Bahrain’s government should address serious and systematic abuses that officials and members of its security forces committed during a widespread crackdown on anti-government protests, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2012; here.
A mission report by six international organisation who travelled to Bahrain last November accuses the Bahraini authorities of failing to deliver on promises of reform, despite a highly-touted commission of inquiry. Bahrain has now experienced almost a year of turmoil, as the anniversary of unrest, 14 February, draws near. Despite promises of change, rights violations continue on a daily basis, and individuals jailed during the government crackdown in February and March remain in prison: here.
While unarmed civilians die on Bahrain’s streets, the king of the tiny oil-rich nation continues to tell his people he is eager for dialogue and refuses entry to a prominent human rights champion from the U.S. Denied a visa was Richard Sollom, deputy president of the US-Based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), who was hoping to attend the trial of doctors and nurses that treated injured protestors during months of unrest last year: here.
Bahrain Grand Prix again in doubt as US State Department moves staff due to political unrest: here.
Dublin/London: International Mission to Bahrain Report “Justice Denied in Bahrain: Freedom of Expression and Assembly Curtailed” says promises for reform unfulfilled, while situation deteriorates: here.
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Four Indians die of gas poisoning in Bahrain
Press Trust Of India
Dubai, January 24, 2012
Four Indians working as labourers in Bahrain have died of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning in the country’s Hamad Town. Police said the men never woke up after lighting a wood fire in an empty paint drum before going to bed in the room they shared on Sunday. A fifth worker
survived.
All the five were from Kerala, the Gulf Daily News reported. The bodies were discovered on Monday morning by their colleagues who went to check on them after they failed to show up for work.
The survivor was identified as Sunil Sashidharan, 53, who was rushed to hospital and is stated to be in a critical condition, police said.
The head of Labour Ministry inspections and labour unions, Ahmed Al Haiki, called for awareness campaigns to educate low-paid workers about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
“It is very sad these men have died due to something that could easily have been prevented. They would never have done what they did if only they had been more aware,” he said.
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Arrests in Bahrain as Shiites protest
Bahraini police uses force to disperse a peaceful protest by opposition groups, making several arrests in Shiite villages
AFP , Wednesday 25 Jan 2012
Bahraini police dispersed anti-government protesters who blocked roads in several villages, an official statement said on Wednesday, as tensions in the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom continue to rise.
Public Security Chief Major General Tariq al-Hassan said “vandals blocked roads” and threw petrol bombs during Tuesday night clashes, according to a statement published on the official BNA news agency website.
Hassan said security forces made “several arrests” in Shiite villages, but gave no further details on the exact location of the clashes or if there were any injuries.
Former opposition MP Matar Matar told AFP that protesters clashed with security forces in at least four Shiite villages, leaving several people injured, including one who remains in serious condition after being hit on the head with a tear gas canister.
“One young man is in hospital and is in critical condition,” said Matar, who is also a member of the key Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq, noting another two protesters have been killed in recent months from similar tear gas injuries.
“This indicates the existence of a (government) policy to intentionally injure protesters rather than just merely disperse them,” said Matar.
On December 31, Al-Wefaq said 15-year-old Sayyed Hashem Saeed died after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister.
The government at the time released a statement saying they would investigate the teenager’s death.
According to Matar, Tuesday night’s clashes erupted after posts on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, called on Bahrainis to go out and “confront” the security forces.
Al-Wefaq has posted videos and pictures of the unrest on its Facebook page, including images of police officers in the Shiite villages of Sitra and Bani Jamra, dressed in full riot gear and hurling objects, including metal rods, at a small crowd of young men.
In another image posted on the page, plumes of tear gas can be seen wafting through the night skies over the Shiite town of Bani Jamra.
On Monday, the United States said it was relocating embassy staff and their families to new neighborhoods in Bahrain’s capital Manama as part of safety precautions amid anti-government unrest.
A crackdown on Shiite-led protests in mid-March last year led to the deaths of 35 people, including five security personnel and five detainees tortured to death, a commission appointed by the king to investigate the unrest said.
Tensions have remained high in Bahrain since the initial crackdown last spring, and sporadic violence has risen in recent weeks as the first anniversary approaches of the launch of the protests against the government.
Bahrain’s Shiite community, although a majority in the kingdom ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, has complained of marginalisation.
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January 25, 2012 9:11 AM
Bahrain police fire tear gas at rally in capital
(AP) MANAMA, Bahrain — Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas and stun grenade after opposition groups staged a rare march into the center of the capital Manama.
Police set up checkpoints and many shops were closed after the Wednesday unrest. Clashes occur almost daily in the island kingdom, but mostly in areas outside the Manama’s business districts.
Bahrain’s majority Shiites began protests nearly a year ago to seek greater rights from the ruling Sunni monarchy.
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