girlgoesgrrr:

#occupyBahrain

This week in Bahrain: women and girls were reportedly tortured following a mass arrest, the Pentagon is selling weapons to the Bahrain government, heavy sentences were handed down to anti-government protesters, and more… here’s what you need to know:

• The Bahraini courts handed down multiple verdicts Thursday - ranging from five years in prison to a death sentence - on cases stemming from anti-government protests earlier this year. One protester was sentenced to death, eight doctors were sentenced to 15 years, and other medical personnel were sentenced anywhere from five to 15 years in prison. The state-run Bahrain News Agency says the convicted were charged with possessing fuel bombs and light weapons, confiscating medical equipment and “fabricating stories and lies.” The UN Human Rights office condemned the sentences, saying they questioned the fairness of the trials based on the harsh verdicts. [Voice of America, New York Times]
• 38 women and seven girls were reportedly tortured or ill-treated following protests against Bahrain’s by-elections, according to Amnesty International. The women and girls were reportedly arrested at a shopping center in Manama. The women’s lawyers say they showed signs of abuse following their detainment. The Interior Ministry says no abuse took place. A government statement said the group was arrested for “racing through the mall, causing panic among families carrying out their weekend shopping”. 23 women and the seven girls were released Monday, but 15 remain in custody, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights. Their trail is set for September 29. [AFP, Reuters]
• Opposition party Al Wefaq and other Shi’ite-led groups are contesting the government’s figure for the recent by-election turnout. The Bahraini government claims 51 percent of voters participated in this week’s by-election, while Al Wefaq leader Sheik Ali Salman argues the figure is closer to 17 percent. Multiple Shi’ite-led groups called for a boycott of the by-elections in opposition with the government crackdown on anti-government protesters. [AP]
• Iran, Bahrain ministers meet in New York for the first time since withdrawing their ambassadors. During the UN General Assembly Meeting Monday, foreign ministers from Iran and Bahrain spoke for the first time since Bahrain withdrew its ambassador from Iran for “blatant inteference” regarding Bahrain’s anti-government protests. Shortly thereafter, Iran withdrew its ambassador from Bahrain. [Voice of America]
• Need to Know of the week: The Pentagon is set to sell the Bahrain government $53 million worth of weapons. [Telegraph Blogs]
• Must Read of the week: The Guardian’s interview with Dr. Ali al-Akri, who was charged earlier this year with crimes against the state for helping treat anti-government protesters. He says he awaits the day when he will be called to jail, adding, “It was the security forces who [stopped the ambulances] and that was proven during the trial. […] We witnessed the atrocities. And because we did not obey [the government] we are being punished.” [Guardian]
• Quote of the week: “I lost my sense of time because of the torture … Immediately after I was taken [there was] the beating, the cursing, the kicking, the spitting; even I was electrocuted there at that unknown place… We were forced to [confess] on TV. Me and my colleagues were kept together in one hall and they threatened us with rape, they threatened us with our families and if you don’t just step in front of the camera and say I did this, this, this, this.” [Telegraph Blogs]

[Photos: Thousands of Shi’ite Bahrainis participate in an anti-government rally held by Bahrain’s main opposition party al-Wefaq, at Budaiya, September 30, Credit: Reuters; Bahraini anti-government protesters attend a rally organized by Al-Wefaq, in Quraya, Bahrain, Friday, Sept. 30. Credit: Hasan Jamali/AP; In this photo taken Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, a Bahraini man covers his nose against tear gas as he passes through narrow, graffiti-covered streets in the Shiite village of Sanabis, Bahrain. The Arabic at left reads: “Our victory is coming,” and beneath a painted image, center, of the Pearl monument that became iconic for protesters reads: “We are coming” and “Our leaders are steadfast. Credit: Hasan Jamali/AP]