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Bahrain: Security Men Referred to Military Courts for Abuse

Bahrain’s High Military Court in Manama
Bahrain’s High Military Court in Manama
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Bahrain: Security Men Referred to Military Courts for Abuse

Bahrain’s High Military Court in Manama
Bahrain’s High Military Court in Manama

Bahrain’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) has referred three security men in two separate cases to military courts after being convicted of abuse, torture and excessive use of force. The Unit conducted several investigations into 29 such cases late 2018.

Fatima al-Kooheji, member of Special Unit, revealed that during the same period, the Unit received a number of complaints, ranging from allegations of torture to ill-treatment and the use of excessive force by 29 members of the General Security Forces.

The Unit has initiated investigations into all such complaints. It has heard more than 100 complaints and questioned 66 suspects of the General Security Forces.

The Unit also concluded its investigations into two separate cases involving three members of the General Security Forces and referred them to the Military Courts Administration of the Interior Ministry to impose suitable disciplinary punishment.

The SIU presented a memorandum on its investigations to the Attorney-General into the complaints filed by Hussein Mousa and Mohammad Issa, who were sentenced to death for murdering a policeman and carrying out a terrorist bombing.

The Unit suggested reconsidering the ruling against them, after the discovery of new evidence, despite the fact that the sentence against the convicts was based on many pieces of evidence other than the ones derived from the statements.

On October 18, the 4th Criminal Court sentenced a member of the General Security Forces to three months of imprisonment over the charge of assaulting the safety of others.

The plaintiff reported that the security officer assaulted him during his arrest on charges of criminal prosecution. The Unit completed its investigations into the case and ordered the defendant to be referred to the minor criminal court for sentencing.

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Fishers at a Lebanese Port Hope Ceasefire with Israel Means Normal Life is Returning

Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
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Fishers at a Lebanese Port Hope Ceasefire with Israel Means Normal Life is Returning

Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah brought hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon on Friday, including fishermen who have long launched their single-engine wooden boats into the Mediterranean at dawn.
During the last two months of its year fighting Hezbollah, Israel imposed a siege on southern Lebanon that kept hundreds of fishers at this ancient Phoenician port on shore, upending their lives and the industry.
While less important than destruction and displacement, the port siege cut many people off from the key ingredients for traditional Lebanese dishes like sayadiyeh — fish and rice boiled in fish sauce — or fried and grilled fish eaten with dips such as hummus and tabbouleh or fattoush salads.
The loss of fish damaged a deep association with home, but now the possibility of renewed Lebanese fishing on the country's southern coast is helping fuel hope for a brighter future.
On Friday, a few boats went out close to the shore as fishers in the port worked on the nets of small boats painted white, blue or red.
Hussein Sukmani, 55, said Friday that he was considering going to sea in coming days but was waiting to see how things unfold.
He hasn't dared set sail since the Israel-Hezbollah war dramatically intensified on Sept. 23. “They were days of fear and horror,” he said. "They were the most difficult days of our lives.”
A week ago, a drone strike killed two young fishers in the city as they prepared their nets on the coast, and some fishermen said Friday that the Lebanese army told them that if they headed out it would be at their own risk .
Among those who sailed near the coast on Friday was Walid Darwish, who returned to the port with two plastic boxes filled with mullet.
“Today is the first time that we sail,” Darwish said, adding that fishers had missed the prime season in October and November.
“We lost it,” he said.
The Israeli army barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border in October and has not said whether the warning is still in effect.
Sukmani said that most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the port have not sailed out of concern since then.
The area around the port is a predominantly Christian neighborhood that has been spared much of the airstrikes on other parts of Tyre that leveled buildings in this city.
In peaceful times, the port is a major tourist attraction, beloved by Lebanese and foreigners who come for the views, the restaurants and the beaches.
On Friday, Mohammed Hammoud walked along the coast of Tyre carrying his fishing rod.
“It is enough that someone is able to stand in this beautiful area,” he said, pointing to the white sands. “Fishing is everything for me,” added Hammoud, who went to fish several times in the area north of the city of Sidon that was not part of the siege.
In the old market of Tyre, Gilbert Spiridon watched from inside his shop as people came to buy freshly brought fish. Before the war, it took hours to sell all his fish to people from around Lebanon.
“All I wish is that the war has ended and we are back on track to the old good days,” he said.