Bahrain Freedom Movement is a London-based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque.
BFM, who played a leading role in the 1990s uprising in Bahrain, has issued a statement against brutal actions taken by Saudi Arabia and al-Khalifa regime in various regional countries.
The full text of BFM’s statement is as follows:
The situation in the Arabian Peninsula is fast becoming untenable. A series of bombings this week has exposed the fragility of the al-Saud and al-Khalifa regimes to the extent that their long term existence is in serious doubt. In the past few days several suicide bombings were reported on mainland Arabia, but, surprisingly, the casualties were either low or non-existent. Doubts were thus cast on whether these acts were real terrorism or regime-orchestrated. In almost all suicide acts carried out by ISIL there were fatalities except those reported by Saudis in Jeddah, Medina and Qatif. In Iraq there was devastation at Karrada District of Baghdad as a result of massive suicide bomb on 3rd July killing mover 200 people. Amptjer attack in Bangladesh killed 28 people. Statements of solidarity were issued by many countries and bodies in support of the Saudi regime while no casualties were independently verified to have occurred. The fake attacks were a smoke screen to absolve Saudi regime of responsibility for grooming and funding terrorism.
In London the High Court has granted The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) the right to challenge the UK Government on arms sales to Saudi Arabia. This decision could have serious ramification for the British-Saudi relations, thus hindering the new UK policy of re-engagement with the region.
Also the Saudi membership of the Human Rights Council (HRC) has been challenged by two major human rights bodies. In an unprecedented move, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on the HRC to suspend the Saudi membership. In a joint statement they said: We call upon the United Nations General Assembly to immediately suspend the membership rights of Saudi Arabia in the UN Human Rights Council. They further elaborated: Saudi Arabia has committed gross and systematic violations of human rights during its time as a Council member, and it has used its position on the Council to shield itself from accountability for its violations in Yemen. Since 26 March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has carried out numerous attacks that have violated international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes that have killed and injured many civilians. It has used internationally banned cluster munitions, including in civilian areas.
The al-Khalifa tribal gang has, once again, killed a Bahraini citizen in cold blood. On 30th June Mrs. Fakhriya Al Muslim, a mother of three was killed with real bullets as she drove in Al Ekr Town. Her three children were injured in the criminal act by regimes forces who were part of a motorcade accompanying high level personality, believed to be the dictator himself. The killing of this native Bahraini woman illustrates the brutal nature of the regime and has intensified the calls for its removal from power.
Meanwhile the standoff around the house of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmad Qassim has continued. Thousands of native Bahrainis have been guarding the house round the clock to stop al-Khalifa terrorists from reaching the most senior religious leader in the country whose nationality had been revoked by the regime. The dictator has himself signed the order to punish Sheikh Qassim and revoked his nationality as a step to deport him. This is the latest in the policy of Genocide being implemented by the dictator. Yesterday people were prevented from performing Eid prayers at their mosques. Hundreds were seen praying outside the mosques which were sealed off by regimes forces of occupation.
The repression has continued in other forms. In the past week (27th June to 4th July) the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights recorded at least twenty arrests including one child. Yesterday, Sheikh Sami AlKhabbaz was detained at the airport on his return from Iran. From Maamir Town at least eight people were arrested: Mohammad MIqdad, Muhsin Dahoom, Abdul Noor Marzooq, Mohammad Antar, Hassan Kamal, Hassan Mohammad Saleh, Redha AlQassas and Hassan Ibrahim Marzooq. On 4th July regimes courts extended the incarceration of Mrs. Tayba Ismael for two more weeks. She had been detained one week earlier and accused of Inciting hatred of the regime. She is a mother of two.
On Thursday 30th June seven US senators urged John Kerry to press Bahrain's government to do more to promote political and social reform, adding to recent concern in Washington over the country's human rights record. The letter said the United States should be prepared to consider ‘tangible consequences’, including reconsidering arms sales, if a recent crackdown on opposition continues. "Bahrain's failure to address the legitimate grievances of its citizens has strained the country's social fabric and invited outside actors to take advantage of the deteriorating situation," the six Democratic and one Republican lawmakers said in a letter to Kerry, a former Democratic senator. "Indeed, we believe the government's harsh crackdown on the political opposition undermines the country's stability and plays into the hands of Iran," they wrote.
PR