Bahraini poetess confirms torture - Jul 15, 2011 - English
A young Bahraini pro-democracy poetess just released from jail and placed under house arrest says she was mentally and physically tortured by male...
A young Bahraini pro-democracy poetess just released from jail and placed under house arrest says she was mentally and physically tortured by male and female officers while in jail.
“They beat me [for] nine days, morning and afternoon and at night… they beat me a lot, a lot, a lot. More than one person beat me at the same time, man and woman,” said Ayat al-Qurmezi in an exclusive phone interview with Press TV on Friday.
Recounting her bitter experience while jailed by the Saudi-backed Bahraini regime, Qurmezi, hailed as 'freedom poet,' told Press TV that her interrogator and prison guards did not allow her to use a bathroom and used very offensive and derogatory language against herself and her parents.
She confirmed that her jailers also threatened to kill her and to hurt her family, adding that she was forced to make confessions, as the only way for “the king to forgive me” and to be saved from the beatings, verbal abuse and other forms of torture.
Qurmezi, however, stated that despite repeated threats by Bahraini authorities that she would be returned to jail if she speaks to any media outlets, she was not afraid and would continue to speak the words of the Bahraini people.
Al-Qurmezi was arrested on March 30 for reciting anti-government poetry in the capital of Manama's Pearl Square.
She was then charged with incitement and insulting members of the royal family and handed a one-year jail term.
On Thursday, the 20-year-old said she had faced house arrest in exchange for freedom, but vowed to continue her freedom-seeking campaign.
“And I won't be afraid because of a paper I signed,” Qurmezi said, referring to a pledge she had signed not to violate the terms of her arrest, join protests and speak to the media.
Further, her family says she was forced by her jailors to clean filthy lavatories with her bare hands.
In a popular uprising, tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-regime rallies throughout the country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family.
The royals have governed the oil-rich Persian Gulf island for over 40 years with major backing from the United States, Britain and the neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons as part of the clampdown in the country -- a longtime US ally and home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
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Bahrain: Is the government serious about reforms? - The Agenda - 10 Dec...
http://www.presstv.ir/Program/215077.html
The Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry was established on the 29th of June 2011 by King Hamad bin...
http://www.presstv.ir/Program/215077.html
The Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry was established on the 29th of June 2011 by King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa. The commission has been tasked with investigating and reporting on the events that took place in Bahrain from February 2011.
There are concerns that there could be serious political and social ramifications from the serious biases and deficiencies in the report. The commission which has been paid for and set up by the regime that has committed these acts has led to human rights organizations to question its legitimacy.
The results of the commission came out on the 23rd of November and the government says it has formed a working group to study the report, which calls for an examination of people's political, economic and social grievances, but opposition parties say no one has contacted them.
Questions have arisen on whether any external pressure for reform especially by the US be thwarted by Saudi Arabia who would not want to empower the opposition in Bahrain. It is also important to note that Bahrain hosts the US fifth fleet.
In this edition of the show we ask; Bahrain: Is the government serious about reforms?
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[06 Dc 2013] Mass anti government rally held near Manama - English
Anti-government protesters in Bahrain are trying to make their voices heard as top international officials gather in Manama for a security...
Anti-government protesters in Bahrain are trying to make their voices heard as top international officials gather in Manama for a security conference.
Thousands of people rallied in the village of Sa\'ar near Manama and at some points the demonstrators clashed with regime forces. Police attacked the protesters with tear gas and sound bombs trying to disperse them. Senior officials including those from Britain and the United States are attending the two-day Manama dialog forum. U-S Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will also address the meeting. Bahrain which hosts the U-S Navy\'s fifth fleet has cracked down on protests since the revolution began in 20-11.
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[28 Feb 2014] The Debate - Yanukovych talks to press in Russia...
Ukraine\'s ousted president Victor Yanukovych has spoken, from Russia: Among the key points he made in his reaction to the events in his country:...
Ukraine\'s ousted president Victor Yanukovych has spoken, from Russia: Among the key points he made in his reaction to the events in his country: he said he still saw himself as the Ukrainian president and as such believed that Crimea must remain part of Ukraine, even though he would not run for the May presidential elections, blasting the West for allegedly betraying a Feb. 21 agreement between the government and the opposition. Meanwhile in Crimea, where the Russian navy fleet is located: it was voted that concurrent to the May presidential elections in Ukraine, Crimea would hold a referendum on its future status, whether it will remain part of Ukraine or will join Russia.
What would NATO\'s reaction be, who has warned it considered Ukraine\'s future to be \"key to Euro-Atlantic security\" and assured the new government in Kiev that the alliance would back its \"sovereignty.\"
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[28 Feb 2014] The Debate - Yanukovych talks to press in Russia...
Ukraine\'s ousted president Victor Yanukovych has spoken, from Russia: Among the key points he made in his reaction to the events in his country:...
Ukraine\'s ousted president Victor Yanukovych has spoken, from Russia: Among the key points he made in his reaction to the events in his country: he said he still saw himself as the Ukrainian president and as such believed that Crimea must remain part of Ukraine, even though he would not run for the May presidential elections, blasting the West for allegedly betraying a Feb. 21 agreement between the government and the opposition. Meanwhile in Crimea, where the Russian navy fleet is located: it was voted that concurrent to the May presidential elections in Ukraine, Crimea would hold a referendum on its future status, whether it will remain part of Ukraine or will join Russia.
What would NATO\'s reaction be, who has warned it considered Ukraine\'s future to be \"key to Euro-Atlantic security\" and assured the new government in Kiev that the alliance would back its \"sovereignty.\"
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