As Received from
International Affairs Department
Al Wefaq Society
Feb 20: Former MP Matar found not guilty in court, and Al Wefaq expresses willingness to enter dialogue.
1. Former MP Matar Matar was found innocent today by the criminal court, he was charged of participating in illegal gathering.
Below is a letter from Matar's wife, Amal Al Yusuf.
Dear all,
Matar was found innocent today by the criminal court. After spending around 100 days in jail, 45 days in solitary confinement and facing various types of ill-treatment in custody, Matar was finally found innocent.
In this day we remember Ali Saqr who was tortured to death to give a false confession on TV about Matar. Ali Saqr killer is still free. In this day we also remember all the political prisoners who are still held in jail for cases similar to Matar's case which are related to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. We would like to thank everyone that contributed in pushing or government to release Matar and ensure a fair trial for him.
Despite that it is a step in the right direction, we are concerned that the selectivity in dealing with the political cases related to freedom of expression reflects a whitewash and a way to improve the image of the government rather than a real intention or seriousness in implementing all the recommendations of BICI.
While Matar was found not guilty from the charge of participating in illegal gathering and Zainab Alkhawaja was released today, a lot, who got less international attention, are still in detention and being tried for the same charges.
We urge the international community to push our government to fully and impartially implement all the recommendations of BICI and release all the political prisoner and not only the VIP ones and the ones that get the most attention.
Thank you,
Amal
2. The funeral ending ceremony of the recently deceased 17 year old boy in Jidhafs was attacked by security men. Mourners were dispersed using hot water cannons and tear gas causing many cases of suffocation.
3. A march started from Jidhafs were the funeral ceremony took place towards Lulu Square, it was dispersed using tear gas leading to heavy traffic jams on the highway leading to Lulu. Those who attempted to enter Lulu were all arrested.
4. Activist Zainab Al Khawaja was released today after spending 7 days in prison under investigation. She was charged of illegal assembly.
Details: http://www.alwasatnews.com/mobile/news-634727.html
5. Al Wefaq expressed its willingness to enter any dialogue as long as it is serious and comprehensive, that would produce a real solution to achieve the popular demands, and the results to be subjected to the approval of the Bahraini people through a referendum, as the "people are the source of all authorities".
Al Wefaq also explained that it did not start any dialogue, and that what happened is a communication requesting the opposition's vision on the way out of the current crisis, Al wefaq provided its vision as announced in the Manama document.
Full statement (in Arabic): http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=6232
6. In response to the claims of the Minister of Interior regarding the violence and targeting committed by the protestors towards security men, Al Wefaq released a statement, highlighting the fact that the crisis occurring in Bahrain is a political one, that was dealt with by the Authority using the security solutions that are based on the types of gross violations by human right, turning the security institutions into enemies of the people rather than protectors, serving the interests of authority and obeying them in the oppression of any kind of practice by the people for demanding their rights.
Full Statement (in Arabic) http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=6231
Feb 21: Citizens at risk of suffocation by tear gas inside their houses
1. Security forces attacked the ending of funeral ceremony of a man who passed away after suffocating with tear gas in Sitra. Security forces were highly present in Sitra before the beginning of the ceremony. Mourners were surprised by the sudden attack by security forces, using tear gas and sound bombs which were shot directly at the protestors aiming to injure rather than disperse them, even after the crowds have dispersed, riot police kept chasing the participants down the alleys and inside houses.
2. An increase in the numbers of citizens complaining from tear gas being thrown inside their houses by security forces. Many serious cases where reported where people were in danger because of this kind of irresponsible action by the security forces.
Examples:
a. A house bedroom in Bani Jamra was burnt due to shooting of tear gas on the house which broke the window glass into the bedroom, a 4 year old child was inside the room and she was in danger of getting burnt besides the suffocation caused by the tear gas.
b. Tear gas canister was intentionally shot inside a house after breaking a window. The house residents included an elderly woman, an infant and 34 year old man with mental illness, whose room is on the first floor and is incapable mobilizing. All the residents escaped as the house was filled with tear gas except for the mentally ill, neighbors had to rescue him by getting him out through the window. He suffered from suffocation and convulsions due to the amount of tear gas he inhaled for minutes.
3. Security forces raided more than 20 houses in Duraz village at the early hours of dawn, breaking into the houses and searching them, looking for any young men or teenagers to arrest without arrest warrants or permission from the general prosecution.
4. A sit-in protest by the sacked workers took place in from of the Ministry of Labour, demanding the return to their previous jobs without any conditions as it is their right as mentioned in the report of the fact-finding commission.
Statement of Sacked Workers Sit In 20 February 2012: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/g1ag19
5. Opposition parties condemn suspension of Fadhel Abbas- a national opposition figure- from work for his political views. They also call for the Ministry of Education to stop the gross violations of human rights and bypassing all laws and regulations governing the work in this ministry, which continues its policies structured in punishment based on identity, which turned into a place rife with sectarianism abhorrent and location for the implementation of sanctions on the political and religious affiliation of the staff. Opposition also demand the ministry to commit to the issued fact-finding committee recommendations that call for the return of all staff and teaching staff to their jobs before the dismissal, and the compensation for the period in which they were dismissed.
Full statement: http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=6233
Feb 22: A sit-in protest in front of the UN office demanding the attention of international community
In a sit-in protest in front of the UN office organized by the political societies, Bahraini citizens condemned the international community's silence towards the human rights violations in Bahrain.
Lawyer Reem Khalaf requested - during a session of the High Criminal Court on Tuesday (February 21, 2012)- to consider the issue of killing of Hani Abdel Aziz, to amend the charge against the accused to the charge of murder.
1. In a sit-in protest in front of the UN office organized by the political societies, Bahraini citizens condemned the international community's silence towards the human rights violations in Bahrain.
On behalf of the political societies, Mr. Sanad Mohammed stressed in his speech on the fact that no dialogue will be valid until the people's demands are listened to, those who committed crimes held accountable, the resignation of the current government, the release of all political prisoners, holding accountable those who are responsible of the corruption and stopping the political naturalization. 
2. Lawyer Reem Khalaf requested - during a session of the High Criminal Court on Tuesday (February 21, 2012)- to consider the issue of killing of Hani Abdel Aziz, to amend the charge against the accused to the charge of murder.
She also requested the presence of other witnesses who witnessed the incidient but were not heard by the prosecution, and requested an immediate transfer of the court or one of its members to the crime scene and preview the location of the killing which still has traces of blood.
Lawyer S. Mohsin AlAlawi requested reporting to the Minister of Interior with the list of civil rights and the claims for compensation as he is held responsible for the security man who committed the incident while on duty.
The Present Chief Prosecutor objected to the requests made by the claimants of civil rights and approved the request to call the witnesses listed only in the papers of the case, and refused the rest of the requests submitted by the lawyers.
Details: http://www.alwasatnews.com/3455/news/read/635033/1.html
3. A number of protests took place in solidarity ewith Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, a human rights activists who is on his 14th day of a hunger strike. 
4. Many villages were subjected to excessive shooting of tear gas after peaceful protests were taking place.
Feb 23: February 23: Repression of a peaceful protest in Manama
1. A protest in the capital Manama started at 20:00 pm, led by activist Nabeel Rajab and was repressed by security forces along with armed civilian men belonging to the MOI, who accompanied riot police attacking the protestors using tear gas and stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Protestors were chased and shot, an injury was reported to an 11 year old boy, caused by a rubber bullet shot in his hand.
The area was filled with tear gas, as it was shot into houses and one of the mosques. Shooting and arrests continued up until 23:00 pm.
2. In the context of violations by security forces that citizens are subjected to on daily basis, two cases were reported today:
a. A man was selling vegetables in "Barbar" as clashes between protestors and riot police were taking place close by, he was summoned by one of the security men who could not be identified as he was masked. They asked him to climb into the car and he tried to refuse, but they forced him to do so after hitting him on the neck and leg. One of the security men requested from him to hand in his wallet and then left him alone in the car, after a while they returned to him and handed him the wallet again and asked him to return to his place of work and then deported from the site.
The vegetable seller found out that an amount of money (BD 200) from his wallet, he immediately headed to the police station and filed a report.
b. A man was arrested from the airport this afternoon, as he was heading to Jordan to follow up the treatment of his arm which was injured during a car accident. Metal rods were fixed inside his arm and he was going to see the current status of his condition.
The reason of his arrest is unknown but most probably it is because they suspected that his injury occurred during clashes with riot police.
This move coincides with other steps aimed at blocking alternatives that wounded protestors go to as a result of fear of arrest and accountability in the event of going to the Salmaniya Hospital.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health issued a circular to inform the security services of the injuries. Also, two nurses were arrested and held accountable for the charge of using some medical supplies in first aid to the injured outside the hospital.
3. Most of protestors who were detained since 18 February for going to Lulu roundabout were released today after paying a bail worth BD 200. Some of them are still detained.
4. Many areas were attacked by security forces, like Duraz, Abu Saiba,Daih, Jidhafs, Karbabad, Sanabis and others, although some of those areas did not have any form of demonstrations taking place at the time to the attack.
Those areas were filled excessively with tear gas after the routine procedure of house raids and attacks, no arrests were reported.
/129