#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

It was noted that a few people seemed to have gone along to spy. These guys are so funny! They needn’t have bothered everything is here on the website for them (tip: don’t bother next time just visit eye4freedom.org).

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

#eye4freedom Brisbane 14th July

You can read the press release for the day here.

International ‘Eye for Freedom’ Protest condemns ongoing violence against forgotten ‘Arab Spring’: “No more arrests from hospital beds!”

Rallies to be held in Sydney and Brisbane 12pm Saturday 14th July.

As Bahraini pro-democracy protesters dodge bullets and tear gas canisters today, human rights groups in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland and Australia will launch internationally coordinated solidarity events to condemn the ongoing crackdown.

“Bahraini security forces are blinding protesters who are peacefully asking for their basic human rights!”, said Abdul Elah Al-Hubaishi, a 34 year old civil engineer from Bahrain who was granted a protection visa in Australia last year.

“An estimated one-hundred Bahrainis have suffered serious eye injuries after being shot by police with tear gas grenades and shotguns loaded with birdshot pellets”.

The ‘Eye 4 Freedom’ campaign is developing a global solidarity network to support the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain and heighten international awareness about the fierce repression of the protesting majority by the US and Saudi supported Al Khalifa regime. Over 90 people have been killed and thousands injured since February last year.

“Adequate treatment for all eye injuries must be made immediately available, especially to those in prison. The world can no longer turn a blind eye to the arrests being made from hospital beds!”, said Jamilla Hanan, co-founder of the ‘Eye 4 Freedom’ campaign, based in London

There are currently over 500 political prisoners in Bahrain who are subjected to daily torture. Only five days ago, Nabeel Rajab, the President of both the Gulf Centre for Human Rights and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights was arrested for tweeting by masked riot police. He has been sentenced to three months jail provoking outrage worldwide. His family and lawyers have been denied visiting rights sparking concerns that he is undergoing serious torture.

Medics have also been heavily targeted, arrested and tortured, for treating the injured. Rula Al-Saffar, President of the Bahrain Nursing Society, was recently acquitted from her sentence after being detained for five months last year and tortured on a daily basis.

She said, “We were treating the injured day and night throughout the crisis. We did not sleep for four or five days but we never thought that the regime would honour us by detaining us”.

She continued, “All hospitals have been militarized in Bahrain. Protesters can no longer enter because once they do they are detained. People’s homes are being arranged into health clinics. We train people to be first aiders then every area self-organises their own clinics. The Bahrain Nursing Society has trained a thousand people in less than a year to be first aiders”.

Four medics remain in detention, including Ibrahim Al-Dimistani, General Secretary of the Bahrain Nursing Society, and twenty-eight are still in court.

“What is happening in Bahrain is barbaric and it is being supported by the US and the Gulf States under the watch of the UN! The Saudi and Bahrain regimes must be displaced for the people’s demands for basic human rights and freedom to be met. We call on the UN and the international community at large to step up the pressure and take meaningful action!”, said Ahmed Al-Araibi, a Bahraini human rights defender and a member of the Eye 4 Freedom campaign based in Brisbane, Australia.

“Thawra hatta al Nasr! Revolution until victory! We will not be the Arab Spring that is forgotten!”

 

Rally details:

Sydney – 12pm, Town Hall, City.

Brisbane – 12pm, Queens Park, City.

London – 2pm outside Bahrain Embassy. 30 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8QB

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Joins World Refugee Day Rally in Sydney 24 June 2012 Photographs by Carlo Righini (www.carlorighini.com)

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

Bahrain Australian Youth Movement Sydney

You can read where some of the other protests were taking place that day here.

Note: There is a large demonstration taking place on Saturday in London that you may wish to join, and some others are also being organised, we will post details as soon as they have been finalized. But if you can’t make it to one of those, please hold your own mini protest in your own locality. That would be just as effective and is very simple! Here’s how:

1. Print out this poster. Even A4 will do, but if you have a larger printer or can go to the print shop then even better. Stick it on some cardboard.

Eye4Freedom Poster - click to open full sized poster for printing

2. Print out the website address www.eye4freedom.org onto little slips of paper to give to people that ask you what you are doing during your protest, so that they can remember where to visit. If you like you can print out this leaflet (for you cut into 3)  Eye4Freedom Leaflet (pdf) or Eye4Freedom Leaflet (doc) (feel free to edit should you wish).

3. Got to the chemist and buy some cotton wool pads and some surgical tape to make an eye patch, like these:

Zainab Alkhawaja with daughters of Jaffer Salman

4. Decide where you want to stand – the busier the better, maybe in the center of your local town high street, or somewhere with a landmark in the background would be good too.

5. Optional: Invite your friends to join you – but if they don’t want to that is fine, go do it anyway!

6. Optional: If you want to publicize your time and place then email us the details and we’ll load them on this website. campaignbahrain@gmail.com

7. Optional: (but great for extra impact!) : Contact your local press (newspaper/radio/local tv) to let them know about your mini /one person protest – they may send someone to photograph/interview you which will ensure even more people get to know what is happening in Bahrain – this is what we are aiming for, to increase awareness! If you contact them make sure to send them the link to the eye4freedom.org website so they can find out more information for their reporting.

8. On Saturday 14th July be brave, put on your eye patch and go and hold up your banner for everyone to see. Don’t be embarrassed, you are doing something great and people will respect you for it!

9. If anyone asks you what you are doing tell them about Bahrain, and especially Jaffer Salman and Ali Hamaidan still in prison with serious eye injuries and in need of treatment. Verdicts to their appeal are due on 25th July. Ask people to visit the eye4freedom.org website and give them one of your slips of paper so that they can remember the web address. On the website there are details of how they can help too, if they click on the Write page.

10. Get someone to take some photos of you and then load them online (blog/Facebook/Twitter/Flickr) with details of the place and country of demonstration. Try to upload them as soon as possible on the same day so we can let people know round the world what is happening as it is happening. On Twitter remember to use the #eye4freedom tag. Email campaignbahrain@gmail.com to tell us about your protest too so that we can put an update on our website. Even better get someone to video you on your mobile phone and upload that too.

PLEASE TAKE A STAND FOR HUMANITY THIS SATURDAY 14th JULY 2012, AND HELP CHANGE THE WORLD AND FREE THE PEOPLE OF BAHRAIN

Please also join the Eye4Freedom Facebook group here and Like the Eye4Freedom Facebook community page here.

Ali Hamaidan is 25 years old. He lived with his father, brother and three sisters in Bahrain.  His mother had passed away. He was the only breadwinner of the family.

This was Ali Hamaidan, before it happened.

Ali Hamaidan

Ali worked as a civil engineer, at the Ministry of Work in Bahrain, before he was arrested.  He was dismissed from his work straight after his arrest, leaving his family with no income.

This was Ali Hamaidan, before his face was covered with birdshot pellets.

Ali Hamaidan

Ali was a hard worker. His friends say he didn’t even go to the Pearl Roundabout when everyone was protesting. He spent his time either at home or at work.

On 15th March 2011, he went to buy lunch for his family in a local cafeteria as he always did. But he never returned home. That evening his father received a call to tell him that both he and his brother had been taken to hospital. His brother had birdshot wounds to his legs whilst Ali had been shot in the face.

This was Ali shortly after he was injured, covered with birdshot pellets. He was completely blinded in one eye and the other eye was also wounded. He was taken to Salmaniya Hospital.

Ali Hamaidan after being shot in the face with birdshot pellets

On 16th March the military besieged the Salmaniya Hospital and then attacked it, beating and arresting the wounded patients inside. Ali was amongst them. He was held on the 6th floor of the hospital where he is said to have been brutally tortured before being taken to Central Province police station. Another cell mate who has now been released told how at Salmaniya Hospital they were handcuffed to both sides of the bed, with constant  beatings inflicted by guards and pro-gov medics, and that they were also laid down on the floor for their torturers to walk on their bodies just like carpet. They also had their faces spat on, and inside their mouths, and they were forced to swallow.

Ali was then transferred with other wounded patients to Central Province Prison, and was sentenced by a military court to two years in prison, at the same hearing as Jaffer Salman who had received the same injuries and also received the same sentence.

He was thrown into a cell with Jaffer Salman, handcuffed to him. Jaffer is reported to have said that Ali was so quiet he would have thought he was dead, had it not been for the movement of his hand. These two severely wounded, nearly blinded and innocent men, were left in their cell to suffer without treatment, and they were afraid to ask for treatment because they knew what probably awaited them at the hospital.

When Ali and Jaffer were transferred to Jaw Prison, as the first group being tried and transferred to that prison, it is reported that they received the most horrible beating which lasted for 6 hours, without any concern for their wounds. A cell mate told how Ali and Jaffer were beaten with rubber hoses and were humiliated by torturer Turkey Al-Majed, who would say to them,

“Ohh you became VIPs with your sunglasses,”

referring to the cotton they put on their injured eyes, which was said to be more painful for them to hear than was the physical torture.

This short documentary about Ali includes an interview with his father and also one of his previous cell mates.

Ali has always loved to draw and is known to be a talented artist. He still draws from prison, although this is becoming harder and harder as what little sight he has left further deteriorates . These are some of his sketches from prison.

UPDATE: Ali was finally released on appeal on Sunday 12th August 2012. Thank-you for all your support with the campaign! Please write to the Bahraini government to request compensation for Ali and his family as they have suffered greatly.

This will be an exciting day as it will see activists from both inside the Arab Spring and outside in Western countries come together in joint protest, united in their call for humanity.
There will be a number of events throughout the day planned in Bahrain itself, full details to be announced before the day, in addition to protests in the UK, Ireland and America (and likely elsewhere to be announced soon).

Full details with exact times and locations of demonstrations will be posted below in the coming days. If you think you might like to help organize a demonstration in your own area then please email us on campaignbahraing@gmail.com and we will see how we can assist you. It does not have to be a large event, even a small group of friends can make a difference.

If you would are thinking to attend a demonstration then take an eye patch with you to show solidarity with the injured victims in Bahrain.

Demonstrations

Bahrain: Sitra 8pm in solidarity with Ali Hamaidan meeting outside his house

Sitra #eye4freedom Protest

Bahrain: also to include children’s art, demonstrations and video updates

UK: London outside Bahrain Embassy 2pm Saturday 14th July. 30 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8QB

UK: York – 12pm Market Square (Main Campus)

Ireland 1pm – 3pm Graftan Street, Dublin

Australia: Brisbane 12pm King George Square

Australia: Sydney 12pm – 3pm Town Hall to Martin Place

America  – to be announced

Switzerland  – to be announced

Canada  – to be announced

Brisbane Eye4Freedom Demonstration

Guidelines on how to hold your own protest (even one person can make a difference!) can be found here.

Abbas Ali Hassan is now 20 years old. He has four brothers and three sisters. He is the second youngest in the family.

Abbas Ali as a teenager

Abbas Ali is known by his friends as Al Abs. He grew up in the village of Dair, which is on the Northern coast of the island of Muharraq, on the North side of the Bahrain International Airport.

Abbas Ali Hassan - before it happened

Abbas was popular with his friends, never holding a grudge against anyone and with no enemies. He  was a fun character, who enjoyed playing sport, and was loved and respected by all.

Abbas Ali at Community Event

He was always helping other people, supporting local charities and working with disabled people.

His father plus two brothers and younger sister are deaf and dumb, which made Abbas Ali especially important to the family since he could help with communication.

Abbas Ali listening to the ladies in the village

Abbas’s father works in the construction industry. Abbas was always with his father to assist him with communication because his father is deaf and dumb.

Abbas  often helped his mother in the house too, since his elder siblings are either married or out at work and his younger sister is also disabled.

Abbas Ali used to be full of fun before it happened

Abbas was previously arrested on 8th November 2010, due to the ongoing scene of oppression, and he was banned from completing his studies even though he was in his final year of school. He was released from prison on 22nd April 2011, and the decision to ban him from school was reversed for a short period allowing him to return to school for a while, but then another order came from the government banning him again before he could complete his year.  He was therefore denied his universal human right to education (article 26)  and without qualifications his future looks bleak.

Abbas Ali’s family have been a constant target by the regime and his home has been attacked by riot police at least six times, everything in their home has been destroyed by police, and three mobile phones and two laptops were stolen.

Abbas Ali was a typical teenager before this happened

On Thursday 8th September 2011, Abbas was exercising his universal human right to freedom of opinion and expression (article 19) and also his universal human right to freedom of peaceful assembly (article 20), by participating in a march that was calling for his civil and political right to self determination (article 1).

When the march reached Al Kheef mosque on the East side of the village it was attacked by the riot police and then clashes with youth ensued, during which police fired tear gas cannisters directly at the youth, at short range.

Abbas received a direct shot to his face with a tear gas canister.

Abbas Ali's face after being shot with a tear gas cannister

It hit the area between his eyes and nose, which lead to an extreme fracture of the nose, the loss of his right eye and severe damage to the left. The whole village was in shock and sounds of grief and moaning filled the air that night.

Abbas Ali was bleeding profusely

Abbas was refused treatment at Al Dwali Hospital by an Egyptian doctor, as a result of government orders regarding treatment of protesters, so he spent the night covered in his own blood without treatment.

Abbas Ali receiving DIY healthcare for injured eyes

The next day he received basic treatment, but this was not enough since he clearly required surgery.

Abbas Ali was left in pain without treatment for the night

Despite the security emphasis on private hospitals and clinics, one hospital agreed to treat him since he was in a critical condition and bleeding profusely.

Abbas Ali trying to stop the bleeding

He received a first operation on his nose and then a few days later one on his eye. The injury had affected his retina, caused the eye to bleed, and had torn the eye tubes, which caused water to gather inside the pupil. This required another operation to remove the pupil and the lens, and over the following days doctors performed one operation after another but they came to the conclusion that Abbas would only be able to see again with treatment abroad that is  not available in Bahrain.

Abbas Ali after basic treatment

Shortly after these events, on Friday 16th December (the same night of the infamous beatings on the roof at Shakhoora, see video here and here), at 11pm when all was calm in the village of Dair, Abbas was visiting his friends. Nine people were sitting quietly in the house, two of which lived there, when the house was attacked by armed militia, who beat and swore at the people inside. All nine people there were beaten and arrested for illegally gathering, even though they were in a private home. It is reported that when the officer Yusif El Mula Bakhit saw Abbas he asked his men to hit him directly in the face. This officer was already believed to be responsible for his original eye injury. The militia then took Abbas Ali to Samaheej police station, which has a reputation in Bahrain as a renowned torture spot. In the station, officer Mohamad el Mana’i is reported to have said to Abbas:

“you can see now, don’t worry soon you will not be able to see at all”

and officer Isa Al Selati is reported to have said

“we will strike your other eye as well”.

Abbas Ali had severe facial injury but was still beaten further on existing injuries

On top of all the  suffering he had already undergone, they still beat and tortured him further, he was thrown into jail for months apparently without treatment. Eventually after pleas from his lawyer and family Abbas Ali was allowed to got to Salmaniya Hospital in handcuffs for treatment.

On 16th June the people of Dair were waiting for the release of their men who had completed a period of six months imprisonment, but were saddened to see that Abbas Ali was not with the released. The family were  told later that day that he was facing additional charges and that he was due to face the public prosecution again the next day. On Sunday 17th June Abbas was taken before the public prosecution in the presence of his lawyer Zahra Masood. There did not appear to be any specific case against him however, and questions asked were just general background questions. He was then informed that he would be detained one more week.

Abbas Ali was finally released on Sunday 24th June, to a hero’s welcome.

The whole village was excited to greet Abbas Ali when he was released

Abbas Ali received a hero's welcome back home. He looks much better but his eye still requires surgery to try and save the little sight he has left.

Abbas Ali’s friends and family are now asking the international community to help him get the correct eye treatment he urgently now requires to try and save the sight in his remaining eye. It is very sad to wonder how this young man will be able to communicate with his family now, if Abbas cannot see whilst his father and brothers and sister already cannot not hear or talk.

If you wish you may leave Abbas Ali a message using the comments below.

This is Jaffer Salman. Before it happened.

Jaffer Salman before he was shot in the face

Jaffer has two twin daughters, age five now (they were approaching age four when it happened).

Jaffer Salman's twin daughters

Jaffer Salman with one of his daughters during happier times

Jaffer was a hard working family man, well respected in his village. He never stopped working.

Jaffer Salman, a well respected man

Even through the tough times, when everyone was out protesting, Jaffer ignored the tanks, the masked soldiers, and the regime thugs parading his streets. Instead he got up every morning regardless of what was happening around him and went to work.

Jaffer Salman at work

On 15th March 2011, Jaffer called his wife to see if she wanted him to fetch anything from the shops on his way home from work.

Jaffer Salman with daughters in supermarket

ButJaffar never returned home.

He nearly did. He arrived just outside his house. But as got out of his car, riot police shot him at close range, in the face, with birdshot pellets from a shotgun.

Jaffer Salman in Hospital

Jaffar was not even protesting when he was shot. He was just returning home from work.

Jaffar received approximately 80 birdshot pellets to the face. Some in his eyes.

Jaffar was taken to the Salmaniya hospital where doctors said that one of his eyes had exploded. The other eye was severely injured.

So severe were Jaffar’s wounds that doctors had to sew his eyelids shut.

To the horror of his family, when the army overtook the hospital on 17th March they came into his room and arrested him in that state.

The masked soldiers were shocked to see the condition he was in, but that did not stop them putting a bag over his head and carrying him from the hospital.

Jaffer Salman in Hospital

Jaffer Salman in hospital

His family did not see or hear from him for months.

During that time Jaffer was sentenced to two years in prison, by a military court, without a lawyer or his family present.

It was five months before his family were allowed to visit him in prison.

His family do not know much about what happened during those five months.

Jaffer’s daughters miss him a lot and are always asking for him

Jaffar Salman's Daughters

During their last visit to the prison, as one of his daughters played with Jaffer, she pulled on his sleeve, and his family saw the marks of burns on his arms.

For the first time his family asked Jaffer, “What happened during those months?”. Jaffer replied, “I don’t want to speak of those days”.

Jaffer Salman's daughter wonders what happened to her Baba

Other people who were also prisoners at that time have told how he was severely tortured and electrocuted.

You can read more about how Jaffer was tortured whilst in prison here.

Jaffer is almost completely blind now, losing vision even in the one eye that could have been saved.

In this letter from prison Jaffer writes “I write, but I almost do not see the words I am writing. I ask for your prayers.”

Jaffer Salman's letter from prison

This video was put together by Jaffer’s friends, as a plea to the world, asking for help.

Jaffer’s daughters are now growing up strong, but without their father.

Jaffer Salman's brave daughters

UPDATE: Jaffer was finally released on appeal on Sunday 12th August 2012. Thank-you for all your support with the campaign! Now we must write to the Bahraini government to request compensation for Jaffer and his family as they have suffered greatly.