The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its concern regarding the targeting of a local employee and the office of Doctors Without Borders’ ” Médecins Sans Frontières”

On the 27th of July 2011,Mr.Hassan Aleskafi, a protester, was transferred to the office of Doctors Without Borders ” Médecins Sans Frontières” with an injury to the head due to being attacked by Riot Police with a canister (possibly teargas)while participating in a peaceful protest. Doctors Without Borders called the ambulance due to the severity of the injury, and he was transferred to the hospital.

On the 28th of July 2011,Security forces stormed the office of Doctors Without Borders, confiscated medicines, surrounded the building and arrested local staff member “Mr.Saeed Ayad“.

On the 29th of July 2011,The local employee, from Doctors Without Borders, was charged with: opening of an unlicensed clinic, aiding an injured defendant escape,false reporting of an incident.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its concern regarding the unknown fate of the detainees from the 16th of March 2011 after the authorities suppressed the protests in Bahrain.

On the 29th of June 2011, the King of Bahrain issued a decision to transfer protestor cases from the Military Court to the regular court.

This decision did not contribute to a fair trial for the following reasons:

1- Transferring the cases from the Military Courts does not mean reinvestigating the cases again by the General Prosecution, where only the files of the detainees will be transferred without a new investigation. The BYSHR has previously questioned the integrity of the evidence that the military prosecution and military court relied on.
2- The convicted in the primary courts and appellants in the Military Courts will be only permitted the Cassation Court, and the Cassation Court in the regular court cannot take the right decision that would contribute to the fairness of the judiciary.

3- The Military Court did not investigate in the torture allegations and did not permit the recording of the claims in the hearings proceedings, and the regular court will not be able to investigate since the marks of torture have disappeared after this long period.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) affirms that the Military Prosecution has violated the legal procedures, especially that there are many detainees whom their detention period has exceeded three month, without charging or releasing them.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) considers that the duration taken for transferring the cases from the Military Court to the Regular Court is an additional punishment against the detainees that have not been charged, and the international human rights law refuses the punishment of any defendant until being charged guilty by an independent and just court. Based on this, the BYSHR demands the immediate release of all detainees, as well as the instant and independent investigation in the arbitrary arrests, the long detention periods with no charges and the allegations of torture.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern in regards to the actions of the Bahraini Authorities that brings foreigners to be employed in security institutions (the National Guard and Riot Police) to suppress protests that demand democracy, human rights and political reform.

The authorities use the foreigners against the local protests which consequently led to the spread of hatred between the protesters and the migrant workers in Bahrain.

On the 2nd of July 2011, a Yemeni newspaper confirmed that the Bahraini authorities bring Yemeni citizens to work in military and security institutions, where an office receives the admission requests to the military and security positions.Ref:(http://www.alwahdawi.net/news_details.php?sid=7773)

On the 18th of May 2011, a Jordanian newspaper confirmed that 3 members from the Jordanian forces were injured in an accident in Bahrain, and that 500 Jordanian are participating (working) in security institutions in Bahrain to suppress protests.Ref:(http://bit.ly/losOI9)

On the 18th of March 2011, a Pakistani newspaper confirmed that a company in Pakistan has in coordination with the Bahraini authorities arranged the employment of 1000 Pakistani in the National Guard.Ref:(http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8592850-1000-pakistanis-recruited-for-bahrain-forces)

“They do not speak Arabic properly, treat us badly and consider us non-Muslims”, one of the released detainees (a Shiite activist) describing to the BYSHR how foreign employees treated him in custody.

The BYSHR affirms that the introductions of foreigners increases sectarianism within the security institutions and contributes in the spread of hatred between the local citizens and the foreigners, and may result in the use of violence against migrant workers.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands urgent investigation in the recruitment of foreigners to suppress the protests in Bahrain that have started on the 14th of February 2011, the BYSHR also demands from the Special Rapporteur of the use of mercenaries to urgently intervene.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) welcomes the committee assigned to investigate human rights violations that occurred since February and until today, but the BYSHR emphasizes that mechanisms should be created to uncover the truth, give the victims justice and prepare for a genuine reconciliation with the victims.

The BYSHR believes that the committee should also practice the role of holding the responsible persons accountable, especially that there are still human rights violations in Bahrain, such as repressing gatherings, torture allegations, arbitrary arrests and holding the responsible accountable would prevent them from violating human rights.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) in coordination with organisations working with human rights locally and regionally will play the role of supervisory on the work of the committee, especially since the BYSHR has already documented cases that have occurred since February and until now.

The BYSHR requests from the committee to investigate the following violations:

1. Torture and ill-treatment in prison, checkpoints, investigation committees in private and public companies, ministries and during arrest.
2. Arbitrary arrest.
3. Targeting the civilian society organisations, and political parties.
4. Targeting local human rights organisations and punishing human rights defenders.
5. Utilising the local media against a certain sector.
6. Unfair dismissal from work (companies, ministries, schools and universities).
7. Withdrawing scholarships at home and abroad.
8. Targeting places of worship.
9. Suppressing protests and rallies that relate to political reform, and targeting religious processions.
10. Targeting health centres, the Salmaniya hospital and the use of ambulances for transporting security forces.
11. Ill-treatment of wounded protestors.
12. Racial discrimination.
13. Targeting migrant workers.
14. Discrimination in employment.
15. Targeting and attacking educational buildings.
16. The use of internationally prohibited weapons (allegations of using nerve gas) and shotguns.
17. Collective punishment on villages and families of the detainees.
18. The use of military courts.
19. The death of four citizens in custody.
20. The death of citizens during protest crackdowns.
21. The use of GCC forces to quell protests.
22. The targeting of children.
23. The targeting of women.
24. Preventing citizens from leaving the country.
25. Targeting local and foreign journalists and prohibiting some journalists from entering the country.
26. Targeting security men.
27. The corruption of security men.
28. Targeting trade unions and punishing trade union members.
29. Unfair trials.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) affirms that since the 14th of February and until now there have been serious human rights violations, and that the responsible persons should be held accountable for these violations and should not be allowed to escape their punishments.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands that the committee should prepare periodic reports to expose the human rights violations transparently and credibility, and that the committee should be independent and unbiased in order for its reports to be in the protections, promotions and provide justice for the victims of human rights violations.