Help the students of Bahrain:
On March 27, 2011 police raided Jassim Al Hulaibi’s home at 2 am. They terrorized the children and arbitrarily arrested Al Hulaibi. Numerous police cars surrounded his home. They started beating him, and dragged him out of his home in front of his parents and siblings. They forced him into the car, and started insulting him. Arbitrary arrests became part of the daily routine in the lives of people in Bahrain.
Al Hulaibi was a brilliant first year student at Bahrain Teachers’ College with an excellent academic report and outstanding conduct. Instead of rewarding him for his great work, the government of Bahrain sentenced him to 15 years in prison. Al Hulaibi’s family didn’t know his whereabouts for one month. During the first two weeks of his arrest, Al Hulaibi was subject to torture and ill treatment. His eyes were covered and his hands were always tied with plastic tapes. Prison guards would beat him regularly. All confessions were taken under torture. He remains in prison.
Students and workers have been subjected to systematic oppression since the beginning of the Bahraini revolution (and even before that). Amnesty International states: “At least 4,000 people who stayed away from their jobs during the arrest or were believed to have participated in the protests were sacked or suspended, including nearly 300 from the state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company. Dozens of students were dismissed from universities, and others studying abroad had their grants suspended.”
There are many students like Al Hulaibi who are facing unbelievable sentences for exercising their rights to freedom of expression. Some of them haven’t even protested, but ended up in prison during the crackdown and the military rule of the Bahraini government and Saudi forces. The most brutal crackdown on Bahraini students started on March 13, 2011 when pro-government thugs launched an attack against peaceful protesting students at the University of Bahrain. Eyewitnesses report that the police were surrounding the university protecting and giving a legitimate cover for the thugs who were holding batons, knives and swords, and thus not letting students escape the brutality of the attack. Instead of investigating the case and holding the thugs responsible for the attack, the government of Bahrain held the innocent peaceful pro-democracy students responsible for vandalizing the university and intimidating others. Many students were arrested, tortured and forced to confess on crimes that they never committed.
For instance, Al Hulaibi was not at university on March 13, 2011. On March 13, 2011, Al Hulaibi was at Salmaniya hospital for medical treatment for his injured right knee as the police shot him during his participation in a peaceful protest in his neighborhood. He could not go to university, as it was impossible for him to walk with his injured leg. However, he received 15 years in prison sentence for the following charges: attempting murder, intimidating others, and vandalizing the university on March 13, 2011. How could that be possible when he was not at university on that specific date? Official medical reports prove that he was on leave. Obviously, under physical and psychological pressure, he was forced to confess and to sign documents agreeing on the accusations made against him. Al Hulaibi was dismissed from university and his grants were suspended. In addition to that, Al Hulaibi’s father received an official document from the Ministry of Education demanding his to pay BD 1416 ($ 3766) compensating for the suspended grants.
Just as mentioned above Al Hulaibi is not the only victim of Al Khalifa regime. There are many like him seeking our solidarity and support. Thousands of students, workers and protestors have been arrested, killed and injured during the crackdown on the revolution in Bahrain. There are many actions that can be taken to support the students of Bahrain such as:
Signing the petition demanding their release: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Release_Jassim_Al_Hulaibi_and_other_political_prisoners/?wIfERbb
Raising awareness amongst students around the world
Sending solidarity messages to the students of Bahrain and their families
4. Contacting the University of Bahrain and urging them to support and accept the dismissed students (phone: +973317438600 or website@admin.uob.bh)
Urging the Bahraini government to release all students, trade unionists, and other prisoners of conscience
To send letters to the University of Bahrain, you can use the following address (retrieved from http://www.uob.edu.bh/pages.aspx?module=pages&id=1339&SID=1)
University of Bahrain
PO Box 32038
Bahrain
To send letters to the Bahraini government:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,
Bahrain
Fax: +973 1766 4587
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 1723 2661
Twitter: @moi_Bahrain
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
P. O. Box 450, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 1753 1284