Assault on Protesters, Migrants Workers Continues in Bahrain

Bahraini anti-government look at spent gas canisters, stun grenades, rubber bullets all piled up in Pearl Square, the epicentre of the anti government movement, in Manama on March 14, 2011 (JAMES LAWLER DUGGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

 

As protests in Bahrain continue, we’re seeing increased brutality against protesters. Amnesty International has documented several cases of police brutality in which protesters were fired upon or beaten up and medical personnel prevented from providing aid.

A new Amnesty International report Bahrain: bloodied but unbowed: Unwarranted state violence against Bahraini protestors documents the deaths of seven protesters and beatings of hundreds of others.

Recent reports have also emerged of brutal attacks on Asian migrant workers wrongly believed to be members of security forces. According to reports from the Bahraini Human Rights Watch Society and Migrant Workers Protection Society more than forty workers have been attacked by protesters.  The newspaper Gulf News reported the deaths of four migrant workers since the protests began on February 14, 2011.

The increase in violence reveals how sectarian tensions in Bahrain are being exploited by the ruling family to refuse rights to both migrant workers and protesters.  The use of migrant workers from Sunni countries to brutalize protesters is designed to deflect attention away from real political grievances by the largely Shia protesters.  It also takes attention away from the dismal condition of most Bahraini migrant workers that work long hours and have few or no rights to organize or demand fair employment or housing practices.

Bahraini authorities are pitting one group of victims against another while the real culprits remain untouched and continue to wield power.

Amnesty International has been reporting on the mistreatment of protesters since demonstrations began over a month ago. However, despite worldwide criticism, Bahraini authorities seem unwilling to back down on their violent crackdown on those peacefully demanding their political rights.

In late February, the Amnesty International team in Bahrain identified some of the ammunition being used on protesters at the Pearl Roundabout.  These included U.S. made tear gas canisters and 37 mm rubber baton, French made tear gas grenades and rubber dispersion grenades that fragment into eighteen pieces and make a loud sound.   Amnesty International has called on all Governments involved to halt arms shipments to Bahrain.   Join the call to halt arms sales and shipments to Bahrain by taking action.

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62 thoughts on “Assault on Protesters, Migrants Workers Continues in Bahrain

  1. these protesters are really not safe, they didn't allowed us to go to our works and the blocked all the main streets, they hold weapons and kill some expats in Bahrain, I hope the government will arrest and clean Bahrain from them, they are really not safe at all. they are dangerous.. They also ran over a policeman several times..

  2. Bahrain Government uses every occasion, accident, & incident to distort the peaceful movement of protesters. This is a very serious crime by itself because it ignites the sectarianism. Yesterday one old sunni taxi driver made a car accident and seriously injured. eyewitness saw some boys were trying to open doors and save him, but they couldn't make and he eventually died. Later on government said Shiites have killed the man in revenge !! "without any investigations"
    So a big funeral march was organized for the martyr in Refaa to oppose the martyrs funeral organized by shiites !
    Such irresponsible acts should be condemned because it makes sectarian polarization even more dangerous .

  3. The Bahrain Gov. is always traying to act voilence against the proterstes, also the Gov. have recruited so many thugs (nathrulized ppl), and paying them very well just to insert themself within the peacful young bahraini protesters then try to make some wild action in between, so they will deliver the wrong message to the audiance!! After that Gov. try to promote voilence between both muslim sheiii & sunni in order the fight to start between each others, then the Gov. forces will come in and fire & kill protesters!

  4. Faze, have you read a single word in the report before you wrote your comment?
    I've personally join most protests since 14th Feb. In one of the protests, I gave roses to a 'pakistani' policeman (in fact mercenry) but he replied by firing rubber from point-blank, which left me unable to move for a while.

    If blocking roads is an act of violence, then what do call killing unarmed protesters with guns?

  5. I think both sides have a part in the blame. The protesters were not entirely peaceful(and many Youtube videos attest to this) and the govt definitely has its part in the violence.

    The solution is for the moderate voices on both sides – Crown Prince Salman from the govt side & Sheikh Ali Salman from the main opposition group -Al Wefaq to step up to the plate.

    Violence takes centre stage when people cannot see any progress.

    I call on Sheikh Ali Salman & the other opposition societies to start the national dialogue immediately without further delay.

    Enough blood has been spilled.

  6. The credibility of Amnesty deteriorated drastically ever since you chose to cover only one aspect of the Bahrain story.Your dependence solely on "Human Rights Defenders" who themselves are at the helm of opposition group tends to give the flavour of only THEIR side of story. The track record of those "Human Rights Defenders" indicate that their MAIN concern is about Shia section of the society and thus report ONLY their grievances which are needless to say, very much amplified.
    We did NOT hear ANY form of condemnation of murders ,physical &psychological traumas inflicted by the opposition protesters either by Amnesty or ANY other Human Rights.
    Where are their Rights? Where is the right of Sunni clerics whose tongue and ears chopped off and murdered JUST because they called for prayers of different sect other than Shiasm? Where is the rights of all the expats held hostage and tortured JUST because they belong to a particular Nationality? Where is the right of people murdered JUST because they REFUSED to obey the jungle rule implied by the protesters.. The list goes on..
    Your organization, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch had been champions in bringing so many nations humanity to light from deep darkness of tyranny.I salute for that.. But being a Bahraini and experienced living under governance of many countries both west and east , i can vouch blindly for my King as one of the most admirable and lovable ruler in modern era. Many fail to realize this as the value of something will never be understood UNTIL its lost.
    This is a very unfortunate chapter in the history of Bahrain where tremendous amount of external force puppeteering a portion of the society.
    Yes, there ARE legitimate demands of the youth.. Yes, we, the sunnis, demand the same.But most of the demands WERE achieved and Can achieve furthermore through Dialogue! What we OPPOSE is the regime change that would be replaced by disastrous parties whose strings are held by external elements.We OPPOSE the INTIMIDATION by the terrorists who held hostage, the whole economy of BAhrain .At no point, would we will Tolerate this..We will NOT let our country to be another IRAQ or LEBANON.
    I URGE the international bodies and NGOs to do justice to our country,Bahrain.Look at the problem in ALL angles and report in that manner.Do NOT take sides and justify their atrocities like many media organizations do. Simply REFUSE to see the other side of the story just because it does NOT meet their agenda.

    We pray justice to our country..and looking forward for your unbiased reporting.

    Thanks..and God bless all..

  7. Those protesters do not represent Bahrain. The majority are condemning their violent behavior. We support our government for it have done so much for the people of Bahrain. Please be more objective and cover the stories o the expats and citizens who dies because of those savage terrorists who call themselves protesters.

  8. Protesters are calling for the day of the blood on Friday 25 March ! Is this a peacful attitude? Please help the peace in Bahrain. Civilians are in imperical risk. They will attack police and clash with other civilians!! God save Bahrain..international communite are responsible to stop this attitude of proteters

  9. Please do close the Human Rights Office @ Bahrain. As a Dutch, I have nothing to do with the country, yet I am always seriously interested in local issues.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt the integrity of the Human Rights Offices, they have been drenched with bias interests.

    In GCC countries the HIGHEST priority is the Asian labor-force (especially construction) that are being treated like animals by Sunni and Shia alike, with compliments from the West. The ONLY priority is to help these people.

    If the protesters would like help they should first replace the workforce and create unions, then involve human rights, instead of refusing lower pay and make it a government problem.

    This might shed a bit of light on the subject.
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/we-are-bahrain/b

    Violence by protesters by guns, swords, knives, Molotov and whatnot has been, AND IS, a daily problem that disturbs residents on regular basis.

  10. As a Bahraini citizen, been born and bred, and witnessed this whole mess I know for a fact that most of the protesters are NOT peaceful! they claim to be peaceful but we as Bahraini citizens KNOW better than to fall for that! we have seen how violent they can be.. there are videos all over youtube to attest to that! they deliberately defy laws and instigate violence.. they provoke the police intentionally.. just becuase they can and want to.. I think the US is smarter than this and shouldnt fall for these lousy acts (giving flowers to policemen) seriously?! and then stab, hit, and run over him?!!? not only that.. they use molotov homemade bombs and put FIRE to POLICE cars not caring if they were in or not! double standards?! if this was to happen in American soil would you just stand guard and watch that happen?! if protesters were to shut down wall street and stop people from attending the stock market?! would u stand idly and watch?! IF doctors refused to treat patients because of thier race or sect?? i dont think so! and we as the citizens of bahrain are tired.. tired… of blood being spilt for no reason.. scared of those protests and what they are capable of.. they fear no ONE not even the police!! they attack civilians.. people are living in fear!! scared to go out or live a normal life because of them! is that just and fair!? is that democracy!? we ALL want those reforms.. the Crown prince asked for dialogue! he gave them a more than a month no one showed up! we all want to end this amicably but some do not seem to want the same or else they would've joined the dialogue instead of vandalizing and scaring civilians by their violent protests! they seem to like anarchy and prefer it to stability.. they ask for democracy when they do not even know what it stands for!! THEY HAVE RUINED OUR COUNTRY!! they will keep DENYING the fact that there were violent acts committed and will keep on denying and will keep on saying PEACEFUL because they want to gain the media's support and the world's recognation.. they want YOU Amnesty to PITY them when really they are the one causing all this havoc! AND WE R THE ONES TO BE PITIED!! but where are you amnesty when we need you?! what about the other 500,000 who oppose all these protests?! Im sorry Amnesty but I have lost hope in you.. because you have lost hope in us.. you refuse to see our side of the story..

  11. Please do close the Human Rights Office @ Bahrain. As a Dutch, I have nothing to do with the country, yet I am always seriously interested in local issues.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt the integrity of the Human Rights Offices, they have been drenched with bias interests.

    In GCC countries the HIGHEST priority is the Asian labor-force (especially construction) that are being treated like animals by Sunni and Shia alike, with compliments from the West. The ONLY priority is to help these people.

    If the protesters would like help they should first replace the workforce and create unions, then involve human rights, instead of refusing lower pay and make it a government problem.

    This might shed a bit of light on the subject.
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/we-are-bahrain/b

    Violence by protesters by guns, swords, knives, Molotov and whatnot has been, AND IS, a daily problem that disturbs residents on regular basis.

  12. Please do close the Human Rights Office @ Bahrain. As a Dutch, I have nothing to do with the country, yet I am always seriously interested in local issues.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt the integrity of the Human Rights Offices, they have been drenched with bias interests.

    In GCC countries the HIGHEST priority is the Asian labor-force (especially construction) that are being treated like animals by Sunni and Shia alike, with compliments from the West. The ONLY priority is to help these people.

    If the protesters would like help they should first replace the workforce and create unions, then involve human rights, instead of refusing lower pay and make it a government problem.

    This might shed a bit of light on the subject.
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/we-are-bahrain/b

    Violence by protesters by guns, swords, knives, Molotov and whatnot has been, AND IS, a daily problem that disturbs residents on regular basis.

  13. This is why medical personnel were prevented from proving aid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBoLbcinB4&fe
    the video clearly shows anti-government doctors from Salmaniya Hospital brutally beating asian workers who have their hands tied behind their backs. Just to make it clear for the world, the asians who are in this video have been beaten up by anti-government terrorists and have then been moved to SMC to be held hostages there and one has been declared dead the next day. Doctors including Ali Al Ekri and Ghassan Dhaif have refused to treat the Asians and have later been arrested by police officers. You in the meantime are still insisting on spreading lies to the international media to take out the Bahraini government which is part of the Iranian plot to take over Bahrain.

  14. Further,

    1) Protesters are controlled by the Opposition. When I walk through protests women are like dogs on a leash, I literally witnessed a rope around a group of females.

    2) If the opposition was true to the demands of the people they would have initiated dialogue at the re-take of the lulu roundabout.

    3) A list of 12 demands to be adhered to before talk can start is AUTOCRATIC BEHAVIOR. The Crown Prince met up to 80% of the demands, the Opposition could not have been flexible and try to achieve the remaining 20% along the way? No. They were arrogant and basically ignored 150.000 people (or more) that have simple and acceptable demands.

    4) Thank god we are protected by GCC forced (or Saudi only) from savages at civil checkpoints. Guys dressed and armed like Taliban-style fighters is NOT a
    comforting sight, and VERY nerve wrecking to any peace loving homosapien.

    Human Rights in Bahrain is a politicized organ that is cancerous and can be considered an insult to the worldwide organization. UAE, QATAR, OMAN as well as BAHRAIN needs Human Rights to fight for a noble cause, protection of (especially) Asian Labor. The locals enjoy a range of facilities that I as a Dutch envy.

  15. these protesters are really not safe, they didn’t allowed us to go to our works and the blocked all the main streets, they hold weapons and kill some expats in Bahrain, I hope the government will arrest and clean Bahrain from them, they are really not safe at all. they are dangerous.. They also ran over a policeman several times..

  16. Bahrain Government uses every occasion, accident, & incident to distort the peaceful movement of protesters. This is a very serious crime by itself because it ignites the sectarianism. Yesterday one old sunni taxi driver made a car accident and seriously injured. eyewitness saw some boys were trying to open doors and save him, but they couldn’t make and he eventually died. Later on government said Shiites have killed the man in revenge !! “without any investigations”
    So a big funeral march was organized for the martyr in Refaa to oppose the martyrs funeral organized by shiites !
    Such irresponsible acts should be condemned because it makes sectarian polarization even more dangerous .

  17. Dear Nabeel,

    We at Bahrain are fed up of your lies. Till when will you continue this? Shame on you.

  18. Proud Bahraini

    You should be more concerned about the credibility of the Al-Khalifas.

    Detention with trial, routine abuse and torture have been going on in Bahrain for decades and now the whole world knows.

  19. I meant detention without trial.

    Bring Ian Henderson to justice and then ask yourself why the are Shi'a so enraged.

  20. What are you saying at your article is discrimination against bahrainies and non bahraines plus your are dividing our society between sunii and shuii. I want to ask the human rights here do you classify americans by there religion and does president Obama represent the majority of his religion?. This is not civilized way of clarifying our issues in bahrain. Its basically a political parties wanted to gain a political powers using there own raise of people by destroying the financial sector. If uncles same would agree with mobster to close wall street bahrain government would agree to mobster to close the financial harbor

  21. This is why medical personnel were prevented from proving aid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBoLbcinB4&fe
    the video clearly shows anti-government doctors from Salmaniya Hospital brutally beating asian workers who have their hands tied behind their backs. Just to make it clear for the world, the asians who are in this video have been beaten up by anti-government terrorists and have then been moved to SMC to be held hostages there and one has been declared dead the next day. Doctors including Ali Al Ekri and Ghassan Dhaif have refused to treat the Asians and have later been arrested by police officers. You in the meantime are still insisting on spreading lies to the international media to take out the Bahraini government which is part of the Iranian plot to take over Bahrain.

  22. This is why medical personnel were prevented from proving aid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBoLbcinB4&fe
    the video clearly shows anti-government doctors from Salmaniya Hospital brutally beating asian workers who have their hands tied behind their backs. Just to make it clear for the world, the asians who are in this video have been beaten up by anti-government terrorists and have then been moved to SMC to be held hostages there and one has been declared dead the next day. Doctors including Ali Al Ekri and Ghassan Dhaif have refused to treat the Asians and have later been arrested by police officers. You in the meantime are still insisting on spreading lies to the international media to take out the Bahraini government which is part of the Iranian plot to take over Bahrain.

  23. Amnesty international you are deliberately blinding yourselves from the whole scenario here in Bahrain. I urge you to replace your current agents in Bahrain, as they are feeding you totally one sided, and biased information about what is really taking place in Bahrain.

  24. The Bahrain Gov. is always traying to act voilence against the proterstes, also the Gov. have recruited so many thugs (nathrulized ppl), and paying them very well just to insert themself within the peacful young bahraini protesters then try to make some wild action in between, so they will deliver the wrong message to the audiance!! After that Gov. try to promote voilence between both muslim sheiii & sunni in order the fight to start between each others, then the Gov. forces will come in and fire & kill protesters!

  25. Faze, have you read a single word in the report before you wrote your comment?
    I’ve personally join most protests since 14th Feb. In one of the protests, I gave roses to a ‘pakistani’ policeman (in fact mercenry) but he replied by firing rubber from point-blank, which left me unable to move for a while.

    If blocking roads is an act of violence, then what do call killing unarmed protesters with guns?

  26. I think both sides have a part in the blame. The protesters were not entirely peaceful(and many Youtube videos attest to this) and the govt definitely has its part in the violence.

    The solution is for the moderate voices on both sides – Crown Prince Salman from the govt side & Sheikh Ali Salman from the main opposition group -Al Wefaq to step up to the plate.

    Violence takes centre stage when people cannot see any progress.

    I call on Sheikh Ali Salman & the other opposition societies to start the national dialogue immediately without further delay.

    Enough blood has been spilled.

  27. The credibility of Amnesty deteriorated drastically ever since you chose to cover only one aspect of the Bahrain story.Your dependence solely on “Human Rights Defenders” who themselves are at the helm of opposition group tends to give the flavour of only THEIR side of story. The track record of those “Human Rights Defenders” indicate that their MAIN concern is about Shia section of the society and thus report ONLY their grievances which are needless to say, very much amplified.
    We did NOT hear ANY form of condemnation of murders ,physical &psychological traumas inflicted by the opposition protesters either by Amnesty or ANY other Human Rights.
    Where are their Rights? Where is the right of Sunni clerics whose tongue and ears chopped off and murdered JUST because they called for prayers of different sect other than Shiasm? Where is the rights of all the expats held hostage and tortured JUST because they belong to a particular Nationality? Where is the right of people murdered JUST because they REFUSED to obey the jungle rule implied by the protesters.. The list goes on..
    Your organization, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch had been champions in bringing so many nations humanity to light from deep darkness of tyranny.I salute for that.. But being a Bahraini and experienced living under governance of many countries both west and east , i can vouch blindly for my King as one of the most admirable and lovable ruler in modern era. Many fail to realize this as the value of something will never be understood UNTIL its lost.
    This is a very unfortunate chapter in the history of Bahrain where tremendous amount of external force puppeteering a portion of the society.
    Yes, there ARE legitimate demands of the youth.. Yes, we, the sunnis, demand the same.But most of the demands WERE achieved and Can achieve furthermore through Dialogue! What we OPPOSE is the regime change that would be replaced by disastrous parties whose strings are held by external elements.We OPPOSE the INTIMIDATION by the terrorists who held hostage, the whole economy of BAhrain .At no point, would we will Tolerate this..We will NOT let our country to be another IRAQ or LEBANON.
    I URGE the international bodies and NGOs to do justice to our country,Bahrain.Look at the problem in ALL angles and report in that manner.Do NOT take sides and justify their atrocities like many media organizations do. Simply REFUSE to see the other side of the story just because it does NOT meet their agenda.

    We pray justice to our country..and looking forward for your unbiased reporting.

    Thanks..and God bless all..

  28. Those protesters do not represent Bahrain. The majority are condemning their violent behavior. We support our government for it have done so much for the people of Bahrain. Please be more objective and cover the stories o the expats and citizens who dies because of those savage terrorists who call themselves protesters.

  29. Protesters are calling for the day of the blood on Friday 25 March ! Is this a peacful attitude? Please help the peace in Bahrain. Civilians are in imperical risk. They will attack police and clash with other civilians!! God save Bahrain..international communite are responsible to stop this attitude of proteters

  30. It sufficient for a common man in the middle east to assess that the American and Israel support for the GCC countries exposes their stand towards the people. They are dictators. Yemen, Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Morocco has no Sunni-Shia problem. It is a protest against the dictators. Bahrain is no exception.

  31. Most of the Sunnis in Bahrain are in denial right now, the same way that whites were in denial about inequality with blacks before civil rights in America. Yes, the opposition made critical mistakes in not reaching out across the aisle to the Sunnis who also want reform, and by calling for regime change when the Sunnis cannot take that risk given the demographics of the country (and neither can the Americans or the Saudis, frankly), and by blocking access to the financial center which told Sunnis that the opposition did not care about the economic viability of the country (in contrast to Wael Ghonim's very positive attitude towards the Egyptian commercial elite as the future of the country). So YES, all these mistakes were made. BUT, there are legitimate grievances on the Shia side that the Sunnis are too blinded by fear, ignorance, and for some, hate, to see. A constitutional monarchy would benefit EVERYONE: Sunni and Shia. It is not right to put the blame for state violence on the opposition's failed tactics and goals, especially when it was only a small minority of the opposition (the Haq people led by Mushaima) who made these mistakes. Wefaq and others called for constitutional monarchy the whole time, even if they were too arrogant in their demands for dialogue. Again, the point is, the Sunnis are in denial. They need to wake up or the country they love will be gone. I think the human rights groups provide an important service by not getting involved in the politics and just talking about the human toll in all this.

  32. Sorry, but another big mistake made by the opposition was going to Adel Fulayfil's house as a mob and attacking it. Even if everyone knows what this guy did and who he is, it scares other Sunnis if the opposition feels they have the right to be the jury, judge and executioner. Mob justice is no justice at all, and the Sunnis are not going to trade an authoritarian Sunni state for an authoritarian Shia one. Again, this does not justify ANY of the monstrous violence that the state has unleashed on the protestors. But if the opposition really wanted to succeed, they had to turn on their fringe elements and kick them out of the movement (those who went to Riffa, Adel Fulayfil's house, the King's house, and blocked traffic). The Muslim Brotherhood kicked out their radical elements decades ago because they realized they could not get mass support if they kept these elements in their camp. The opposition in Bahrain has not yet learned this lesson yet, I guess. But again, NONE of this justifies the violence that HRW documents so very well and with such humanitarian urgency and necessity.

  33. As a Bahraini citizen, been born and bred, and witnessed this whole mess I know for a fact that most of the protesters are NOT peaceful! they claim to be peaceful but we as Bahraini citizens KNOW better than to fall for that! we have seen how violent they can be.. there are videos all over youtube to attest to that! they deliberately defy laws and instigate violence.. they provoke the police intentionally.. just becuase they can and want to.. I think the US is smarter than this and shouldnt fall for these lousy acts (giving flowers to policemen) seriously?! and then stab, hit, and run over him?!!? not only that.. they use molotov homemade bombs and put FIRE to POLICE cars not caring if they were in or not! double standards?! if this was to happen in American soil would you just stand guard and watch that happen?! if protesters were to shut down wall street and stop people from attending the stock market?! would u stand idly and watch?! IF doctors refused to treat patients because of thier race or sect?? i dont think so! and we as the citizens of bahrain are tired.. tired… of blood being spilt for no reason.. scared of those protests and what they are capable of.. they fear no ONE not even the police!! they attack civilians.. people are living in fear!! scared to go out or live a normal life because of them! is that just and fair!? is that democracy!? we ALL want those reforms.. the Crown prince asked for dialogue! he gave them a more than a month no one showed up! we all want to end this amicably but some do not seem to want the same or else they would’ve joined the dialogue instead of vandalizing and scaring civilians by their violent protests! they seem to like anarchy and prefer it to stability.. they ask for democracy when they do not even know what it stands for!! THEY HAVE RUINED OUR COUNTRY!! they will keep DENYING the fact that there were violent acts committed and will keep on denying and will keep on saying PEACEFUL because they want to gain the media’s support and the world’s recognation.. they want YOU Amnesty to PITY them when really they are the one causing all this havoc! AND WE R THE ONES TO BE PITIED!! but where are you amnesty when we need you?! what about the other 500,000 who oppose all these protests?! Im sorry Amnesty but I have lost hope in you.. because you have lost hope in us.. you refuse to see our side of the story..

  34. Please do close the Human Rights Office @ Bahrain. As a Dutch, I have nothing to do with the country, yet I am always seriously interested in local issues.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt the integrity of the Human Rights Offices, they have been drenched with bias interests.

    In GCC countries the HIGHEST priority is the Asian labor-force (especially construction) that are being treated like animals by Sunni and Shia alike, with compliments from the West. The ONLY priority is to help these people.

    If the protesters would like help they should first replace the workforce and create unions, then involve human rights, instead of refusing lower pay and make it a government problem.

    This might shed a bit of light on the subject.

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/we-are-bahrain/bahrain-man-in-the-mirror-a-must-read/204533426241218

    Violence by protesters by guns, swords, knives, Molotov and whatnot has been, AND IS, a daily problem that disturbs residents on regular basis.

  35. Further,

    1) Protesters are controlled by the Opposition. When I walk through protests women are like dogs on a leash, I literally witnessed a rope around a group of females.

    2) If the opposition was true to the demands of the people they would have initiated dialogue at the re-take of the lulu roundabout.

    3) A list of 12 demands to be adhered to before talk can start is AUTOCRATIC BEHAVIOR. The Crown Prince met up to 80% of the demands, the Opposition could not have been flexible and try to achieve the remaining 20% along the way? No. They were arrogant and basically ignored 150.000 people (or more) that have simple and acceptable demands.

    4) Thank god we are protected by GCC forced (or Saudi only) from savages at civil checkpoints. Guys dressed and armed like Taliban-style fighters is NOT a
    comforting sight, and VERY nerve wrecking to any peace loving homosapien.

    Human Rights in Bahrain is a politicized organ that is cancerous and can be considered an insult to the worldwide organization. UAE, QATAR, OMAN as well as BAHRAIN needs Human Rights to fight for a noble cause, protection of (especially) Asian Labor. The locals enjoy a range of facilities that I as a Dutch envy.

  36. Dear Sir,
    I am not counting on anybody to restore my human rights , I'm counting on myself. But it is extremely important to show everybody my grieve & what I'm exposed to from a dictator regime. The Regime is controlling national madia, interior forces, army, Regional Relations, USA friendship , Economy , & much more. So what do you expect?, at least every decade the Bahraini people make a major uprising, before we've made mistakes by blowing gas vessels and burning tyres, but this time we learnt from Egyptian revolution & did not make mistakes, even better than Egyptians because we didn't burn buildings!!
    So our case is facing huge & professional government propaganda .
    Is it right to say "you are Shiites so you don't have rights!!" well, these human rights are for everybody. Is it right to say "since you are Shiites you can't work in human rights organizations"!! well, I am a human being before I become a muslim , look to the demand I am calling for & look to the evidences I brought before you look to my fathers religion, this kind of discrimination should be stoped .
    So you can see in what Kind of complecated situation we are. The universally recognized rights should be supported by itself & there should be a global orientation towards realizing it in all countries.

  37. Dear Razi Rizvi,

    You're right !

    The West's support for the GCC countries shows their innate alliance with the dictatorships everywhere ! No Shia – Sunni problem, but a problem of the dictatorships !! Shia & Sunni everywhere, unite against your dictatorships !!!

    Dear Sunni Bahraini,

    You're striking a balance which, though i don't know as much of the ground details, shows a path toward unity & freedom !

    You're right again … the Sunnis are in denial about the oppression suffered by the Shia, like the state of denial whites display in an apartheid system !

    i, however, have no love for a constitutional Bahraini monarchy … or any other form of survival for the Bahraini monarchy !

    For Amnesty hasn't reported here on the dastardly thing the al Khalifa monarchy has done in Bahrain .

    It's invited & brought in the Saudi monarchy's army in an invasion of Bahrain !

    The Saudi army has come across the causeway into Bahrain with US made tanks …. US made weaponry.

    The Shia are being HUNTED down in the streets.

    Not a squeak out of Obama / Hillary, Sarko / Cameron at THIS invasion !

    The opening of the country to this Saudi invasion should by rights rule out any reconciliation with or restoration of this treacherous Bahraini monarchy !!

    It's getting too hot for historical relics … let alone quislings & kings !

  38. Dear Nabeel,

    We at Bahrain are fed up of your lies. Till when will you continue this? Shame on you.

  39. Proud Bahraini

    You should be more concerned about the credibility of the Al-Khalifas.

    Detention with trial, routine abuse and torture have been going on in Bahrain for decades and now the whole world knows.

  40. I meant detention without trial.

    Bring Ian Henderson to justice and then ask yourself why the are Shi’a so enraged.

  41. What are you saying at your article is discrimination against bahrainies and non bahraines plus your are dividing our society between sunii and shuii. I want to ask the human rights here do you classify americans by there religion and does president Obama represent the majority of his religion?. This is not civilized way of clarifying our issues in bahrain. Its basically a political parties wanted to gain a political powers using there own raise of people by destroying the financial sector. If uncles same would agree with mobster to close wall street bahrain government would agree to mobster to close the financial harbor

  42. Dear "Just Bahraini",

    The isolation your Shia sisters & brothers suffered before is ending today !

    More & more people now know your history of sacrifice & tears.

    You're learning from Egypt.

    We're learning from YOU.

    Every decade a struggle.

    Make this the decade of your liberation !

  43. This is why medical personnel were prevented from proving aid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBoLbcinB4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
    the video clearly shows anti-government doctors from Salmaniya Hospital brutally beating asian workers who have their hands tied behind their backs. Just to make it clear for the world, the asians who are in this video have been beaten up by anti-government terrorists and have then been moved to SMC to be held hostages there and one has been declared dead the next day. Doctors including Ali Al Ekri and Ghassan Dhaif have refused to treat the Asians and have later been arrested by police officers. You in the meantime are still insisting on spreading lies to the international media to take out the Bahraini government which is part of the Iranian plot to take over Bahrain.

  44. Amnesty international you are deliberately blinding yourselves from the whole scenario here in Bahrain. I urge you to replace your current agents in Bahrain, as they are feeding you totally one sided, and biased information about what is really taking place in Bahrain.

  45. It sufficient for a common man in the middle east to assess that the American and Israel support for the GCC countries exposes their stand towards the people. They are dictators. Yemen, Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Morocco has no Sunni-Shia problem. It is a protest against the dictators. Bahrain is no exception.

  46. Most of the Sunnis in Bahrain are in denial right now, the same way that whites were in denial about inequality with blacks before civil rights in America. Yes, the opposition made critical mistakes in not reaching out across the aisle to the Sunnis who also want reform, and by calling for regime change when the Sunnis cannot take that risk given the demographics of the country (and neither can the Americans or the Saudis, frankly), and by blocking access to the financial center which told Sunnis that the opposition did not care about the economic viability of the country (in contrast to Wael Ghonim’s very positive attitude towards the Egyptian commercial elite as the future of the country). So YES, all these mistakes were made. BUT, there are legitimate grievances on the Shia side that the Sunnis are too blinded by fear, ignorance, and for some, hate, to see. A constitutional monarchy would benefit EVERYONE: Sunni and Shia. It is not right to put the blame for state violence on the opposition’s failed tactics and goals, especially when it was only a small minority of the opposition (the Haq people led by Mushaima) who made these mistakes. Wefaq and others called for constitutional monarchy the whole time, even if they were too arrogant in their demands for dialogue. Again, the point is, the Sunnis are in denial. They need to wake up or the country they love will be gone. I think the human rights groups provide an important service by not getting involved in the politics and just talking about the human toll in all this.

  47. Sorry, but another big mistake made by the opposition was going to Adel Fulayfil’s house as a mob and attacking it. Even if everyone knows what this guy did and who he is, it scares other Sunnis if the opposition feels they have the right to be the jury, judge and executioner. Mob justice is no justice at all, and the Sunnis are not going to trade an authoritarian Sunni state for an authoritarian Shia one. Again, this does not justify ANY of the monstrous violence that the state has unleashed on the protestors. But if the opposition really wanted to succeed, they had to turn on their fringe elements and kick them out of the movement (those who went to Riffa, Adel Fulayfil’s house, the King’s house, and blocked traffic). The Muslim Brotherhood kicked out their radical elements decades ago because they realized they could not get mass support if they kept these elements in their camp. The opposition in Bahrain has not yet learned this lesson yet, I guess. But again, NONE of this justifies the violence that HRW documents so very well and with such humanitarian urgency and necessity.

  48. Dear Sir,
    I am not counting on anybody to restore my human rights , I’m counting on myself. But it is extremely important to show everybody my grieve & what I’m exposed to from a dictator regime. The Regime is controlling national madia, interior forces, army, Regional Relations, USA friendship , Economy , & much more. So what do you expect?, at least every decade the Bahraini people make a major uprising, before we’ve made mistakes by blowing gas vessels and burning tyres, but this time we learnt from Egyptian revolution & did not make mistakes, even better than Egyptians because we didn’t burn buildings!!
    So our case is facing huge & professional government propaganda .
    Is it right to say “you are Shiites so you don’t have rights!!” well, these human rights are for everybody. Is it right to say “since you are Shiites you can’t work in human rights organizations”!! well, I am a human being before I become a muslim , look to the demand I am calling for & look to the evidences I brought before you look to my fathers religion, this kind of discrimination should be stoped .
    So you can see in what Kind of complecated situation we are. The universally recognized rights should be supported by itself & there should be a global orientation towards realizing it in all countries.

  49. Dear Razi Rizvi,

    You’re right !

    The West’s support for the GCC countries shows their innate alliance with the dictatorships everywhere ! No Shia – Sunni problem, but a problem of the dictatorships !! Shia & Sunni everywhere, unite against your dictatorships !!!

    Dear Sunni Bahraini,

    You’re striking a balance which, though i don’t know as much of the ground details, shows a path toward unity & freedom !

    You’re right again … the Sunnis are in denial about the oppression suffered by the Shia, like the state of denial whites display in an apartheid system !

    i, however, have no love for a constitutional Bahraini monarchy … or any other form of survival for the Bahraini monarchy !

    For Amnesty hasn’t reported here on the dastardly thing the al Khalifa monarchy has done in Bahrain .

    It’s invited & brought in the Saudi monarchy’s army in an invasion of Bahrain !

    The Saudi army has come across the causeway into Bahrain with US made tanks …. US made weaponry.

    The Shia are being HUNTED down in the streets.

    Not a squeak out of Obama / Hillary, Sarko / Cameron at THIS invasion !

    The opening of the country to this Saudi invasion should by rights rule out any reconciliation with or restoration of this treacherous Bahraini monarchy !!

    It’s getting too hot for historical relics … let alone quislings & kings !

  50. Dear “Just Bahraini”,

    The isolation your Shia sisters & brothers suffered before is ending today !

    More & more people now know your history of sacrifice & tears.

    You’re learning from Egypt.

    We’re learning from YOU.

    Every decade a struggle.

    Make this the decade of your liberation !

  51. All I have to say to those who are calling me apologetic for the monarchy is good luck overthrowing the interests of two of the most powerful countries in the world (Saudi and the US) with the courage and ideals of 100,000 Bahraini protestors. I am not apologizing for the monarchy when I point out that it is a strategic improbability to do this, and that I'd rather not see people throwing away their precious lives for what I perceive to be quite improbable if not impossible. The movement will succeed when ALL the Bahraini people can come up with a solution that works for everyone, and I'm sorry but the elite (Sunni and Shia both by the way) will not support a pure republic right now (even Wefaq says constitutional monarchy), whether you agree with them or not, that is the cold hard facts. I, for one, would like to stop seeing fellow Bahrainis dying for a strategy that will not work.

    And for "Just Bahraini": I put my sectarian background to show that I am a Sunni criticizing Sunnis. You can't solve this problem by ignoring sectarian issues such as the oppression of the Shia, or the reluctance and fear of most of the Sunnis (never mind the ones who hate Shia, they are just going to have to lose and we'll all be better for it). Ignoring sectarianism does not make it go away. It would be great to get to a point where we are all "Just Bahraini" but the way to get there is not to ignore the fact that there are some serious bridges that need to be built and they cannot be built if we ignore the experiences of anyone, Sunni or Shia, or Sushi. Bahrain is not South African Apartheid: the Sunni community are not colonizers, and anyone who thinks this is a sectarian and will never bring peace and justice to Bahrain for all its people. Sunni and Shia have inter-married forever and they are friends, but the tactics of rule have created divisions that need to be healed.

  52. All I have to say to those who are calling me apologetic for the monarchy is good luck overthrowing the interests of two of the most powerful countries in the world (Saudi and the US) with the courage and ideals of 100,000 Bahraini protestors. I am not apologizing for the monarchy when I point out that it is a strategic improbability to do this, and that I’d rather not see people throwing away their precious lives for what I perceive to be quite improbable if not impossible. The movement will succeed when ALL the Bahraini people can come up with a solution that works for everyone, and I’m sorry but the elite (Sunni and Shia both by the way) will not support a pure republic right now (even Wefaq says constitutional monarchy), whether you agree with them or not, that is the cold hard facts. I, for one, would like to stop seeing fellow Bahrainis dying for a strategy that will not work.

    And for “Just Bahraini”: I put my sectarian background to show that I am a Sunni criticizing Sunnis. You can’t solve this problem by ignoring sectarian issues such as the oppression of the Shia, or the reluctance and fear of most of the Sunnis (never mind the ones who hate Shia, they are just going to have to lose and we’ll all be better for it). Ignoring sectarianism does not make it go away. It would be great to get to a point where we are all “Just Bahraini” but the way to get there is not to ignore the fact that there are some serious bridges that need to be built and they cannot be built if we ignore the experiences of anyone, Sunni or Shia, or Sushi. Bahrain is not South African Apartheid: the Sunni community are not colonizers, and anyone who thinks this is a sectarian and will never bring peace and justice to Bahrain for all its people. Sunni and Shia have inter-married forever and they are friends, but the tactics of rule have created divisions that need to be healed.

  53. Bahrainis will never understand the concept of democracy. Most of them have never lived in a democratic country unless they have travelled to US, the UK, Australia or other first world countries. Most of the protestors lack the skills or the motivation to work. The Indians, the Filipinos, the Ethopians, the Sri Lankans, the Pakistanis, the Bangladeshis and people from other countries make up most of the work force. The real Apartheid is the way the migrant workers are treated. I have witnessed Bahrainis beating their employees, raping their maids and justifying this type of behavior. In my opinion the rulers lack the wisdom to act in manner that would bring about a real solution to the problem. The king freed the 150 political prisoners and then went on a rampage to arrest them. I don't quite understand the rationale behind his decision making skills. The Saudis who come across the causeway are animals. They come to Bahrain in search of prostitutes and alchohol. But they are defenders of Islam. The Crown Prince is not capable of bringing about a solution to the problem either. He praised democracy in Singapore and talked about how Singapore could be an example to Bahrain. Well the Singaporean President is an Indian. Shaikh Salman needs to come to his senses because the last time I checked Indians are considered 5th class citizens. The exception is the owner of the Lulu Hypermarket chain of supermarkets in Bahrain. If he ran for office in Bahrain, the government might consider a role for him. I hope the leaders of Bahrain spend a week with Mandela. They might really understand the concept of passive resistance. Slavery is still prevalant in countries like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman.

  54. Bahrainis will never understand the concept of democracy. Most of them have never lived in a democratic country unless they have travelled to US, the UK, Australia or other first world countries. Most of the protestors lack the skills or the motivation to work. The Indians, the Filipinos, the Ethopians, the Sri Lankans, the Pakistanis, the Bangladeshis and people from other countries make up most of the work force. The real Apartheid is the way the migrant workers are treated. I have witnessed Bahrainis beating their employees, raping their maids and justifying this type of behavior. In my opinion the rulers lack the wisdom to act in manner that would bring about a real solution to the problem. The king freed the 150 political prisoners and then went on a rampage to arrest them. I don’t quite understand the rationale behind his decision making skills. The Saudis who come across the causeway are animals. They come to Bahrain in search of prostitutes and alchohol. But they are defenders of Islam. The Crown Prince is not capable of bringing about a solution to the problem either. He praised democracy in Singapore and talked about how Singapore could be an example to Bahrain. Well the Singaporean President is an Indian. Shaikh Salman needs to come to his senses because the last time I checked Indians are considered 5th class citizens. The exception is the owner of the Lulu Hypermarket chain of supermarkets in Bahrain. If he ran for office in Bahrain, the government might consider a role for him. I hope the leaders of Bahrain spend a week with Mandela. They might really understand the concept of passive resistance. Slavery is still prevalant in countries like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman.

  55. mr. Zakaria should be applauded for being so vociferous. Speaking against injustice is a commendable deed especially when your own people may ostracize you for doing so.
    Wahhabism as portrayed by the Saudis is something to be deplored. they have no respect for human life.
    These rulers should be tried for crime against humanity.

  56. mr. Zakaria should be applauded for being so vociferous. Speaking against injustice is a commendable deed especially when your own people may ostracize you for doing so.
    Wahhabism as portrayed by the Saudis is something to be deplored. they have no respect for human life.
    These rulers should be tried for crime against humanity.

  57. Those Protestors are terrorist actually they act peacefully but what lies beneath is totally different, they terrified us and prevent us to go to work by blocking the roads or to do daily activities or even to go to the largest government hospital here in Bahrain I swear by GOD!. Actully thier loyalty to Iran and the days are showing this very clearly. May god safe us and safe our beloved country.

  58. Those Protestors are terrorist actually they act peacefully but what lies beneath is totally different, they terrified us and prevent us to go to work by blocking the roads or to do daily activities or even to go to the largest government hospital here in Bahrain I swear by GOD!. Actully thier loyalty to Iran and the days are showing this very clearly. May god safe us and safe our beloved country.

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