منتدى استراحات زايد - Teachers in Bahrain on World Teachers Day: Jailed, torture, prosecuted

05-10-11 10:52 AM

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Bahrain’s Teachers Association President and VP, sentenced by military court to 15 and 5 years imprisonment.

05 Oct 2011

“Since 1994 World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on 5 October. It is an opportunity for UNESCO and Education International to celebrate the profession and to promote international standards for the teaching profession.” – UNESCO[1]

World Teachers Day is an opportunity to appreciate the dedication and contributions of teachers. However, Bahraini teachers are being appreciated by being targeted and attacked for supporting the popular protest in Bahrain last Feb and going on strike to protect students and teachers back in March 2011. Hundreds of teachers were detained, tortured, sacked and subjected for unfair transfers from their schools[2].

It started with dissolving Bahrain’s Teachers Association BTA (Teachers Union) and arrested the President of BTA, Mahdi Abu Deeb, whose house was raided at dawn and his wife and children interrogated when they did not find him. He was arrested on April 6th 2011 in a very violent way as he was dropped from the first floor of his uncle’s house. Jaleela Al Salman, the Vice President of BTA, was arrested on 29th March after a home raid that frightened her kids. The next day more members of the board of directors in the BTA were arrested.

On 25 Sep 2011 a military court sentenced Madhi Abu Deeb to 15 years’ imprisonment and Jaleela Al Salman to 5 years’ imprisonment. Other members of the teachers association (Sana Abdulrazag, Ghusoon Alsayed, Afrah Alasfoor, Ali Albana , Salah Albarry) who were detained for several weeks after the crackdown are awaiting trials on 11 Oct 2011.

The crackdown was not only targeted towards BTA members but more than 100 teachers have been arrested starting from March, 70% of them female teachers. They have all been through severe torture, humiliation and were cursed at by Bahrain’s security forces. More than 150 teachers were sacked from their jobs and dozens were suspended by the Ministry of Education after undergoing provocative and humiliating interrogations. 100s of teachers were either not paid for months of had part of their salaries cut. Many others have been summoned for military trials. Dozens subjected to a sudden unfair transfer. All decisions are of discriminatory background against opposition, opposition’s supporters and Shia Muslims.

Ministry of Educations campaign has not stopped since March, many teachers are awaiting for their trials, many are suspended and other are suffering from salary cuts every month for no reasons.

Education level in Bahrain schools is deteriorating, after depriving students from 100s of experienced, educated and dedicated teachers whom had the prosperity of the country in mind and worked towards developing generations to come and today they are being treated unjustly and replaced by unqualified teachers.

BCHR demand for putting an end to the violations against teachers in Bahrain by:
• Canceling all trials that will be held
• Dropping false charges against teachers
• Revoking sentences made by military trials on civilians in a breach to their right in due process.
• Investigation in the allegation of torture and bringing those responsible in it to justice.
• Immediately releasing all detained teachers
• Immediately reinstating all teachers to their jobs and stopping salary cuts, suspensions and unfair transfers.
• Respecting international obligations with regard to human rights, specially right to assembly and freedom of expression.

More Information:

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Jaleela Al Salman, 46 years old mother of 3. She has served in the Education Sector for 24 years. She is known for her dedication, hard work and he involvement in many activities and initiative targeted toward the enhancement of the educational sector.

She has been jailed for 5 months after her home was raided by more than 15 officers. Jaleela was subjected to torture, she says “I was in solitary confinement; it was very, very dirty. The walls were covered in dried blood. There was a hook hanging off the ceiling. There were no windows. I was forced to stand for almost all of the time.” She adds “Every five minutes someone would come inside my cell. I was not allowed to lie down or even to go to the toilet or to have water. Because of that I had to be treated for kidney problems.”

Ms. Al Salman has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and is in fear of being arrested at anytime for demanding freedom and democracy.

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Ms.K is one of the teachers who have been arrested from the school. She says that at the day of her arrest, police were everywhere in the school, they arrested some students and were going to classes with pro-government students to identify their colleagues who are pro-democracy .

She was called to the administration and taken from there to the police station where she was tortured and humiliated.

Ms.K says that her hands were tied from the back and her eyes blind folded before they started beating and cursing her to make her confess of things she did not do.

She was detained for sometimes before being released after ensuring there was no torture marks on her body.

However, her leg has not healed and she is still being treated.

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