Press TV interviewed the President for the Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab in Manama, Bahrain regarding the atrocities committed by Saudi troops and Bahrain security forces.
Press TV: Mr. Rajab, you are in Manama. Saudi Arabia has literally invaded Bahrain. What are the Saudi troops doing there as we speak?
Rajab: Yesterday we uploaded a few videos showing that Saudi troops are inside the Manama Hospital compound. It's a very frightening situation because this is the only hospital that we have. Now it is occupied by the Saudi and Bahraini forces, and all the injured and attacked people on the 6th floor remain there as if they were in a jail. They were tortured according to the doctors' reports we received. Even injured people that are in very ill condition have been tortured. The US called today the Day of Rage again. We expect to see all people out in the street in a few hours in the afternoon around 3:00 pm Bahrain time.
We unfortunately expect to see a lot of wounded people and injured people as they will be facing the Saudis, and the machine guns. They will be firing on them. It's a very political situation. We do not have even one hospital where we can take any attacked or injured people. All of the small health centers were ordered not to receive any injured people. We don't have hospitals. So dealing with this situation is very difficult. The Saudis are committing crimes in our land. The Saudis are committing crimes, and the whole world is watching with silence.
It is very frightening and very disappointing. But the people of Bahrain have decided to remain in the streets until we achieve our goal no matter if the Bahraini government brings in troops from outside. The people will still come out in the streets.
Press TV: How powerful have your demands been against the Al Khalifa dynasty? How much have you been able to push forward with those demands?
Rajab: I have to update you now, as I'm heading there and I'm in my car. Two people died last night and as you know a lot of people are missing. Day by day we have been receiving calls from the hospital that those missing people are dead. So since last Friday we have been receiving calls that two or three people have been killed. Many of them were beaten to death. One was injured and he was taken to a private hospital.
The security came to the hospital and they kidnapped him. They kidnapped him from a private hospital, and he was taken to the cemetery last night after Human Rights Watch issued a statement regarding his case. They called his family and he's dead. Regarding your question, I think people have legitimate demands, and these are guaranteed by the international convention. They know it's very difficult to achieve that. They know it's very costly now, as a lot of people are getting killed and injured.
But people are not going to stop. People have decided they will not go back home until they achieve their goals. Democracy is our right. Human rights need to be respected. It's guaranteed by all international conventions and treaties. From one side you see how they are financing attacks on Libya, but when it comes to Bahrain, they send their troops in a state of empowering the people to achieve their goals. They have sent troops to Bahrain to attack civilians who have legitimate demands.
I don't think that the military and neighboring-tribal ruling family will help very much; however, it will complicate the issue and make it more difficult. The ability of living with the same ruling family that is killing people is going to be very difficult as more people die and are getting injured.
Press TV: You told us you are in your car on your way to Manama. Could you give us an image of the streets in Manama? How much are Saudi troops in control of the streets there?
Rajab: I just left my house and I see that so much traffic has been stopped in the street. I don't know what it is. Either it's a checkpoint. I'm about three kilometers from Manama, and I see the army ahead of me now and tanks. They are stopping each and everybody. That is why I'm not going to go straight now, and I'm going to turn here because at each and every checking point they humiliate people. If they know me by name, they might torture me or shoot me. So I'm turning away from this checkpoint.
As you know many people were killed as they were kidnapped from the checkpoint by the thugs that were appointed by the government. It's the most dangerous situation because you don't know anybody. I have not seen in all my life any other army, police or national guard masked except in this country because they know they are committing a crime. They know what they are doing is a shameful act of terror against a civilian population. That is why they are covering this. They are wearing black masks so you do not see their faces including the Saudis. They keep humiliating people. They keep beating and hitting people and shooting people.
I'm going to a man's burial (sic). Yesterday the guy was shot four times: once in his hand, twice in his feet and I have pieces of his bones. I have two or three pieces of his bones. I uploaded them on my Facebook page yesterday. When I went with the Representative of Human Rights Watch, and he was taken to the scene, I was so shocked to see his bones everywhere in that room because they shot him while he was in the room from one meter in distance. So this is the treatment the police, riot police, and Special Forces and Saudi forces are creating for people. According to them, they are fighting a holy war against kufar (non-believers). This is what they've been told, and this is how they have been trained. They believe they are going to liberate a country from kufar. People cannot deal with such a mentality.
Our government continues to excite hatred via the television. All the Shia protesters have been attacked in a sectarian way by the Bahraini army not by the Sunni people, for they support the demands of the people. However, the government is trying to push the situation into a sectarian crisis. Thank god people are not reacting to that, and they continue to hold their demands. We want democracy. We have the right for our human rights to be respected. We have the right for economic, social rights and political rights. Political participation is not a crime that we are calling for. Political reform and elected government is not a crime where they should bring troops from outside to fight with us. The civilized international community should have a say at this moment. It's a shame for everybody keeping silent this moment.
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