Global Voices Advocacy » Yusur Al Bahrani

Human Rights Day in United Arab Emirates

Yusur Al Bahrani — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:47:50 +0000

While millions of people from all over the world are celebrating the International Human Rights Day by demanding an end to the ongoing human rights abuses in many places, activists in United Arab Emirates are not able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly (whether by organizing protests or writing about authorities’ violations). They are intimidated to use social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook to share the stories of political detainees and prisoners of conscience or any other violation that the government is exercising in the name of “national security”. Most of them can't join “Human Rights Day” Twitter campaigns.

Recently, a very young activist, Mohamed El-Zumer (18 years old) was arrested for his Twitter posts that support political detainees in UAE and demand their release. He is the youngest political detainee, arrested for voicing his opinions by using Twitter. His arrest came following a cyber-crimes decree that attacks free speech. Human Rights Watch said that the Federal Legal Decree no.5/2012 vague words provide a legal basis to prosecute and jail people who use information technology to, among other things, criticize senior officials, argue for political reform, or organize unlicensed demonstrations. The decree threatens activists, bloggers, and ordinary citizens who exercise their rights to freedom of expression.

El-Zumer's family told Emirates Centre for Human Rights (ECHR) that after arresting him, and searching his home, he was taken to an unknown destination. By arresting El-Zumer, the number of political detainees, that I am aware of, has raised to 64 detainees. Many of those detainees are in unknown places, and their families don't have access to them. There have been no fair trials, and most of the government's claims are that those peaceful activists pose a threat to the national security.

On the International Human Rights Day, those detainees must not be forgotten. Tweeting on their behalf is what I and many other human rights activists will do today. Freedom of expression is a priority for human rights activists, regardless of the detainees’ opinions or political backgrounds.

Blogging on behalf of Hamid

Yusur Al Bahrani — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 06:29:23 +0000

Antonella has not blogged since long time. Her last blog post was on April 25, 2012 in which she wrote:

“Dear Hamid,

Every day I discover how vast a heart can be,
like a new landscape at the horizon
where sadness, hope, forgiveness, fear, joy and pain run far and fast
as if they were clouds.
Stay strong my darling, my heart will hold.

Antonella”

When I met Antonella Mega, I could feel that she is not a blogger. At least she is not someone who blogs frequently or uses Twitter, Facebook, or other social media all the time (unlike me!). If Antonella blogs, she is blogging for Hamid. I think blogging is a very important tool. I will keep my promise to blog about Hamid and other prisoners of conscience in Iran.

Who is Hamid Ghassemi?

Hamid is Antonella’s husband. While visiting his mother in Iran in 2008, Hamid disappeared. He was mistakenly imprisoned, charged for being a spy, and sentenced to death. Hamid is now in Tehran’s Evin prison and he needs our help. He needs our help urgently. It's a nightmare to think that an innocent man is facing a death sentence.

Blogging in and on Iran

Iran is very well known for its Internet censorship. There is no doubt that bloggers might end in prison if they speak up about injustices. I assume that there is risk for Iranian bloggers in Iran if they decide to write about Hamid. For instance, Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti was arrested, and he died in custody after being held on charges of “actions against national security on social networks.”

Bloggers in Iran are censored and can’t speak up. Knowing that, it’s now the duty of other human rights activists to raise awareness and demand actions regarding prisoners of conscience in Iran including Hamid.

Things to share on your blog:

- FREE HAMID (www.freehamid.com). This website has more informational on Hamid's case, and on how to help him.

- Video of children (Hamid’s neighbors in Toronto) talking about him and urging others to take action to help release Hamid.

- “Cities for Life”: Over 1000 municipalities around the world will be taking a stand against death penalty. Toronto is one of them. Antonella will be speaking at the Cities for Life event in Toronto on November 30.

Sharing information on prisoners of conscience and unfair trials in Iran is very important. Blogging on behalf of those at risk is very crucial. If Iranians in Iran face the risk of persecution if they use social media as a platform for reform demanding justice, then we can blog on their behalf!

Four tweeps arrested in Bahrain

Yusur Al Bahrani — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:12:17 +0000

According to the Ministry of Interior of Bahrain, “four arrested for misuse of social media.” However, the charges mentioned in the report seem to be very vague – “defaming public figures on social media.” The arrested tweeps, Ali Al-Haiki, Abdullah Al-Hashimi, Ali Mohamed and Salman Abdullah will be held in custody for seven days under investigation.

Although the Bahraini authorities claim that the constitution protects freedom of expression, there have been many cases in which activists are solely detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression on social media such as Twitter. If the four detainees are held solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, they are to be considered as prisoners of conscience.

UN Conference Live Stream Blocked in Bahrain

Yusur Al Bahrani — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 05:38:35 +0000

According to activists in Bahrain, a United Nations Human Rights Council live stream has been blocked.

Authorities in #Bahrain put obstacles to access #UN website for live stream because of my intervention in the #HRC21 twitpic.com/aucktm

— Mohammed Al-Maskati(@MohdMaskati) September 14, 2012

Mohamed Al-Maskati, president of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, spoke about the crackdown on activists in Bahrain, and the ongoing human rights violations. Maryam Al-Khawaja, Deputy Director of the Gulf Center 4 Human Rights, says that Bahraini human rights defenders attending Human Rights Council in Geneva have received death threats.

Death threats made to HRD attending #hrc21, other HRD arrested from checkpoint on same day #UN speaks of #Bahrain reprisals…

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) September 14, 2012

In addition to censorship, the government of Bahrain has launched an attack against bloggers and activists using social media. Ali Abdulemam, Global Voices author, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. He has disappeared and no one knows his whereabouts. Nabeel Rajab, human rights defender and president of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is in prison for posting about human rights violations in Bahrain on Twitter.

Sudan: another blogger rearrested

Yusur Al Bahrani — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:16:54 +0000

According to recent reports, many Sudanese bloggers and activists have been arrested in the last few days. Today, I have followed one of the bloggers’ posts on Twitter. Maha Sanosi @MimzicalMimz was arrested. She was released later to tell us about the police raid:

This is getting old :) I am fine,12 NISS officers raided my house,2 armed, confiscated phone/laptop, took me to NISS premises, summoned 2mrw

— Mimz (@MimzicalMimz) June 27, 2012

Below are some of the blogger's Tweets hours before the police raid:

All I'm saying is please don't believe everything you hear. NISS is launching heavy campaign to discredit #SudanRevolts protetsters.

— Mimz (@MimzicalMimz) June 26, 2012

Thank you @globalvoices for covering the arrest of @simsimt & publishing his story straight from the source. #FreeUsamah

— Mimz (@MimzicalMimz) June 26, 2012

My friend @S_Elwardany who was detained with me for 5 hours last week is being deported to Egypt for covering #SudanRevolts

— Mimz (@MimzicalMimz) June 26, 2012

Her last Tweet was:

Will I ever see my friends again? @simsimt @s_elwardany…………..

— Mimz (@MimzicalMimz) June 26, 2012

Although Sanosi and many other activists, bloggers and protestors have been arrested, the #SudanRevolt protestors will never be continue. If you are on Twitter, don't forget to Tweet about #Sudan; your solidarity means a lot for activists there.

@YusurAlBahrani

Nabeel Rajab: Tweeting from prison!

Yusur Al Bahrani — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:39:08 +0000

Nabeel Rajab, the President of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights , who was released on bail last week, has been arrested again. Just like last time, Nabeel Rajab is detained for posting what the Bahraini government considers insulting posts on his Twitter handle. As a result, he will be detained for 7 days.

However, Nabeel Rajab is inspiring other activists to fear nothing when saying the truth whether in Social Networks or publicly. Yesterday, Nabeel Rajab promised his supporters that his tweets will not stop while being detained:

HRD Nabeel rajab account will be activated Although hes arrested #Bahrain

— Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) June 6, 2012

Nabeel Rajab has kept his promise, and his Twitter account is still active with posts exposing the violations of the Bahraini regime and calling on people to protest and condemn the government of Al-Khalifa, and Khalifa bin Salman who has been the Prime Minister for more than 40 years. Just keep in mind, Khalifa bin Salman has been the Prime Minister for more than 40 years! They should put his name in the Guinness World Records!

Let's take a look at protests in Bahrain during Nabeel Rajab's absence. He is missed by activists in Bahrain around the world.

Nabeel Rajab was arrested for a tweet… Again … Poster held by @SAIDYOUSIF #bahrain #eye4freedom twitpic.com/9tqzp1

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) June 7, 2012

@SAIDYOUSIF and I will participate in the #eye4freedom protests today, if @NABEELRAJAB was not in prison he wud be there as well #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) June 7, 2012

#Bahrain: Police fire tear gas at demo in support of political prisoners blottr.com/world/breaking…” صحيفة بريطانية تنشر خبر مسيرة سترة عصر اليوم

— S.YousifAlmuhafda (@SAIDYOUSIF) June 7, 2012

#Bahrain #malkiya #8june The chants now: we are all with u @NABEELRAJAB

— Zahra Mahdy (@zamahdy) June 7, 2012

More intimidation tactics by #Bahrain against human rights activist @NABEELRAJAB stream.aljazeera.com/story/bahrain-…

— Amber Lyon(@AmberLyon) June 6, 2012

I am not going to include every sigle post by activists and journalists in Bahrain and around the world because they are many. There are two fights. One of them is in the streets through peaceful protests, and the other one is by activists who use their social networks like Twitter to spread awareness regarding human rights violations in Bahrain. Activists using Twitter are always facing challenges in Bahrain, and in other countries by oppressive regimes. While the Bahraini government charges Nabeel Rajab for saying the truth about human rights in Bahrain, it has made no effort to charge those who threatened to kill him. The Bahraini government took no action towards those who intimidate and defame activists via Twitter and Facebook.

For more updates, follow me on Twitter @YusurAlBahrani

Nabeel Rajab: The struggle continues in Bahrain

Yusur Al Bahrani — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:42:57 +0000

President of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Nabeel Rajab, has been released on $800 bail, his lawyer Mohamed Al Jishi said. Earlier this month, Rajab was arrested at Bahrain International Airport on his return from Beirut. Charges against include writing “insulting” posts in social networks (Twitter). He has also been charged with calling for protests via social networks. Eventually his posts expose human rights violations in Bahrain. Despite the fact that Rajab is now with his family, charges against his are not dropped. This means that he could be rearrested at anytime, and he is banned from travelling outside Bahrain. The next hearing is scheduled for June 17. Again, enemies of the Internet don't want to admit that having charges against a human rights defender who exercises his rights to freedom of expression is rather a very oppressive act by the Bahraini authorities.

Brave Nabeel Rajab will continue fighting as he promised people in Bahrain and supporters from around the world in this short video taken immediately after his release:

Nabeel's words after his release

(Translation: “This has been the first experience in which I was detained for long time. My experience in prison strengthened by belief that we are being ruled by a dictator. We need to keep resisting, and struggling against this oppression and injustice until all our demands that we have been protesting for in February 14 will be fulfilled. Our struggle will continue until we get all our rights.”)

There are about 750 prisoners of conscience in Bahrain including bloggers, and citizen journalists. Let's not forget that our Global Voices blogger Ali Abdulemam has disappeared since more than a year ago and no one (including his family) knows about his
whereabouts. Just as Rajab said, the struggle continue.

The Monarchy of Bahrain: An enemy of the Internet

Yusur Al Bahrani — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:20:58 +0000

More than a year ago, I recall how I used to be threatened by pro-Bahraini government propagandists. Random Facebook users have threatened me after commenting on Nabeel Al Hamar’s, the Advisor for Information Affairs for the King of Bahrain, status on Facebook. I don’t live in Bahrain, and therefore, no one could arrest me for my comments, Tweets, or articles about human rights abuses in Bahrain. However, I felt concerned about my colleagues and friends in Bahrain who are risking their lives everyday for exercising their rights to freedom of expression on Facebook or Twitter or any online media.

On March and April, when the state of emergency was announced in Bahrain, and the Shield of Jazeera (a combination of troops from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) came to aid the Bahraini forces in attacking peaceful protestors, there has also been a cyber war. Pro-Bahraini government Facebook users (or thugs!) started uploading the photos of activists with red circles around their faces. Instead of questioning the ones who threaten civilians, the government of Bahrain started arresting activists whose photos appear on Facebook. One of them was Ayat Al-Qarmizi, Bahraini poetess, who was later released after months of brutal torture and ill treatment in prison. Some activists disappeared like Global Voices’ blogger Ali Abdulemam, while others were killed like the citizen journalist Ahmed Ismael.

That’s not history yet. Last week, the Bahraini authorities arrested the President of the Human Rights Centre in Bahrain, Nabeel Rajab when he returned from Lebanon at Bahrain’s International Airport. Apparently, the Bahraini government claim that Rajab was arrested because of his “insulting tweets.” I invite all to visit his Twitter page @NABEELRAJAB, and search for “insulting” material. For an oppressive state like Bahrain, using Twitter and other social media to expose human rights violations is “insulting the constitution.”

Sadly hilarious, Manama was announced as “the Capital of Arab Culture,” while it’s the place where the state kills, arrests and kidnaps online activists. I hope that my blog post will not be considered as “insulting” by the Bahraini monarchy neither my Tweets on @YusurAlBahrani.

A bullet killed Ahmed Ismael, but not his videos

Yusur Al Bahrani — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:16:04 +0000

When people talk about legendary freedom fighters, I always recall citizen journalists. Those young men and women who post videos and updates online for the rest of the world are real heroes. It has never been easy to be in the middle of police crackdown and take video and photo shoots. Those anonymous soldiers are my legendary heroes.

Ahmed Ismael, 22 years, is one of those heros.

On March 31 Ahmed was shot on his lower abdomen. Hours later, he was announced dead. Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced him dead as a result of a single bullet wound.
Although my article is written after several days after the incident, but I had a good reason to wait. I was waiting for the Bahraini government to have other announcements regarding the death of Ahmed. Until the time this article was written, Ahmed’s family refused to sign papers to receive his body. Official documents do not mention the real cause behind Ahmed's death.

Why Ahmed was shot?
According to eyewitnesses, Ahmed was holding his camera when he was shot. The killer was in a civil car. This makes me certain that Ahmed has been targeted. Ahmed was not an ordinary protestor. He was an incredible citizen journalist and videographer.
Although YouTube is a free website that enables users to upload videos, Ahmed paid his life as a price for uploading videos of security forces violations and Bahraini peaceful protestors’ bravery.
The live bullet was successful in taking away the life of Ahmed, but the brutal Bahraini regime will never be successful in shutting down Ahmed’s YouTube channel. I want to share with you some of the videos he uploaded:

Injured eyewitness in Salmaniya hospital

Types of the tear gas canisters used in Salmabad village

Bahraini security forces entering Salmabad village

Ahmed never surrendered until the last breathe. He was holding his bloodied camera before his death. His tragic loss is not only a loss to his family, but is a loss to the world. We lost a young man who was committed to convey the truth.

I am still waiting for the government’s response to my question: who killed Ahmed? This might take really long time or never happen. Is the government of Bahrain targeting citizen journalists?

Ahmed's bloodied camera

Bahrain: Where is Ali Abdulemam?

Yusur Al Bahrani — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:43:21 +0000

As I daily check my facebook messages and notifications, I also check Ali Abdelemam’s profile. Everyday I wonder if there are any posts from him. Everyday I check his wall to see his family’s posts, and photos hoping that I could at least know something about him. I ask my friends and colleagues in Bahrain about Ali, and no one knows anything about him. I wonder where is Ali now. Ali, a father of three, disappeared and left us wondering about his destiny. Why did Ali disappear?

I never knew Ali (due to my ignorance). He was a hidden freedom fighter who would work hard without making noise. One day, I received a facebook friend request from Ali. I accepted his request, and started following his posts. I was not aware of his extensive work on human rights and social justice in Bahrain. He sent me the request on August 2010. On September 4, 2010, I was shocked to know that Ali was arrested.

Why Ali was arrested?

Just like any other authoritarian regime, the Bahraini monarchy aims to silence all opposing voices including online bloggers whose only crime is conveying the reality as it is. I am not going to write about the work of Ali, as many of Global Voices readers already know him through his writings. He is the founder of “Bahrain Forum” or “Multaqa Al Bahrain.” He is also a Bahraini blogger. For me, blogging in a place like Bahrain is like fighting in a war in which you know that you would be defeated. For a brave warrior what matters the most is the influence he or she leaves behind, and not winning the war itself.

Being in a cell in a prison in Bahrain did not silence Ali. No one can hinder writers and bloggers from saying the truth in the Internet era. If Ali is arrested, then we would write about him, and thus his case will never die. However, it is very brutal to be arrested for solely writing about the situation of one’s country. For a writer, confiscating the right to freedom of expression is like taking away his or her life.

On February 14, 2011 I wished Ali was there. I was thinking what would Ali write on his facebook wall. I even created in my imagination Ali’s post about the Bahraini revolution. Less than one week after the first spark of protests, Ali was released on February 23 after the Bahraini King’s ordered to release a number of activists including him.

I was thrilled. I thought that I could finally read Ali’s posts. I was certain that Ali would have a lot to say about the protests and the brutal crackdown on the innocent civilians. I thought that Ali had a rich material for his blog knowing that people in the Middle East are fighting for their rights.

My happiness was killed again. Shortly after his release, Ali disappeared. No one knows Ali’s place now, not even his family or his close friends. The only thing that we know about Ali is that the Bahraini military court sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison. Why Ali disappeared? Why Ali is facing a harsh sentence? The only answer I have is: his words make a difference and his online activism threatens the legitimacy of a regime that violates human rights.

If Ali is reading my post now, I want to let him know that his voice will never be silenced. If he can’t share his writings now, his previous blog posts and writings still echo in the world of online activism. He is in deed the Godfather of Arab blogging.