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1990s uprising in Bahrain

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1990s Bahraini Uprising
DateDecember 17, 1994 (1994-12-17) - February 14, 2001 (officially) (+3:00 GMT)
Location
 Bahrain
Caused byDissolution of parliament
GoalsReinstatement of paraliament
Methods
Resulted inDemocratic reforms; reinstatement of parliament
Parties
Lead figures
Casualties and losses
1 (allegedly killed by a man from Nuwaidrat called Isa Qambar)
40+ civilians killed (including one executed on charges of killing a soldier)
Part of a series on the
History of Bahrain
Arms of Bahrain
Ancient Bahrain
Historical region
Reigning Dynasties
Portuguese occupation
Safavid hegemony
1783–1971
State of Bahrain
Kingdom of Bahrain
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The 1990s uprising in Bahrain (Arabic: الانتفاضة التسعينية في البحرين) lasted between December 17, 1994 - February 14, 2001 in which leftists, liberals and Islamists joined forces to demand democratic reforms. The uprising resulted in approximately forty deaths and ended after Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999[1] and a referendum on 14–15 February 2001 massively supported the National Action Charter.[2]

Aims

Like other uprisings during the 1990s, the uprising's stated aims were for democratic reform, and it was considered as the first movement in the Arab world where leftists, liberals and Islamists joined forces on a common ground calling for restoration of the dissolved parliament and suspended constitution.

Although attempts were made to portray a totalitarian nature of an Islamic fundamentalist ideology, the events and the moderate discourse of their leaders attracted support from all human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Article 19, UN Human Rights Sub-Commission, etc) as well as from members of parliament in the UK, France, USA and the EU. The final aim of the uprising was the reinstatement of the 1973 constitution and respect of human rights in Bahrain, while preserving plurality of opinions in society.

Main events

The uprising began with a picket by unemployed people in front of the ministry of labour in June 1994. Later on, the security forces used an event where stoning of a leading team (SAAD Track Club) took place in November 1994 in the Bahrain Marathon Relay race after they ran along a road alongside a conservative village, to launch attacks on the Shia community of Bahrain. This had been an attempt to stain the image of the pro-democracy uprising and to divert attention from the core issues.

The uprising was characterized by extreme forms of suppression, riots, stoning and bomb attacks. Over forty people were killed, mostly by the security forces. Most of the events of the uprising took place in the villages and towns of the indigenous Baharna. There was a strong religious component in the violence, with security forces attacking Bahrani areas because the Baharna are Shia. The rhetoric of the pro-government quarters attempted to stain the image of the uprising, but at the end, the situation had to improve following the longest ever uprising in the history of Bahrain.

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the National Action Charter

The violence generally subsided after King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa carried out political reforms after he ascended to the throne in 1999. On 14 and 15 February 2001, the National Action Charter was overwhelmingly approved by Bahrainis, with 98.4% in favour.[2]

Deaths

This list is not complete

Name Age From Date of Death Cause of Death
Hanni Abbas Khamis 24 Sanabis 17 December 1994 shot dead
Hani Ahmad Al-Wasti 22 Jidhafs 17 December 1994 shot dead
Haji Mirza Ali Abdulredha 70 Qadam 20 Dec 1994 Beaten to death by security forces
Abdul Qadir Al-Fatlawi 18 Diraz 12 January 1995 shot dead
Mohammed Redha Manssor 34 Bani Jamra 25 January 1995 shot dead
Hussain Ali Al-Safi 26 Sitra 26 January 1995 shot dead
Aqeel Salman Al-Saffar 1 year Bilad Al-Qadeem 8 February 95 inhaled tear gas for prolonged period
Hussain Ma'atooq 12 Al Daih 8 March 1995 died after a holicopter flew low above the house. He was on top of the house.
Hamid Abdulla Qasim 17 Diraz 26 March 1995 shot dead
Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq 48 Bani Jamra 1 April 1995 shot dead
Mohammed Yousif Atteya 28 Bani Jamra 1 April 1995 shot dead
Hussain Abdulla Al-Asheeri 17 Al Dair 19 April 1995 shot dead
Nidal Habib Al-Nashaba 18 Diraz 4 May 1995 shot dead
Saeed Al-Eskafi 16 Sanabis 8 July 1995 died under torture
Mohammed Shehab Fardan 10 Karzakan 25 May 1995 died after an explosion during clashes
Hassan Jasim Al-Hasawi 70 Noaim 7 Jan 1996 inhaled tear gas for prolonged period
Mohammed Hassan Taher 22 Jidhafs 6 March 1996 died in mysterious circumstances
Isa Hassan Qambar 29 Nuwaidrat 26 March 1996 executed
Fadhil Abbas Marhoon 25 Karzakan 6 May 1996 Shot dead by a special military unit
Salman Al-Taitoon 28 Sanabis 7 May 1996 House exploded by special military unit
Ali Salman Al-Taitoon 3
Fadeela Al-Mutghawwi (Al-Taitoon) 23
Abdulamir Hassan Rustom 36 Sanabis 12 May 1996 Beaten to death during clashes
Mahmood Abdullatif Hussain 12 Sanabis 11 June 1996 tortured to death
Ali Taher 17 Sitra 2 July 1996 shot dead
Zahra Ibrahim Kadhem 54 Bani Jamra 23 July 1996 Beaten to death by security forces
Sayyid Ali Amin Mohammed 19 Karbabad 17 August 1996 tortured to death
Bashir Abdulla Ahmad Fadhl 27 Al Daih 20 May 1997 Beaten to death during an attack by security forces
Abdulzahra Ibrahim Abdulla 27 Sanabis 6 June 1997 was beaten by the security forces that attacked the residents of Sanabis on 1 June.
Sheikh Ali Al-Nachas (a blind person) about 50 years old Bilad Al-Qadeem 29 June 1997 During the morning, the well-known torturer Adel Flaifel summoned two persons and told them that Sheikh Al-Nachas was dead. Sheikh Ali Al-Nachas was detained in January 1996 and sentenced for one-year accused of delivering political sermons in mosques. Released in February 1997 only to be re-detained a short time later accused of delivering similar sermons in a local mosque. For 2–3 months he had been ill-treated in detention and reports have spoken of his health deterioration as a result of this ill-treatment. Two weeks prior to his death, his house was ransacked by the security forces and his wife was beaten severely inside her bedroom.
Abd Ali Jasim Isa Yousif 45 Noaim 8 August 1997 died in Salmanya Hospital as a result of the deterioration of his health in jail. Mr. Yousif was detained the previous year, became ill with hepatitis and the prison authorities prevented him from receiving the appropriate medical attention. In mid June, at a late stage, he was transferred to the Military Hospital and then o Saalmanya Hospital Wards 11 and 62 until his death on 8 August 1997.
Yaser Ibrahim Ali Sudaif 22 Sitra 22 September 1997 Yaser was detained in early 1995 and had suffered extreme forms of torture. One type of torture caused bleeding and resulted in the deterioration of his health. It was the insertion of a bottle in his back passage. He later developed cancer. His conditions became very serious two months ago. His death brings to mind the horrific treatment of prisoners under the hands of the merciless torture-officers headed by Ian Henderson.
Nooh Khalil Abdulla Al-Nooh 22 Noaim 21 July 1998 was arrested in a raid on his parent’s house in Nuaim district (Manama) on Saturday 18 July. Few days later, the interior ministry telephoned the family of the martyr and ordered them to collect the dead body of their son from the mortuary. As the family went to receive the body of their dear son, the foreign security forces had already encircled the district of Nuaim. Nevertheless, the citizens penetrated the siege and about 1500 people attended the burial and funeral of the young man. The people photographed his body. It was full of torture, the kind of which is applied to all citizens taken into custody for interrogation. The tortured body carried signs of electric shocks, sever beating and drilling-penetrations. The people chanted for the freedom of the nation and called for the punishment of torturers.
Mohammed Al-Sayyah 28 Sitra 30 September 1998 For more than three years, Mr. Al-Sayyah had been in hospital suffering from incrementally increasing pain that ended with his death in Salmaya Hospital.

Mr. Al-Sayyah, a university graduate, was initially arrested on 5 April 1995 and tortured severely by a Jordanian officer named Mahmood Al-Akkori (so-called Abo-Fakhri) until 12 July 1995. His condition had deteriorated following the session of torture under Al-Akkori. He had been subjected to electric shocks and was severely beaten on sensitive parts of his body. He was then stripped naked and forced to sit on a bottle which caused him to suffer immensely after his release. Months later, he developed cancer and the pains continued with him until his death.

Hajji Ali Karim 60 Sanabis 12 February 1999 died after three years of suffering. Mr. Karim died in Salmania Hospital as a result of injuries he suffered when the security forces attacked a peaceful procession to commemoration of the Martyr Issa Qambar in March 1996.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Country Profiles Bahrain" The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity Retrieved 2010-12-01
  2. ^ a b "Country Theme: Elections: Bahrain". UNDP-Programme on Governance in the Arab Region. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2011-02-09. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

Further reading

  • Khalaf, Abdulhadi (1998). Contentious politics in Bahrain: From ethnic to national and vice versa. University of Lund.
  • Fakhro, Munira A. 1997. “The Uprising in Bahrain: An Assessment.” In The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security, and Religion, eds. Gary G. Sick and Lawrence G. Potter: 167–188. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-17567-1
  • Bahry, Louay. The Socioeconomic Foundations of the Shiite Opposition in Bahrain. Mediterranean Quarterly 11.3 (2000) 129–143.
  • Al-Mdaires, Falah. Shi'ism and Political Protest in Bahrain. Domes. Milwaukee: Spring 2002. Vol. 11, Iss. 1; pg. 20
  • Wiktorowicz, Quintan ed Islamic Activism, A Social Theory Approach Indiana University Press, 2004
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