Essam Mohamed Abu Abdallah

Saudi security forces killed a young protester and wounded three in the kingdom’s oil-producing Eastern Province, home to a large Shi’ite Muslim minority, websites and activists said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s No. 1 oil exporter, is sensitive to any Shi’ite unrest in Eastern Province because of what it says are concerns it could be fomented by non-Arab Shi’ite power Iran to destabilise the Gulf region. Tehran denies involvement.

The Shi’ite website www.rasid.com said Saudi security forces opened heavy fire late on Thursday after protesters threw stones at a police vehicle in Awamiya, a village in Eastern Province.

It showed a file picture of 22-year-old Essam Mohamed Abu Abdallah and said he was killed by gunfire from security forces.

A Saudi Interior Ministry statement quoted by state news agency SPA said security forces patrolling Awamiya in their vehicle were attacked with petrol bombs and it caught fire.

“While the security forces were trying to control the fire, they were exposed to shooting and were dealing with the situation as necessary,” it said. “The exchange of fire led to two people being injured among those involved in the shooting, and they were taken to hospital where one of them died later.”

“The security forces will deal firmly with all cases and situations that endanger the security and safety of citizens and security forces,” the statement added.

The Rasid website also said security forces closed down the entrances to the village after clashes between villagers and security forces.

Saudi Arabia’s Shi’ite population is mostly based in two oasis districts of the Eastern Province – Qatif on the Gulf coast where Awamiya is located, and al-Ahsa southwest of the provincial capital al-Khobar.

The Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom says it has 1.3 million Shi’ites in a total population of 19 million. Human rights groups say there are around 2 million Shi’ites in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, Riyadh ordered the arrest of 23 Shi’ite Muslims in Eastern Province held responsible for unrest. Saudi Arabia accused the 23 of serving the agenda of a foreign power, usually a reference to Iran. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

قال مسؤولون باكستانيون إن 16 شخصا على الاقل قتلوا في انفجار استهدف موكبا دينيا شيعيا في بلدة خانبور وسط البلاد.

وقال مسؤول في شرطة البلدة لوكالة رويترز “إن الشرطة تحقق فيما اذا كان التفجير قد نجم عن حادث عرضي او انه كان مقصودا.”

وكثيرا ما تتعرض مواكب الشيعة الذين يشكلون نحو 20 بالمئة من سكان باكستان لهجمات من متشددي الجماعات السنية.

وكان موكب يوم الاحد ينظم في اطار الاحتفال بأربعينية الامام الحسين.

بي بي سي

شارك المئات في مسيرة احتجاجية في بلدة الربيعية بالقطيف يوم الجمعة

رفض الشيخ عبد الكريم الحبيل في خطبة الجمعة بمحافظة القطيف قيام إمارة المنطقة الشرقية بعزل الولي الشرعي لمسجد العباس ببلدة الربيعية ومنحها لعمدة تاروت.

وشدد أمام جموع المصلين على أن “أوقافنا الشرعية لا تصدر ولايتها من عند الإمارة”.

وقال أن عزل الولي الشرعي السيد علي آل درويش وتكليف محله عمدة تاروت عبد الحليم كيدار هو “أمر غير مقبول ولا زلنا نعتبره -آل درويش- هو الولي الشرعي”.

وكانت إمارة المنطقة الشرقية قد استدعت الأربعاء الماضي آل درويش وأجبرته على التنازل عن ولاية المسجد لتمنحتها لعمدة تاروت.

وفي جانب آخر من الخطبة علق الشيخ الحبيل على بيان الداخلية السعودية وقال ان تلك الإتهامات التي أوردها البيان ماهي إلا “لتشويه المطالب المرفوعة للمسؤولين في وقت سابق”.

مؤكدا في الوقت نفسه على وقوفه “مع الشباب المطلوبين ومع الحراك السلمي في المنطقة”.

وحذر الحبيل من ان تكون تلك التهم من حيازة السلاح واطلاق الرصاص هي لتوجيه التهمة لهم في قتل الشهداء الاربعة الذين سقطوا في التظاهرات السلمية الأخيرة في القطيف موضحا بقوله “نحن متيقنين بأن الجنود هم من أطلق النار على الشباب”.

ومن جهة أخرى خرج المئات عقب صلاة الجمعة في مسيرة منددة بقرار عزل ولي مسجد العباس وحمل المشاركون شعاراً “ها قد أعذر من أنذر.. مسجدنا خط أحمر”.

وجابت المسيرة شوارع البلدة بشكل سلمي وأنتهت دون تدخل من القوات الأمنية.

Photo showing bruises on face of Nabeel, via Adam Rajab

Update- 7 Jan 2012 19:00

Speaking to Al Jazeera from his home soon after leaving the Sulaimaniya hospital, Rajab said that he was attacked after riot police charged the crowd he and other protesters hid in nearby homes. They waited for things to calm down before leaving to return to their own homes.

“Maybe 25, 30 minutes later, I went out toward my car and they found me and attacked me,” said Rajab.

Multiple posts on the microblogging site featured a video of Nabeel Rajab speaking to riot police on Friday night, shortly before he was beaten and taken away.

“Five, six, seven people, I don’t know how many people. They were attacking from everywhere. When a police officer came, I heard them say, ‘We found Nabeel lying down,’ and I said, ‘No, I’m not lying down – you’re beating me,’” Rajab said.

When they started beating him, Rajab said he identified himself and said he was a rights activist.

“They said, ‘Are you Nabeel Rajab?’ I said ‘Yes’, then they beat me more,” pointing out that the men who beat him were Jordanians, Syrians and Pakistanis, dressed as riot police and special forces.

“But the officer was Bahraini. When he saw them beating me, they stopped, because he knew it was too much and they called an ambulance.”

At the hospital, Rajab said he was questioned about who had assaulted him, but he brushed off the attempt to find the culprits.

“I told them, ‘You will not find the people who beat me. If you will find those people who killed 65 people so far, then you will find the people who beat me,’” said Rajab, referring to those who have been killed since the start of the unrest in February.

With an injured face, head and back, bleeding from the mouth, Rajab said that while he was at the hospital, his house was teargassed.
aljazeera.com

Update- 7 Jan 2012 00:20AM:

Human rights defender Nabeel Rajab has left the hospital going back home after gettting the required treatment during which he was interrogated by the secuirty forces

06 Jan 2012
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies hold the authorities in Bahrain full responsibility for the life and safety of human Rights defender Nabeel Rajab.

Around 9 pm, the President of Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab was beaten severely by the security forces in Bahrain then moved in an ambulance to Salmaniya hospital after participating in a peaceful protest in Manama earlier tonight (video of the attack on the protest). He has told his lawyer on a phone call following the attack that the policemen gathered around him suddenly and started to beat him. He informed the lawyer that while lying on the ground he was beaten all over his body and specially on his back and face and that his face injuries are serious. He has an injury just below his right eye. He was then taken to Salmanyia hospital which is still controlled by a heavy security presence since last March. Human rights activists from Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) and his lawyer Mohammed Al-Jishi who have headed immediately to the hospital were prevented from seeing him. His Son Adam Rajab saw his dad in the hospital, carried by police, he said Nabeel’s face was swollen. When Adam tried to take a picture of his dad he got pushed and his phone was taken from him. Dr Alaa AlShehabi reported from the hospital that Nabeel is surrounded by 8-10 security officers and that he is suffering from concussion, back pain and bruises to his back and face. He told Dr Alaa that he was attacked by a group of police officers with sticks, he was kicked, punched & beaten all over his body and especially on the face. BCHR member Said Yousif AlMahafdha was able to see Nabeel for a moment by was then asked by Minister of interior officers to leave immediately.

BCHR knew that Nabeel is being interrogated right now, though he can’t talk and is currently on a wheel chair. His family was not allowed to stay with him.

Following the same attack, Sayed Yousif AlMahafdha, active member of the BCHR, was also injured with a stun grenade in his leg and arm. In addition, supporters gathered in solidarity outside Nabeel’s house in Bani-Jamra were attacked with tear gas.

This is an urgent appeal, the fact that the ministry of interior is controlling access to Nabeel with heavy security presence around him and preventing taking photos is very worrying and we are concerned about his health and life. Rajab is believed to be under arrest, until authorities with the Ministry of Interior allow visitation or reveal Mr. Rajab’s status.

There is an imminent fear of torture, in case Rajab was transferred to a detention facility, particularly that there is a trend of targeting human right defenders in Bahrain, who are frequently subjected to torture and other ill treatment while in detention.

GCHR, BCHR and CIHRS believe that the security forces attack on human rights defender Nabeel Rajab is directly related to his legitimate work in defense of human rights and democracy in Bahrain.

We are deeply concerned that this latest attack comes as part of an increasingly hostile environment that human rights defenders in Bahrain are facing which has included the repression of peaceful demonstrations in the villages of Bahrain, the arbitrary arrest of nonviolent protesters on daily basis, and the attacks and intimidation of human rights defenders who are defending the people’s rights in Bahrain.

We condemn in the strongest possible term this vicious attack on a well known human rights figure inside Bahrain and on the regional and international levels. GCHR, BCHR and CIHRS, are gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Nabeel Rajab and hold the government of Bahrain responsible for his safety.

Report on previous attacks on Nabeel Rajab by the security forces in Bahrain, May 2011

Violence, harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders , May 2011

Summon of Nabeel Rajab for his tweets, Return of military trials and other news from Bahrain , August 2011

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Bahrain Center for Human Rights – Manama, Bahrain

تعرض رئيس مركز حقوق الإنسان في البحرين نبيل رجب إلى الضرب المبرح من قبل يد قوات القمع لنظام آل خليفة.

ونقل عن مصادر مقربة من رجب قوله : أن الشرطة أقدمت على اعتقاله وضربه بشكل وحشي ، حيث نقل الى مسشتفى السلمانية.

وتعرض رجب لأصابات في الوجه بعد قيام مجموعة من الشرطة بضربه وهو ملقى على الارض.

ودانت جمعبة العمل الاسلامي وائتلاف شباب ثورة 14 فبراير وجمعية الوفاق الوطني الاسلامي ، هذا الإعتداء، ووصف خليل المرزوق أحد قيادي جمعبة الوفاق الاعتداء ” بانه جريمة تضاف الى جرائم السلطة “.

وطالبت جمعيات المعارضة بوقف التضييق على رجب وجميع الحقوقيين والسياسيين وتقديم الاعتذار له من قبل الداخلية، ووصفوا لاعتداء بانه ” جريمة من جرائم السلطة لاسكات الاصوات الحقوقية الشجاعة التي فضحت ومازالت جرائم نظام ال خليفة وقال بيان لجمعية الوفاق “أن الاعتداء على رجب وصمة عار في جبين السلطة”.

الجدير بالذكر، ان الحقوقي رجب تعرض للعديد من المضايقات والاعتداء على منزله وأسرته في الفترة السابقة بسبب نشاطه الداعم للحقوق والحريات.

إذاعة النور