People battle deadly repression in Bahrain

Auat al-Qurmezi, age 20, knows all too well what it’s like to live under a repressive monarchy backed by the United States. Because she publicly read a poem critical of the monarchy in Bahrain, she was arrested, held in custody for six months without trial, tortured and threatened with sexual assault.

“She was beaten with a hose and electrocuted,” al-Qurmezi’s brother, Yusuf, said. “They put the clips on her lips and on other parts of her face. They did not rape her, but they told her they would. They put her in a narrow cell. Through the wall she could hear the screams of men who were being beaten. They would come and tell her, ‘you are next.’ ” (Daily Telegraph, Sept. 18)

Hassan’s last name is being withheld for his safety. The 25-year-old described his arrest in June after demonstrating against the regime.

“Show me your beautiful face,” Hassan quoted a police officer as telling him before punching it three times. He said others joined in, beating him “as if eating cake.” He keeps a picture of one of those officers on his cellphone, as a reminder. (New York Times, Sept. 17)

U.S. backs absolute monarchy

The cities of Bahrain have become weekly if not daily battlegrounds as the people of Bahrain fight back against the vicious crackdown of the absolute monarchy of Hamad bin Isa al- Kalifa who declared martial law in March. He was backed by the armed intervention of Saudi Arabia, which sent thousands of tank-borne troops.

In addition, al-Kalifa has the backing of the United States, which bases its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The events in Bahrain have exposed the U.S. lie that it is intervening in Libya and Syria because of a “concern for human rights.”

The toll of repression has been grim in a country of about 525,000 people. Human rights groups say 34 people have been killed, more than 1,400 people arrested, and as many as 3,600 people fired from their jobs. Four people died in custody after torture in what Human Rights Watch called “a systematic and comprehensive crackdown to punish and intimidate government critics and to end dissent root and branch.” (New York Times, Sept. 17)

A proportional toll in a country the size of the United States would be more than 11,000 killed, 840,000 arrested and more than 2 million people losing their jobs.

In addition, the monarchy has resorted to apartheid-like measures to divide the population along sectarian lines. Although 70 percent of the population is Shiite, the entire governmental apparatus, including the military and police forces, are firmly in the hands of the Sunnite monarchy. Thousands of police have been recruited from Pakistan in order to bolster the monarchy’s influence. The government crackdown has only exacerbated long-standing policies of discrimination and lack of economic opportunity for the Shiite majority.

Activists trade stories of colleagues forced to eat feces in prison and even of high-ranking Shiite bureaucrats compelled to crawl in their offices like infants. Human rights groups say 43 Shiite mosques and religious structures were destroyed or damaged by a government that contended that it faced an Iranian- inspired plot, without offering any evidence that Tehran played a role.

“They told me, ‘There are two ways we can deal with you … as a human or as an animal,’” Matar Matar, 45, recalled being told after he was arrested by men in civilian clothes in May and jailed for three months. {New York Times, Sept. 15)

It mattered little, Mr. Matar said, that he was a popular former lawmaker or a father of two. Beaten twice, he spent half the time in solitary confinement in a windowless room. He often heard screams of others.

The comments by Sheik Isa Qassim came as mourners were gathering for the funeral of a 35-year- old Sayyed Jawad Ahmed, who relatives say died after inhaling tear gas fired at protesters on Sept. 12. (AP, Sept. 16)

The masses of Bahrain are becoming increasingly radicalized as they resist what can only be described as fascist oppression. “You know how it is,” said Hassan. “When you cut off hope, you leave no alternative. … There’s no other choice but violence; we can’t back down.” (New York Times, Sept. 17)