Female doctors tortured in Bahrain amid fears of intensified crackdown until June 1

Bahrain's government has announced that it will lift the state of emergency on June 1, but this may signal a worsening of human rights abuses in the short term, according to SAVE's contact in Bahrain, as medical professionals continue to go missing.

Three days ago, Bahraini authorities summoned Dr Najah Alhadad for a short interrogation. The only contact she has had with her family since then is a five-minute phone call to her daughter, asking for a change of clothing.

Alhadad is a consultant family physician and Deputy Chief of Primary Care in Bahrain, and like many others she has been targeted because of her profession. “The regime is interrogating those who brought medicines to the protesters and who received casualties from the uprisings,” says Rania*, who also works in healthcare in Bahrain. “The regime is making up accusations, saying that the doctors and nurses held in custody carried out unnecessary operations on people, and that these people died from the procedures.”

From the testimonies of doctors and nurses recently released from custody, Rania is able to put together a picture of conditions inside the al-‘Adliya Criminal Investigations Department where most are held. “Detainees are beaten with water pipes and hoses, slapped on the face, head and legs, and some are given electric shocks until they lose consciousness,” says Rania. “Prisoners are kept blindfolded and made to sit on chairs for days without sleep. Men are sometimes hung by their feet and beaten. After the torture, they are given a blank piece of paper and told to sign at the bottom. The authorities fill in the confession above the signature.”

Female detainees are usually held for two to five days, but several men have been missing for far longer. There is no gender segregation in the centres, and women report hearing men screaming all night long.

Bahrain’s government began its deadly crack down on March 14, in response to popular protests agitating for political change. Four people have so far died in detention. Rania claims to have seen the bodies of these victims, saying that they were covered in torture marks.

One young poet, Ayat al-Ghermezi, was reported to have been killed by the regime on April 20. She was arrested after reading her poems in Pearl Square, the main gathering point for protesters. However, Rania’s friends claim to have seen the 20-year-old in detention, alive and in acceptable health. “The government is trying to force her to write a poem praising Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa,” says Rania. “Apparently she tried to do it, but could not think what to write. Now she is refusing to write.”

Lifting state of emergency may only intensify immediate danger for opposition

Currently, a state of emergency reigns in Bahrain. Movement is severely limited; there are checkpoints in city streets and at the entrance to most villages to ensure that protesters are unable to gather. The crackdown is also harming the economy, as many employees – including 150 medical staff - have been suspended from work or fired. The regime has announced that it will lift the emergency laws on June 1, but Rania doubts that this signals an improvement in the immediate situation of opposition figures.

“The extremists in the regime will charge as many people as they can before the end of the state of emergency,” says Rania. “More will be arrested and they will try to finish most of the trials of activists and opposition leaders before June 1.”

Tomorrow, 21 activists and opposition leaders will appear before a Military Court on charges that include attempting to topple the government by setting up terror groups, inciting hatred, and taking part in rallies without notifying authorities, according to Amnesty International. They have been denied basic rights such as access to a lawyer before trial.

Medical staff may also soon face such trials, according to Rania. “There is an interrogation committee in the Ministry of Health, and the acting head has so far referred 47 persons to the Ministry of the Interior for investigation. Many are sent to the military court, and we do not yet know what the sentences will be.”

In total, 30 male doctors are currently in detention. The majority are thought to have been forced to videotape pre-written confessions which may soon be aired on Bahraini television. Concerns have risen for three surgeons in particular, Dr. Ali Elkri, Dr. Nadeel Hameed and Dr. Basim Bhais, all of whom were leaders in organizing medical care at Salmaniya Hospital during the protests, and thus have become a focus for the regime’s revenge.

Rania emphasizes the impossible situation that Bahraini medics face. “Doctors take an oath when they qualify,” says Rania. “Even if you see an enemy, regardless of race or religion, if they need medical care you must give it to them. The regime is operating double standards – on one side they are accusing us of refusing to aid foreigners, and on the other they are telling us not to treat Bahraini people.”

International public opinion is hardening against the Bahraini regime, especially since a group of five Bahrainis brought a case to The Hague’s International Criminal Court on Friday, accusing the Bahraini Royal Family and certain government members of war crimes.

Still, Rania does not believe that the international community is doing enough to put pressure on the government. “During the uprisings in the 1990s, the government could act with impunity,” says Rania. Bahrain saw sustained unrest in the 1990s, resulting in around 34 deaths. “Now that we have social media, TV, and internet, the whole world knows what the regime is doing. But international coverage is not up to expectations. They frame this as a Shi’ite revolution, but it is a Bahraini revolution. We don’t want external intervention, but we want strong statements by world leaders condemning the crimes against humanity happening here, and a stronger focus on Bahrain in the international media.”

Rania has so far avoided detention. However, she cannot sleep at night, knowing that she could be the authorities’ next target.

“I am afraid for my family – I don’t know what will happen. Nobody is safe and every household has been affected.

“Politically, there will be no genuine changes. But from history we know that we have to fight for our rights. It might not be fruitful this time, but in the long run it will be. We cannot complain that our government is brutal and not react against it. We must show the world that we asked for our rights and the regime refused. Innocent blood will not have been shed in vain. We will not achieve 100% of our demands. But even if we achieve 1%, we have made a step forwards.”

*Name has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. Report by Helen Victoria Thompson.

The Square of Change in Sana’a: an Incubator for Reform

A briefing by Atiaf Zaid Alwazir on the social and political changes taking place in the squares of Yemen.

Yemen has witnessed widespread protests and sit-ins throughout the squares of change for the past three months. These squares became incubators for change and the birthplace of a new political culture. The time spent at the square has given protestors the time to network, organize, engage in awareness raising activities and honest dialogue, and agree upon general principles. While the focus at the beginning was solely on political reform, the interplay between different actors on the ground has forced individuals to begin discussion on social and cultural change as well, as a holistic approach. These terminologies are being tested on the ground. While this gave the movement an opportunity to mature, the longer this political deadlock lasts, the higher the chance of violence, especially by the circle around the President who will try to protect their own interests. The interplay between various actors on the ground will determine the future of the movement, and the country’s future direction.

This eyewitness report is by a Sana’a based researcher who was involved in the protests since late January 2011. While the protests are nationwide, the paper will focus only on the square of change in Sana’a. Read the full document here.

Bahrain Made Personal: One Woman’s Story of Her Missing Father

Aseel Ibrahim Sharif  was interviewed by Anna Therese Day on Peace x Peace's blog.

22-year-old Aseel Ibrahim Sharif is the daughter of Ibrahim Sharif, the Secretary General of Bahrain’s secular opposition party and one of the hundreds of activists detained under the Bahraini government’s recent crackdown.

An activist in her own right, Aseel participated in Bahrain’s initial mid-February protests in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. She describes herself as “one of the hundreds of women who voiced their opinion.” As she explained, “Nobody is silent in this movement.” Aseel’s activism was taken to a new level when her father was arrested over one month ago.

In her own words, Aseel describes the experience of her family, one of many families suffering through the regime’s crackdown.

***

Anna Therese Day (ATD): In your own words, can you describe the current situation in Bahrain and, within that context, why your father was targeted for government arrest?

Aseel Ibrahim Sharif (AIS): My father is Secretary General of the Bahraini opposition party, the National Democratic Action Society or “Wa’ad.” Wa’ad is different than the main opposition parties because we are secular, we don’t mix politics and religion.

What has happened in Bahrain is that the government has decided to frame the movement as a sectarian movement to pin it on the Shia. They’re basically fabricating a story about the Shia wanting to overthrow the regime for Iran in order to use this as an excuse to crack down on the protestors.

The fact of the matter is, the protest movement is peaceful, and the demands were never sectarian, they were always national. And that’s where my father comes in. He is Sunni – even though we are secular – but he is a Sunni leader in the end. He does not represent the Sunni nor does he claim to represent the Sunni, but it’s notable to the government to see a Sunni person stand up against the Sunni regime. It’s usually the Shia who voice their opinion more, because they are the majority that is oppressed.

With that said, however, the protest movement encompassed both Shia and Sunni. The majority was Shia, of course, because they are the majority of the population, but there were many Sunnis that were standing with them and the same is true on the other side. The pro-government side was mostly Sunni, but you also have some Shia with them. If the movement was sectarian, you’d see a clear divide, but the government is trying to make it sectarian right now by specifically targeting Shia villages, cracking down on Shia activists, cracking down on athletes, lawyers, nurses, you name it from one sect to turn the whole movement into a sectarian movement.

ATD: What happened on the night of March 17th, the night that your father was arrested?

AIS: My father was taken on March 17th from our house at 2AM. I wasn’t in Bahrain so I got all of this information from my mother, but from her testimony, around 40 masked and armed men came to our house and demanded that my father leave the house. At one point, they pointed a gun at him. When he asked, “Who are you? Where’s your warrant? Where’d you come from?” they avoided the questions until they finally said basically, “We’re security, you have to come with us.” They wouldn’t disclose where he was going.

He left peacefully, there was no resistance from him at all, and, ever since he was taken away, we’ve only received one phone call from him a few weeks after his arrest. The only thing that he managed to say was basically, “I’m fine, and say ‘hi’ to the kids, and how are they?” We haven’t had any visitation rights, we’re not allowed to enter into any investigations, we aren’t even allowed to speak about him under the emergency state in Bahrain.

Everything is a mystery when it comes to the detainees. Their families are usually left in the dark and you just hope for the best. Sometimes they go in and they never come out – my father has already been hospitalized twice, and in recent weeks, we’ve seen that four detainees died in custody.

ATD: What are the demands of your family and others for the resolution of the crackdown in Bahrain?

AIS: We have asked for my father’s release and we continue to do so. We believe that the only forces that will be able to resolve this situation in Bahrain are diplomatic forces abroad. We need the Great Powers and Allies, like the U.S. and the U.K., to intervene and to ensure the safety of detainees, including my father.

In terms of detainees, our demands include that they [the Al-Khalifa regime] uphold basic human rights – allowing phone calls, the presence of a lawyer for all detainees, and a fair trial – and, with that said, we also urge an investigation into the treatment of the detainees. As I mentioned before, four have already died in custody, and the ones who were viewed and photographed by Human Rights Watch showed clear signs of brutal torture, with lash marks all over their bodies.

I think it’s important for the American people to press their government to uphold the democratic values that the U.S. prides itself on. No one should allow any ally of the U.S. to torture their citizens, to make arrests and detainment just for wanting political reform. So I urge all Americans to step up and to use the appropriate channels to pressure President Obama to speak to our government, to send them a harsh wake-up call and stern words to stop torture and end injustice in Bahrain.

Women Struggle to Unite Fractured Bahrain

An article by Suad Hamada of the Inter Press Service News Agency. Also published on Reuters' Trustlaw Women's Rights blog.

MANAMA, Apr 22 (IPS) - Women in Bahrain have launched new initiatives to tackle sectarian tensions that emerged as the fallout of widespread unrest sweeping the country since Feb. 14.

The tiny island with oil incomes representing around 70 percent of government revenues was known for years for its peaceful coexistence between its majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations.

The majority of those who participated in demonstrations before the declaration of the three-month state of emergency in March were Shiites. Sunnis were mainly involved in pro-government rallies.

The result: long-time friends have turned enemies. Each sect has issued a list of shops that should be boycotted because Bahrainis of the opposite sect own them. Those lists are circulated through leaflets, email and e-forums.

‘Women for Bahrain’ is an initiative that is working to unite Bahrainis once again. "Through the group we are trying to tell people that religion is for god, and the country is for all of us, and how sectarianism could lead to serious complications," activist and member of the media committee Fawziya Al Khaja told IPS.

The recently formed women’s group of different walks of life stands against powers in Bahrain backing sectarian tension to promote their agendas, she says.

The group commenced its activities in March, calling for love and tolerance through Internet social networks. A unity petition was launched.

A gathering in the same month followed the call for love and tolerance. It promoted meditation and other exercises.

"The group’s activities wouldn’t have a timeframe and would continue as long as we are needed, we want from the people of Bahrain to respect and accept each other regardless of their differences and to share the love of their country," Al Khaja says.

The group is also dedicated to spreading the principles of wisdom, justice and freedom to protect the dignity of people. "Through the group we are telling society and the world that the role of Bahraini women shouldn’t be overlooked, as without them the structure of family and community get affected," she explains.

Internet social networks and Blackberry messenger are now a war zone for Shiite and Sunni youth who pass hate messages back and forth constantly. Those messages criticise the differences among two sects of the same religion, president of the Bahrain Women’s Union Mariam Al Ruwaee, tells IPS.

"Mixed marriages felt the heat of tensions most, since people could shun sectarianism inside their homes, while we are confronting them insides our bedrooms," Fathiya Ibrahim, a Shiite, told IPS.

Talking about her relationship with her Sunni husband, she said: "We aren’t at ease as we share different opinions. It wasn’t like that before but situations have dragged us to this level."

Sunni academic, Haisa Al Junaid who is married to a Shiite, has so far attracted 40 women to stand together against what could threaten the stability of their families and the safety of their children - fights that turn violent at schools.

"We want to take legal actions, including filing court cases against well-known figures promoting sectarianism," Haisa announced during a recent launch of the initiative at her home.

"Through the group we want also to highlight that we are in pain from disunity in the community and disturbance of relations."

Repression continues in Bahrain

Unconfirmed reports surfaced today that a female poet who recited her anti-government poems in Pearl Square had died after enduring torture. She remains missing.

Twenty-year-old Ayat al-Ghermezi was actively involved in the peaceful protests against Bahrain’s authoritarian government led by King Hamad bin Isa. When the government’s response to the demonstrations turned violent in mid March, security forces searched Ghermezi’s home and threatened her family until they revealed her whereabouts. She was arrested shortly afterwards. Her death was reported today, although it was later claimed that the news is a leak by the Bahrain government to discredit media. Bahrain is currently under a media blackout enforced by the government.

Bahrain’s government continues to abduct both female and male protesters and human rights activists. On Monday, six female teachers and several pupils were arrested at a school in Hamad. Teachers have gone on strike several times since the beginning of demonstrations in Bahrain on February 14, to show solidarity with the aims of the protest movements. The Education Ministry has responded by setting up a committee to take action against administration staff and teachers who are active in the protests and strikes. Security forces have further abducted medical staff from several medical centres. Human Rights Watch has estimated that at least 400 activists have gone missing since the beginning of the government crack-down on March 14.

Bahraini youth began a mass hunger strike on March 18 to show their rejection of the abuses of human rights currently underway in their country. They are following the example of Zainab Alkhawaja, daughter of human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is now on her eighth day of hunger strike.

Bahrain’s government is receiving support from Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti and United Arab Emirate forces in an attempt to quell pro-democracy uprisings. The response of the international community to the violence in Bahrain has been lukewarm in comparison to previous responses in countries such as Libya and Egypt. Hesitation over the situation in Bahrain is damaging the image of Western governments in some quarters of the Arab world, as the USA is associated by many with Saudi Arabia’s government.

Petitions asking the UN, EU, USA and UK governments to take a firmer stance to dissuade the government in Bahrain from violating human rights are operating online.

Through the peaceful and democratic process of letter-writing, you can bring your concern over the situation in Bahrain, especially in regard to the deaths of human rights activists and the detention of pregnant women and children, to the attention of decision-makers around the world. For more information about the human rights situation in Bahrain, visit Human Rights Watch.

United States of America: To find and contact your representative in the USA click here, or contact the White House here.

United Kingdom: To find and contact your MP in the UK click here, or to write to the Prime Minister click here.

Austria: To contact your representative in the Austrian Parliament click here.

EU: To contact your representative in the European Parliament, click here.

UN: Contact the UN General Assembly here.

A turning point for Yemeni women

Thousands of angry women went on the March in Sana’a to condemn Saleh’s statement that women and men should not mix at protests. Yemen Times Photo by Adnan Al-Rajehi

Nadia Al-Sakkaf, editor in chief of The Yemen Times since 2005 and a member of SAVE Yemen. She has been a very active figure in Yemen and has won awards internationally for her role as a change agent in Yemen’s press and freedom struggle. Nadia tells us why Saleh's disparaging comments about women's participation in the protests were misplaced, and describes how men and women are working together to push for change in Yemen.

In the remote country of Yemen at the end of the Arabian Peninsula there is nothing but trouble. There is poverty, conflict, terrorism, a deteriorating economy and discrimination.

Yet there is another side to the story.

In the remote country of Yemen where beyond there is nothing but sea, hope is everywhere. It radiates from the soaring hearts of young men and women demanding change, in the eyes of women who bake colorful cakes to feed the protestors, in the chants of young kids who are learning for the first time the words of freedom, democracy and human rights.

The problem is that for hope to survive and make a difference it needs a chance. The change makers of Yemen, especially the women, need to be empowered in order to translate hope into progress.

Against all odds Yemeni women have broken all stereotypes and achieved the impossible. In a society ridden with traditional constraints against women, it appears that this revolution is one born and supported by men and women alike.

Not only are women leading the protests and attending to the wounded, women are also active politically in the discussion spheres online and on the ground.

In fact, in Change Square, the launching point of Yemen’s revolution there are families that camped with women and children who are determined not to return home until president Saleh leaves his. It has become personal. And the last thing you want to do is get on the bad side of a Yemeni woman.

At the beginning of the protests, women used to stay in isolated quarters and usually kept to themselves. More than once when I was visiting in the early days, as soon as I appeared at the entrance to the camp two or three men with badges found me and escorted me smoothly across the crowds shouting, “Woman coming…make way!” I found myself weaving my way, out of breath, following my guides feeling protected yet confused… where are they taking me?

In less than seven minutes I found myself approaching a cloth barrier and the men gestured to me to walk the remaining few meters on my own as I was entering a men-free zone.

They were bewildered when I refused to be tucked under the cloth barrier. I thanked them for their protection but explained that I wanted to take a walk around the protest grounds and get a feeling of how things are, not only in the women’s corner which I had already visited recently.

“I am a journalist.” I said and it made all the difference. Suddenly I was given all the freedom to walk and talk to whoever I wanted within those sacred grounds of Change Square, including the women’s corner.

Today, women in Change Square are everywhere. They are no longer confined to that section and they often take the stage to announce or comment on something. Women are there serving food, educating others on their rights or legal issues, or just being there.

It was amazing how there seemed to be a sense of liberation and purpose. It took the tens of thousands living in Change Square less than three months to change their ways and build on each other’s strengths, whether men or women.

Indeed the women’s corner is still there, much larger now that there are more women, but it is not intended to isolate them anymore.

On Friday April 15, President Saleh made a nasty comment on those women. He viciously asked what they were doing there, sleeping in the streets between all these men. His comments angered thousands of women who marched the following day for hours warning him that he is out of line and that they will not leave until he does.

There is great potential in the women of Yemen as peace makers and as human power for rebuilding the country. This is an opportunity to help Yemeni women break the chains that have held them back for many decades.

The time is now, and the women of Yemen are ready.

Thousands protest in Yemen against president's criticism of women's presence at demonstrations

Original article by Ahmed al-Haj in The Republic.

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen's anti-government movement took up the issue of women's rights in the conservative Muslim nation on Saturday, as thousands of demonstrators seeking the president's ouster denounced his comments against the participation of women in protest rallies.

In a speech Friday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said the mingling of men and women at protests in the capital was against Islamic law. Demonstrators, including thousands of women, responded by marching through the capital of Sanaa and several other cities, shouting: "Saleh, beware of injuring women's honor."

"This insult has made us more determined to remain at the opposition squares with the men to topple the ugly regime," said Jameela al-Qabsi, a female professor at an education college.

Though it was a young woman who first led anti-Saleh demonstrations on a university campus in late January, women didn't begin turning out in large numbers until early March. It was a startling step considering the Muslim nation is a largely tribal society with deeply conservative social and religious traditions.

Many Yemeni women remain out of sight and conceal themselves in public under black head-to-toe robes. The issue of child brides in Yemen has also drawn international criticism. But unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, women in Yemen are permitted to vote, run for parliament and drive cars.

Two months of near-daily protests and defections by key allies in the military, powerful tribes and diplomatic corps have failed to bring an end to Saleh's 32-year autocratic rule over the impoverished and fragile nation in the Arabian peninsula.

A crackdown on protesters by Saleh's forces has killed more than 120 people, according to Yemeni rights groups, but has not deterred crowds from gathering.

On Saturday, a group of female protesters presented the chief prosecutor with a complaint against Saleh for his remarks. Amat al-Salam Abdullah, one of the protesters, said the prosecutor ordered an investigation.

"I don't rule out that the president has been traumatized as a result of the involvement of tens of thousands of women in the demonstrations calling for his downfall," said Faiza al-Sharji, a female university professor.

The youth movement leading the anti-government protests took up the women's cause, calling for people to come out in millions on Sunday for a day of "honor and dignity."

The youth movement said in a statement that Saleh's comments were "a continuation of his violations against the Yemeni people after he killed them and accused them of being agents and outlaws."

Advocacy for women's rights in Yemen is rooted in the 1967-1990 period when the once-independent south had a socialist government. After unification, women in the south became more marginalized, resulting in high unemployment among female university graduates.

Power of the people

Yemen's recent protests have been small in comparison to the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. Our parnter in Yemen and editor of the Yemen Times, Nadia Al-Saqqaf, asks whether the difference lies in culture, history, education or civil society.

Watching the news unfold in Tunisia, where mass demonstrations have recently forced the President to flee the country, creates mixed feelings in Yemen. Many of us are happy that the people of an Arab country are standing up for themselves and creating change in a peaceful manner. Personally, I am jealous, apprehensive and doubtful.

I am jealous of the Tunisian people’s strength and unity: how they managed to win the army over to their side.

I wonder whether something like this could happen in Yemen? Could the people revolt and demand dignity? And if they did, would the army be there to support them or would it instead be killing protestors and putting them in prison?

I fear that Yemenis would let each other down. The Tunisian protests began in a few towns in mid-December and spread in a scattered fashion. They were not organized by an opposition political party or by civil society organizations that herded them onto buses or paid for them to chant slogans as we see in Yemen.

Gradually more and more Tunisians took to the streets and joined hands in solidarity at each other’s suffering. There were in it together and knew that the way out required that they stood together united.

And I am also doubtful, doubtful whether Yemenis will stand up for themselves any time soon. Certainly not until they stop being sedated by qat and spending hours every day building castles in the sky. Do Yemenis really care about what is going on in their country?

Perhaps the fact that so many Yemenis are illiterate compared to the 100% literacy rate in Tunisia is a factor. But is feeling hunger, deprivation, and injustice dependant on education? Are educated people more sensitive to their physical and emotional needs than uneducated ones?

On the other hand Yemen has much stronger civil society than Tunisia with a more free and independent media and a semi-democratic system that allows for multiple political parties. Both of these were non-existent in Tunisia.

Or maybe it’s about history? Tunisians had their revolution 23 years ago compared to ours almost 50 years ago. Perhaps our revolution was so long ago that we’ve forgotten how to do it?

Yemenis are hungry, unemployed, uneducated, unhealthy and increasingly unhappy. How much lower do we need to sink before we stand up for ourselves and demand more respect from our rulers?

Originally published in Yemen Times on 15.01.2011