Proceedings of the House of Lords seminar marking 1st anniversary of the Bahrain Revolution 14th**February 2012 A seminar marking the first anniversary of the Bahrain 14thFebruary revolution was held today at the House of Lord, chaired by Lord Avebury the Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary HR Group. The seminar was attended by leading human rights activists, key actors and witnesses, who all presented and discussed the tragic line of events that have taken place in Bahrain since the government’s harsh crackdown on peaceful protesters last year. On 14th February 2011 Bahraini youth declared their revolution demanding a fundamental change in the system of government, that hereditary dictatorship must end and that the people are given the right to determine their own destiny. The Saudis intervened militarily while the Americans failed to support the pro-democracy activists. The revolutionary youth are determined to make the change and end the black era of the Al Khalifa, their dictatorship and torture. The seminar aimed to raise awareness and condemnation of the systematic torture and denial of human rights in Bahrain. Lord Avebury opened the seminar stating Article 1 of the International Covenant on Human Rights that declares that all peoples have a right to self-determination. He stated that political change is crucial for Bahrain in order to bring about any stability to the Kingdom. There have been over 60 people who have died at the hands of the government from the use of torture yet this suffering and agony has not been to no effect according to Lord Avebury. The Bassiouni report has been a step in the right direction and a ‘valuable exercise’ that reveals the extent of the gross consistent violations that occurred in Bahrain and are still occurring. The BICI Report stated that all persons charged for freedom of expression should have their convictions reviewed and all intended political prisoners to be exonerated and released. Lord Avebury went on to mention specific cases of victims such as Abdul Khwaja who has been sentenced to 10years and is currently undergoing a hunger strike protesting his innocence. The BICI report recommended that all torture victims should be appropriately compensated. None of these recommendations have been implemented. In discussing the UK’s stance on the situation in Bahrain and their continual of ‘Business as Usual’, Lord Avebury considered the British Government’s attitudes as ‘naive’ and inappropriate. The idea that the way forward in Bahrain is to seize the movement for reconciliation and broader reform through dialogue was recommended by MP Alistair Burt. However with all the political opposition behind bars, the arrest of bloggers, the refusal of journalists into the country, the continual crackdown on peaceful demonstrators through the use of force and excessive tear gas, how is any dialogue possible? Lord Avebury questioned. Lord Avebury pointed at the British government’s naivety on the issue and their desire to ‘bury their heads in the sand’ as opposed to aiding Bahraini citizens in their fight for self-determination. The UK have fallen for the ‘good intent words of the Al Khalifa regime’ and their promises to bring reform to the Kingdom and change for the people. Sara Yasin, of Index on Censorship was next to address the audience and discussed her findings in Bahrain after the release of the BICI Report. Sara was in Bahrain as part of the delegation and field mission for the report released by IFEX earlier this year. Sara stated that what they found on the ground in Bahrain were ‘troubling images’ and a ‘cycle that has continued and is in fact getting worse.’ She went on to condemn the recommendations of the BICI report in that they were not matching the severity of the human rights abuses and that they had a ‘lack of action’. Freedom of expression in Bahrain does not exist and this is proven by the banning of foreign journalist and Human Rights activists into the country. ‘This is the narrative that needs to get out but the government is trying to hide this narrative from the international community.’ People are being targeted based on posts they have made on twitter, blogs or other means of social media posts.* This government needs to be held accountable. Sara met with the UK ambassador who said that they would take the findings of the Bissiouni Report very seriously and that recommendations will be implemented. Despite this no real effective change has occurred and the process has been extremely slow. Political prisoners are still being held in detention for expressing their views. According to Sara the BICI Report can be seen as successful and a progressive step, but only if the recommendations are implemented and followed through. The UK and U.S need to focus on pushing the Bahraini government to implement them and listen to the demands of the people of Bahrain. A video of a Bahraini woman, Fadheela Mubarak who was arrested for listening to revolutionary music was then shown to the audience. She described her ordeal of being ill-treated by security forces, her possessions raided and her children violated. Mike Dibbol, an academic who spent many years in Bahrain then continued the seminar. The Crown Prince was sidelined as he started to build parallel institutions from April to September 2010 and the clampdown on villages continued. When Mr Dibbel returned to back in 2011 he was harassed and his belongings were searched. He was told that somebody would meet him at the airport but he did not want to face that prospect and so he resigned. Mike Dibbel is forbidden from entering Bahrain and so are his wife and young children. According to Mikes accounts the abusive gas that is currently been condemned has been used for many years before and he was exposed to it in the early years of 2008. If the likes of Mike Dibbel, a British national, was treated in such a manner and can be branded as a threat to national security, then what about the Bahraini people themselves?, he asked. Lord Avebury stated that in regards to the tear gas being used in Bahrain, it is supplied by British Aerospace and when questioning the government regarding this concern, he was told that ‘we have no jurisdiction on the sales of arms to Bahrain.’ This is something that must be addressed and condemned. Maryam Abu Deeb a Bahraini national whose father is currently in prison then spoke via Skype. Mayram spoke of her home being raided, her family attacked and her father abused in front of her on 5th*April 2011. Her father was sentenced to 10years and is a prisoner of conscience who has been tortured for confessions. Maryam believes that what is happening to her father is an act of revenge on the part of the Bahraini government for revolting against the regime and that the brother has had to flee the country in fear for his safety. Howeida Arraf an American citizen was next to also give a Skype account of her ordeal in Bahrain. Howeida was recently in Bahrain reporting on the events leading up to the revolution but was deported back to New York yesterday. Arriving in Bahrain last week Howeida and her colleagues were public and open about their presence in Bahrain, in the hope that the government would realise that international observers were present and so would not continue their harsh treatment of the people. Howeida described a peaceful protest she attended, where the security forces attacked the demonstrators with tear gas canisters aiming at low-level causing serious injury. During the protest she and her colleagues were confronted by police officers who demanded to see their I.D. On establishing that it was Howeida Arraf they quickly arrested and detained her. They were forced onto a 7 hour flight where they remained hand cuffed through-out and denied access to water, food or medical assistance. During her ordeal Howeida contacted the Vice Consul of the American Embassy for help but were told that they did not have the power to do anything. Howeida stressed that the U.S government’s stance on Bahrain was in fact shameful in their failure to pressure the Bahraini regime and instead continue ‘business as usual’. Steps need to be taken to isolate the regime and sever whatever ties that exist. The US government must exert their influence on Bahrain and push to end the crackdown and to take immediate steps to address the demands of the pro-democracy demonstrations.
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02-15-2012, 09:30 AM
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