed Saeed Taha (Al-Sehla)
12. S. Husain Mohamed Saeed Taha (Al-Sehla)
13. Ghassan Ali Madan (Al-Sehla)
14. Hasan Ali Abdulla (Al-Malikeya)
15. Ibrahim Khalaf Ibrahim(Al-Malikeya)
16. Mahmood Aowm Hassan(Al-Malikeya)
17. Hesham Jassem(Al-Malikeya)
18. Sadeq Ali Al-Mutawa(Al-Malikeya)
19. Ali Kathom Saeed(Al-Malikeya)
20. Akbar Jaffar Jassem (Al-Daih)
21. Majid Al-Haddad (Al-Daih)
22. Abdulla Saleh (Isa Town)
23. Maitham Al-Ameer, known as Al-Tammar (Isa Town)

This number excludes 10 (ten) youths who were released early this afternoon. They were arrested last night, after Isha prayer inside Al-Sadeq Mosque. Signs of beatings were observed on their bodies and faces.

Time: 6:45pm GMT, December 22, 2007

For further information contact Dr. Abdaljalil Al-Singace - Media and International Relations-HAQ movement
Telephone: +97339668179 (In Bahrain), Email: asingace@gmail.com, asingace@hotmail.com