Attack on Mousawi and Orabi, Bahraini photographers

The detentions and torture go on today and are getting worse. So what are the politicians, N.G.O.s and media going to do about it? It’s not Syria or Ukraine where you can get political mileage. It’s just a small country with 1.3 million decent people trying to get freedom and democracy. The international community must put pressure on the regime to negotiate or apply sanctions.Sayed Ahmed Salman al Mousawi, 26, detained for two months, savagely tortured. His detention extended for 45 days to 16th May 2014

Ahmed was arrested on 10th February 2014 with his brother in Duraz. He is a member of FIAP. PSA UPI and Qatif photos and the winner of 130 international awards for photography. After six days at the CID for interrogation he was moved to Dry Dock Prison on 16th February. He later told his father that he had been “tortured without mercy.” He was hung on a door four times, electrocuted, beaten all over his body and on his genitals. He wasn’t allowed to sit for four days.

He saw the Coroner on 25th February but as signs of torture have faded apart from the marks on his wrists from hanging,  the coroner won’t record them.
When he saw the General Prosecutor he was not allowed to have a lawyer.. Ahmed admits to taking “illegal” pictures (it’s his job) but not stealing SIM cards. He has not had any legal access for two months

His family visited him on 23rd March to find him pale and broken. His torturers demanded: Who do you work for and shoot pictures for? Is it Al Wefaq? (the main opposition party.)
Where do you publish your pictures and who pays you? Although he has “accepted the charge of taking pictures” to avoid more torture, he denies the charge of supplying SIM cards to the demonstrators / terrorists.
He works for the Saudi owned telecoms company VIVA who won’t support him.

Mohamed Al Oraibi, 30, detained for two months, terrible torture. He goes to court on 8th April.

Arrested at airport returning from the Lebanon. Cameras and equipment confiscated the next day. He is an independent who publishes his work through Facebook.

Tortured for five days, electrocuted on his body and genitals. Naked for 5 days, with torture for 20 hours a day.  Only slept 4 hours a day. Cold water flung on him, naked in a freezing room.
He was forced to stand for hours, and sexually assaulted. They used the Al Falqa torture method on him, suspending him between to chairs, and beating him with their feet whilst suspended.
They also attacked his knees which were injured in a previous torture session in 2012. Not allowed to pray for 6 days or shower for 5 days. Allowed a shower before going to the public prosecutor.

Mohamed submitted a torture complaint on 18th February 2014 and transferred to the Coroner for a Medical Report on 19th February.

Officer Mohmmed Issa Al Majali, (previously Jordanian) is responsible for his torture. King Hamad employs 499 officers from Jordan in the CID to interrogate and torture Bahrainis which costs $1.3 Million per month.

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