The following constitutes a series of email reports (to be updated regularly) from Jadaliyya affiliates in Manama. They will be updated in the next few days to reflect the latest developments in Bahrain. For some important differences between Bahrain and Egypt/Tunisia, see our Jadaliyya article entitled "Is Bahrain Next."
For some excellent photo updates, see here.
[To be updated . . .]
Tuesday, February 22
… ended with the release of political prisoners in the middle of the night, ostensibly to avoid the media and crowd surge it might have drawn in the daytime. According to Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, based on reports filtering in from Adliya police station, Abdulghani Al Khanjar (head of the National Committee of Martyrs and Torture Victims), Abduljalil Al Singace (head of the human rights office of Haq Movement for Rights and Liberties), activist Jaffar Hisabi, and blogger Ali Abdelemam were among those released amid emotional and jubilant scenes as friends and relatives gathered outside the Adliya police station.
Some of those released were detained as part of a crackdown on dissidents in August 2010 and accused of orchestrating a "terrorist plot." They were tried under the Bahraini Anti-Terror Law, which has drawn criticism from the UN Special Rapporteur for Promoting and Protecting Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the context of counter-terrorism, the Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.
The past few days have seen staggered (but separate) strikes and demonstrations by workers at Salmaniya hospital as well as teachers, bankers, and lawyers. Tuesday saw the largest demonstration yet, called for by the coalition of opposition groups and figures to commemorate those killed in the uprising, with an estimated 100,000 protesters. Protesters were joined by a tiny group of army and (what appears to be) traffic police as they marched through central Manama towards the Pearl Roundabout chanting for the resignation of the government.
Claims made by Bahrain TV (and some attendees) that 300,000 people participated in Monday’s pro-government “Unity” march have sparked a series of ‘my march is bigger than yours’ cyber-debates. Critics of the station, which has yet to once mention the killing of protesters, have been circulating a Google Earth projection of the two protest areas, with the text, “In the same technique that Bahrain TV counted the people gathered outside Al Fateh (mosque) as 300,000 there must be 1,000,000 demonstrators present at Pearl roundabout!”
Meanwhile, the Bahrain International Circuit announces its withdrawal from hosting the first race of the Formula 1, with the Crown Prince stating that, “we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest."
The Middle East’s own self-appointed Oprah, Hilary Clinton, has reportedly agreed to support Bahrain’s initiative for dialogue with opposition figures, stating that “the United States has welcomed steps by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the full spectrum of Bahraini society”. Saudi Arabia, too, apparently supports the proposed dialogue.
Pending still is the arrival of Hasan Mushaima, outspoken populist cleric and leader of the Haq movement, which has boycotted participation in the current political system. Mushaima, who was tried in absentia as part of the alleged network of terrorists, was expected to arrive in Bahrain on Tuesday evening, and is said to be in transit in Beirut. The Bahraini government issued an Interpol warrant for his arrest last year, and his arrival is expected to test the government’s commitment to statements made in the past week as well as the direction taken by the opposition.
Monday, February 21
Another demonstrator was buried yesterday; Abdulredha Mohammed Hassan, 32, died in the Salmaniya hospital after being shot in the head by the Bahraini army on Thursday. He is survived by his wife and two children, and his death brings the total number of those killed by police or army personnel in the recent uprising to seven, with an estimated 200 injured.
The government of Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, released a statement expressing its willingness to support the Bahraini authorities “with all its capabilities." Kuwait, too, called in its support with a statement from the amir Sabah bin Ahmed Al Sabah saying, “the security of Bahrain is the security of the region.”
In an interesting development, also from Saudi Arabia, a document entitled "Call for Solidarity with Bahrain`s People" has been released by some 60 intellectuals, calling on the international community to condemn the brutality meted out against Bahrainis demanding freedom and rights.
Protesters at the square are still said to be formulating demands. Demands range from the complete overthrow of the monarchy to the resignation of the Prime Minister (who has been in power since Bahrain’s independence in 1971) and his replacement with an elected Prime Minister, the release of political prisoners and constitutional reform.
On Saturday the crown prince Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa spoke on CNN, saying, “our big fear - the protesters in Pearl Roundabout represent a significant proportion of our society and our political belief, but there are other forces at work here. This is not Egypt and this not Tunisia. And what we don`t want to do, like in Northern Ireland, is descend into militia warfare or sectarianism. It is our role to build enough trust with the moderates in the country that we can transcend this problem in any future roles.”
Two days letter, as a morale boost from the Saudis, in a bizarre turn of events a “National Unity Gathering” rally was staged in Juffair, the same location as the Saturday’s pro-government rally. While sloganeering around the term unity (meaning unity between Sunni and Shia, a slogan being chanted at the Pearl anti-government protests), the event was held at Bahrain’s “national” Sunni mosque, featured a Sunni imam, and included a televised address with prominent Sunni members of Parliament. Local TV covered the entire event, including aerial shots to demonstrate the size of the crowd, which they declared to be “300,000” (out of a population of 568,399). If the usual suspects at the Pearl Roundabout are disenfranchised Shia Bahrainis, no surprise then that those interviewed on Bahrain TV included members of major Bahraini Sunni tycoon-families.
The massive turnout was addressed by religious scholar Abdullatif Al Mahmoud (among others). While co-opting the Pearl roundabout protesters’ demands for reform, Al Mahmoud stressed the legitimacy of the current regime, reportedly asking the crowds, "do you want to have in our country the rule of vilayat al-Fakih?” a reference to Iran, where the supreme leader must be a faqih (Islamic jurist), and presumably a reference also to the protesters at Pearl roundabout. He also appealed to Bahrain’s King to release political prisoners – which the King ordered in a decree the following day, in a move that did not go unnoticed by Pearl roundabout protesters, one of whom tweeted" “HH the King pardons a number of the prisoners in response to the unity march of Al Fateh NOT the demands of the protesters in #Lulu- #Bahrain."
Although neither the number of prisoners nor their names have been issued, it is thought that a number of detainees facing ‘terror’ charges for allegedly planning a coup last year will be among those released.
The evening ended with a speech by Bahrain’s technologically savvy Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, who said, presumably referring to the “Unity” rally: "As usual, the people of Bahrain overcome all crises and difficulties strongly united", and presumably in reference to some of the chants heard at Pearl roundabout, “Those who call for the fall of the regime want the fall of Bahrain because it is legitimate and agreed by all". Responding to questions, the minister reportedly defended Bahrain’s bicameral system in which a Shura council of 40 members chosen by the King has the power to overrule legislation passed by the National Assembly, made up of 40 elected members as a way of "ensuring minority and women’s rights," and stated that an investigation committee working to "international standards" would investigate the deaths of 5 protesters. The minister allegedly also denied that any political decision was made "to fire on citizens."
For our Notes From the Bahraini Field [Update 1], see here.