To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Arbitrary Detention and Fear of Torture in Bahrain
by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns four young women in Bahrain who were taken into custody after participating in a recent demonstration in Sitra.

A number of demonstrations took place in Bahrain on March 26, the 1-year anniversary of the execution of ‘Issa Ahmad Qambar, the first person to be convicted and sentenced to death by the State Security Court in connection with the current political unrest in Bahrain. The four young women who were arrested after the demonstration in Sitra were taken from a house where they had sought refuge after riot police broke up the protest. Since then, they have been held incommunicado without charge, and Amnesty International is concerned that they are at risk of torture or ill-treatment while in custody.

Reportedly, five other women were also arrested on the same day following a similar demonstration in al-’Ikr, but it is not known whether they remain in detention.

Background Information

Scores of women and young girls have been among those arrested by riot police and security forces in connection with mass protests in Bahrain calling for the restoration of democratic rights and the release of political prisoners. In most cases they have been held incommunicado without charge for periods ranging from several days to two months. Some were reported to have been ill-treated while in custody.

In March 1996, demonstrations were held following ‘Issa Ahmad Qambar’s execution. Among those arrested on that occasion were approximately 25 women and high school students. At the police station where they were detained, three of them were reportedly stripped to their underclothes by female security officers and were kept standing for up to four hours at a time during interrogation. Two of them were temporarily deprived of food or the use of sanitary facilities, and the high school students were threatened with rape by male officers.

It is believed that the four young women arrested in Sitra are being held at the same police station.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the Bahrain’s Prime Minister as soon as possible, but no later than May 17, 1997. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you choose to write your own letter, make sure that it is politely worded and non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression). Care must be taken to ensure that nothing is written that will cause harm to any of the young women who have been detained. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on the letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Bahrain is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) at the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.