Hasad al sahat 2015

Independent e-newspaper concerned in Bahrain issues

The Yearbook 2015 A book that records the events of the Bahraini Revolution on the political, legal, social, local and international levels. It is published annually

First editon, Beirut, March 2016 Š Copyright. Bahrain Mirror. All rights reserved

www.bhmirror.no-ip.org | www.bahrainmirror.com editor@bahrainmirror.com | info@bahrainmirror.com ISBN 978 - 9953 - 0 - 3592 - 5

The Yearbook 2015

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English section

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11 - 103

Sheikh Salman’s last interview before his arrest 11 Public Prosecution or “ISIS": Who is Trying Bahraini Opposition Leader?

21 Bahrain: Torture Based on "British Project 25 Bahraini Telecom's Ad Depicts Torture Chambers 29 Detained Activist Mohammad Ramadan 33 That’s How We Saw Detainee Ali Sanqour 35 Abbas Al-Sameea: I am being executed everyday 39 Child Mohammad Al-Mo’men: I was Beaten & Tortured with Electric Shocks 43 Sharif: While Tortured, I Thought of Popular Front & Al-Nuaimi 47 Testimonies: This Is the Sheikh Hassan Isa We Know..

63 An interview with Nasser Al Raas: 67 With My Own Pen I write: I am Abdulajalil Al-Singace 73 #Dad_is_an_officer: Bahrain's Unwritten Law 77 Because She's Shiite: Fatima's Scholarship (%99 GPA) Goes to Another 79 Western Critics Mock Bahraini King's Claims to "Fighting Sectarianism" 83 Tale of Freedom 87 The Rumors of Bahrain 's FM against Iran: in the "Nuclear" Era! 91 Bahraini Opposition: 3 Decades of Arms Stockpiling Under Suspension 95 Bahraini ISIS: We'll enter Bahrain by arms not passports & behead the King 97 Pro-Regime Papers & Figures in Bahrain Mourn Terrorist Zahran Alloush 99 Who Is Funding "This Is Bahrain" Campaign?

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To the February 14 generation...

The streets that were honored to carry your feet will one day become fields where you will harvest your victories

9

Introduction Throughout this year of many chapters, Bahrain has witnessed the prosecution of the opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, secretary general of Bahrain’s main opposition society Al-Wefaq, which marked the most significant turning point of 2015. Many cases of torture and ill-treatment emerged this year, as further evidence showed the ongoing practice of brutal torture methods by authorities against detained human rights activists and opposition figures. The Yearbook of 2015 addresses these issues and other events that took place in Bahrain, featuring a series of Bahrain Mirror reports and articles.

In this yearbook, also a number of issues regarding the policies of double-standards and discrimination against Shiite citizens in Bahrain were tackled, ranging from arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, stripping of citizenships to depriving students of their right to scholarships, not to mention violations of freedom of expression and suspension of media outlets linked to the opposition.

The tense relations between Bahrain and Iran are addressed as well, in addition to the government’s long-lasting disregard and “not so innocent” lenient behaviour when dealing with one of the most extremist groups in the world- ISIS- leaving Bahrain as an easy target for the terrorist organization.

11 Sheikh Salman’s last interview before his arrest: Bahrain’s Shia live and die in fear…the West adopted a double-standard approach During a lengthy interview with Press TV, Al-Wefaq Society Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman presented an overview of the situation in Bahrain, particularly highlighting the religious and economic discrimination practiced by government authorities against the country’s Shia majority.

Further emphasizing the deteriorating human rights situation in the island kingdom, the prominent opposition leader said that: “The civil service also punishes clerks for participating in political activities”.

The following is the full interview: Press TV: After the revolution in 2011, the regime promised to introduce some reforms. So has anything actually changed since then?

Salman: In the assessment of the opposition and according to the report of Mr. [Mahmoud] Bassiouni, [the head of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)] and human rights organizations, certain actions have led to a deterioration of the situation.

For example, laws have been issued that are to be oppressive like the terrorism law, judicial laws, laws which prevent freedom of expression including protesting in the capital, and punishing parents because their children participated in peaceful protests.

The civil service also punishes clerks for participating in political activities and there are other oppressive laws now including legalizing revoking nationality from citizens, which is the opposite of international norms.

In reality, they have fired the few Shias who held a position in the government. According to Mr. Bassiouni’s report, 4,800 citizens were sacked from their jobs but the number is actually higher because the sacking continued on an individual basis even after the report.

Also, Shia and opposition members don’t get subsequently hired in different jobs and this isn’t only in the military field, but also in civilian fields like health and education.

12 And they’re brought foreign workers to take these jobs from the citizens. So the reforms that they are talking about mean that we have 3,000 people detained in Bahraini prisons.

More than 150 people have been sentenced to life in prison and two are sentenced to death. There were actually more death sentences than this but they were eventually converted to life sentences, but still two remain on death row.

These are backward steps. And they are not just claimed by the opposition but from independent human rights organizations and Mr. Bassiouni’s report.

The government refuses to allow international observers to come and observe what is happening in Bahrain. They restrict the activities of the media and impose restrictions on human rights organizations and give limited licenses in limited periods and also only allow limited programs which have been put under official control.

The situation is deteriorating more than it is improving politically and socially and on top of that the economy –which is tied to employment and economic freedom- is causing citizens to suffer greatly.

Press TV: Let’s talk about life for the average Shia citizen. What is it like for them here?

Salman: The life of a Shia citizen in Bahrain begins with the difficulty of starting a family because there’s high unemployment, low wages amongst them. He [Shia citizen] cannot find a job in the government institutions. The private sector offers jobs but with very low salaries ranging from 200 to 300 BD. So the Shia youth delay marriage as a result. Then when he gets married he has difficulties having kids because he doesn’t have a place to live or stay. He can’t rent a place so he lives with his parents and they create small rooms where the father, mother, and the children live in. And then there is the dilemma of naming his child. Despite being Shia, he avoids giving his child a Shia name because if he gives him or her a Shia name they will be punished in the future.

This could be when trying to get a job, a scholarship, or even the possibility of getting insulted at a checkpoint, police station or when traveling from Bahrain. So, the father will imagine the future of his child and realize that he will only get a job in the private sector; he will imagine the difficulties he will face in his education and that he won’t receive a scholarship. Even if he gets 98 to 99 percent, a scholarship is not guaranteed.

However, another citizen with an 80 percent mark can get a scholarship because he is from a different sect.

13 He will struggle to find a good job; Even if he is a doctor, he will be jobless, or he will have a very low-skilled job. So, the regime has created a system so Shias never get good jobs. They will become cleaners or do manual labor. The high position jobs are reserved for the respected Sunni sects or migrant workers the government brings from outside to occupy these positions.

In all situations he will live in fear of getting detained. Either his father is arrested or his mother is arrested, or he will be fired. His father will be fired or he will be unemployed.

He will always live in economic hardship or in fear of getting arrested. So starting from age 12 or 13, he will face the threat of arrest until he reaches the age of 60 or 70. So he will live in fear of arrest since he is born until he dies. This is in summary, the situation of the Shia in Bahrain.

Press TV: And how difficult is it for them to practice their faith here in Bahrain?

Salman: From the old times Bahrain was a small island known for its love of the Ahlul Bait. When the Al-Khalifa came to Bahrain, they saw people not working during the ten days leading to Ashura. Life and all activities change in the country during these ten days. But now look at the many signs of oppression that exist here. The 9th and 10th of Muharram are official holidays but in the media there is no mention of Shia religious existence.

The media only focuses on the Sunni religious activities and nothing from the Shia perspective. On Fridays you will see a live broadcast of the Sunni sermons from Sunni mosques. For example, the biggest Sunni mosque al-Fatah will have a live television broadcast of the entire sermon but there is no broadcast from any Shia mosques. The official radio station will only focus on the Sunni religious school of thought. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is controlled by Sunnis, and the official by Sunnis, and the official delegations to almost anywhere will always have a majority Sunni representation.

And the religious textbooks deliver only the Sunni perspective. But not only that, the Shia belief and school of thought is clearly attacked and insulted. For example, Shia beliefs such as visiting graves or belief in the Imams from the household of the holy Prophet [Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him] are often attacked.

The Shia in Bahrain are the indigenous population so you’ll see they have lots of old mosques and religious congregation halls. But in new places like Hammad town which was established in 1982, Shias till today don’t have permission for these places. There is

14 only one religious congregation hall in another town called Isa town and this town was established in the 60s.

In areas like East Riffa and the new Arad they are prohibited from building a congregation hall despite there being a request to build one for years. And in Hammad town there are 40 Sunni mosques and only 10 for Shias. In the Seef area, they aren’t allowed to build a mosque despite them trying to get a permit to build one for the last 10 years. The regime is not allowing them to build a mosque in a commercial area despite the fact that it is surrounded by Shia villages like Karbabad. However, our beloved Sunni brothers have a mosque in the same area. So, Shia’s are suffering as a result of these practices. They get arrested for giving Friday sermons or Ashura religious sermons.

But Shias had been living in Bahrain before the Al-Khalifa came to the country so the traditional Shia practices are still preserved because of that.

Press TV: What is the police presence like in Shia villages?

Salman: Through your visit you are going to see that there are many security checkpoints around almost every Shia village. Here in the al-Bilad village, you will see a checkpoint at the entrance and it is permanent, you will see a lot of mobile checkpoints throughout the Shia villages, especially.

These checkpoints increase during the weekends, as there are many peaceful protests during this period. These checkpoints could stop any car and ask you for your identification and you could very well be beaten and arrested and this has happened to many citizens. And then on average, every Shia village has faced on a daily basis 10, 20, 30 house raids during the last three years.

According to Bassiouni’s report, during those house raids, the Shia citizens are attacked verbally and physically and they are disrespected. And after that they will accuse them of being confrontational with the policemen. An old lady died because of one such raid.

Many people are annoyed because women are not even given enough time to cover themselves during house raids. Shia villages could be attacked at any time in order to arrest someone. Such acts have been happening for the last 3.5 years.

Press TV: How are the clerics treated here?

Salman: There is no difference between a Shia cleric or a Shia citizen. But if a Shia cleric discusses politics or tries to spread or advocate justice in society or political equality,

15 he will be punished on that basis. The punishment will be the result of him calling for political reform.

Press TV: And what about the Shia opposition?

Salman: Shia-whether opposition or citizens- are treated as second-class citizens. They don’t have equal rights like other citizens. In terms of ranking rights in Bahrain, the royal family comes first to which the King and the Crown Prince belong, according to the constitution, the Prime Minister, who’s been in power for 43 years, also comes from this family. As well as the Interior Minister, the Defense Minister, the Justice Minister, the Finance Minister and other ministers. So all the high positions in the government are controlled by this family. Then after this you get the pro-regime families which come from the respected Sunni families who came with the Al-Khalifa when they entered Bahrain. Al-Khalifa gave them these positions on a tribal basis or to please their tribe.

Then comes the ordinary Sunni families. Then finally you get the Shia citizens in the country. This is the reality of how the country is divided. Shias are denied important positions in the government and especially in the security sector. With the exception of those who work for the government as informants. The Shia represent only 17 percent in the top government structure with many acting as ministers and deputy ministers.

However, according to various sources, Shias make up 60 to 70 percent of the population.

Until the foreign naturalization process, this was a much higher figure. So this is the situation of the Shia in the country.

Press TV: Let’s move on to Bahrain’s Western allies, mainly Britain. I mean, why are they turning a blind eye to the regime’s activities?

Salman: Because of the clear contradiction between the principles in the West and their interests in Bahrain, despite the fact that West believes in the protection of human rights and democracy. But when it comes to the regimes in the region such values are ignored and not discussed on a greater level because of these interests they have in the Persian Gulf. You will see very soft language from the West to the regime here and complete ignorance of the current human rights situation.

Press TV: How have other countries with in the Persian Gulf help the Bahraini regime suppress the protests?

Salman: It’s not a secret that some countries have sent military troops into Bahrain like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and these forces came to the country

16 because of the popular uprising of the people in Bahrain and not because there was a foreign intervention like they claim, but because there is a demand for democracy.

Then there’s a huge budget given to Bahrain in economic aid through the Marshall fund program by the (P)GCC, around 10 billion over 10 years since 2011. And there is clear media and very strong political support from neighborhood countries for the Bahraini regime. The regime is using this aid and support to suppress people, yet not fulfilling people’s demands, but I don’t believe it was meant for this.

However, as we understand there is a desire within Persian Gulf states, at least a few of them, to stabilize Bahrain through political agreement with the people. But the Bahraini regime and the hardliners in the regime refused any level of reform.

Press TV: Moving on to the recent elections, why did your party decide to boycott them?

Salman: These elections will not bring about any democratic results and the winners of these elections will not have any legislative power. They cannot form a government, nor decide on a government, nor can the performance of a government be monitored in a serious way. The main demand of the opposition and of the majority of the people in Bahrain is to have a fully elected parliament that can have the full legislative powers and control. And the government should come from the outcome of this election but these elections are not going to create this. For this reason the opposition boycotted this election after we tried to participate in the past and to make a change through the establishment.

But the fact is that it is controlled by the royal family and they appointed 40 members in the legislative council in the parliament and they also chose the government which we have no right to accept or reject.

Press TV: Going back to the elections, would you say there was any manipulation that took place?

Salman: The first thing you notice when you look at the districts is that the outcome of the election will result in the pro-government and loyalists gaining the majority of the seats. However, the reality is that the majority of the people are supporting the opposition.

If we participate in the election we would gain the majority of the votes; however, we would be a minority in parliament as we would not get the equivalent seats. There was clear intimidation in the last election to increase the turnout by stamping passports and

17 sending messages to every single household to participate in the election and forcing members of the security apparatus to participate in the election with their families.

The main newspapers in the country were also used to announce on the front pages that those who don’t participate in the election will not receive government services like housing and education and health.

This is clear intimidation which is not acceptable and also there are probably fake votes or manipulation of the votes by adding votes that do not exist especially as there is no international monitoring of the elections. And many newly illegal naturalized citizens were forces or pressured to participate in the election. In the law, any newly naturalized person has to wait for 10 years before he or she can participate in the election in accordance to the 1963 law of naturalization. For example, there was a priest who was recently naturalized and he was allowed to vote and this is a clear violation of Bahrain law.

According to the official numbers, 52 percent of people voted and the participation in the second round was at 40 percent. But we believe according to figures only 35 to 37 percent voted.

Press TV: So, tell me what is Shia representation like in parliament?

Salman: There are two chambers in the Bahraini parliament. In the elected chamber, there were 13 Shia in the last election out of 40. In the appointed chamber, I think 17 or 18 deputies (out of 40).

Press TV: What are the main demands of the opposition? What kind of reforms are you looking for?

Salman: The demands and reforms the people of Bahrain are calling for are simple, rightful, and necessary. The first demand is equality amongst all citizens. A transfer in the system of state from tribal rule based on a sheikh and the family of the sheikh and the rest of the population in a state of subservience to this family. This is tribal rule. Now, the opposition wants to move to a system of state where all citizens are equal and they have the same rights, including the right to vote where their votes are equal and not a system where the vote of the Sunni is more than the Shia.

The second demand is to have a parliament that is freely and fairly elected and has the full legislative power and no appointed members. And the third demand is that the electoral process result in an elected government chosen by the people and not on

18 that is imposed on them. We also want a fair and independent judicial system. And not a politically motivated one like the one we have now and this is also one of the recommendations of Mr. Bassiouni’s report.

In addition, everyone in the country should be able to be part of the security establishment.

These are the five major demands of the opposition. Besides this we call for the subject of naturalization to be reviewed. This is about naturalizing foreigners and outsiders becoming part of the security apparatus used to oppress the people of Bahrain who are demanding their rights.

There was a statement made by Pakistani ambassador about naturalizing 30,000 Pakistanis in Bahrain. This is in addition to the issue of discrimination that has been going on for years and did not just start with the recent incidents. However, this has increased in the last four years even if the discrimination policies have been in place by this regime for years.

So, what is needed is a revision of these policies so justice can be brought to the victims of these policies. These are the main demands of the opposition.

Press TV: Now, you have tried to participate in the elections and you have also tried to participate in the boycott in the election. But it seems creating change has been quite difficult. So do you think that change will ever come about and what do you plan on doing next?

Salman: The political process in Bahrain is suffering from the stubbornness of the regime which rejects the idea of reform, especially gradual, and logical reform. And from our experience we have decided it is best for us to continue with our demand in a peaceful way until we are successful like other countries who reached reform not through participating in the parliament.

What was proven in the Arab Spring is that masses of people are the cause of real change. Except in Morocco, there was a moving forward through the route of the parliament. But because the regime is refusing to reform we will continue our demand through peaceful protest and peaceful methods until the regime realizes that we are not going away. And we will follow through with our political work and political pressure and media advocacy until we reach our goal.

19 Press TV: And finally, what message will you give to the Al-Khalifa regime and to the people of Bahrain?

Salman: The message is to establish a political system that is humanitarian, democratic, and serves the general interests of Bahrainis from the al-Khalifa to the Shia and the Sunni. This is the only way for Bahrain to move forward and have stability. The continuation of the tribal mentality by the regime is no longer accepted and is the main reason for the problems Bahrain has faced throughout the years. Bahrain needs all its citizens to work together to establish prosperity and security. And my message to the noble people of Bahrain is that they continue their demands in a peaceful way until we gain equal citizenship and a democratic country.

21 Public Prosecution or “ISIS": Who is Trying the Shiite Bahraini Opposition Leader?

In the strangest political\religious trial that Bahrain has witnessed, before Judge Ali AlDhahrani, a case with only one plea was presented by the Public Prosecution against the Bahraini opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman.

Judge Al-Dhahrani, who presides over the court whose three members are Sunni, listened to the lengthy plea of the public attorney, Osama Al-Awfi, who is also a Sunni, and then gave the Bahraini opposition leader, the Shiite cleric, Sheikh Ali Salman permission to speak, yet the judge angrily interrupted Sheikh Salman after a few minutes and stopped him from talking. Al-Dhahrani adjourned the hearing without receiving the plea documents of Sheikh Salman's defense team. The court also prevented them from speaking, noting that the team is made up of both Sunni and Shiite lawyers.

This is how the lawsuit was formed, although the judge was supposed to issue the court ruling after two weeks from now: The only plea delivered in court had over 50 pages!

Even this plea wasn't allowed to be given to the defense panel. This plea and the very suspicious court proceedings did not take more than a half an hour!

Frustration wasn't the only thing that took over the court hearing, the religious aspect was very evident.

The prosecution's representative, Al-Awfi, opened the plea with some verses of the Quran to give his arguments a sense of holiness and legitimacy, and then said: "The defendant hasn't stopped harming the nation. By "nation", he means the Sunni society, as the extremist Sunni preacher Abdullah Al-Nufaisi stated in one of his speeches that he delivered in a Bahraini mosque: "They are a sect...We are the nation."

Al-Awfi goes on to say to Sheikh Salman: "We came here to tell you to read the book of your deeds and await the court's judgment." The prosecution also analyzed Salman's speeches in a religious and not legal manner, of course, as it claimed that "Salman considers opposing the regime and standing against it is an act of Jihad and a religious duty."

22 The "Shiite platform" was under attack by the court's contempt and hatred in this plea/ lecture. The prosecution spoke of Sheikh Salman's speeches, which all the Shiites in Bahrain believe represent and express their voice (Sheikh Ali Salman was leading the Friday prayer in the biggest Shiite mosques in Bahrain in place of Sheikh Isa Qasim).

Al-Awfi accused Salman of "dedicating his platform, knowledge and call to instigate sedition in the nation and incite hatred, rather than benefit and serve the people."

This religious trial also didn't fail to highlight the situation in Iraq as an example; Iraq which has been devastated by the attacks of extremist Sunni groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). For a while, the media propaganda was turning the entire conflict in Iraq to a sectarian one, accusing the Shiites of controlling power and alienating the Sunnis. This is what the prosecution accused Salman of. It claimed that he is turning Bahrain into an "Iraq version" where he becomes the Shiite in control governing the country and alienating the Sunnis (including the prosecution representative and court members of course).

This is the same sectarian/political language adopted by Sheikh Abdulatif Mahmoud, who declared himself as the leader of the Bahraini Sunnis in 2011. It is the same language adopted by extremist Sunni clerics in Bahrain like Adel Al-Hamad, Naji AlArabi, Mohammad Khalid, Salah Al-Jowdar, Jalal Al-Sharqi, Jasem Al-Saedi and so many more.

The court isn't trying these people who have attacked the Shiite sect with their bitter words, declared them infidels, permitted shedding their blood, called for destroying their mosques and religious centers and kicking them out of their country. They insulted their religion, rituals, beliefs and holies. Their speeches are killing Shiite Muslims today even during their performance of Friday prayers.

Instead of bringing these people to trial, the court is trying the man who once said: "O beloved ones, every Sunni individual or home is in the trust and protection of us, Shiites...The safety and security of every Sunni in this country is my personal security and safety. His blood is my blood. I do not allow or accept anyone to hurt any Sunni, today, tomorrow, or the day after that. Any attack on them is an attack on me personally."

The ISIS platform is trying Salman today!

The prosecution's representative is still angry because Salman said that some members of Bahraini institutions are affiliated with ISIS and still refuses to admit that ISIS are among us; even though Bahrain exported the second most important "theorist" in ISIS

23 (Turki Al-Binali); even though they are bombing Shiite mosques in Qatif, Dammam and Al-Hasa, after destroying tombs and mosques in Syria and Iraq.

Al-Awfi; however, stands to defend his people, even if they were ISIS militants. His plea is clear and enough to prove that he has an extremist ISIS mentality which overwhelmed the entire court hearing yet it was disguised by the government and law.

Al-Awfi says that Salman's speeches clearly show that he called for the overthrow of the regime by military force, yet, in reality, Al-Awfi's plea/lecture was very clear and flagrant. He even dared to reveal his ISIS face in this sham trial of the major Shiite political leader in Bahrain in front of the whole world.

He excuses murder because those committing these atrocities, which are considered crimes against humanity, are followers of his sect. He; however, accuses the Shiites of committing these crimes.

Hate speech is not restricted to extremist sermons delivered in mosques anymore, it is now openly present in courts and delivered by the public prosecution. The only thing the prosecution missed is ending its plea by declaring Sheikh Ali Salman a "Rafidi, Infidel" and punish him for that.

25

Bahrain: Torture Based on "British Project "Look at this great presentation, do you see! This is all the work of the British intelligence that is working with us," an officer said as he pointed at a "projector" showing phone conversations between a group of detainees. It was the first time the detainees saw what's happening around them since they were arrested and blindfolded on November 3, 2015.

Maybe these torturer's words reveal the truth about the information Britain presented to the United Nations on Bahrain's so-called success in reforming its security bodies.

Very excessive acts of torture were practiced in one of the latest cases of detainees in Bahrain. That's what the detainees' parents said according to their sons' accounts. Some of the families picked up their sons clothes from the criminal investigations unit and the parents of one of the detainees were very shocked to see that their son's shirt was covered with blood stains, revealing the severity of torture the detainees suffer from.

It is noteworthy that the Bahraini authorities arrested 45 people on Tuesday (November 3, 2015). The detainees said that the Interior Ministry accused them of forming a cell aimed at committing violent acts, manufacturing and collecting arms in addition to incitement. This is a series of repeated charges brought against dozens of "cells" announced by the Interior Ministry.

The detainees reported that new lethal devices are being used to torture them on their genitals and that their condition has become devastating because of these torture methods. Some are not able to walk and one of them told his family that his genitalia is completely damaged. It was reported that detainee Hussein Abdullah Khalaf was exposed to torture until he passed out repeatedly and was admitted to the military hospital. He was also beaten severely on his genital area to the extent that he is no longer able to walk normally. After he was brought back from the hospital, he was also deprived of his pain relieving medication.

It is noteworthy that one of the detainees informed his family that he was interrogated

26 in Dry Dock Prison and not in the investigations unit. Those questioning him were also wearing military uniforms.

This is some of the information emerging from the torture chambers built by the Interior Ministry oppressors who are proud of the unlimited security support from the British intelligence.

Eight youths were arrested from Bilad Al-Qadeem area on November 3, 2015, and taken to an isolated prison linked to Jaw Central Prison, and they remained blindfolded for 24 days. Each detainee was held in solitary confinement. Every one of them was taken separately to the criminal investigations unit, where a number of national security body officers interrogated and tortured them.

Concerning the arrest of Hussein Abdullah, his family stated that their house was raided at 2 a.m. in the morning. His parents were locked inside a room and prevented from leaving until 8 a.m. The security forces who broke into the house to arrest Hussein took an amount of more than 3,500 Bahraini dinars; Hussein had received this money a day before in exchange for his father's car. They also took some of their belongings and a number of new shoes that haven't been opened yet.

It was reported that during the arrest of Hassan Al-Raml, the security forces took his wife's gold necklace that is worth 1,200 BD. One of the families said that they filed a complaint at the Ombudsman reporting stolen amounts of money during their son's arrest. The family was later surprised to find out that their son was severely beaten and insulted during his interrogation because of this complaint they filed against the security forces.

"For 24 days, we haven't slept but a little. We were brutally tortured. The officers were unbelievably brutal; they bragged all the time about Britain and reiterated in front of us that the Bahraini regime is not alone and that world powers are supporting it against us.

That's what we understood," said the detainees to their families.

"Mahdi khalaf was accused of being behind the formation of the cell. He was repeatedly tortured until Wednesday (December 2, 2015). We heard Mahdi Khalaf's screams as they tortured him in cellblock 12 in Dry Dock Prison where we were transferred to a few days ago. The sounds of torture reached the solitary confinement cells. Mahdi is

27 still being severely tortured on a daily basis. He is being taken from Dry Dock Prison, interrogated, tortured and then returned once again," they added.

"There is nothing but coerced confessions and repeatedly made-up scenarios, yet the pain is what remains and their brutal torture practices continue. These are not humans and those who support them are worse than them," the families of detainees stressed, describing the security officers at prison.

"My brother refused to stand up before our parents left the visitation room and after they did, I was shocked to see how my brother's legs were arched. An officer with a cruel face came to help him walk. My brother couldn't walk!," one of the detainees' sister said.

The British role remains convenient for the "torture project" that the Bahraini security forces follow; the torture whose tools became more brutal as the support of British intelligence granted to Bahraini authorities increased. The UK claims that this support is aimed at improving police practices according to international standards, creating enough awareness of these practices and holding sessions on human rights, and on security and the justice system as well! This is the major British lie!

29 Bahraini Telecom's Ad Depicts Torture Chambers A video ad by VIVA shown in movie theatres in Bahrain depicted an aspect of the torture practiced by regime forces who according to reports continue to practice acts of torture in Bahraini prisons to date.

As the video ad aims at informing the viewers in a humorous way about VIVA's new online service for purchasing movie theatre tickets, this torture scene (unintentionally) revealed a deep awareness of the widespread practice of torture by security bodies, showing as if torture is something familiar to the Bahraini culture and national consciousness.

This ad is being run in the advertising segment which comes prior to every movie showtime in Bahrain. VIVA has seven movie theatres in the island kingdom which are located in Seef, City Center, Saar and Muharraq malls and two others in the Bahraini capital Manama.

The video ad was launched as well on the company's YouTube channel on September 4th 2015.

The scene shows three Bahrainis; one playing the role of the accused and two others representing a bodyguard and a detective. The scene begins with the suspect's heavy breathing while the detective enters a gloomy torture room with a cigarette in his hand.

It wasn't clear what the objects in the room were but some odd tools and devices were shown (including car parts and devices and a lathe). Observers said that it's either a distraction or a cautious attempt to camouflage the types of tools and devices used for torture.

While the accused was tied up on a chair in an awful condition as bruises were shown on his face and he seemed to be frightened and in panic, the detective began interrogating him very harshly, trying to find any contradictions or lies in his answers. The detective asks: "Where were you at 10 o'clock? The suspect replies: "I told you at the cinema,"

30 implying that the detective asked him the same question repeatedly as during an interrogation.

The detective yells in his face calling him a liar, and then the bodyguard cracks his knuckles, signaling that he is ready to follow orders to torture him. Thus, the accused cries in a sarcastic way and tries to back his answer by confirming that he is always alone.

The detective approaches the accused, stands behind him and puts his hands on his shoulders to make the suspect panic even more, and then he pushes his head forward asking him more details.

The last question is the main idea and purpose of the whole video ad. The detective asks: "My sources state that you didn't stand in line to buy your ticket. How did you get in?," in an attempt to accuse him of lying, but the suspect answers by saying: "online".

The scene doesn't end by highlighting the detective's stupidity and the oppression the suspect experienced, but it rather shows the detective eating popcorn and ordering the accused to book two tickets online and even pay for them, in order to highlight how great this new service is.

VIVA exclusively offers this service. It is a branch of the Saudi telecom company STC and the third mobile network operator in Bahrain and has gained a huge share in the market with its massive offers.

A private production company produces VIVA's advertising pieces and it seems that neither companies intended to excite any political aspects by the video ad, which was widely received as it gained over 41,000 views on YouTube and most of the comments on the video was positive and expressing admiration at the clip's humor.

However, it is unknown how moviegoers, who represent different factions of the Bahraini population, reacted to the clip, especially foreigners, who were acknowledged by the video since there were english subtitles.

Nonetheless, there are many interpretations of the motives behind this kind of material.

However, in a place like Bahrain, it would be difficult to avoid the frightening reality that the country is experiencing, as the authorities are torturing thousands of Shiite dissenters in prison since 2011.

31 The scene in the clip seemed even more realistic since it is taking place in Bahrain, the actors are Bahrainis and they are using a local Bahraini accent.

An independent investigation by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), ordered by Bahrain's King, has proven many detainees were subjected to torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse by government agencies while in custody, which in some cases was aimed at extracting confessions and statements under duress, while in other cases was intended for the purpose of retribution and punishment of thousands of political prisoners, since the brutal crackdown was launched against the predominantly Shiite-led opposition in March 2011.

The BICI report stated that the most common techniques for mistreatment used on detainees included the following: blindfolding; handcuffing; enforced standing for prolonged periods; beating; punching; hitting the detainee with rubber hoses (including on the soles of feet), cables, whips, metal, wooden planks or other objects; electrocution; sleep-deprivation; exposure to extreme temperatures; verbal abuse; threats of rape; and insulting the detainee‘s religious sect (Shia).

The BICI also said that the extent of this physical and psychological mistreatment is evidence of a deliberate practice against "certain categories of detainees," which are the Shiite political prisoners.

Despite all the promises announced by the king to deal with all the atrocities mentioned in the report and punish those responsible of these crimes, international organizations confirm that torture is still being practiced in Bahraini police stations, and prisons, no one has been held accountable for these crimes yet and all the sentences issued by Bahraini courts were based on confessions extracted under duress.

Instead of releasing the detainees, especially activists whose stories of torture became well-known, the Bahraini courts are sentencing the majority to prison and has imprisoned some of them who have been released, including a doctor, whom the authorities forced to eat his own feces!

33 Detained Activist Mohammad Ramadan: Authorities Took Me to Pro-Gov’t Rallies to Listen to “We Want Reprisal� Chants In reality, Bahrain is not a state, for if it was, it wouldn't be possible to have a detainee taken to have a "tour" outside prison around pro-government rallies supporting the ruling Al Khalifa family, so that he would listen to the demonstrators as they chanted "[We want] reprisal...[We want] reprisal."

This is not a figment of imagination but a statement given by a detained activist sentenced to death, Mohammad Ramadan, who the Bahraini authorities accuse of having involvement in a bombing which they claim took place in Al-Dair village on February 14, 2014, leaving a Pakistani policeman dead.

Ramadan is known for his political and social activism. He was arrested in the early morning of February 18, 2014 from his workplace in Bahrain's airport, while militias dressed in civilian clothing raided his home, went through and stole some of his belongings.

For 10 days, his family had no information about his whereabouts or the grounds for his arrest. During this time, he was subjected to "torture that beasts cannot even bear," in the criminal investigations department. He was sexually harassed and his hands were cuffed to his back as he was beaten all over his body by iron rods and wires.

"I was held in an extremely cold room. They didn't allow me to sit and when they sensed I was trying to sit down, they began to beat and curse me [...] I told them I couldn't stand up for long periods of time because I suffer from spinal disc problems but they pressured me even more," said Ramadan.

When he told them he wanted to pray, they sweared at him even more and said: "There is no such thing as prayer and there is no God in this place."

"They used creative methods of torture on me. They beat me on my genitalia, stripped me naked and dragged me on the floor [...] They took me to pro-government rallies and made me listen to demonstrators chant slogans like "[We want] reprisal...[We want] reprisal]," he added.

34 On February 20, 2014, they informed him that they will take him to the Public Prosecution. They told him to say what they want him to and threatened him with torture if he didn't [...] The prosecution attorney asked him to speak, so Ramadan said: "What story do you want; what they want or the truth?," so he dismissed him from his office.

He was held in a detention center for 12 hours and then was taken to the Al-Riffa' police station. He stayed there during nighttime and was referred to the criminal investigations department during the day to be tortured.

Although he was exposed to all this, the official case documents confirm that Mohammad Ramadan didn't confess to a crime he did not commit, yet the court convicted him based on confessions extracted under torture from the first defendant who was forced, as he claimed previously, by investigators to accuse Ramadan of plotting the alleged bomb attack.

35 That’s How We Saw Detainee Ali Sanqour: Carried Because of a Broken Pelvis, Why? Because They Forgot Him (Hanging) In the adjacent room, a scream of anguish filled the place and then cries of distress followed. We were heartbroken. We raised our heads to be shocked. It's the detainee Ali Sanqour carried by his fellow detainees. He wasn't even able to drag his feet. His body was exhausted. He couldn't move or walk. He .broke his pelvis. Do you want to know how?

They left him hanging in the torture chamber (block 10). In this block, they suspend the detainees from the fan or door a few times every day for a specific period of time and then they bring them back down. They forgot him suspended in the air for long hours.

Yes, they simply: forgot him.

Sanqour's mother fainted after seeing him in this awful condition. His family bewailed and wept. Everyone in the room wept bitterly. Sanqour's tragic condition made us forgot our sons' sufferings. He broke all our hearts.

This is how one of the families described the upsetting scene they saw while they were visiting their son on April 12, 2015. However, the family refused to disclose their son's name, fearing that the prison authorities will retaliate. They; nonetheless, felt that they were obligated to report what they had witnessed that day: "It was a very difficult day.

The distressing images of these detainees are still vivid in our minds."

On the way to the scheduled visit The detainee's family experienced a long and hard time as they were on their long way to Jaw Prison. They felt mixed feelings of yearning and fear as they were about to see their son after losing contact with him for over a month and a half. When the family arrived, they saw a group of families that have just left. They were all depressed and tears were pouring down their cheeks. It clearly reflected the amount of pain they experienced during their visits. Some of them were denied visitation and others were just shocked to see the severity of the torture manifested on their sons' bodies.

Their hearts fluttered as they checked the lists, looking for their son's name, as if they

36 couldn't believe that they were going to see him. At the moment they saw his name, joy overwhelmed their distressed faces, yet next to his name they read (block 10) which means that he is in the building, notorious for torture. They passed through the crowded room where they were searched and then sat in the waiting room where they wait for long periods of time. After the agony of waiting so long, some detainees' names were called out but their son's name wasn't among them.

Five hours passed after the time of their scheduled visit. Five families went ahead of us as we were still waiting. They frequently asked why their visit was delayed and why they haven't seen their son yet. The only response was: "We don't know which building he's in." As this family sat watching the encounters between the families and detainees, all it noticed was tears and grief.

I Don't Want to Go the Restroom of Hell While they were waiting, they saw that most of the detainees were unable to walk. Their bodies were battered and the color of their skin had changed due to the severe torture they were subjected to. Some of them didn't know what was happening around them and most of them were in a hysterical condition as a result of the fear and terror they were experiencing. They were all (except a few) crying incessantly, choking out through their tears.

One of the detainees cried when he saw his mother and said to her: "Mother, mother, look what they did to me." He was weeping bitterly. He embraced his mother who tried to calm him down. His mother didn't sit the whole time, as she was going back and forth buying him food from a nearby shop. It was obvious that he was extremely hungry.

Some of the families bought some snacks for their sons from the cafeteria there, for they are not allowed to bring food with them from their homes. It was strange how each detainee reacted. Some of them vigorously dug into the food as if they hadn't eaten for a year. Others ate five times more than they usually eat. However, some of them did the complete opposite. They refused to even have one bite. When their parents asked them why, they said: "If we eat, it means that we'll have to use the restroom and going to the restroom is as worse as hell. It is unbearable. I don't want food...I don't want to use the restroom."

They Are Killing Us The family of detainee Ali Haroun, who was brought from Thailand via International Interpol, waited for hours before seeing him. It was obvious that his mother wasn't there,

37 as if she knew that her son wasn't ok. After hours of waiting, everyone was shocked when they saw Ali. He was also carried to the visitation center since his ribs and bones were broken. The severity of the torture he was subjected to changed the features of his thin body. He murmured to his family with a broken heart: "They are killing us. They are killing us. They are killing Sheikh Al-Mahfouz. They are killing Mohammed AlShemali." He also told his family that the torture he was subjected to during questioning was nothing compared to the torture he is suffering from now.

Six Brothers and a Distressed Mother Meanwhile, a mother was waiting to meet her six sons. Yes, six sons at once. Her face mirrored long years of agony. The wrinkles carved on her face were not the making of the long years but the anguish she has experienced throughout these years. She nearly drew her last breath as she waited to see the apples of her eye. When the six brothers entered the room, they starting looking at each other before looking at their mother.

They hardly recognized one another. They are all detained in one prison but never see each other and know nothing about their brothers' conditions. They embraced one another and their tears started pouring from their swollen eyes and then they all hugged their mother as she wept bitterly.

A Father Unaware of His Daughter An innocent child was waiting to see her father. When she saw him, she was stunned: "Mama...Is that papa?" She didn't recognize him because he had changed a lot. He is now much older and all of his hair has turned grey. She called him (papa, papa) yet he wasn't conscious. He wasn't aware of her. He didn't welcome her as a loving father who has waited to see his daughter. It was obvious that he wasn't conscious. He wasn't aware of what was happening around him and why he was there. A police officer forced him to sit down and it is not known whether he was able to reveal what he was suffering from to his family.

Terror Overwhelms Them The family was still patient despite the prison authorities' provocative actions. They were trying to make the family feel hopeless, but they remained strong and didn't do anything that might cause the cancelation of the visit they waited for so long. They spoke to one of the senior officers there and with one phone call, they brought him to the visitation center.

The family was shocked when they saw him. He looked ten years older. His face was

38 pale and yellow. His hands were shaking, he was completely exhausted and couldn't walk. His ribs were broken and he was leaning on one of his legs because he couldn't sit up straight. His voice was weak. His tears poured down his cheeks unwillingly and he started looking to the left and right as fear overwhelmed him completely.

39 No front teeth, broken nose and bleeding ear…Abbas Al-Sameea: I am being executed everyday Shedding her tears, she said: "I couldn't recognize him. I started looking at his pale face closely as he stood in front of me behind an insulating glass wall that reached the ceiling. Is this really Abbas? His nose was broken at the middle, his front teeth were all shattered, his gums were swollen and infected as a result of severe beatings and he had paper towels stuffed in his ear. The color of his skin was almost as dark as my black Abaya. His body was as thin as a paper that could be blown by the wind. Is this really my son Abbas?"

As strong as the pain a person suffers from will be his revenge. Abbas Al-Sameea (25 years old) is sentenced to death over charges of murdering an Emirati police officer, AlShehhi, and two others. He brought a great deal of harm to the Bahraini regime because, while behind bars, he was able to send video recordings outside prison that documented his innocence and showed his pride and honor. The recordings also unveiled the regime's tyranny, oppression and how the judiciary made a mockery of itself. Abbas has defied the walls of prison and the cruel unjust sentence issued against him, by sending his letters to the Bahraini and Emirati peoples, proving his innocence and depending only on God Himself. Since that day, Abbas has been a target of being killed, while still drawing breath.

Sunday, April 12, was the date of the scheduled visit of Abbas's family. His family felt indescribable joy upon hearing the news saying that they are now allowed to visit him after losing contact for almost a month, following the escalation of recent events on March 10, 2015 inside ("Guantanamo" of Bahrain) Central Jaw Prison.

At 11 in the morning, his family waited so eagerly for their scheduled visit to begin.

They were left to wait for two long hours and a half, intentionally humiliating them as it seemed clearly. The family noticed that most of the security personnel there were different from the ones they dealt with before. Meanwhile,

40 other families that had just arrived were allowed to meet their sons instantly. His family was treated with cruelty and carelessness.

During these hours of waiting, they would repeatedly came up to his family and indifferently ask them: "What did u say his name was?" His mother would say: "Abbas Jamil," in order to conceal his real name "Al-Sameea", because she knew that if she uttered his last name, they would shower them with insults as always. The female officers intentionally reiterated the question over and over again, hoping his mother would forget and say: "Abbas Al-Sameea", yet she didn't. The family felt that leaving them waiting for so long is a part of their revenge.

Meanwhile, the families of other detainees were heading to see their sons and AlSameea's family was still waiting.

One after one, the detainees entered as the women's screams filled the air upon seeing their sons' conditions. "We heard the women's screams and cries for they were shocked to see the condition their sons were in due to the severe torture they were subjected to."

"I saw three detained brothers as they entered to see their family. Two of the brothers were dragging the third one who was unable to walk," Abbas's mother added. "I also saw the young man, named Ali Haroun, who was arrested in Thailand. He was unable to walk or move. I wept when I saw the condition the prisoners were in and their shocked families."

She goes on saying: "All this took place as we waited for Abbas and after two and a half hours, they took us to "booth 8". I found out later that it was for isolated prisoners. It is different from other booths, since the prisoners would be completely isolated from his family with an insulating glass wall that reaches the ceiling and they talk to their visitors through phones. We waited until Abbas entered the booth and it was a shock..."

"A young scrawny young man entered. He was wearing dirty rags; the same ones he was wearing the last time we visited him, as if he didn't change his clothes since then. I was heartbroken to see him drag the chains around his hands and feet. I didn't recognize this person, whose features had faded away. I asked myself: Is this really my son Abbas? My shock was indescribable. I completely collapsed."

"We found out later on that one of the reasons behind Abba's late arrival was because he insisted on removing the chains before he met us, but they refused. He wanted to spare

41 us some pain, for he knew that we would be shocked to see him in that condition, but they insisted on breaking our hearts and hurting us as much as possible."

Abbas is not used to complaining, but what he was suffering from was unbearable. He said to his family: "I am dying...I am being executed every day." During the latest events that occurred in Jaw prison, Abbas was particularly targeted. This wasn't a surprise.

His face was severely beaten, specifically on his nose and ear. It is unknown whether the blue mark on his nose is caused by a wound or a broken bone, since he hasn't been examined by a doctor yet. He also didn't know another way to stop the blood from flowing from his ear but to stuff paper towels inside it. He was punched repeatedly on his jaw and month until his front teeth were broken, his gums became infected and his lips swollen. Abbas cannot eat nor drink because of the infection in his gums. "Tell the lawyer that I am in extreme need of treatment, for I am dying without treatment," he told his family.

Abbas told his family about his suffering in the past days, the brutal torture that almost killed him and how he was transferred to an isolated cell and prevented from seeing or speaking to anyone but his torturers. He was subjected to daily torture at the hands of policemen and officers and every time he was slapped, he had to respond by saying: "Yes, sir". They were not the only ones who tortured Abbas, he was also insulted by the janitors. He is allowed to use the restroom twice a day with the door open. As for his showers, they only pour one bucket of water on him as he is fully clothed and then he is returned to his cell in block 1.

Abbas tried to show his family that he is strong so that they wouldn't feel as sad as they were. He tried to smile and laugh, but his front teeth were shattered and whenever he laughed, his infected gums would show, which reflected all the pain he was enduring.

"Save Abbas from death...They are executing my son (everyday) before executing his death sentence," a heartbroken mother pleads..

43 Child Mohammad Al-Mo’men Known as the “Explosives Expert� to Bahrain Mirror: I was Beaten & Tortured with Electric Shocks On March 15, 2015, reports emerged about a bus being stopped on the King Fahd Causeway with Bahraini visitors from Iraq on board, and then it was announced that everyone on board (55 persons) were arrested. Bahrain's interior ministry claimed that this took place after finding a bag packed with "explosives" on the vehicle and took a wanted person, who was among the passengers, into custody.

According to the Public Prosecution, the seized bag included electric devices in which 140 detonators, 41 electrical circuits used for detonating explosive devices, a remote control and some mobile phones were hidden.

The public Prosecutor stated that investigations into the incident found that the bag belongs to one of the passengers who happens to be a juvenile and that he had brought it from Iraq, at the request of a relative there who is also wanted in a number of security cases, to deliver to someone in the Sitra area for the purpose of using it in terrorist acts.

News agencies reported the incident, saying that Bahraini security forces seized bombmaking equipment smuggled from Iraq aboard a passenger bus to be used in attacks, while AFP said that Bahraini authorities arrested a juvenile who came from Iraq in possession of "bomb and explosives making materials".

The Juvenile was 13-year-old Mohammad Mansour Al-Mo'men who was apprehended along with 7 members of the Al-Mo'men family who were aboard the same bus. The women and children passengers who were also interrogated and released told the media that the bus passed through the Kuwaiti border at Al-Nuwaiseeb and Al-Abdali ports and confirmed that nothing was suspected nor confiscated, and that the bag doesn't belong to anyone on the bus.

Torture of a Child The public prosecution charged Al-Mo'men with "import and possession of explosive materials" for terrorist purposes, and was held in the juvenile detention center until he was released on June 15, 2015.

44 "They hit me at the causeway because I wouldn't confess that the bag was mine," Mohammad said. They came with a civilian car at the causeway to transfer him to the criminal investigations directorate, known as the "den of torture". He was really frightened. They cuffed him and forced him into the vehicle, where he was interrogated about the alleged bag along the way and everytime he denied having to do anything with it, they beat him severely.

"The officer told me to lift one of my legs and whenever I got tired and lowered it, they beat me," Mohammad said. They questioned him in the criminal investigations unit and asked him many questions about the reason behind his trip to Iraq yet he only had one answer "I was on a visit with my mother". The officer; however, didn't like this answer so he raised his hand and slapped the child very hard and said: "Do you remember now why you went to Iraq? You went to a wedding of a wanted suspect!" In a weak voice, the child replied: "I forgot."

Al-Mo'men described how he was severely beaten during the first two days of his detention by the officer who admitted to him that he was the one who tortured his detained brother Ali and threatened him that his fate would be the same as his brother's if he doesn't confess. Despite all that, Mohammad denied having to do anything with the bag the first time he was taken to public prosecution's office. Because he constantly denied any connection to the bag, the investigations officer took him to the electric torture chamber. He screamed after he was given electric shocks. His screams; however, did not trigger any sympathy or mercy in the officer's heart. The electric torture marks were proof of that torture after he had his first visit in the juvenile detention center.

"After two days of torture, I confessed what they wanted me to confess at 2 a.m.," he stated. That child couldn't bear that much of brutal torture, so he decided to confess that that alleged bag was his, hoping to escape from that hell he was in. They took him to the public prosecution's office and threatened him that if he denied the charges once again. he'll be subjected to even more brutal torture, so Mohammad confessed before the public prosecution to something he didn't do.

Ben 10 Car A remote control Ben 10 car was all the child wanted and nothing more. He bought it during his stay in Iraq. He was so happy to have it. Mohammad didn't know it will be taken away from him and that he will be deprived of his family as well. The toy car was confiscated by security forces and then returned to the family but without its owner.

45 "His big sized body makes him look older than he really is," his aunt said, adding that "the fear that overwhelms him when something happens makes him an easy target."

Mohammad always felt weak because he was orphaned. He lost his father when he was only seven years old. His sister said that he always cries whenever he faces a situation and says, "it is because my father isn't here with me." His mother meant everything to him after that. He never left her side and was always worried that he would lose her too.

The security forces noticed that when he was separated from his mother on the King Fahd Causeway, where a female officer felt sorry for him and took him to see his mother for a few seconds only.

Alone without a mother or father and among human beasts and child torturers, the orphan Mohammad was detained for three months in the juvenile prison. He was subjected to humiliation and harassment at the hands of an officer named Ali Said. Officers Ahmad Al-Damestani and Hanan Isa were amused by frightening him. They deliberately yelled at him when they wanted to wake him up and knocked on his door very loudly so that he would wake up frightened and horrified.

Astonishment was evident on his face as he spoke of the way he was taken to the court as if he was a dangerous criminal. He was taken in a civilian car escorted by two other cars and a patrol police vehicle. The police officers deliberately cuffed him from the back. That caused him immense pain especially because he had a surgical operation on his right arm. His mother had requested that they cuff him from the front due to his medical condition and out of sympathy.

Al-Mo'men Family Mohammad was charged not because he dreamt of playing with a remote control car, but because he is related to the martyr Ali Al-Mo'men, one of the icons of the February 14 revolution,who was shot dead by regime forces at the Lualua (Pearl) Roundabout in February 2011. This martyr was known for saying: "I sacrifice myself for my homeland".

Mohammad wasn't the only one from the Al-Mo'men family targeted by the regime.

There are 8 other family members behind bars, including his brother, two .uncles, and cousins.This family which resides in the island of Sitra is known to have the most number of members behind bars, let alone a martyr

46 N 1

Name Ali Mousa Abdullah Al-Mo’men

Age 25

Date of Arrest March 6, 2013

2

Yusuf Ali Abdullah Al-Mo’men

31

3

Ahmad Abdulhussein Abdullah Al-Mo’men Mohammad Mansour Mousa Abdullah Al-Mo’men Mohammad Ahmad Abdullah AlMo’men Aqil Abdullah Ali Al-Mo’men

18

Mohammad Sadiq Ali Abdullah Al-Mo’men Mohammad Jaafar Abdullah AlMo’men Mohammad Abdullah Ali AlMo’men

36 25

March 15, 2015 March 15, 2015 March 15, 2015 March 18, 2015 March 19, 2015 March 21, 2015 June 5, 2015

39

June 6, 2015

4 5 6 7 8 9

13 18 28

Charge Burning a vehicle, Joining rally, 19-year sentence Still on trial Still on trial Released on June 15, 2015 Still on trial Still on trial Still on trial Still on trial Still on Trial

New Chapter of Torture Mohammad stands silent after every visit staring at the exit door, hoping that this horrible nightmare he's in will soon come to an end so he could return to his loving mother's arms and to his siblings. He always tells them he wants to leave this prison and visit his father's grave that he missed so dearly and that he missed his home, mother, siblings, school and toys. They; however, have no answer for him but to say "no one knows when you will come out."

Mohammad was released over a week ago (June 15, 2015). The public prosecution; however, has referred his case which includes four other persons to the criminal court.

Following rounds of torture and forced confessions, another chapter of torture is awaiting this child on June 25, 2015 in the halls of Bahrain's "system of injustice" as Human Rights Watch describes it.

47 Bahrain Mirror’s All-Inclusive Interview with Ibrahim Sharif: While Tortured, I Thought of the Popular Front & Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi An hour and a half spent in Ibrahim Sharif's room. A few days ago this wish would have been impossible, yet we are with him now, interviewing him face to face and asking him questions. The inspiring "Wa'ad" leftist leader and former cellblock 7 detainee in Jaw Central Prison can speak now free of chains.

A while back, we sought to have an interview with him and almost had the chance.

We almost did because our chance was gone with the wind after the prison authority changed the visitation system. However, the dark prison nights are now in the past, at least since June 19, 2015 until now.

We wanted to know a lot of things: about the four years he spent in prison; about the times he spent with the leaders of the Islamic Shiite movement; about their discussions and evaluation of the 2011 outcomes; about the one time he cried; about meeting the international investigator Bassiouni in the prison's cafeteria; about meeting Sheikh Ali Salman, Al-Wefaq secretary-general in prison; about Abdulwahab Hussein's home, the secretary-general of Al-Wafaa group which was the first place he visited after his release; about the books he read; about what is possible in this period; about the regime and future of reconciliation; about hope and if there is any hope; about the solution: what is the solution after all these days passed.

Year after year, his blood was shed as he lived in agony and pain. Despite all that, Sharif was generous, very generous. He delved into his memory and spoke all the lessons of wisdom he learned from his experience. However, another program was awaiting him. He asked his wife, Farida Gholam, to call the family of one of his companions in prison, Abdulhadi Al-Mokhawsar, so he could visit them. "I was his secretary when he was in prison and when even when he is out I still am," Ghola said as she laughed. The following is Bahrain Mirror's interview with Ibrahim Sharif: Bahrain Mirror: How did you see the people after five years in prison?

Ibrahim Sharif: The people's spirits are high. We were not isolated from the world. We were a group of 13 prisoners who received news. We received all newspapers except

48 Al-Wasat and when we asked about it, they said it is a "newspaper of sedition". Thus we said: What about Al-Watan? Since then they we no longer received it as well. We read three newspapers daily in addition to the English-speaking Gulf Daily News (GDN), in which we read news that wasn't found in the other papers. We were aware of the spirit among people in general and received news.

We received a lot of news from people outside prison when they called family member held in prison. Bahrain Mirror was an important source of information to us, and to be honest, it was the most important source to us. As a politician, from its headlines, you would understand whole the story in the report. Its headlines contains a high level of news, yet local newspapers are limited even if they were independent.

Bahrain Mirror: Are you optimistic about the extent of the people's resilience?

Sharif: This is the longest uprising in Bahrain's history. There was never an uprising this long and like this; even after severe suppression, the people's spirits are still high.

I think it is important to evaluate matters from this angle. The regime has a massive security power, backed with huge financial support, not to mention the strong gulf aid.

At first the international community was concerned about Bahrain, but now it is only the human rights level and the international pressure has deteriorated. The human rights community's concern is useless if there isn't a domestic strife. There will always be a human rights concern as long as dozens of strivers are constantly put behind bars and dozens of human rights struggles emerge daily.

I am very optimistic because the government wasn't able to rebuild the barrier of fear.

The most important thing in a long strife is preventing the regime from making you return back where you started when the barrier of fear was very high. Even though people now can't stage mass protests because of the arrests and social media is very restricted to the extent that it is being used to convict people, that is only the facade, but the reality is that people are still rejecting marginalization and suppression.

Bahrain Mirror: Is this atmosphere helping the opposition adhere to its demands that it presented in the Manama Document even more or does it need to reevaluate its demands somehow?

Sharif: Change cannot be accomplished on the ground unless there is a balance of powers.

What happens on the ground is what determines what you can achieve at any moment.

If the opposition in any country wanted to achieve something meaningful to the people even if it's less than their demands, it has to strive to attain it, without compromising the

49 people's main demands. The opposition has no right to give up the citizens' demands. If the opposition was given the authority by the people, then it is entitled to strive to let the people have their rights with time yet it has no authority to give up these rights.

The points listed in the Manama Document are the least of what the majority of opposition factions can agree on. We have clear demands stated in the Manama Document. They are highly patriotic demands that gathered the opposition factions under the same umbrella. The negotiation; however, will be about the schedules according which it will be implemented. Any late schedules will make the solution process fail and any very early schedules will be prevented from being accomplished by the balance of powers.

Therefore, there has to be a balance between these two things.

The opposition in Bahrain is deep-rooted and non-elitist. Thus, there is no separation between the opposition and the elite. The situation isn't like it was before, that is if you target the elite, the opposition in Bahrain will end. The roots are very deep, and I think that one of the real reasons behind the fact that it is deep-rooted is the campaign of wide-range marginalization of a sect of people that took place during the past 35 years, since the beginning of the 1980s until now. This leaves the citizens with no choice but to be dissents. The government left the marginalized citizens with no other choice. The government can say that it is going to arrest opposition leaders and then say it will arrest activists mobilizing the people in the streets, and then say it will arrest youth under 18 years of age, yet the opposition will remain strong and present.

We have 3,000 detainees, i.e. one detainee for every 100 male citizens in Bahrain. No country in the world has this number of detainees in comparison with the population.

This proves that the society brings about the opposition. The opposition ranks are always packed. Even though people can't strive as they did in 2011 for instance, they don't need more than a breeze that would blow the aches and unveil the blazing coals. Thus, the authorities have no choice but to reach an agreement on the long term.

Bahrain Mirror: Do you think the Bahrainis can realize a great part of their dreams through this uprising?

Sharif: By carrying on, yes it is possible, but we cannot forget that the government during the last three decades made a huge accomplishment, as it was able to create sectarian division; we cannot deny that. It was able to divide the society into two. One of the opposition's failures is that it was incapable of reaching out to the other side of society who have concerns. Some of these concerns are extremely exaggerated and untrue, yet

50 some of them are actually true. Until now, the opposition has failed to communicate with the other side and reach out to others. This gap, unfortunately, is expanding and feeding on regional conflicts; every conflict in the region is affecting us negatively. No one should imagine that one party's victory over another would benefit us. With every side's victory over another comes a stirred up conflict. Any peaceful resolution in any country suffering from a war will help our situation. We are a small country located in a region flaming with fires.

Bahrain Mirror: You said the Manama Document is what you will hold on to reconcile the different opposition factions. Did you work on that during the four years you spent in prison?

Sharif: I think what we succeeded in is that every side now understands the other very well. There are some people in prison who believe that the Manama Document was the best thing the opposition accomplished to date, while others think it is good yet doesn't reach the limit of demands they are calling for. We; nonetheless, respect one another.

I respect those who call for establishing a republic. 90 % of countries in the world are republics. This isn't an odd demand. The people have the right to choose their system.

Those who differ from us in their views also respect that Ibrahim Sharif and Sheikh Ali [salman] call for a constitutional monarchy. I understand what they say, which is that if the constitutional monarchy [option] was available, they wouldn't have rejected it.

The authorities were given a chance over the past ten years to establish a constitutional monarchy yet it didn't do so. Thus people opted to calling for the overthrow of the regime and turning a new page different from the previous pages, far from the constant "false promises" concerning reforms.

I understand this point of view but I propose another view: you cannot take a huge leap in changing the regime without causing a civil war or vast divisions in society like the ones we are suffering from already. I don't see that there is a big difference between a republic and democratic state. That is a nominal issue. I; however, look at the costs.

Any solution that doesn't include some sort of agreement between the authorities and the opposition means that there will be no agreement between the religious sects, and this is a fact. If this agreement doesn't exist then this means that one party will force its opinion on the other.

This will result in an ongoing uprising as the case is now, or a civil war which is the worst situation. Both are bad options so we cannot continue with them. The government

51 is wrong to continue with this further. The security solution only suffocates the people and deprives them of their freedoms, yet they always find a way out of it.

We, the 13 persons in prison, understand one another. Sheikh Ali Salman's presence in prison now is useful since our brothers will be able to learn what happened in the past four years. Ibrahim Sharif was there with them before to tell them about the meetings and negotiations that took place with government delegations and others. Now, Sheikh Ali Salman is the best person to tell them what went on after 2011.

Bahrain Mirror: The government attempted to target the Manama Document by the Document of Al-A'yan (the notables) and replace the political representation of political opposition parties with "the notables". How can Ibrahim Sharif describe the Manama Document whose voice faded amid the challenges it faced?

Sharif: My role was part of the opposition's role. The "notables" was an experience used in the past, even in the 1990s they used the notables as mediators to release prisoners. When the authorities have a political project, they know how to enter the opposition's home; they enter through the door. The notables aren't a door or window to the opposition. As I mentioned before, the opposition is rooted in society, as no party can enter the opposition's home (the people) through the notables. Even the members of parliament, without competitors, couldn't gain 10 % of the opposition votes. They have no actual weight in society.

The government's stupidity is reflected in the fact that it didn't give the opposition a spark that would ignite division among them. If the government was smart, it would have been able to divide the opposition and benefit from this division. For, it can present an acceptable offer to some and an unacceptable one to others, and thus cause division among the opposition. Unfortunately, the regime wasn't able to offer the any of the opposition factions something acceptable.

Bahrain Mirror: There are concerns of a weakened alliance between "Wa'ad" and "Al-Wefaq" and fears that some liberals were able to convince the opposition or some factions of the opposition to accept a demand ceiling less than what the Manama Document offers. What's your say on these concerns?

Sharif: I think that there isn't a demand ceiling less than the Manama Document. The document has presented the main principles the opposition is working on, and they are its main demands.

If there is a demand ceiling less than that of the Manama Document, then this means that

52 there is a segment of Wa'ad society that accepts this view. To my knowledge, there is no such matter. There may be some individuals; yet there is no vent through which Wa'ad could be penetrated.

Wa'ad is one of the few societies that comprise of members from the two religious sects and there hasn't been any division based on sectarianism.

What I was concerned about inside prison is that I witnessed a sectarian division in society before I was imprisoned. I was afraid of consequences of this division. At the end of the day, we live in a Sunni society. When I used to go to the Sunni society in March 2011 specifically, I used to witness the siege that was imposed on the opposition.

There was major fears among members of the Sunni community and big doubt about the opposition. This led to a severe social pressure. The first year was the most dangerous.

As long as we managed to survive that year, then there will be no sectarian schism. The society is united.

Bahrain Mirror: Does this unity include the political ceiling too?

Sharif: Concerning the political ceiling, there is no disagreement on what is proposed in the Manama Document. The disagreement is on what could be obtained from the Manama Document based on the dynamics of change. When we tell the authorities that this is the Manama Document and you have to implement it all today or the deal is off; this is not political action. Political action is have demands that can be fulfilled without compromising the political agenda of the Manama Document. This means that what could be accomplished now is less than the Manama Document, but it will launch a dynamic of change that would lead to the aims listed in the document. If the solution doesn't launch this sort of dynamics, then it would be a truce and not a solution.

A truce between the opposition and the regime is possible, in terms of calming the situation. We need a period of time that would last months in order to build trust between both sides. This trust depends on the main point, which is the release of political prisoners, starting with the leaders until the last detainee in exchange for a truce initiated by the opposition followed by a real negotiations process that would include all factions of the opposition and not just societies.

Bahrain Mirror: Are you thinking about proposing this project now?

Sharif: What I am discussing now isn't something new in the field of political action.

It could be proposed today. Sometimes, you cannot reach a political solution if there is unrest in the country. There is no trust between the two sides. If we cannot manage

53 to implement the Manama Document, then we must build a bridge that would lead us there. The bridge is launching a national reconciliation process, starting with certain issues over a specified period of time. The bridge we need to reach this reconciliation is the building of trust. Building trust doesn't require a comprehensive political agreement.

It only requires a truce between both sides. Each side should make concessions, The concessions that the government should make is withdrawing all security reinforcements from the villages, end the siege and release all detainees.

There is a point of view that I respect and understand very well. This view is present inside prison; it is that the leaders shouldn't make decisions while in prison, because the prisoner is subject to pressure and could make concessions he shouldn't have. Thus, I believe that this view should be respected.

Bahrain Mirror: Was there a deal offered to Ibrahim Sharif inside prison?

Sharif: No. not Ibrahim Sharif nor anyone who was with me held in the same prison. The authorities isolated us during the past four years.

We were isolated in prison block 6 and 7. Why would they isolate us? There are two potential reasons; either that we are a political plage so we shouldn't be close to any prisoners, for we might be a source of mobilization, incitement or anything else, or that the government needs us to be on one place so it could be easier to negotiate with us and so that any information about the negotiations wouldn't be leaked. The first one happened; we were isolated from others. We; however, didn't witness anything like the second option over the past four years.

Bahrain Mirror: The most important figure who visited you in prison was the Chair of the fact finding commission, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni. How was your meeting with Bassiouni and what do you think abou the commission's performance?

Sharif: There were major concerns since we didn't know Bassiouni, but when they put Sir Nigel Rodley, who is well-known and has a good reputation, our concerns weren't as big. Our concerns were like the concerns of the societies outside prison. After our meeting, the commision had a good impression on us except for one person, who we all doubted. We felt relaxed in our meeting with Bassiouni and we were very honest.

Bassiouni himself and the head of the investigation team, Khaled Mohieddin, said that those who called for a republic have the right to do so. It is freedom of expression and anywhere in the world, no one is punished for this. He said this very clearly.

We sat with him for an hour in the prison's cafeteria. Regarding the final report of the

54 Bassiouni commission, the best we could say is that "it was less than we want and more than we expected".

The majority said it was either good or very good. The report for the first time in the history of Bahrain, presents three sides of a controversial historic event. There is the opposition's side of the story, the government's and the third party's version. We can point out a somehow false narration of the al-Salmaniya event and the Bahrain university issue. They attempted to avoid the defense force's role. We; however, are talking about the general wording and the general results, especially the final results and recommendations, even though it failed to follow through the implementation of the recommendations. The process was left to be implemented domestically, so the government was able to avoid it.

Bahrain Mirror: Why did Ibrahim Sharif choose to visit Al-Wafaa SecretaryGeneral Abdulwahab Hussein's family as a first step after his release from prison and then the rest of the families of detained figures?

Sharif: The families of all figures are on my list. I have a very special relationship with Abdulwahab Hussein. I had a one-hour walk with him regularly over the past three years in prison. This means that we had 365 hours we spent together every year, but my relationship with him was strong before 2011. I was a bridge between him and the societies.

During the first protest that was staged on February 14, 2011, after morning prayers in Nuwaidrat village, which was targeted by the security forces, I was the first person in the opposition who paid him a visit to check on him. During the whole period of the uprising, I was the link between the opposition societies and movements and Abdulwahab Hussein primarily. Our relationship grew stronger in prison.

One of the issues I am dedicated to is the issue of detainees, in general, and the case of detainees who were with me over the past four years in particular. They were the best company to have in prison. Besides the general commitment to this cause, I have a sentimental and emotional relation with them.

They were my companions and family over four years. I lived with these brothers more than I lived with anyone in my life, except my wife, children, and parents. Since my days in the university, I never lived with a group of people and spent all my time with them, eating, sleeping, tortured, insulted, and tried together as much as them. Even though we weren't affiliated to the same groups and societies, the same charges were

55 raised against us, we were all sentenced between 5 to 25 years in prison, we suffered together in prison and we went on strikes together.

We tried to continue our strife that we began outside prison. Part of our strife is to continue protesting.

Bahrain Mirror: How did you protest inside prison?

Sharif: We issued statements and were in contact with human rights organizations and the organizations that visited Bahrain. This continued until the end of last March and April, during the period which we called "The Mini National Safety" period when Jaw Prison events took place. There was a severe crackdown inside prison. The only block where prisoners didn't received beatings was block 7 where we were already isolated.

We heard the other prisoners' screams and sufferings, but we couldn't see them.

Bahrain Mirror: What is the secret of your positive vibe you give off when talking about the group you spent four years with despite your different views? Usually in prison, many disputes take place yet you talk very positively about your companions in prison, why is that?

Sharif: You have to know that most of us are in their fifties. There are no youths among us, who are enthusiastic or fanatic. The only disagreement we have is when we have heated debates. Any misunderstandings like these can be resolved easily. Our age plays a role. Our political maturity plays a role. The number of prisoners is also essential.

During my college years, I lived with students who had closer ideological views to me, but we used to have many disagreements. Despiet the differences in our ideological views, especially to me, I used to discuss with them controversial issues, especially that related to the Islamic movement.

Bahrain Mirror: You talked about the parties in power and that there is a party that wants reform yet it is weak, could you discuss this point at length?

Sharif: I was part of the negotiations that took place in 2011, so along with Sheikh Ali Salman, I met with the US secretary of state at the time, Jeffrey Feltman, and others. There was a group in power, represented by the Crown Prince that wanted to reach a political solution to the crisis, but there were other parties that found this as an opportunity to reinforce their position that has faded away in the past 10 years until 2011, by making extremist stances; I mean the position of parties in the ruling family who do not want to reach a political solution and who have limited popularity among the people.

56 We talked since 2001 about the old National Guard and the new one, The new National Guard was able to win over the old National Guard, yet this new National Guard has turned with time into the old one.

The conflict was reborn in 2011, the same groups were emerging again and had a massive role in making the process of reaching a reconciliation fail. This doesn't mean that the other side of the regime was prepared to make vast concessions. I think the other side was also not prepared to make concessions and launch the dynamics that I mentioned before. All we got from the authorities at that time was general statements saying that they are prepared to discuss a certain issue, yet these issues aren't specified.

In my opinion, for example, changing the prime minister won't solve the problem, because it is a nominal change. When you change the structure of the political system, you should change the old faces in power and bring new ones. Changing the prime minister will ultimately happen. We didn't want our demands to be limited to changing the prime minister. We are talking about electing a prime minister. If the principle of electing a prime minister is agreed upon then after that we discuss schedules and the transitional period. It is not a problem if it takes two or four months as long as we agreed in the principle.

The first aim is the election. The second is the schedules and the third is the other small nominal details. This is the dynamics I talked about. There should be someone held accountable for what happened on February 17, 2011 since the first raid on the pearl roundabout. It is unacceptable to have the same government and make minor employees in the ministry of interior take the blame.

Bahrain Mirror: Do you think that the societies made mistakes in dealing with the Crown Prince's initiative?

Sharif: What I witnessed personally is that there wasn't a clear plan adopted by the government. The authorities presented main points that are more like negotiation headlines rather than specific concessions. For example, they said: "Reforming the electoral districts so that they would be fairer". How can I benefit from this? How can this be implemented? Let any international institution come and tell us if this could be implemented or not. If not, then there should be an international institution I could complain to and have it give me something that can be implemented.

Bahrain Mirror: Tell us about the night you were arrested. What do you remember about those moments?

57 Sharif: I expected being arrested. I had delivered an address at the Pearl (LouLoua) Roundabout a few before my arrest, on March 3, 2011, in which I said that raising the ceiling of demands won't let us accomplish anything and I listed the reasons: sectarianly divided society, unlimited regional support granted to the regime and a massive united military force. We are not Egypt, where the military force was separated from the government. Here, the military institution is part of the government. The ruling family controls the military institution. I knew we were going to be arrested and that there will be victims and martyrs. On the other hand, we had no choice, we couldn't back down. The people we making sacrifices. We had to carry on and hope for the best. The best won't come at the time of the attack. Those will be your worst days, yet it will come later on. That was what we were betting on. I believe that part of the opposition was aware of that. We had no doubt, especially us, the political societies.

Maybe the other thought that the regime will fall, yet this wasn't an option for the societies. I heard this before from people in the opposition movement and I tried to convince them as much as possible that their view is wrong and that the possible options are available on the ground. The regime will not be overthrown. The regime ruled by the family will remain. They only differ on the ways to suppress the opposition and nothing else. The regional power is providing the highest level of support and this could make the suppression reach its highest levels. International pressure is not enough to change the balance of power. If there wasn't a regional power supporting Bahrain, then the government would have made big concessions because it cannot take this much pressure by itself. However, when Bahrain is supported by the Gulf States, It can take it. This analysis proved to be right at the end of the day.

I expected my arrest. I didn't tell my mother about this so she wouldn't feel down but I was prepared. What I didn't expect; however, was the charge raised against me. I was accused of calling for the establishment of an Islamic republic and of being one of the "Supreme Leader's" followers and false charges as such.

After 54 days of detention and torture, they showed me the list of charges in prison. We were four detainees, each held in solitary confinement. We weren't able to see anyone

58 as the cells were closed from all sides. The other detainees weren't put in solitary confinement cells but they were each held alone in a cell. We weren't allowed to speak to anyone, even if we spoke to the wall, we were beaten. Even if we prayed with a voice that could be heard, we were beaten. If you wanted to fast, you were beaten.

When they came for me on March 17, 2011, at dawn and rang the doorbell, they told me they want me, so I didn't open the door. Before they came, I had returned home late after checking out the Pearl Roundabout following the raid and the previous night, the Wa'ad society headquarters was set ablaze. I went down to the door and my mother was with me. The officer said to me: "Open the door." I said: "No I won't. Do you have an arrest warrant?" "It is a National Safety state, an arrest warrant isn't required," he replied. In the court, they didn't say that, they said they had an arrest warrant. I opened the door.

They were masked. They had climbed the wall, entered my house and arrested me.

One of the funny things is that they took me to have a medical exam so I laughed, The officer asked me, why are you laughing. I said: because the group you arrest last August like Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace told me that before being subjected to torture, you undergo medical examination. The officer laughed and said: "No Ibrahim. You will not be tortured." Only 15 minutes passed and they began to torture me. At first it was mild torture, like slaps and insults while being filmed, and then it escalated in prison.

Bahrain Mirror: What are the hardest times you spent in prison?

Sharif: The first days of torture were hard, yet after a month, everything got easier. Torture is harsh and being insulted is harsh, but what is even harsher is that you have no one to complain to and share your grief with. We were not allowed to speak to one another.

Sometimes, we would know that there were no guards and take that opportunity to talk but we were caught once. We used to whisper. I was in the middle. Sheikh Abdulhadi Al-Mokhawsar was on my right and Al-Hor Al-Sameekh was on my left, and on the other side was Abduljalil Al-Singace. Al-Singace used to whisper in a very quiet voice so they wouldn't hear him because he was closer to outside. I barely understood what he was saying and everytime Al-Hor used to ask: "Mokhawsar...What is Abu Hussein saying?" and we would all laugh, Those were the times we used to talk, only a minute or two. These times used to charge us like a battery. In these circumstances, a minute or two were enough to raise the spirits of an entire group. You feel like you are not alone and have someone sharing with you your agony. Sometimes we used to feel better when we heard one of us beginning his

59 prayer with "In the Name of Allah The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful". This moment used to make us feel alive. We weren't allowed to raise our voices even during prayers.

Sheikh Abduljalil Al-Moqdad used to always raise his voice during prayer and made them get used to it. In these moments we used to feel relaxed.

There were certain shifts we knew were the worst in terms of torture, insults and obscenity. I heard from them the most obscene language that I have never heard before in my entire life. The hardest thing was solitary confinement.

Bahrain Mirror: What are the most important books you read in prison?

Sharif: One of first books I got there was Nelson Mandela's memoirs in english and then I got it in Arabic so that my brothers would read it too. the first book I read in prison was a tale about "Tazmamart prison" in Morocco during the reign of the former King Hassan II. Imagine that if you read this book outside prison, you will feel down but when you read it inside prison, you will feel that what you are experiencing is nothing compared to what others' have faced. These people were buried alive. These books were inspiring and calming. Some of them were emotionally inspiring like Mandela's memoirs.

I created a civil library of my own and my brothers had their Islamic library. We made a good library in prison, especially that we didn't have a library because we were isolated from the others. In 2011, we requested a special library for us. I was one of the things we gained from the Bassiouni commission. We were allowed to have one at the end of August a few days after the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry's report was published. The political situation at the time was beginning to witness some ease. We tried to attain some of our rights during that period and maintain them.

Bahrain Mirror: Did you make use of your time in prison to learn or train?

Sharif: In Al-Qurain Prison, we had a very enriching program from the morning until the evening, everyone taught what he was specialized in. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja gave us a seminar on human rights. I gave a seminar on financial management. Sheikh Said AlNouri gave Persian language lessons while Sheikh Abduljalil Al-Moqdad, established an Islamic school of higher learning (Hawza). Maybe it was the first prison in the world to have an Islamic school. Of course, I didn't join the school but I only attended some of the lessons at the beginning. He was one of the most humble Sheikhs I've ever met and a lovable person as well. He is the type of person who befriends you even if you differ with him on your opinions. I was the only one who was with me during all my phases

60 in prison and was my cellmate. In general, all the detainees were wonderful. No matter what I do to serve their cause, it won't be enough.

I was the only one who was affiliated to different movement, yet they were like my family and beloved ones. Whenever we used to argue during a discussion, we used to hug each other and it would end at that.

Bahrain Mirror: Is there a moment when you cried?

Sharif: Yes, I cried when Wa'ad society issued a statement apologizing from the military in June 2011. It was very painful. I received the news about the statement through Dr. Abdulkhaliq Al-Oraiby, when I was being taken to the National Safety Court. They had brought the doctors there too. Al-Oraiby met me and said: "There was a coup in Wa'ad".

I was informed before but I didn't hear the news like this. I couldn't believe it at first and doubted the news until I was sure of it. I was very ashamed. I cried. That was the only time I cried in prison.

Bahrain Mirror: What was your reaction to the society afterwards?

Sharif: In political activism, mistakes are made. Everyone makes mistakes. I know the reasons, but it doesn't justify it according to me. I understand the pressures of the National Safety period. To me, the matter ended when they realized they made a mistake.

Maybe these lessons are necessary so that people would learn from them. I believe that whenever you have a big fall, you will come out of it stronger. There is divine aid that helps the human being move on.

There are times in prison when you feel very weak, especially when subjected to torture.

However, when you feel the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders, you will be determined to never be weak. I didn't represent myself. If I did represent myself, it would have been possible to allow myself to be weak. I am a secretary-general, heading not any society. It is the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Bahrain]. It is Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi. I cannot allow myself to be weak. You will not have any dignity after that.

There is nothing more precious to a human being than his dignity. You tell yourself, how will I face the people if I become weak.

Bahrain Mirror: How did you see Sheikh Ali Salman when you met for the first time after all this time?

Sharif: I swear to God, Sheikh Ali is a great man. Sheikh Ali is the leading figure in the Islamic movement in terms of openness to others. There are many people in the Islamic movement who are distinguished in a lot of things, but when it comes to

61 Salman's understanding of the way the Shiite opposition should deal with the Sunni factions, his understanding of what could be accomplished and his understanding of the consequences of not tolerating the other side and sensitive issues, he is way ahead.

Bahrain Mirror: How did you welcome him in prison?

Sharif: We were making guesses about what Sheikh Ali Salman's sentence would be. I predicted that he would be handed down a jail term between 5 and 10 years. The general opinion was that he was going to get a harsh sentence. Sheikh Ali was brought at 3:30 in the afternoon. We were all sleeping since we were tired from fasting. I was the first one to wake up. Before I washed my face, I heard that the Sheikh had arrived, so everyone stood up to welcome him. No one believed that Sheikh Ali Salman was going to stay with us. Everyone welcomed him with hugs and overwhelming joy. We won't forget that Sheikh Ali was isolated for five full months too. When he was brought to us, it was a relief to him as it was to us. On that day, they prevented us from calling our families so that we wouldn't tell anyone that he arrived. I belive that Sheikh Ali Salman's presence in prison now with this group of opposition figures is very significant and will create an enriching experience for everyone.

63 Testimonies: This Is the Sheikh Hassan Isa We Know..He Always Urged Bahrainis to Avoid Countering the Regime’s Violence with Violence Profile • Born in 1970 Sitra-Wadyan. Married and a father to two sons and a daughter.

• Obtained a Bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from the Al-Mustafa University.

• Husseini Pulpit Preacher.

• Former Member of Parliament, represented the island of Sitra in 2010 elections.

• Member of Al-Wefaq Society's political bloc.

• Member of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society.

• Head of Public Relations Committee of Al-Wefaq Society.

• Head of Al-Wefaq's Communication Team.

• Active member of a number of committees and teams in Al-Wefaq.

• President of Sitra Clerics Council.

• President of Islamic Fajr Center.

• Member of the Islamic Scholars (Ulama) Council.

• Member of the Board of Trustees of Al-Ghadeer Islamic Education Center in Sitra.

Brief Background: He finished his high school education at Isa Town High School in 1987. During that time, he was always harassed by security forces since he was reciter of Husseini Eulogies, thus negatively affecting his studies.

He was arrested several times. These arrests started from the 1980s until the end of the 1990s when the country witnessed unrest. In July 1997, his apartment was raided once again and was asked to attend the intelligence department. He traveled to Qatar and then to Iran to pursue his Islamic studies, for he began studying in Bahrain in 1989 and his studies were interrupted a number of times for many reasons.

He stayed in the Iranian city of Qom for 11 years from 1997 until 2008 to complete his studies and he used to travel to Kuwait, India, Oman, Qatar and other countries to preach and deliver religious sermons.

Some of his most prominent teachers are Sayed Khadhem Al-Ha'iri, Sayed Moneer Al-

64 Khabbaz Al-Qatifi, Sheikh Hassan Suaidan, Sheikh Moueen Daqiq, Sheikh Mohamed Al-Obaidan, Sheikh Hani Al-Banaa and others.

He taught in a number of Islamic education universities for 7 years and in 2008, he returned to Bahrain and established the Islamic Fajr Center (for education and teaching).

Testimonies: President of Al-Wefaq's Shura Council, former MP Sayed Jameel 1st: Sheikh Hassan Isa is known for his wide social as well as religious relations with clerics and their religious jurisprudence offices, through which he played a huge humanitarian role by helping people in need. He has been doing this for decades. There are poor and deprived people who depend on him to provide them with aid so that they would be able to put food on the table. As for the claims that he funded people involved in terrorist operations, it is just impossible and is even one of the issues that the Sheikh stands strongly and firmly against. Everyone knows this, including a faction of the authorities. He is one of the strongest opponents of these actions and has a prominent role in distancing dozens and even hundreds of youths residing in his area from violence and similar acts. Everyone can testify to this because his efforts to protect the youth and keep them away from violence were evident and clear.

2nd: Sheikh Hassan played the role of a guide and preacher for many youth groups in different areas across the country, urging them to adhere to a peaceful approach in order to have the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people met. He achieved great success in this field, also thanks to his likable character and influence on the social movement.

3rd: Since he was a member of parliament and a prominent religious scholar and social activist, he had many connections with officials in the Ministry of Interior whom he contacted in order to prevent any security tensions from erupting in villages and towns.

They also are aware of this role of his.

4th: All the guidance and preaching he practiced was in coordination with Al-Wefaq that has always adopted a peaceful approach as the only way leading to the fulfillment of the Bahraini people's legitimate and just demands.

Sheikh Hassan is an absolutely peaceful national Islamic figure, who knows his duties towards his people and country, and no one can deny that. Detaining him over these charges is shocking to many people, especially that he has always urged many of the

65 residents of his area and other areas to distance themselves from violence and anything related to violence, and he has dedicated his preaching for this purpose.

Al-Wefaq Shura Council Member Hamed Khalaf Sheikh Hassan Isa was fully committed to adopting a peaceful approach in calling for democratic transition in bahrain and the ceiling of his movement was the Manama Document that Al-Wefaq and other opposition societies issued. He is a religious scholar who feels the people's pains, sufferings and different needs and works on solving their problems. He is also a political speaker and Husseini pulpit preacher, which means that he abides by Islamic restrictions by "enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong", and he always openly expresses his opinions rationally. All his viewpoints backs the people's demands to achieve a democratic transition.

Al-Wefaq Member and Husseini Eulogies Reciter Abduljabbar Al-Osfour I met Sheikh Hassan Isa before he became a Sheikh (religious scholar). One of my friends in Sitra introduced me to him. He was a well-known Husseini eulogies reciter there. The very first time you meet him, you immediately discover his kind personality.

He warmly welcomed me and greeted me with a cheerful attitude that he always enjoys.

We sat together for long hours and discussed many things. I even knew him on a more personal level; he used to always make humorous comments about the accents in Sitra and Diraz, and that's how our relationship and friendship began.

He loved people and used to always help others and engage in society. He tries his best to be a servant for the people and be close to them; that was even before he became a Sheikh. He never complained about the work he did to help others. You would always feel kindness and geniality around him. He always had an open door for people to come and be close to him. He used to get to know people of all ages, young and old. He used to meet people in mosques and on the streets. He was never a "nobody". He was wellknown in his village and other areas. The votes he gained didn't come from nowhere. He had a place in people's hearts.

After the 1990s uprising erupted, we were imprisoned together. We never lost contact after that. During the February 14 revolution, he became an MP after gaining many votes, in addition to receiving the blessing of Al-Wefaq and clerics. He was a known and prominent figure in society, thus he gained the majority of votes.

Many people asked the Sheikh for help and consultation. He used to feel the people's joy and grief and visit the families of martyrs and deprived families as well.

66 Since Sheikh Hassan was polite, kind, determined and active, he became one of the authorities' targets. Because he wanted to achieve justice and equality and rejected discrimination, the regime wanted to arrest him.

Sheikh Hassan realised that the only way to success is a path full of obstacles. He was completely aware of that and carried on in this path. He was peaceful and denounced every act of violence. He was a member of a licensed political society and religious scholar who called for non-violence. It is very strange that he got arrested. He is one of the figures who should not be handcuffed and put behind bars, along with Sheikh Ali Salman, Milad, Abdulwahhab, and Mushaima'.

67 An interview with Nasser Al Raas: My heart was broken by the screams of the martyr Fakhrawi, won by the Pearl Roundabout and crushed by electric shocks My heart has rebelled against me I am a lover with bad luck A narcissus is for me and another is against me I pass by the love coast and quickly greet it And write on the pigeons' wings Letters from me to myself Mahmoud Darwish Doctors at Ottawa Heart Institute-Canada told the youth Nasser Al Raas a week ago that he has a weak heart and he has to use a wheelchair and a nasal cannula and that he should be ready to undergo a heart transplantation surgery once a heart is available.

His heart has rebelled against him, it has become weaker than helping Nasser to move more than 100 meters. However, his heart is in its full force when he talks about his love for Bahrain. Doctors in Canada were confused while trying to recognize Al Raas's heart deterioration until they finally figured out that it was caused by torturing through electric shocks.

The 32-year-old Nasser Al Raas is a Kuwaiti with a Canadian passport. He lives now in Ottawa with his Bahraini wife and son. His crime is that he sympathized with the Bahrainis, thus he entered it on 7th March 2011 as an advocate and left it on 26th February 2012 being afraid, wanted, sick and tortured. Nasser did not forget to take from Bahrain what would stay with him; a Bahraini lady whom he married. This Bahraini lady left with Nasser and gave birth to his beautiful son, Hassan.

Nasser says to Bahrain Mirror: I was in Kuwait when 14th of February uprising erupted in Bahrain. I strongly interacted with the uprising that demanded freedom for all of us in this region. I enteredBahrain on 7th March, and directly headed towards the Lulu Roundabout where I stayed until the last day. Those days were and will always be the greatest days I have ever witnessed. They are not erased neither from my heart nor my

68 memory. My soul has resided there and it is still there. I witnessed fierce battles fought by this great people. I mourned his martyrs one after another and I still mourn them.

Nasser went to the media persons tent in the Roundabout where he played a key role for his IT experience. He engaged in the case until the day the King of Bahrain declared the state of emergency and everything changed since then.

Nasser says that they were black days. They were the worst that any people could witness; a violation that, I believe, no people have ever experienced. We saw the bulldozers demolishing mosques and martyrs falling one after another.

How were you arrested? Nasser answers smiling, "I knew I had become wanted to the airport's national security agency in Bahrain. I was trying to leave Bahrain and the surprise was that I was arrested from the airport. It was not so long that I knew I was charged in participating in kidnapping a policeman, a case which is known as "Hozman".

"I was arrested and taken to an underground room under the national security agency building where death was in the rooms of investigation and torturing. I am not kidding.

My heart was torn while listening to the martyr Abdul Kareem Fakhrawi being tortured in the prison cell next to mine. His cries...Oh Allah..Oh Allah.. still echo in my ears.

Suddenly, the voice stopped. After a few minutes I felt an unusual movement and a great confusion. It wasn't long until I discovered that Fakhrawi was killed in an unprecedented hatred," Nasser continues.

He remains silent for few minutes and cries silently. He sheds tears and wipes them with his hand adding, "What do I say about the national security agency and its underground tunnels."

We ask him then to talk about his sufferings in the underground rooms. Nasser starts recalling, "I will never forget my story with the solitary confinement for its cruelty and effects that I still suffer from. I was imprisoned in the castle's prison affiliated to the national security agency. You can't imagine the solitary confinement unless you've been through this bad experience. I was all the time in pure confinement and could not distinguish between day and night. I could not know the time or see the prisoners. I was forced to wear a blindfold during most of the investigation and torturing periods."

"Besides physical torture including hitting by plastic hose, electric shocks and various

69 types of torture, the bitterness of this experience mixes with a psychological aspect. I felt that my end is inevitable rather than close. There was a focused lightning in my prison cell all the time with a thin plastic cover on the ground to remove the torture signs. The place was well equipped for torturing with a monstrous professionality. The sound of the door being strongly slammed made us startle," Nasser adds.

He proceeds, "I, along with others, was forced to hear the voices of those being subjected to indescribable torture. I recalled all the people I have known in my life. I started matching the victims voices to the people I know. Sometimes I resorted to crying and du'aa perhaps they make this nightmare ends. However, this procedure was repeated with others when I was subjected to torture, thus, the pain is repeated all over again until the victim reaches a state of imbalance and despair of life. Due to this psychological torture, I thought sometimes of ending my life if only I was able to do so."

He stops talking for a while and then tells, "Besides the psychological torture, we were tortured in special rooms. Sometimes we were wildly tortured in the same solitary confinement room. We did not know who opened the cell's door and attacked us in a brutal way. We were in dark."

Nasser smiles, "Do you know that at some moments of savage torturing against me, I secretly laughed." How? Nasser answers, "When the headsman was torturing me in a savage way and in hatred, I reached a phase were I laughed inside because I felt satisfied, for I was with this people and experiencing his pains. I felt satisfied being supportive for the great mother; the martyr Ali Mushaima's mother who completely influenced me.

I thought about her while I was in my prison cell. This great mother whom I talked to in the Lulu Roundabout and who gave me some strawberries. When she knew I was a foreigner, she invited me to sleep in her son's, the martyr Ali Mushaima, bed and said, "Come sleep in my son's, the martyr, bed." I will never forget this woman."

31 days later, in April, Nasser Al Raas was released to wait for his trial in the military courts. Nasser who acquired his Canadian nationality in 2000, four years after arriving to Canada discloses, "I am already sick, I have an enlarged heart. I suffered from pulmonary embolisms. I did not take my medicines since I was arrested. After I was released I had no ID, for the national security agency had confiscated my passport and all my identity papers. Thus, I become like a refugee in Bahrain. I was not able to enter any hospital for I had no identity papers; besides, my movement was limited due to terrible security situation. A group from Doctors without Borders organization had

70 provided me with medicine for a limited time before the regime could find their location and exile them."

Al Raas was called for summons to attend as an accused before the military court formed by the military governor at that time, Marshal Khalifa bin Ahmed and his military board that constitutes from Al Bandar Cell leader, the minister Ahmed Atitallah..

Nasser recounts that phase, "I used to appear before the military court and state to the activists what the figures told me about their conditions and the hitting they were subjected to. I remembered that they brought once the ex-MP Jawad Fairouz, who was arrested at the time, to the military court. Jawad was waiting for the judge to allow him to enter and the weather was too hot. The officers forced him to sit on hot iron heated by the sun. Once more, Mustafa Al Moqdad was forced to sit under the burning heat of the sunwhile his father AbdulJalil Al Moqdad looked at him from behind dark glass in the opposite room."

What happened next? Al Raas answers, "The military court acquitted me from Hozman kidnapping charge, but the national security agency did not leave me alone. I was surprised that I was charged with another case which was fabricated before the criminal courts. The judge who was trying us put a poster for PM Khalifa bin Salman on the door of his room. What justice were we waiting for?"

What was the charge? "Assembling and disseminating false news through the media center in the Roundabout being an IT expert. I was sentenced to five years in prison, however, I did not turn myself in and I disappeared for five months. The case was transferred later on to the court of appeals where the judge Ibrahim Al Zayed presided the sessions. I attended the sessions and the Canadian consulate did too.

The lawyer Mr. Mohsin Al Alawi pleaded and demanded setting me free. The judge then asked me to talk if I had anything to say, so I told him that I am a Canadian and I want my passport adding that it is not your right to take it. The judge suddenly adjourned the session. Few minutes later, the policemen entered the court room, arrested me, handcuffed me, and transferred me to prison number one in Jau central prison where an officer told me that I was sentenced to 25 years in prison. I told him that I was sentenced to five years and the officer replied: "No, you are sentenced to 25 years." They put me in the long-term verdicts cell where I saw the head of the Bahrain Teachers Association, Mahdi Abudeeb, whose verdict had not yet been reduced. I shared the same prison cell with Abudeeb; I slept on the upper bed and he slept in the lower bed. I remembered he

71 used to groan at night due to the torture he was subjected to. I tried to massage his feet perhaps it eases his pain. I saw Shaikh Mohammed Ali Al Mahfoodh there. He was in a nearby cell. I also knew that two of those placed in the solitary confinement were sentenced to death; one of them was the arrested Ali Al Taweel.

Nasser expresses, "I did not spend much time in Jau prison, for I was released on 2nd June 2012. I was set free. I gave my testimony to Bassiouni committee regarding the death of the martyr Fakhrawi as a result of torture. I started trying to leave Bahrain. I should have left Bahrain earlier and I was worried about my health deterioration."

"I was late in leaving Bahrain even after Canada had provided me with a new passport.

There were pressures from Amnesty International organization, Canada branch. The Canadian government committed to a quiet diplomacy with that of Bahrain, perhaps that was one of the reasons that delayed my departure. The Bahraini government did not give me my passport, thus Canada issued me a new one through which I left Bahrain on 26th February 2012," he further states.

What do you do now in Canada? Nasser answers quietly, "Despite of my health condition, I am pursuing my studies in Carlton University to acquire two bachelor's degrees in Human Rights and law at a time. My wife is also studying in the university.

She is my life partner. Despite everything, I am still strong and I did not get weak."

Nasser continues, "I can't guarantee my life, yet I am not afraid. All what I wish if I die is to leave a trace." He sighs, "I wish to end this oppression I witnessed in Bahrain."

"The doctor told me that he had only decided to transplant me a heart after my life had become in danger. My heart has become in danger and so has my life. I can't walk for more than 100 meters because my heart is weak. Thus, doctors asked me not to exert any effort, to use a wheel chair and permanent nasal cannula," he proclaims.

Nasser smiles saying, "My son Hassan completed his first year three years ago. I am thinking about my small family situation and I am still thinking about Bahrain."

Do you still think about Bahrain despite all what happened? Nasser answers, "I daily follow Bahrain's situation. I lived in Bahrain and loved its people. Sometimes I wake up and open twitter to see what is happening there. I basically follow Bahrain Mirror, Nabeel Rajab account and the countries' accounts, in particular, Al Diraz where I lived in and saw its people steadfastness and saw their goodness."

72 Nasser Al Raas ends his interview with Bahrain Mirror saying that, "I will not be weak.

Those who tortured and oppressed me will never see my weakness. I am strong with the presence of the people around me. Thanks to you, I am strong. Bahrain will prevail and get out of its calamity".

73 With My Own Pen I write: I am Abdulajalil Al-Singace These are the memoirs recording four full days of an ongoing hunger strike carried out by the political prisoner, Abduljalil Al-Singace, since 111 days. Al-Singace, who is one of the figures of Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, recounted part of his suffering in prison, involving officers, doctors, nurses and Ombudsman representatives. He was obliged to deal with, talk to and even confront a number of different figures. Al-Singace's insistence to wear civilian clothes and not the prison uniform is a symbol of a legendary resilience. "My answer is like yesterday's," said Al-Singace when they decided to test his will. They made him choose between receiving treatment-which he was in need ofwhile wearing the prison uniform, or staying in prison but at the expense of his health.

Al-Singace chose his will, by saying "No, [I don't want to receive treatment] unless I am in my civilian clothes". His argument with the Ombudsman representative to whom he said: "you are not an independent party and you attempt to hide the violations" is a slap on the face of people who chose to polish the image of the dictatorship. "Neither I nor my family asked for this". In his memoirs, the reader will find a detailed description written by Al-Singace about the prison administration's fake visits.

The following are Al-Sigance's memoirs about his hunger strike which Bahrain Mirror gathered after obtaining them through his lawyer, Mohammed Al-Tajer.

July 4, 2015: I asked the prison administration to advance the date of my family visit scheduled on Thursday (July 9, 2015) since it coincides with that of my detained son, Hussein. The two nurses refused to provide me with a pen and paper due to a new order that prevents them from providing me with papers and pens. It is noteworthy that the other detainees have notebooks of different sizes and pens, and some even have radios.

After an intense quarrel, they brought me a small piece of paper and a pen so I wrote a letter to the administration and sent it on the same day.

July 5, 2015: A Jordanian officer named Samer called me and told me that my request was accepted and that a visit will be scheduled on Tuesday, upon my request. However, this did not happen, for the visitation department headed by lieutenant Hamad Al-Thawadi, orders that I only have a visit every two weeks or more and that the date of the visit be

74 selected according to what they deem suitable and not what suits me. It is noteworthy that I was deprived of the right to a condolence visit for this reason. Officer Samer talked about my hunger strike and the number of days I reached as if he had no idea about it. "More than 100 days," I told him. He asked if this was because of the uniform, handcuffs and searching process in the administration's office? I replied, "Yes". He said that this is a procedure applied in all the prisons and that he can do nothing about it, and that even the head of prison can't. I told him that I, along with the Secretary-General of the Haq Movement, Hassan Mushaima, don't wear the prison uniform and are neither handcuffed nor exposed to the degrading searching process since we arrived at prison in November 2011, this was an arrangement with the administration. He said that the matters have changed and then moved on to talk about the products and items I could have and listed them: shampoo, pens, copybooks, du'a book (Mafatih Al-Jinan) and two books, adding that he will manage to get them for me. He asked me to write a letter yet they have provided me with nothing until now. It is noteworthy that this the fifth letter I have written in this regards and none of the requests stated in them was met. On Sunday, an Egyptian dermatologist visited me to examine my hair loss due to the hunger strike and lack of shampoo for more than two months. She recommended that I take Omega 3 (Vitamin E) and use an anti-hair fall medical shampoo. The shampoo was brought to me from a pharmacy outside the hospital and I started using it and taking the Omega 3 pills.

July 6, 2015: They woke me up in the morning to tell me that a medical guard has come to take me from Jaw Prison to the military hospital to meet the hematology consultant to examine the decrease in my white blood cells and immune deficiency. However, they told me that I have to be wearing the prison uniform. I replied that I wanted to go to the military hospital as I used to go before, i.e. in my civilian clothing. I refused and they in turn refused to take me to the military hospital, although it was an urgent appointment scheduled by the physician who was treating me in the al-Qalaa clinic, the Iraqi Dr. Elias Kamal.

July 7, 2015: The nurse came along with the guarding police to tell me that I have an appointment at the department of internal medicine in the Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex. The nurse once again told me that I have to wear the prison uniform and handcuffs. I replied: my answer is like yesterday's. I neither refuse the treatment nor do I refuse going to the military hospital. However, I insisted on going wearing my civilian clothing as I used to go before. They once again refused to take me to receive treatment.

Later on, Khalid Elias, an employee in the Ombudsman office, entered to my prison

75 cell. He was a polite man. He greeted me and always called me Doctor. I told him that I have a clear stance towards the Ombudsman and that it is not an independent body and always attempts to hide the violations of the ministry and prison's administration. He said: we know and we respect your viewpoint. I told him that neither I nor my family called and addressed him, so who did? He answered it is true that neither you nor your family addressed us, not even anyone from abroad did (i.e. organizations according to him, although that wasn't what I believed); yet we want to check on you from a humanitarian aspect, he added. I told him that "you came after over a 100 days of hunger strike". He said that "they are very busy and there is a great number of prisoners." He then asked me, "do you have a wheelchair? Do they allow your family to visit you? Do they provide you with treatment? Do you have hygiene products? He then headed to the restroom after that. "Yes, there is soap, toothpaste, a towel and lighting." He left the restroom. There is also a window (he was measuring it). He kept on asking, so I told him that my condition is stable. He replied: "But we want to check on you doctor." He told me that he will meet the doctor and then left. Every time he visits me, he enters the restroom and examines it. Afterwards, he sat with the doctor in charge of my treatment, Dr. Elias, and I don't know what he told him.

I told him that these are my complaints against you: "You do not address or tackle the bigger issue. He asked: how is that? I replied: I have been on hunger strike since more than 100 days and you are focusing on these things and did not ask about the reasons behind the strike. He responded: We will, God willing, sit together and talk about the matter later on. I said: you already know why I and the Secretary General of Haq Movement, Hassan Mushaima, have refused visits since more than 10 months. I am a polite person; a lot of government officials graduated at my hands. My crime is that I talk and express my opinion publicly and frankly. I am punished by being deprived of freedom and work. OK! Why am I being punished more by attempts to insult and degrade me, so that I look like a criminal who has a record. I refuse to be insulted and humiliated. I prefer dying here than to accepting humiliation and degradation. He told me that things are going to change, God Willing. The administration is not competent and the mentality that manages matters here should be changed, I replied. He added: everything will change. He then bid me farewell and left. I think they are preparing a response to the high officials or a response to questions of foreign organizations or media outlets, maybe.

My general health condition: Sugar levels are between 45- and sometimes lower than 4. Blood pressure is 100110- over 6070-. Hemoglobin is 1213-. Number of white blood

76 cells is approximately 3400 and the body temperature is about 37 degree celcius, it increases sometimes and decreases other times.

I am waiting for an appointment with Dr. Abdulla Al-Ajami in Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex to have my blood tested and know the cause of the decrease in white blood cells. I am also waiting for an appointment with Dr. Walid, the urology consultant concerning the prostate and waiting to undergo a surgery for my nose and ear, after visiting the ear, nose and throat consultant at Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex. This is an old problem that dates back to more than 3 years, yet, the Ministry of Interior represented by the prison administration does not allow me to undergo surgery. I suffer from nasal dyspnea and vertigo, due to pressure drop and loss of balance in my left ear.

77 #Dad_is_an_officer: Bahrain's Unwritten Law A hashtag has recently went viral in Bahrain among Twitter users. Hashtag #Dad_is_an_ officer (#‫ )بابا_زابط‬was widely tweeted after the circulation of a video showing a quarrel between a Pakistani national and another man wearing Arab clothing.

The footage shows a Pakistani speaking in Arabic, but not fluently, bragging to another man: "My dad is an officer," i.e. a police officer. "You no work..You go sit," he added, which seems to mean that he is telling him: "You don't have work but my dad works to protect you."

The other man responded by saying that he does work for Sheikh Hamad bin Hamad, head of the academy. He might have meant the head of the royal academy for police.

Tweeters saw on Monday that they were both bragging and implying they are above the law through their connections. Lawyer Al-Jeshi commented by saying: "‘My dad is an officer' is the unwritten law in Bahrain."

This is what the former Bahraini Al-Wefaq bloc MP, Ali Al-Aswad, also addressed.

"Concerning the ‘my dad is an officer' incident," he said "I want to remind you of the video of Bahrain's prime minister telling one of those accused of torture charges that ‘the law doesn't apply to you and us.'"

According to official reports, Bahrain has naturalized thousands of Pakistanis and Arab nationals to work as mercenaries in the military and security forces, although the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), assigned by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in its report called for integrating the Bahraini citizens, especially Shiites, into these security bodies.

The video sparked anger and sarcasm of Bahrainis and Gulf nationals on Twitter, as they criticized the government's systematic policies aimed at changing Bahrain's demographics.

Mohammad Al-Bouflasa, an activist arrested in 2011, stressed: "I blame some of the

78 ‘useless embellishments' holding high positions, who didn't speak up and publicly reject the carelessness and the abuse of our identity."

As for Aqil from Qatif, he criticized the Bahraini policies by saying: "There is no government like the government of Bahrain. It bought people from all nationalities; Iranians, Pakistanis, Yemenis, Indians as well as Baluchis and sold its people."

Meanwhile, lawyer Rima Al-Shaalan considered the video to be a simple part of the disadvantages of the naturalization process and the absence of law enforcement in the country. Another citizen called Isa Al-Zayani; however, pointed out that "the worst misfortune is what makes one laugh."

Activist Mohammad Al-Salman, for his part, called on those who claim to "defend Bahrain's Arabism" to comment on the video.

On his blog, Al-Fateh Youth Coalition member Yacoub Slaise stated: "Amid the harsh economic situation caused by a "cocktail" of drop in oil prices, widespread corruption, public money wastage, and the continued political stalemate, the cries of citizens are becoming even louder due to the ramifications of the current naturalization policy adopted by the government."

79 Because She's Shiite: Scholarship of Fatima (%99 GPA) Goes to Another with %90 She forced herself to stay home all the time over the past three years so that she could study and achieve grades that would qualify her to get a scholarship to study medicine abroad. Since her childhood, Fatima's dream was to become a doctor and she even felt more determined to fulfill this dream when her father became ill.

In 9th grade, Fatima graduated with a 99.5% rank, scoring eighth place in Bahrain.

Fatima was listed among the honors students until she graduated from school this year and gained a rank of 99%.

When the scholarships were being announced, Fatima held her breath in excitement not expecting that she will be oppressed as hundreds of other students over the past five years, since the eruption of the February 14 revolution. She strongly hoped that her very high rank will save her from this oppression. She didn't expect that the regime will target her with its repression even though it has been marked with shame.

The Ministry of Education in Bahrain believed that Fatima deserved no more than a scholarship of 400 Bahraini dinars (1060 USD) granted to her annually to cover her tuition fees that reach up to 8,000 dinars (21164 USD) annually.

On the other contrary, the regime granted one of the Bahraini students whose rank is not higher than 90% Fatima's scholarship.

This; however, wasn't the limit of oppression that Fatima and hundreds of other students faced. A year before, the Ministry of Education ordered the Arabian Gulf University (It is a university affiliated to the Gulf Cooperation Council in which Bahrain has a share and it was the only university that offers the study of medicine before the establishment of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) to not accept any Bahraini student requesting to study medicine unless nominated by the ministry, which is unprecedented in the university's history since its establishment 35 years ago.

As for the Ministry of Education that Fatima desperately turned to in order to submit

80 another application to the Arabian Gulf University, to even pay her own tuition fees, it completely refused to even receive her papers!

Even if Fatima fought this oppression and managed to get these huge amounts of money to pay for her education, it won't do her any good.

Although the Arabian Gulf University, in response to Fatima's father, confirmed that there are 40 places that the university offered to Bahrain, the Education Ministry only announced 25 scholarships in this university.

To whom did the remaining places go? We can bet that if the ministry did not get any candidates for these places, it will choose to throw them away rather than granting one to Fatima.

Fatima has no place to go! Her father went to the Japanese Embassy, who told him that they offered scholarship for medicine to the Government of Bahrain and that they cannot be accepted but through the ministry (which only happened lately)! A far as we are concerned, these scholarships have disappeared to places we have no knowledge of.

The ministry has no mercy and it also wants to prevent others from having mercy!

It wants to control all scholarships. Last year, the ministry announced that it will no longer accredit the Chinese universities because hundreds of Shiite students went to study medicine there with their own money, after they had no more options because of criminal sectarian regime that wants to corner them wherever they go.

Fatima's father whose heartbroken because of his daughter's situation turned to a number of gulf universities who said what the others admitted: "We don't mind accepting your daughter but we need the Bahraini Ministry of Education's permission first."

The poor father even turned to a charity in his area that offers scholarships for toprank students, when he told them his daughter has a rank of 99%, they said that her qualifications allow her to have a scholarship but when he submitted her papers, they didn't accept her. When he asked them why, he received no answer.

It was revealed later on that student with a 97% rank was granted a scholarship from that same charity!

Fatima won't be able to study medicine, even it she got funds because all the universities

81 are now tools in the hands of the Bahraini Education Ministry, as no student can be accepted without its permission.

The Ministry of Education which represents the Bahraini government doesn't want more Shiite doctors in the future. It doesn't want any Shiite doctors to exist. It doesn't want the Shiites to receive high education and let them have independence.

Fatima; however, didn't lose her pride and resilience. She told us that she will not give up her ambitions even if the Ministry of Education tried to deprive her of them out of oppression and tyranny.

Fatima experienced harsh conditions in the past two years because of her father's illness and since he traveled abroad to receive treatment along with her mother yet she faced these conditions and worked hard to graduate with an honors degree.

Year after year, the ministry took over everything so that the day would come to retaliate against Fatima and the ones who came before her and after her not because of a wrongdoing of their making but because they belong to a religious sect deemed the enemy in the eyes of the repressive regime in Bahrain.

83 Western Critics Mock Bahraini King's Claims to "Fighting Sectarianism": A Head of State that has Demolished Shia Religious Centers The king of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, presents himself as a defender of national unity in the gulf kingdom; four years after the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report, which accused the regime of targeting and discriminating against the Shia, whether in the workplace, streets or inside prison.

The king could not escape the report which recommended the initiation of a comprehensive "national reconciliation" program. Many officials from around the world are still calling for this "reconciliation". The government couldn't respond to this recommendation, not even in an elusive way. One the other hand, nothing managed to put an end to the government's political plot against the Bahraini Shia!

During the government's meeting on Monday (April 6, 2015), the king said that "Bahrain respects all religions and sects (...) and its society is an example to look up to in regards to freedom of practicing religious rituals and tolerating others, so whoever tries to incite sectarianism will not succeed."

Besides attacking their beliefs, Shia citizens throughout the history of Bahrain are not allowed to work in military institutions. Security forces can even suspect anyone with a name that implies he is a Shiite, and harass them in the streets. They are considered second class citizens in regards to the services and benefits the government offers: No security, jobs, nor religious freedom. Shia students are even harassed when studying in universities abroad!

Human Rights First director, Brian Dooley, commented on the king's statements in an interview with Bahrain Mirror, saying: "You are against sectarianism is a great thing but proving it is what matters."

"The test is whether Bahrain's politics are inclusive, whether for example the security forces reflect the communities they serve. When you look at the make-up of the government, the police and military you have to say it's a test Bahrain is failing badly," he added.

84 In 2006, one of Bahrain's Royal Court consultants, a British national of Sudanese origin called Salah Al-Bandar, unveiled a comprehensive plan, set by the Royal Court, aimed at crushing the Shia by naturalizing Sunni foreigners, forbidding them from being hired or joining educational missions, and cornering their businesses as well.

Yousif Al-Muhafda, deputy head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (who sought asylum in Germany) pointed out that "the Royal Court is directly implicated in AlBandar's report, besides that the designations the king himself makes demonstrate the flagrant discrimination against the Shia sect," indicating the designations to high positions in government institutions, including ministers, undersecretaries, administrators, judges, members of the general prosecution and others.

"The Shia don't even represent 1% of the military and the king is the supreme commander of that military institution...legally, he is responsible for demolishing Shia mosques and exhuming their graves. We cannot believe that those who practice these Takfiri (extremist) actions are countering sectarianism," Al-Muhafda added.

Regime forces have also detained not less than 13 Shia religious scholars, some of which have been sentenced to over 90 years in prison, as is the case of Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Miqdad, who's been falsely accused of attempting to overthrow the regime.

The fourth anniversary commemorating the destruction of 38 Shia mosques by the Bahraini military has just passed. The authorities have not apologized for this action and in a serious attempt to elude this sectarian act, they used the expression "places of worship" instead of "mosques" in their statements.

In addition, Bahraini authorities have endorsed extremist campaigns fueled by resentment and hatred that radical Sunni clergymen launched against the Shia sect and beliefs, even on the official state TV channel; and then the king in 2015 goes ahead and says "We all worship the One and Only God and there is no difference between any of us, whether in the beliefs we adopt or the sect we belong to!"

The British author specialized in Bahraini affairs and PhD student, Marc Owen Jones, expressed his shock by the king's statements, as he said: "It is hard to see how the King's actions of the past four years contribute to a fight towards sectarianism."

"Being the head of a state that has demolished Shia religious structures, sat back as local media outlets have encouraged sectarian rhetoric, and invoked rumours of an Iranian

85 hand behind the dissent, it seems Hamad is the figurehead of a government intent on stirring up sectarianism," he added.

Since (March 2011) Bahraini state media outlets funded by the government has been launching a sweeping assault against the Shia citizens who are being described as "traitors". Today, they are considered strangers and are being treated as if they are just "Iranian subjects".

These literary-like expressions spoken by the king do not change the fact that the world sees Bahrain as a country that commits "serious violations of freedom of religion," as the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, states.

Two days prior to the king's statements, Bielefeldt said that "many Shia activists are being arrested and some of them are leaving the country due to these violations," and voiced "his concern about discrimination against Shia citizens in particular".

Bielefeldt also said that he wants the Bahraini government to invite him to visit the kingdom: "I have an idea about the seriousness of this issue, but in order to collect more details, I hope to visit Bahrain."

All international newspapers and media outlets, which spoke extensively during these past weeks about the "Riyadh war" and "sectarian gulf" regimes, set Bahrain as a loud example. That is probably because they want to irritate the king in these times in particular!

87 Between Jon Stewart’s Voluntary Departure and Al-Wasat’s Forced Suspension Lies a Tale of Freedom The 6th of August, 2015 was a harsh day on media outlets across the world, as an important event which drew all eyes took place. It was the finale episode of Jon Stewart's news satire program The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart decided to end his rich professional career after more than 16 years of holding the title of king of political comedy through his satirical show, and after airing 2600 episodes during which he tackled important issues and expressed a public opinion against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and other controversial issues. He was also one of those who negatively affected the Republican Party which lost the elections after George W Bush's eight-year presidency.

We; however, in Bahrain lost on the same day- a coincidence- Al-Wasat newspaper by force. The Information Affairs Authority decided in a statement that was broadcasted in the middle of the night on August 6, 2015 to suspend the only pro-opposition newspaper in the country "until further notice," according to a statement published by the Bahrain News Agency.

There is; nonetheless, a great difference between the two events. They are both ironic and sad at the same time. Dozens of journalists and politicians took part in Jon Stewart's last episode and he even received farewells from his "arch foes" whom he mocked for years, such as Wolf Blitzer CNN's lead political anchor, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly who is known for his right-wing views, as well as US Senator Republican Lindsey Graham and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Viewers of Stewart's show can understand why these people took part in his last episode after 16 years of being sarcastically criticized by the satirist comedian. They celebrated him as a friend, as did the next prominent US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, satire show host John Oliver and his former colleague Stephen Colbert.

On the other hand in Bahrain, most of the pro-regime politicians, journalists and activists

88 appeared to be gloating. They were unbelievably joyful about the forced suspension of Al-Wasat newspaper, which is described by international human rights and media organizations, news agencies, and international media outlets as the only independent newspaper in Bahrain.

Khalid Al-Khayt who describes himself as "the winner of the Bahrain Social Media Award for Socially Responsible - Dec 2013" said in a tweet among a long series of other tweets that as much as he is hurt by the condition of Sunni employees of Al-Wasat, he thanks the Information Affairs Authority for this decision that he described as "right but very late."

The former Member of Bahraini Parliament, hardliner Mohammad Khalid, thanked one of the biggest inciters against Al-Wasat, Ebrahim Al-Dousari, describing him as one of those who unveiled "the poison that this fabricated newspaper was releasing in the Bahraini society."

As for Al-Dousari, he posted many tweets, but Twitter wasn't enough to show how ecstatic he was, but one of the photos he posted managed to express his true emotions.

This statement was written on the photo: "Finally, the newspaper of traitors and filth, the daily paper of deceit and sectarianism has been closed."

As for the Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa, he considered this move to serve counter-terrorism, as he said: "Who deems are martyrs mere casualties shall face us. Respect yourselves and have some credibility and professionalism, and don't have double standards."

The minister himself knows that what he's saying is untrue, because Al-Wasat reported what other newspapers like Al-Ayam and other Saudi papers reported concerning the explosion that took place in a mosque linked to the Saudi emergency forces. Al-Wasat only reported what the Agence France-Presse (AFP) had reported.

This incitement against Al-Wasat newspaper wasn't new, for anyone who follows Bahraini news and reads articles in Bahraini pro-regime papers knows that pro-regime journalists and media outlets always attack Al-Wasat, so the decision to close it down wasn't a shock to anyone.

Maybe Al-Wasat's Editor-In-Chief Mansour Al-Jamri watched Jon Stewart's last episode and laughed as he saw Stewart's arch enemies whom he ridiculed for years say their

89 goodbyes to him and compared that scene with the statements issued in his country, which gloatingly welcomed the decision of Al-Wasat's closure and incited contempt against it day in and day out.

It was an indescribable scene, on the one hand a satirist show host who devoted his life to mocking the politicians and journalists of his country leaves his daily show willingly while his opponents bid him farewell. On the other hand, an editor-in-chief of a Bahraini local newspaper, who lost one of the paper's administration board members (Karim Fakhrawi) after he was tortured to death in one of the regime's prisons, gets attacked and targeted by other local newspapers and Bahrain's official TV channel, who all called for the closure of his newspaper, hoping to silence this last opposition voice.

91 The Rumors of Bahrain 's FM against Iran: in the "Nuclear" Era! In the "Nuclear Agreement" era, Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa continues to spread false information and videos against Iran. The "Bahraini Law"; however, knows nothing but the Yemen wartime.

Nabeel Rajab, the human rights defender, was arrested over charges of broadcasting rumors in "war" time by publishing photos of victims of the Saudi aggression against Yemen. Khalid Bin Ahmed is; however, totally immune from being held accountable for posting (on Twitter) what was officially announced as false information, since he's a member of the ruling Al Khalifa family.

A rumor, spread by the minister saying that Kuwait seized explosive materials heading from Iran to Bahrain, stirred up a wave of reactions against him after Bahrain's ministry of interior officially denied the news.

Khalid Al Khalifa praised, on his Twitter account, what he described as "the awareness of the security and customs officers in Kuwait" for discovering "explosive bombs coming into Bahrain". This came after he posted a video on Twitter showing someone who claimed to be a Kuwaiti customs employee saying that the Kuwaiti authorities seized explosive materials heading from Iran to Bahrain. The ministry of interior; however, issued a statement later on announcing that it had contacted Kuwaiti authorities and the confiscated materials turned out to be only "cleaning products".

The FM's tweet was retweeted more than a 1,000 times. Strangely enough, the minister refused to delete the tweet and only posted the statement denying the news saying that deleting it "won't be of use" now. Although the tweet garnered over 400 retweets, even after denying the news, some people are still using it and considering it to be true information, confirmed by an official.

The FM's Tweet Instigates Attacks against Bahraini Shiites The Foreign Minister's tweet (the false rumor) was not only "a threat to civil peace", but also a root for calls of sectarian clashes, inciting hatred against Shiites, rooting them out,

92 let alone accusing a major neighboring country of false allegations by a senior diplomat who did his best to return the Iranian ambassador to Bahrain, but failed to do so.

Tens of pro-regime tweeters responded to the tweet and the Twitter account of one of Bahrain's officials, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has become a new platform that openly incites launching attacks against Shiites in Bahrain, accusing them of working for Iran and promoting hatred against them, suppressing and rooting them out by proregime tweeters. All of this happened on the FM's account who has more than 200 thousand followers on Twitter.

Al Wefaq's former MP, Ali Al-Aswad tweeted: "Ministers in respected countries post on "Twitter" to show the successes and progress in politics, economy and security. We have never witnessed anyone who "babbles" about matters he knows about "or" does not know".

Al-Aswad's tweet led to a response by the minister, craving to appear on Twitter: "Are you against the communication between those who assume responsibility and citizens?

Or is it something else?"

Al-Aswad answered, "I stand for communication in order to build confidence and push the wheel of development, but I am against spreading news and accusations that damage our relationships with neighboring countries."

The minister did not only have a quarrel with the opposition tweeters, for they found themselves under attack by tens of pro-regime tweeters. BAHRAINDOCTOR account considered that the minister thrives to spread such news and demanded him to delete them.

Khalid Al-Khalifa replied to "BAHRAINDOCTOR" by saying: "Deleting the tweet is of no use. I bear the responsibility of the statement I posted. When the statement denying the news emerged, I also posted it and if the news changes again I will also post it."

However, BAHRAINDOCTOR wondered: "How do you say that deleting a tweet is of no use although you supported demolishing LouLou Roundabout because it represented a bad memory for you?"

Enforcing the Law Yousif Al-Muhafdah, the Vice President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, interfered in the ongoing dispute saying: "The Ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs,

93 Development and Justice all spread false news and have not yet been held accountable."

Thus, the minister replied: "Why don't you make a complaint and file a lawsuit?"

Al-Muhafdah decided to respond to the ruling family by saying: "Oh minister, your family appoints the judiciary, which has become a tool for political repression in Bahrain. How could the appointer hold his appointees accountable?" Meanwhile, the minister claimed that the law treats everyone fairly.

Al-Muhafdah Ended the Debate with the Following Tweet: ASADALBAHRAIN wrote to the minister: "False news is punishable by the law.

What you said threatens civil peace and provokes others to do the same thing."

ASADALBAHRAIN wondered: "Does the law apply to you, minister?"

As for the media activist, Faisal Hayyat, he said: "When false news cause further aggravation... the one who caused the disarray should be held accountable."

The minister; however, did not consider what he posted threatens civil peace. He also deemed himself a victim of the disarray caused by the tweeters.

BAHRAINDOCTOR responded to the minister: "Is it possible to deal with the case of Nabeel Rajab in the same sense? That is he is one of the victims of disarray and tweeted the information he received?"

Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was arrested over charges of "insulting a governmental institution and broadcasting rumors in wartime (Yemen)" for posting photos- the authority claims are fabricated- of the outcome and victims of the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia against Yemen.

However, the minister, who spread false news, accusing Iran of supporting terrorism and ended his tweet with the phrase "terrorism continues", considered what Nabeel Rajab has stirred was more dangerous and that his case is being looked into by the law.

The truth, as Yousif Al-Muhafdah sees it, is that the law does not apply to members of the Al Khalifa family nor their allies, adding that: "The video showing the PM with the officer Bin Huwail proves this."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is not the only one involved in spreading false news, for the Minister of Justice, Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, and the former Minister of Social Development, Fatima Al-Balooshi, were also involved in charging the medics of 2011

94 in performing unnecessary surgeries and seizing weapons in Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex.

If senior officials deal with dangerous information in this manner and assume all the information they receive to be true, then this raises serious questions regarding the information disclosed by the authorities about the "Qatar Cell" or seizing explosive materials in a bag that came from Iraq and other cells and confiscations.

95 Bahraini Opposition: 3 Decades of Arms Stockpiling Under Suspension Ever since the eruption of the Islamic Revolution in Iran since over 30 years ago, the Bahraini government has used new pretenses and charges to face those seeking democracy. After it used to accuse the opposition of working for communists, it found another card to use against them: sectarianism, which it will continue to use.

Since then, the opposition has been accused of pledging allegiance to Iran and being supported by arms, funds and training at the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, let alone the accusation of plotting a coup. Thereafter, in the 1990s, the opposition was also accused of being linked to the Lebanon's Hezbollah and then to Iraq after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime and rise of Shiite movements that became the main ruling parties.

Bahrain's Ministry of Interior announced that it seized during the past two months weapons warehouses that stockpiled arms and explosives in a number of areas across Bahrain, the last of which was the seizure of 222 Kilos of high-explosive TNT inside a house in Dar Kulaib, south of the Bahraini capital, Manama.

It also said in a statement that the confiscated explosives and bomb-making material were smuggled into the country from Iraq and Iran, adding that it arrested a number of people and claimed that the warehouse "was prepared to store and manufacture large quantities of high-explosive materials."

The ministry also declared a similar incident about a week ago. It arrested 14 citizens accused of forming armed brigades. The 14 suspects were trained "to use Kalashnikov machine guns, PKC [machine gun] and RBG [machine gun]. The training exercises also included using C4 and TNT explosives, abduction, sniper training, shooting, handling guns, and the usage of mortars and detonators," added the ministry.

This is not the first nor the last time the ministry of interior announces seizing large quantities of explosives in the island kingdom protected by the US fifth fleet, as it announced in 2012 the seizure of about 5 tons of explosives.

96 The public security chief, Tariq Al-Hassan, said that his forces seized materials and devices weighing more than 5 tons used in manufacturing high-explosive detonators and more than 110 liters of raw chemicals that are used in manufacturing these explosive materials in Hamad town and Salmabad.

According to the interior ministry's narrative, this is how the opposition has continued to stockpile weapons since 30 years ago. This is what we hear every time the ministry discovers an arms warehouse claiming it is aimed at targeting vital or public facilities with explosions. However, we have never seen since 30 years an official, civil or even general service facility targeted by bomb blasts at the hands of the terrorist Shiite opposition. Nonetheless, the reality is totally different. Shiite mosques are being sabotaged and demolished at the hands of the authorities and their supporters without any response from the Shiite side.

Thus this subjects the the interior ministry's narratives to sarcasm: Does the opposition only stockpile weapons and nothing else? What is this long-lasting bombing plot that has not led to a single blast since 30 years ago?

Neither Al-Hassan nor his security apparatuses identified the specific site in businesses and economic facilities which the Bahraini opposition intended to target by the weapons and explosive materials recently seized. It seems that the opposition will spend another 30 years only stockpiling weapons under suspension.

Events of confiscated explosives that security forces recently announced: The Event

Date

Seizing 140 electrical detonators inside luggage of traveler coming from Iraq March 17, 2015 Seizing high-explosive materials in the homes of suspects in Al-Malikiya

May 10, 2015

Seizing a large quantity of arms used for terrorist acts

May 26, 2015

Discovering arms warehouse in Karana after arresting a suspect wanted by May 29, 2015 security forces Seizing explosives smuggled from Iran and Iraq

June 18, 2015

97 Bahraini ISIS members respond to striping their nationalities: We will enter Bahrain by arms not passports, and we will behead the King Bahrain's King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, issued a royal decree on 31st January 2015 to strip 72 Bahrainis of their nationalities. This included 50 opposition supporters and activists, as well as 22 of those who joined the extremist ISIS organization and other terrorist organizations that fight in Syria and Iraq. As a result, the reactions of those Bahrainis' who were stripped of their nationalities differed.

On the one hand opposition activists and supporters proudly proclaimed their Bahraini origin and belonging and confirmed in several ways that stripping them of their nationalities will never change the truth of them being Bahrainis and will not remove their genuine Bahraini identity. Conversely, the Bahrainis who joined the extremist ISIS group said that Al Khalifa's nationality is under their feet and they released a hash tag; #Al Khalifa_nationality_is_under_my_foot.

Omar Bozboun, a Bahraini extremist fighting for ISIS, posted a photo while putting his Bahraini passport under his foot. This photo reached one of the Bahraini tweeters through the social media program, WhatsApp. Bozboun affirmed that he is number 53 in the stripped of their nationalities list.

Bozboun made fun of the decree confirming that he does not need this nationality and that he will not return to the country using this passport, he expressed. "They did not know that we are the Caliphate soldiers. They did not know that we don't want their nationalities. They lost their minds when they thought that we will enter Bahrain using this passport. They see it afar off, but we see it quite near," he said threatening to enter Bahrain and add it to the states of the "Islamic Caliphate".

Bin_hamada: As I promised you yesterday, O.J.B published last night a photo while stepping on the Bahraini passport after being stripped of his nationality. O.J.B who was stripped of his nationality for joining ISIS communicated with the Bahrainis via WhatsApp. Yusuf Al Mannai (number 71 of the list), is also a Bahraini fighter in ISIS group. He

98 posted a photo on his twitter account showing a foot stepping on the Bahraini passport and repeated Bozboun's words "They lost their minds when they thought that we will enter Bahrain using this passport".

In another tweet, Al Mannai posted a verse of poetry for the Bahraini extremist ISIS preacher, Turki Al Binali, "to the worshipers of land and sea...your nationalities indicate degradation". Al Binali is number 17 of those stripped of their nationalities, but the most important extremist in this list. The news of dropping Al Binali's nationality was widely spread in news agencies and international media outlets.

As others, Abu Al Baraa, a nickname for another Bahraini fighter for ISIS, threatened to break into Bahrain by cannons rather than passports and to return to Bahrain with his head up. Threatening to behead him, Abu Al Baraa described Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa, as a deceiver tyrant.

Abu Hajar Al Anzi @albtar12 mocked the dropping of nationality decree, describing the ruling family as "stupid" if it thought they will return to Bahrain using their nationalities.

Al Anzi threatened that he will return with sword and blood. He added that he has no faith in this nationality and that he had disavowed it before the ruling family disavowed him. He posted a photo of him while aiming his weapon towards his passport.

Another Bahraini fighter who fights for ISIS appeared in a video early in May 2014 while tearing his Bahraini passport and threating to kill Al Khalifa and cut them into pieces to devour them for god, he announced. He continued that neither he nor his group will rest before hammering the last nail in Al Khalifa coffins and that he does not recognize his Bahraini nationality. This fighter is Salman Alayan Turki, number 35 of the stripped of their nationalities list.

99 Pro-Regime Papers & Figures in Bahrain Mourn Terrorist Zahran Alloush Bahraini pro-government newspapers have filled their pages with expressions of mourning and grief over the commander of Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) terrorist organization, Zahran Alloush, who was killed in a Russian airstrike on Friday (December 25, 2015) alongside a number of assistants.

A reporter for Akhbar Al-Khaleej, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, deemed in his article on Sunday (December 27, 2015) "the assassination of the Jaish al-Islam commander in the Damascus countryside, Zahran Alloush, a couple of days ago as a practical and concrete confirmation of the suspicious Russian role in Syria."

"What is very strange is to broker a UN sponsored deal in Yarmouk camp to secure the withdrawal of ISIS militants and their families, while civilians and moderate opposition leaders continue to be bombarded," he added.

What is even stranger than that is calling Zahran Alloush a a "martyr" and "moderate dissenter," while, constantly describing the Bahraini opposition which adopts an announced peaceful political approach as "terrorists".

As for Abdelmonem Ibrahim, another Akhbar Al-Khaleej reporter, he considered that killing Alloush "mixed the cards," adding that "Jaish al-Islam was one of the moderate organizations" in Syria.

"Russia says it is a country that sponsors peaceful negotiations in Syria...yet kills leaders of moderate organizations and leaves ISIS to spread as an octopus," he further stated.

However, AFP had a different view on Alloush: "Jaish al-Islam was known to have extremist views and to have supported the establishment of an Islamic state.

Alloush often expressed his hatred of Shiite Muslims but recently began reeling in his sectarian diatribes and attempted to present his group as more moderate or nationalistic."

Alloush had previously appeared in a video attacking Shiites whom he called "Rafidis"

100 promising to kill them and establish a new Umayyad state in the levant (Shaam), saying: "Just as Banu Umayya crushed your heads in the past, the people of Ghouta & Shaam will crush them soon."

Perhaps his stance against Shiites is what encourages hardline religious figures close to the Bahraini regime to glorify and mourn him.

The former Muslim Brotherhood Bahraini MP, Mohammad Khaled, posted tweets describing alloush as a "hero" before retweeting Saudi writer Khaled Al-Mahawesh's tweet in which he praised Alloush for his fight against the Shiites.

For his part, Hassan Al-Husseini wrote on his Twitter account: "#martyrdom_of_ Zahran_Alloush (#‫)استشــهاد_زهران_علوش‬, Jaish al-Islam commander, with a number of leaders. I ask Allah to grant you paradise. May Allah forgive them and have mercy on them.."

Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Fadala, former Muslim Brotherhood MP, expressed his grief over Alloush's death with poetic verses.

The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist movement in Bahrain is allied with the ruling Al Khalifa family in order to curb the opposition's aspirations towards putting an end to the Al Khalifa family's monopoly over power and transitioning to a democratic rule.

These hardline groups have organized over the past years fundraising campaigns in Bahrain to support terrorist organizations in Syria, and the Bahraini authorities have facilitated the entry of extremists into the island kingdom, including the Syrian cleric Adnan Al-Arour.

101

Who Is Funding "This Is Bahrain" Campaign?

Although Betsy Mathieson, secretary-general of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations and organizer of "This Is Bahrain" campaign, denied that she received any funds from the Bahraini government yet she didn't reveal the sources of the campaign's mysterious funding. There is no independent website for either the Federation nor the Group, according to Bahraini blogger Mahmoud Al-Yousif, who raised questions about who gave this group the authority to speak for and on behalf of the Bahraini people and government, stressing that the opaqueness surrounding this federation, its campaign and funding is one disturbing factor.

Who is paying the travel and accommodation expenses for these 200 people, and other expenses and activities, as they are jetting all over the world, offering presents, holding conferences and exhibitions (the Washington exhibition included over 50 pavilions), distributing publications and books, and even signing memorandums and agreements?

The campaign organizers were also planning to pay the Zionist MEMRI institution to agree to the memorandum of understanding and start working on whitewashing the Bahraini regime's image and tarnish the opposition's reputation abroad? How were they going to pay this money and who was going to pay it?

Expenses are likely estimated to have reached millions of Bahraini dinars after launching tours in five major countries.

It was obvious to many observers (including pro-government journalists) that the government is funding this campaign. Many parties (even on the international level) were dealing with this campaign as if it was speaking on behalf and representing the Bahraini government, for the delegation included representatives for all the ministries and government bodies. Did these officials have their expenses paid by "foreigners" living in Bahrain?

Besides the participation of senior government officials, as well as Shura council, parliament, Sunni and Shiite Endowments (Waqf), governorates, trade and industry

102 chamber, Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) and even King Hamad Hospital representatives, the king himself received the organizers and participants of this campaign and publicly said during their visit that he declares his "appreciation and support" for this campaign.

The campaigns organizer had openly said in one of her statements that the event is an appreciation for the major support that Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa provided for the federation and its activities.

The federation also organized an event funded by Nasser bin Hamad, the Bahraini king's son.

The campaign even went as far as holding an exhibition during its tour in France "to showcase highlights of the king's son Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa"!

Why does the Federation of Expatriate Associations want to offer "a chance to promote the products and achievements of the government ministries and bodies and showcase the Kingdom of Bahrain abroad," and how can it reach the officials of world powers through these events and have all these facilitations in Bahrain and hosting countries, provided either by Bahraini diplomatic bodies or foreign officials?

Main Sponsor: Hotel Owner Accused of Establishing Prostitution Network After prolonged silence about the sources of funding, Betsy Mathieson surprisingly spoke of a main sponsor for the campaign during the campaign's tour in Belgium in January 2015.

The name of Bahraini businessman Fadel Al-Bado was shown next to the campaign's name for the first time. The Bahraini king received him with the campaign's delegation last March, accepted his souvenir and praised him.

Who is Fadel Al-Bado?

Al-Bado is a Bahraini hotel investor, owner of Forsan Group, which owns a number of hotels in Bahrain. May be he is just a figure known for running for the last parliamentary election (2014) and losing, and fiercely rejecting the Bahraini Culture Minister Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa's decision to close down three-star hotel facilities in Bahrain, meaning bars, discotheques and nightclubs, and his hotel was one of them.

103 However, Moroccan newspapers and media outlets had a different opinion about Fadel Al-Bado, the funder of some "This Is Bahrain" tours-as it seems-.

In 2012, Fadel Al-Bado's name was circulated in dozens of websites and newspapers, after a case that stirred up the media in Morocco, as some journalists published an investigation report about forcing moroccan women to practice prostitution in Bahrain.

The testimonies that the investigation included were by Moroccan women who accused the owner of Forsan hotels group (Fadel Al-Bado) of forcing them into prostitution!

This case led to major consequences, as the two journalists were arrested, since it was revealed that senior Moroccan officials were involved in this prostitution network. The two journalists were supported by civil organizations in Morocco which held rallies and protests in solidarity with them, and one of the journalists (Abdul Wafi Al-Allam) raised his case to Amnesty International.

Al-Allam said that this network takes these Moroccan girls to Bahrain claiming that they will work there and then "they are shocked by the reality as they realise that they will practice prostitution against their will and in systematic and organized manner, by locking them in the hotel of corruption and prostitution known as "Al-Forsan hotels" in Bahrain which are owned by Fadel Hasan Al-Bado. This led to one of the girls escaping the aforementioned hotel nude and intoxicated and Bahraini news outlets had reported the incident at the time."

In fact, in the same year when Al-Allam was arrested, news spread about Al-Forsan hotels and investor Fadel Al-Bado and the Bahraini public prosecution stated that it ordered the arrest of 32 suspects and a female suspect over a prostitution case and arresting a fugitive suspect, who is the the owner of the hotel where prostitution was being practiced, and decided to shut down the hotel.

Al-Forsan hotels is still open in Bahrain and Fadel Al-Bado is still at large, but when typing on a search engine these keywords: Fadel Al-Bado + Prostitution, interesting results will show, clearly revealing how honorable "This Is Bahrain" campaign, its funders and supporters are.