Global Voices » Mohamed Hassan

Mourning 13 Expatriates Online in Bahrain

Mohamed Hassan — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:28:49 +0000

Manama the capital of Bahrain is known to be the residence of many expatriates. The older neighborhoods of Manama is where the less privileged expat workers live in old traditional Bahraini houses, where there has been many incidents leading to casualties.

@ManamaFebEN, a Twitter account that has been reporting on the events of the Bahraini revolution in Manama tweeted:

@ManamaFebEN: A fire in one of the houses near the Matam Bin Saloom [a historic shia house of worship] in #Manama before some moments ago..

Fire in an expat workers house in Manama, shared on Twitter by @ManamaFebEN

Police response was swift as per the Twitter account, saying that police arrived to the scene only minutes after. However, their behavior might be unorthodox:

@ManamaFebEN: #Manama| mercenaries hit the poor expats with the sticks, just because they're watching..

Few hours later Bahrain's ministry of interior affairs tweeted:

@Moi_Bahrain:Part of the burning building in Mukharqa collapsed and bodies of two Asians were found, while a civil defence personnel injured

An hour later they added:

MOI_Bahrain:13 bodies were found at the three-storey building after controlling the fire

Such news made it's impact on the Bahraini websphere. Journalist Reem Khalifa tweeted:

#Bahrain نعزي اسر ضحايا حريق المنامة من العمالة الاسيوية

@Reem_Khalifa: we offer our condolences to the families of the expatriate workers who are victims of Manama's fire

Abdulnabi Salman, an ex-MP, criticized the efforts toward protecting the less privileged workers saying:

لا احدفي الجانب الرسمي والقطاع الخاص يعبأ بالاهتمام بالعمالة الفقيرة وتقع المسؤلية على دولها الاصلية لحمايتها عبر اشتراطات ملزمة #Bahrain

@BuSalman1960: No one from the officials in the public sector or the private sector cares about the poor expat labors, the responsibility lies on their countries to protect them with binding conditions

Blogger Ahmed Habib witnessed the fire. He described a scene of the area:

العثور على ١٣ جثة بعد حريق في مبنى في المنامة مررت على المبنى وشاهدت حالة الحزن والبكاء لدى الآسيويين. تغمد الله ارواحهم #Bahrain

@ahmdhabib: 13 bodies were found after a fire in a building in Manama I passed by the building and saw the state of grievance and tears among the Asian workers. May their souls rest in peace.

Writer Jaffer Al-alawi compared this tragedy to previous incidents that had similar results:

١٣ آسيوي يقضون نحبهم في حريق بسكن عمال يعيد للذاكرة سيناريو ٢٠٠٦ وحريق مبنى القضيبية ولجان التحقيق وأشياء أخرى. الله يرحمهم. #BAHRAIIN

@JustJa3far: 13 Asian perish in fire in a labor residence which brings back memories of 2006 scenario and the fire in Qudhaibya [a neighborhood in Manama] and their investigation committees and many other things. God have mercy on their souls.

The ministry of interior issued a statement saying that an investigation to determine the causes and responsibilities, blogger Chanad Bahraini tweeted another tragic incident happening in the same day which raises concerns about the status of expat labors in Bahrain, it says:

@Chanadbh: #Bahrain: On the same day as 13 migrant workers killed in fire, another Indian migrant worker commits suicide http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=345412 …

New Year and Old Habits in Bahrain

Mohamed Hassan — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:37:47 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011/2012.

While countries around the world ushered in the New Year with fireworks and celebrations, a special line-up of treats from the authorities was awaiting Bahraini protesters.

To mark the beginning of the new year, the Bahrain News Agency published a statement to celebrate the achievements of the previous year, saying:

The Kingdom's impeccable human rights record and bright image remain intact and undistorted by any futile false allegations propagated by hostile megaphones at international functions.

At the same time, Bahrainis experienced New Year's day with many twists. Luckily, some of them have been documented by netizens and found their way to the world wide web, showing the world “impeccable human rights record” and “false allegations” the government is talking about.

Blogger @chanadbh tweeted the link to a video and added a sarcastic comment:

@chanadbh: #Bahrain police officer attacks stationary car with bricks, in self-defense of course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HraRTyuvpOY …

The video shows a riot policeman throwing a brick at a parked car in the village of Jurdab.

Dr Abdulhadi Khalaf, an academic professor who was recently stripped of his Bahraini nationality, shared another video and commented:

بلطجية الداخلية تحاول كسرأحد أالأبواب****ألهذا السبب تكثر الإصابات بين البلطجية؟

@Abdulhadikhalaf: Ministry of Interior thugs try to break a door****is that why there are numerous injuries among thugs?

@AHRAR_MURQOBAN, a Twitter account dedicated to publishing news of a village in Sitra, published a video of a similar incident. The police forces in this video seem to be speaking in Urdu:

فيديو : المرتزقة وهم يخططون لأقتحام منزل – سترة – ميادين اللؤلؤhttp://youtu.be/sqQp3BJpy7s http://fb.me/2rcPUyfkP

@AHRAR_MURQOBAN: Mercenaries planning to raid a house – Sitra

The haziness in the video is not from fog – but as a result of the heavy teargas thrown on villages on a daily basis.

Human rights activist Maryam Alkhawaja also shared a video which shows police forces macing women – reportedly – for no apparent reason:

@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: Security forces pepper spray women in their faces for no reason RT@: 1-1-13 http://youtu.be/0wokYBRrxpM

Twitter user Mahmood Alshaikh tweeted yet another video which shows that no good dead goes unpunished in Bahrain:

#البحرين – سترة: مطاردة الشباب بعد محاولتهم انقاذ عائلة مختنقة 1 1 2013:http://youtu.be/0sTkwcQxxD0

@M_Alshaikh: Bahrain – Sitra [An island in the east of Bahrain] : Youth chased after trying to rescue a family from suffocation 2013 1 1

Last year, Physicians for Human Rights [@P4HR] stated in their report

Injured protesters whom PHR investigators examined suffered from blunt force trauma and lacerations to
the head, torso, and limbs due to the impact of metal canisters being fired at them by law enforcement officials at close range.

A clear example of that was tweeted by 14 Feb Media Network, a network specialized in publishing news of Bahrain, on New Year's Day:

#المنامة: طلقة مباشرة تصيب أحد الثوار #ميادين_اللؤلؤ 01 01 2013:http://youtu.be/_I-HhhSz87s

@Feb14Media: Bahrain | Manama : a straight shot hits a protester

Another very similar and clearer video was posted earlier by the same network:

#سترة #سفالة : طلقة مباشرة تصيب رأس أحد المتظاهرين 1/1/2013#البحرين

@Feb14Media:
Sitra – Sufala [A village in the island of Sitra] : a straight shot to the head of a protester 1/1/2013

Police forces must be trained not to discriminate, not even age discrimination as this small child (comments say he is four years old) was not excluded from the joy of celebrating New Year's – the Bahraini way. Moawen explains:

@Moawen: Riot police shoot tear gases that covered a small kid http://youtu.be/4eQmT_M7_is continuous violations against children's rights:

Journalist Dima Khatib then shared a photo that clearly shows the incident:

@Dima_Khatib: Bahrain… again ! RT @mohmdashoor: any chance you saw this from yesterday? 4 y/o tear-gassed pic.twitter.com/DW7lD5Gl

Photo shows how a small child was teargassed, picture published by @14febonline

Using its Twitter account, the Ministry of Interior issued a formal reply on the events of New Year's day, saying:

@moi_bahrain: Assistant Undersecretary of Legal Affairs: calls in websites to hold gatherings at 3:30PM on Tuesday in various areas in Bahrain are illegal

@moi_bahrain: Public gatherings &freedom of expression are protected by the constitution & those who want to benefit from such right should follow the law

@moi_bahrain: Security and legal procedures would be taken against lawbreakers to protect security

At the end of the statement mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Bahrain News Agency stated:

The Kingdom of Bahrain is confidently and surely heading towards the brightest future in 2013.

Personally I hope that will be true.

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011/2012.

No Haven for Citizen Journalists in Bahrain

Mohamed Hassan — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:29:41 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.

After Bahrain's police “Slap” video went viral the Minister of Interior issued a statement in which he asked that “anyone who films such an event should report it immediately” to the authorities. Two days later, and in contrast with such statements, many were shocked at the news of the arrest of a photojournalist.

Picture of Photojournalist Ahmed Humaidan and his membership is photographic society of America published by @ahmedalfardan1

The European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights tweeted:

@EBOHumanRights: Arrested and still missing youth photographer Ahmed Humaidan from Bahrain City Center Mall yesterday late night.

Photojournalist Ahmed AlFardan added:

@AhmedAlFardan2: More than 15 undercover police arrested humaidan from Bahrain city center #freehumaidan #freebhphotographer #sitrapic.twitter.com/pSeM9YgJ

Sayed Hassan wrote:

@WLEXT: Sad Day for Photagraphers & Journos in #Bahrain, Award winning Citizen Photo Journalist #FreeHumaidan arrested yesterday pic.twitter.com/c4ak9VFH

Picture of Ahmed Humaidan with several award winning photos that he toke and some awards he received

Kuwaiti writer and human rights activist Hadeel Buqrais tweeted:

بعد افلات قتلة المصور أحمد اسماعيل يتم استهداف المصور احمد حميدان في البحرين بإعتقاله

@HadeeLBuQrais: After the killers of photojournalist Ahmed Ismail evaded justice photojournalist Ahmed Humaidan is targeted and arrested.

Ahmed Ismail is a videographer who was killed in Salambad last year while filming a protest. He was shot from a civilian car.

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom issued a statement which said:

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom is joining the quest for information with the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights which calls for the immediate release of Humaidan.

…

Humaidan has won more than 140 international awards in photojournalism, and he is considered the second most Arab photographer to win awards in photography competitions.

Zainab Hashemi added:

دائماً يخافون ممن ينشر عنفهم و تعنجهم لذا إختطفوه ، غداً ستصفق سميرة رجب و تقول كعادتها : لدينا حرية في الصحافة في البحرین

@ZainaBHashemi: They are always afraid of anyone who publishes their violence and arrogance that's why they arrested him. Tomorrow Sameera Rajab [minister of State for Information Affairs] will say as usual: we have press freedom in Bahrain

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.

Bahrain Police “Slap” Video Goes Viral

Mohamed Hassan — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:25:33 +0000

Two years ago what has become known as “The Arab Spring” was sparked when a member of the Tunisian police forces slapped a young man in Sidi Bouzid. People thought that the days of police suppression will be over soon, but in Bahrain yet another video has gone viral to remind us that police states are alive and well.

Activist @alaashehabi tweeted:

@alaashehabi: Vid of police slapping man in #Bahrain goes viral-200k views in 24hrs. How many news channels aired it?

The video shows a man holding a baby being shouted at by a police officer, who then slaps him, twice, while he is still holding the baby:

The reactions to that video went beyond Bahrain. Famous commentator on Arab affairs Sultan Alqassemi, from the UAE, shared the video saying:

@SultanAlQassemi: Bahrain police officer abuses power, slaps citizen http://goo.gl/RMsCB Video via@muradalhaiki

Qatari journalist Mohamed Fahad Alqahtani [@mohdwaves] tweeted :

مؤلم لانه يثبت بالدليل القاطع ان كرامة الانسان في الدرك الاسفل من التقدير في سلم اولويات بعض القيادات الامنية الخليجية,ياللعار

@mohdwaves: The slap video is agonizing because it is a testimony that the dignity of a human is the least appreciated thing on the priority list of some Gulf police states. What a shame!

Saudi media celebrity Waleed Alfarraj tweeted saying:

.. فضيحة من الصعب ترقيعها !!

@waleedalfarraj: The slap video .. A scandal that is hard to amend

Kuwaiti poet Rana Alabdulrazzak also tweeted:

http://youtu.be/zI_L1rAn4Bw أن ترى هذه الصفعة ولا تشعر بألمها وهي تهوي على انسانيتك .. اعذرني فانت لست إنسانا أصلا #البحرين

@ranati01: To see this slap and not feel its pain falling on your humanity…pardon me, you are not even human

Omani Academic Dr. Haider Al-lawati had a very interesting suggestion:

رجل امن في #البحرين يصفع مواطنا اعزلا في وجهه. منظر مؤلم ومحزن. اقترح ان يعرض على القادة المشاركون في قمة التعاون !! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zI_L1rAn4Bw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzI_L1rAn4Bw%26feature%3Dyoutu.be …

@DrAl_Lawati: A policeman in Bahrain slapping an unarmed citizen, an agonizing and sad scene, I suggest that it's shown to the leaders participating in the GCC summit

The GCC, or Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE and its leaders are currently meeting in Bahrain.

After thousands of tweets regarding that video the official response was as follows:

@moi_bahrain: Assistant Undersecretary of Legal Affairs: Detention of a policeman in connection with an online video

and later on:

تشكيل لجنة برئاسة رئيس الأمن العام لحصر هذه التجاوزات ودراستها وتحديد سبل معالجتها..يتبع

@moi_bahrain: A committee led by the head of public security will be formed in order to intercept and study these violations to define ways to rectify it

Meanwhile, the head of public security and head of the above mentioned committee brigade Tariq Alhassan tweeted from his personal Twitter account:

١- محاولات تشويه صورة وزارة الداخلية ومنسوبيها هي جزء من حرب شعواء من أشخاص وجهات معروفة ومفضوحة بعد ان فشلت في مخططاتها السابقة #البحرين

@Talhassan: Attempts to defame the ministry of interior and its staff is a part of a fierce war by known and exposed persons and organizations after their previous plans have failed.

٢- تقوم تلك الجهات واتباعها بإطلاق مسميات تزدري بها رجال الأمن بهدف النيل من شخصيتهم وزرع البغض لهم لدى الناس كبارا وصغارا #البحرين

@Talhassan: Those organizations and their followers use derogatory terms towards policemen to demean their personalities and incite hate towards them among the people young and old.

٣- تقوم بتجهيز الكمائن لرجال الامن حسب سيناريوهات معدة من إعلاميين محترفين في قنوات معروفة في دول أخرى ثم تصور وتعرض عند الحاجة #البحرين

@Talhassan: They setup ambushes for policemen based on scenarios prepared by media professionals working in known media channels in other countries and then filmed and released when needed

- يقوم الدجالون والعملاء ببث تلك اللقطات ويبالغون فيها وحسبما يردهم من تعليمات وبما يحقق لهم ولمن يدفعهم من الدول أهدافهم #البحرين

@Talhassan: These traitorous fakers publish those scenes and exaggerate them as they are instructed and the way that fits the goals of those countries and theirs

A few hours later, human rights activist Naji Fateel tweeted another video:

خطير جداََ؛~ اعتداء وحشي على شاب في العكر اول مرة يعرض http://youtu.be/t-UuDXOT-cA #bahrain #feb14

@najialifateel: A brutal attack on a young man in Aleker shown for the first time

Bahrainis Protest on National Day

Mohamed Hassan — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:56:47 +0000

December 16 and 17 are official holidays in Bahrain. The first day is National Day and the second is to celebrate the accession of King Hamad. Unofficially, December 17 is also Martyrs’ Day – a day to remember the scores of victims who have lost their lives over the years as Bahrainis continue to struggle for their political rights. While many celebrated, this year, others took to the streets to protest as turmoil continues to rock this restive Arab state.

On Twitter, Sayed Hassan shares this photograph from a protest in Sanabis.

Protesters carrying a banner that reads: “Martyrs Day, Awareness and Giving” [published by @SanabisNews on Twitter]

He tweets:

@WLEXT: People Marching in Sanabis village a few minutes ago

Minutes later, photojournalist @MazenMahdi tweeted that he is being arrested from Sanabis:

@MazenMahdi: Police arresting me #Sanabis #Bahrain

Mahdi was released two hours later – and left to walk back to his car in the rain.

@MazenMahdi: Released from police station media card not returned after being marched with police for hand-over, allowed to walk back in rain to my car

In the village of Boori @Feb14Media tweeted a picture of another protest:

A night protest in Boori. Photograph shared by @Feb14Media on Twitter

The Twitter account, which has been tweeting news of protests and political developments in Bahrain since the start of the uprising in Bahrain on February 14, 2011, explains:

بوري : انطلاق مسيرة غاضبة على الرغم من تساقط الأمطار

@Feb14Media: Boori: An angry protest erupt despite the rain

wahat_almaameer also tweeted pictures of another protest in the village of Maameer.

Female protesters marching through the village of Mameer, photo published by @wahat_almaameer

المعامير/رغم الأجواء الباردة وتساقط الأمطار احرار المعامير يخرجون في مسيرة غاضبة تأكيدا على الصمود

@wahat_almaameer: Mameer: Despite the cold weather and rain the free people of Mameer go out in an angry protest to affirm their resilience

In Karannah village, KarranahNews tweeted a video of a protest that took place in the village:

And in the village of Wadyan, in Sitra, @wadyanmedia tweeted a video of yet another protest:

Human rights activist Maryam Alkhawaja tweeted several pictures [GRAPHIC] of injuries that occurred after police attacked protests today in Bahrain saying:

@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: #BahrainNationalDay: the two who were shot in the eye have lost their eyesight.. These r the type gifts ppl of #bahrain r used to..

Still Shaking from Kim Kardashian's Bahrain Trip

Mohamed Hassan — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:16:09 +0000

American socialite and reality show celebrity Kim Kardashian's trip to Bahrain is still making the rounds on news – and social media.

In a series of tweets, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof makes it clear how unhappy he is to be denied a visa to visit Bahrain, where Kardashian was invited to open a milkshake shop on December 1.

He tweets:

@NickKristof: Kim Kardashian says everybody should visit #Bahrain http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/03/why-people-are-so-upset-about-kim-kardashians-odd-visit-to-bahrain/ … But repressive Bahrain now denies me a visa.

And he jokes:

@NickKristof: Maybe I'll try to sneak into #Bahrain disguised as Kardashian's long-lost brother. Or as a US weapons salesman.

And the joke takes a life of its own, when others join in:

@NickKristof: Or as a giant tear gas canister? RT @acarvin: @NickKristof Dress up as a tall, delicious milkshake and you'll be just fine.

Several media channels commented on the trip, sparking the amusement of Bahraini netizens. Many are amazed how the news of a television star traveling to a country with unrest takes more headline space than people being killed across the region.

Marwan Bishara tweets:

‏@marwanbishara: stop hassling kim #kardashian re #Israel, #Palestine #Bahrain (prettiest place on earth) Awaiting her tweet on #Syria, #Milkshake for all

Bahraini cartoonist Ali Albazzaz tweeted this picture:

“Kim Kardashian in Bahrain” a cartoon by Ali Albazzaz

And 3yosh tweeted a picture blaming traffic on King Fahad Causeway, which links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, on Kardashian's visit to Bahrain:

Traffic at King Fahad causeway photograph shared by @3yosh

جسر البحرين زحمممة

@3yosh: The Bahrain causeway is congested

Protests Continue in Bahrain

Mohamed Hassan — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:52:48 +0000

Protestors in Bani Jamra, Bahrain, angry over the injury of Aqeel Mohsin, a 20-year-old Bahraini by police shot in the face. The banner, in Arabic, reads: The blood of the brave, will overthrow the regime. Photograph shared on Twitter by @angryarabia

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