“Freedom finally prevails”
Abduljalil Alsingace Statement in the Press Conference on
Bahrain: Paradoxes of the Kingdom of Silence
12.00 PM, Wednesday 8th April 2009
House of Lords, London- United Kingdom
Lord Avebury, the Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group at the House of Lords, UK.
Good day ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for hosting this important event to let the rest of the world knows about the pseudo and masquerading democracy as well as the systematic human rights violations in Bahrain.
In the past, but not very far, and where you are sitting now at the House of Lords, I used to be at the podium as one of the participants in similar events focusing on the development of human rights and political situation in Bahrain.
The Regime has banned me from travelling, trying to contain me in a big prison bounded by the geography of Bahrain, while containing Mr Hasan Mushaima and Shaikh Mohamed Habib Al-Muqdad in prison cells. This is to prevent me from meetings that you are having now as well as with other international NGOs. The Authorities went more by meticulously tapping all my communication means which include my phones and emails, and further blocked my blogs and some of my facebook posts.
The Authorities could not tolerate this civilized activism and decided to put me, as well as other well known activists, like Mr Mushaima and Shaikh Al-Muqdad, on trial in a biased and State – lead judiciary, as we voice out and speak loud about many issues, among them:
- Clamping down all civil liberties and forms of expression, assembly and association
- The corruption in the Government offices and ministries,
- The misappropriation of off and on shore lands,
- The marginalization of people’s well by abolishing the only socially binding constitution between the people of Bahrain and the ruling family, as well as unilaterally imposing an illegitimate document calling it a constitution
- Engineering the population demography by importing tens of thousands of mercenaries, naturalizing them and granting them privileges on the expenses of the indigenous citizens of Bahrain. This included exploiting their voices to manipulate the outcome of any election or voting process.
Yes there are laws, judiciary system and press. But, they are all tailored to target and suppress activists like myself. Laws are customized to prosecute anybody having a dissent views, ban from travel, and block web sites and blogs from accessibility by others.
Yes, I am paying the dues of traveling to London, Geneva and Washington, to speak about the grave violations to the civic liberties and freedoms in Bahrain. The punishment by the Regime started in 2005, after I made numerous travels to Washington, when I was dismissed from my post as a chairman of Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bahrain (UoB). Prior to that decision, I met with the then President of the UoB, Maryam Bint Hasan Al-Khalifa, a member of the ruling family, who told me literally “had I been to Mozambique, it would have been O.K., but to Washington, it is not acceptable. This will not be forgiven.”
Those of you who are following up the human rights violations in Bahrain must, by now, felt the hysterical attitude of the Regime to bar and block contact with the rest of the world, an activity I am accused of. The Authorities went more by prosecuting journalists, blocking public websites, personal blogs and those belonging to human rights organizations inside and outside Bahrain. Those are traits and symptoms of a policing state, Bahrain, the kingdom of silence.
Finally I would like to share a vow with you that I will continue expressing my views and sharing them with others as long as I live, without being deterred by any of the regime cowardly acts.
Thank you for the opportunity to address your press conference and hope to be with you in person, where you are, next time you carry out an event about Bahrain. Please set assured that freedom finally prevails.
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