Al-Khalifa’s New Victims: Old Martyr, Child Student

Local Editor

A Bahraini old man was martyred Saturday after inhaling poisonous tear gas fired by Saudi-backed security forces as the al-Khalifa regime counties crackdown on peaceful protests.

Hajj Habib Abdullah, 88, from Malikiyah village, was martyred after inhaling poisonous tear gas fired by al-Khalifa forces.

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society confirmed the death of Abdullah from the village of Malkiya.
The regime's excessive use of lethal toxic gasses have resulted in tens of deaths amongst citizens for their ongoing demands for democracy and freedom.

According to family members, both the martyr Abdullah and his grandson Ali, aged 9, were exposed to a large amount of lethal gas. The nine year old is suffering from side effects and now receiving treatment abroad.

Thousands of people in Bahrain have once again taken to the streets to protest prison sentences handed to a group of prominent activists.

The protesters marched near the capital Manama on Saturday, amid heavy security to denounce the verdicts upheld by an appeals court.

Meanwhile, anti-regime protests have intensified in the tiny Gulf country after Bahrain's highest court upheld sentences handed down to 13 prominent political activists for organizing demonstrations against the al-Khalifa regime.

The court's verdict sparked protests in several towns, where demonstrators set tires on fire and blocked main roads.

A military court originally handed down the sentences in 2011. The rulings, which range from five years in prison to life sentences, were upheld by a civilian court in September 2012.

Those given life sentences include imprisoned human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and opposition leader Hassan Mushaima.

Amnesty International has described the decision unjust and called for the release of the 13 people who have been imprisoned "simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly."

The Bahraini uprising began in February 2011. The Manama regime promptly launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests, calling in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states.

However, Bahraini protesters stated that they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met.

In parallel, the 8 years old child, Hesham Hasan, was beaten for chanting political slogans. This comes as the school decided to suspend him for 10 days that coincide with his final exams. The school launched an investigation committee and interrogated the child without the presence of his parents. In addition to the interrogation, Hesham was beaten in front of his peers, causing him psychological harm.

In response, the Ministry of Education stated the following: "The Ministry suspended a second grade student in elementary school for chanting a political slogan which is considered a violation of the school's code of conduct and the system in place in schools."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org