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The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) against 17 protestors with 15 years of imprisonment. The Public Prosecution had charged them with “attempted murder of a security officer and Burning a police vehicle”; all those convicted are from Darkulaib village.

21 March 2013, the Court stated that on June 2012, the accused attempted to kill security officers and Burning a police vehicle.

The Court issued its rulings against:

Currently in prison:

1-Hassan Salman Jaffar Leith (28 years old)
2-Hussein Mohamed Ali Ahmed (16 years old)
3-Mohammad Ali AbdulHassan (18 years old)
4-Jassim Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf (28 years old)
5-Ali Mohammed Ali Sultan (19 years old)
6-Abdul Elah Ali Sultan (20 years old)
7-Ali Salman Jaffar Leith (20 years old)
8-Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf (16 years old)
9-Mohammad Ali Al Ali (17 years old)
10-Ali Hussein Aldbes (20 years old)

They were sentenced in absentia:

11-Ali Jassim AbdulHassan (20 years old)
12-Fadel Abbas Yahya (29 years old)
13-Mohammed Ibrahim Ramadan (18 years old)
14-Abdullah Ali Abdulaziz (18 years old)
15-Ali Jaafar Hussein (24 years old)
16-Sadiq Jafar Zahira (18 years old)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1.the immediate, urgent, and independent investigation in the allegations of torture;
2.stop targeting protestors and to allow freedom of opinion and assembly;
3.the judicial authorities must take the necessary measures to protect the demonstrators from the Authority’s arbitrariness.

Photo: Jaw prison (the central prison)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its grave concern for the Jaw prison administration – the central prison – preventing to urgently take the prominent activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja to hospital due to his health deterioration as a result of his hunger strike since Sunday 17 March 2013.

Photo: Mr. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja’s wife received a telephone call today – 21 March 2013 – from Abdulhadi’s brother – Salah Al-Khawaja who also happens to be imprisoned and is spending a 5 year sentence in jail; he informed her that Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja’s health deteriorated, yet the prison administration refuse to transfer him because he refuses to wear the prison uniform.

Al-Khawaja began his hunger strike when the prison administration refused to allow him to meet his daughter Zainab Al-Khawaja – who is spending a 3 month sentence in the women’s prison. Zainab had also started a hunger strike since Sunday 17 March 2013 because the prison administration has been refusing to allow her to meet her family for more than two weeks, as Zainab refuses to wear the prison uniform.

Photo: Ms. Zainab Al-Khawaja

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and his daughter Zainab emphasize that the “prison uniform” is for those convicted in criminal cases, and not for prisoners of conscience, and not wearing the uniform is considered as a form of protest for keeping them in prison.

Jaw prison administration refused to allow the prisoners of the “Bahrain 13” case – a group of prominent opposition activists – to go to hospital because they all refused to wear the prison uniform.

Photo: Major General Ibrahim al-Ghaith ( Inspector General) – Jaw prison administration

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands the Bahraini Authorities to immediately take Al-Khawaja to hospital to receive the necessary treatment and to allow him to visit his daughter Zainab, and allow Zainab’s family to visit her in the women’s prison.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the sentence issued from the Criminal Court (the Court of First Instance) against 17 protestors with 15 years of imprisonment. The Public Prosecution had charged them with “attempted murder of a security officer with explosives”; all those convicted are from AlEker village.

17 March 2013, the Court stated that on 9 April 2012, the accused attempted to kill security officers with explosives, they were offered first aid and their lives were rescued.

The Court issued its rulings against:

Currently in prison:

1.Ali Ridha Hassan (23 years old): he was arrested on 21 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
2.Yousif Abdul-Kareem Al-Hindi (24 years old): he was arrested on 20 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he was convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, total sentences against him 21 years.
3.Fadhel Abbas Al-Mughni (30 years old) he was arrested on 24 May 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
4.Abdullah Ahmed Al-Mukhtar (32 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
5.Habib Ayoob Al-Mughni (23 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.
6.Hassan Ali Jawad (21 years old): he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
7.Mohammed Saeed Radhi (21 years old): he was arrested on 12 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 1 year in prison in another case, total sentences against him 16 years in prison.
8.Mahdi Ahmed Hassan Khamees: he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 5 years in prison in other cases, and he faces a case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 20 years in prison.

The Ministry of Interior claims the escape of those prisoners:

9.Hussein Abdullah Ahmed (23 years old): he was arrested on 20 October 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 5 years in prison in other cases, total sentences against him 20 years in prison.
10.Ridha Hassan Jassim (26 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 21 years in prison.
11.Abdullah Abdul-Ameer Al-Mughni (23 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 7 years and 6 months in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 22 years and 6 months in prison.
12.Ahmed Yousif Jassim (23 years old): he was arrested on 21 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he has been convicted with 6 years in prison in other cases, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted, total sentences against him 21 years in prison.
13.Abdullah Abdul-Jaleel Abdullah: he was arrested on 10 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison, and he faces another case in which he has not been convicted.
14.Jassim Mohammed Hassan (33 years old): he was arrested on 20 April 2012, he was sentenced in the case of “attempting to murder a security officer with explosives” with 15 years in prison.

They were sentenced in absentia:

15.Abdul-Sadiq Ali Habib (40 years old).
16.Salman Isa Ali (24 years old)
17.Hussein Abdali Ali (25 years old)

The lawyers and families of those convicted confirm that the accused stated to the court judge that they were subjected to brutal torture in order to confess, and the Public Prosecution did not investigate the torture allegations.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1.the immediate, urgent, and independent investigation in the allegations of torture;
2.stop targeting protestors and to allow freedom of opinion and assembly;
3.the judicial authorities must take the necessary measures to protect the demonstrators from the Authority’s arbitrariness.

Photo: Peaceful march in a village

Introduction:

The 14 February Coalition – a political youth movement that was launched in 2011 after the protests began – called for a public strike on the occasion of the second anniversary of crushing the protests which began in the Pearl Roundabout on 14 February. The Peninsula Shield Force – Forces from the Arab Gulf Countries – had entered on 15 March, and on 16 March the Security Forces and army had stormed the Pearl Roundabout, and many citizens were wounded and killed.

The strike began in the morning of 14 March, where a group of youth blocked roads. The Security Forces attempted to reopen the roads by using excessive forces and bulldozers to remove the blockades. The strike continued in the villages until midnight.

At sometimes, violent clashes took place between the Security Forces and protestors which led to numerous injuries among the protestors.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) used more than 20 field observers that were spread among the areas of Bahrain to document the human rights violations, and several observers faced various risks.

Injuries:

Hundreds of citizens and protestors were wounded with various types of injuries (in the head, hands, legs and rest of the body). The protestors were injured directly due to the use of “shotgun” by the Security Forces.

Photo: Wounded by gunshots

The BYSHR medical team observed 3 critical injuries that were taken to Salmaniya Hospital, and they are as follows:

1.Mr. Ridha Mansoor Mutaylaq (19 years old): he was hit in the village of Eker in the face with “shotgun” pellets from a distance of no more than 16 metres; he remains in hospital.

Photo: Mr. Mutaylaq, at the hospital after surgery

2.Mr. Hassan Matrook: he was hit in the village of Bani Jamra in the chest.
3.Mr. Mahdi Saeed Zuhair: he was hit in the village of Abu-Saiba in the head.

In addition to 5 other critical injuries who refused to go to the hospital out of fear of arrest, as Salmaniya Hospital – the main public hospital – is still under the surveillance of the Ministry of Interior since 16 March 2011.

The BYSHR medical team observed countless cases of suffocation due to the excessive use of teargas against protestors and citizens.

Arrests:

The Bahraini Authorities arrested 23 people from different areas; among them was Mr. Hussein Ali Ridha Al-Sanabsi (18 years old) – the Ministry of Interior’s statement read, “A vandal fell from the roof from a house in Dair. He was referred to hospital for treatment. Police at the scene to take the necessary measures” – from Dair area, he fell from one of the houses after the Security Forces attempted to arrest him. Members of the Security Forces took him to the police station and then were taken to the BDF hospital. He suffers from fractures in his hand, legs and jaw.

The observers and medical team stated that the Security Forces had arrested 6 people from the village of Makliya and they were brutally tortured and beaten with rods, bricks and sticks. They were released later.

Photo: Subjected to torture by the security forces after his arrest

The observers confirmed that the Security Forces raided several houses in different areas and damaged the insides of the house, with the pretext of searching for fleeing protestors.

Targeting private property:

The BYSHR observers observed the Security Forces targeting citizens’ private property (cars, houses and others) while they were dispersing protestors, and several citizens were affected because of that.

Photo: Car damaged by security forces

Separate incidents:

1.The Ministry of Interior said that a police car was burnt in Janabiya road by protestors. The Ministry of Interior published a photo on its account on Twitter of a burning car.
2.The BYSHR documented the number of teargas canisters that were fired in the village of Maamer, and they were 727 canisters from dawn until midnight.
3.The principal of Dair Elementary School refused to respond to the Ministry of Interior’s request to evacuate the school due the critical conditions in the area.
4.Many shops had to close in villages due to the bad security situation.
5.The riot police cars and armored vehicles were present in the entrances of villages since dawn.

Recommendations:

1.Allow freedom of expression and peaceful gathering.
2.Allow the wounded to receive the appropriate medical treatment in hospitals without fear of being targeted.
3.The immediate release of the detainees of peaceful gatherings or bring them to an urgent trial.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for the Bahraini Authorities arrest of a number of Twitter users on the charge of ‘defaming the King’ Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. These arrests coincide with the world celebration of countering cyber censorship.

According to the information obtained by the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) from the families of detainees, the Authorities arrested 6 people who have accounts on the electronic website, Twitter:

1.Mr. Ali Faisal Al-Shufa (17 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
2.Mr. Hassan Abdali Isa (33 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
3.Mr. Mohsen Abdali Isa (26 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
4.Mr. Ammar Makki Mohammed Al-Aali (36 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
5.Mr. Mahmood Abdul-Majeed Abdulla Al-Jamri (34 years old): arrested on 12 March at dawn, and the Public Prosecution ordered that he be taken to custody for 7 days, pending trial.
6.Mr. Mahdi Ebrahim Al-Basri (25 years old): arrested on 11 March at dawn. His relatives confirmed to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that the contents of the house were destroyed and they were verbally abused. Mahdi also faced mistreatment in the Criminal Investigations. Mahdi is a practicing lawyer.

The family of detainees confirmed that the Security Forces had confiscated “computers and mobile phones” from their houses.

The Ministry of Interior’s statement, issued after the Public Prosecution had interrogated the detainees, indicated that, “the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security stated that within the framework of the Security Apparatuses work in combating violations and crimes that occur through the use of social media, a group of people were detected for abusing those methods to defame the King, and thus an inquiry was launched to identify those involved. Six people accused of committing those acts have been referred to the Public Prosecution to face legal action”.

The Constitution of Bahrain points out in Article (33/a): “The King is Head of State, and its nominal representative, and his person is inviolate. He is the loyal protector of the religion and the homeland, and the symbol of national unity.”

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) emphasizes that the Bahraini Authorities had violated the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and what the Authorities are doing is considered a security campaign against freedom of opinion and expression.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1. the immediate release of those who were arrested due to freedom of opinion and expression and to drop all charges against them;
2. put an end to the restrictions against social media in Bahrain;
3. protect the free exchange of information on the Internet and not restrict it.

Pic : Cousins ​​(from the family of Aljazeeri) were killed in protests

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern after the Bahraini Authorities had crushed the protests in the second anniversary of protests which began on 14 February 2011. The Bahraini Authorities had suppressed the protestors on (14-15-16 February) and prevented any attempts of protesting peacefully beside the Pearl Roundabout which was demolished by the Bahraini Authorities, after forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council had entered the country.

This report documents the events of Thursday, Friday and Saturday (14 – 15 – 16 February). The BYSHR had gathered this information through more than 15 field observers who were spread among many Bahraini villages.

Full Report (Here)

Pic: Mr.Mahmood Aljazeeri

Mr.Mahmood Aljazeeri-20 years old- died today (February 22) after being shot by security forces in Nabeh Saleh village.

As witnesses told Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that Mr.Aljazeeri Was participating in a peaceful protest in the village of Nabeh Saleh on February 14, 2013.He was shot directly by a tear gas canister. He collapsed to the ground and his friends carried him away to be treated in a private home. His injuries he sustained were too severe, and he was taken to a hospital. During that time, he fell unconscious, and received a surgery for his injuries.

February 14, the second anniversary of the protests in Bahrain.

The video below shows a protester, Mr.Mahmood Aljazeeri ( When he was wounded in the head)

Mr.Aljazeeri has suffered internal bleeding.

An Invitation to a Press Conference

Launch (Bahrain Network for Human
Rights- BNHR)

Location: Bahrain Society for Human Rights-BHRS

Time: 1:30 pm

Date: Thursday – 7 February 2013

Organizations:

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights-BYSHR, Bahrain Center for Human Rights-BCHR, Bahrain Human Rights Society-BHRS, Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organization-BRAVO, European – Bahraini Organisation For Human Rights-EBOHR, and Hope Defenders.

For more information: Mr.Hassan Jaber – Network Coordinator 39992122
E-mail: hasan.aljaber@hotmail.com

Letter of invitation (Arabic – English)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) releases this report to disclose the concept of ‘impunity’ approached by the Bahraini Authorities with the ‘dead’ victims which was documented by the ‘Bahrain Independent Comission of Inquiry (BICI)’ established by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

The report also includes cases that were documented by the BYSHR and other human rights organizations.

1. 8 cases of murder were referred to court out of 41 cases of death recorded by the BICI.

1-1) The security officers in 3 cases were sentenced with “7 years imprisonment in all cases”
1-2) Security officers were acquitted in two cases.
1-3) Two cases are still in court.

2. Two foreign workers were killed by the security forces and until now no investigation into their deaths was made.

3. Killing by the use of “shotgun”: 4 cases were referred to court; the court acquitted the security officers in two cases; 3 cases were not referred to court.

4. Killing by the use of “live bullets”: one case was referred to court while 4 other cases were not referred to court.

5. Death in prison: 3 incidents were referred to court, while two incidents were not referred to court.

6. Death in separate incidents: 11 cases were recorded by the BICI, however they were outside the specified timeframe, and they were not referred to court.

7. Death incidents that were not included in the BICI report: 11 death incidents that were caused by security forces, some were referred to the Public Prosecution, and the case was closed because the security forces were in the state of “self-defence”.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) assures that the report did not include death cases that were caused by the intense use of teargas in closed areas which led to the death of at least 30 people (some of them were participating in protests and the others were randomly targeted in their homes.) (refer to the statement of the BYSHR : http://byshr.org/?p=1292 )

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) confirms that the Bahraini Authorities protects the human rights violators and practices the policy of “impunity” which leads to the increase of extrajudicial killings.

Report here-PDF