BCHR | Bahrain: Weaponizing Teargas by Bahrain Authorities Kills Anoth

[محروم.كوم]

22-02-13 03:51 PM


Photo : Right Mahmood Al-Jazeeri,
Left: Mahmood Al-Jazeera while in Coma at Hospital
Date: 22nd February 2013
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its grave concern over the death of a Bahraini citizen Mahmood Al-Jazeeri due to the authorities’ efforts to weaponize teargas by directly targeting protestors’ heads and necks, which appears to be an attempt to extra-judiciously kill them, or to cause maximum damage. [1]
Since the 14th of February 2013, which marked the 2nd anniversary of Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement, protests against the government have increased in different areas around Bahrain. The BCHR documented many cases of severe injuries inflicted by government forces. Other injuries have proven fatal and lead on the 14th of February 2013 to the death of Hussain Ali Ahmed Abrahim: a 16 year-old teenager killed by shotgun wounds in several areas of his body. [2]
Another fatal injury was caused by a direct shot to the face from a teargas canister at a close range on an unarmed protestor in the village of Nabih Salih: the 20 year-old, Mahmood Al-Jazeeri.

The BCHR was informed that Mahmood Al-Jazeeri was brought to Salmaniya Medical Complex unconscious after suffering a high-velocity direct injury to the brain from a heavy object. Mahmood was found to be suffering from a fractured skull, intracerebral bleeding, multiple brain contusions & severe brain edema. He was operated on after admission to relieve the pressure and bleeding in the brain but the damage was so severe that he did not come out of the coma he was suffering from initially & succumbed to his injuries which lead to his death on the 22nd of February 2013.

Photo: Extracted from a Youtube Video, Illustrating How Mahmood was Shot.
Order: No. 1: Top Right, 2:Top Left, 3:Second Row Right, 4:Second Row Left..etc

Link to the video:



The family of Mahmood Al-Jazeeri informed Said Yousif Al-Muhafdhah, Acting Vice President of the BCHR and Head of Documentation Unit that the familly refused to accept the Death Certificate. The death certificate did not mention that there is a suspicion of criminal activity and no further comments were added, initially, by the coroner. The public has lost faith in the authorities after several other investigations were performed on deceased protesters in such a manner that did not accurately reflect the facts in the case, and prevented justice. Examples include the cases of Karim Fakhrawi , Ali Al-Shaikh and Yousif Al-Muwali.

Mahmood AlJazeeri is the 4th victim, according to the BCHR records, to die as a result of a direct hit from a tear gas canister to the head or neck:
1 -Fadhel AlObaidy, 22 years old, date of death: 3 Oct 2012: http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/5108
2- Sayed Hashim Sayed Saeed, 15 years old, date of death 31 Dec 2011 http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4936
3- Ali Alshaikh, 14 years old, date of death: 31 Aug 2011 http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4577
These reports show that the weapons used by the Bahraini police to suppress protests are European-made. The birdshot canisters, which were found on site where Husain AlJaziri was killed on Thursday, are from Cyprus Victory Starlight cartridges. In other areas, Italian manufactured weapon (Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun) and German-owned South African Tear Gas canisters were observed in use against protesters.

Cyprus Victory Starlight Cartridges

German-Owned South African Tear Gas Canisters

Italian manufactured weapon (Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun)

The BCHR calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and all other allies and international institutions to put pressure on the Government of Bahrain to stop its use of excessive force in response to the continued peaceful protests, and to consider a meaningful solution to resolve the persistent political issues of instability in the country.

The BCHR calls on the European Governments and other ally Governments to Bahrain to stop supplying the government with arms that are used against peaceful protesters, which cause severe injury and death among them.






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