Beirut’s ESCWA Square Embraces Pro-Bahrain Personnel Supporting Revolution

Bahrain is in the souls of Lebanese and international peace activists, and those who know the difference between justice and oppression. The time has come when every person should chin up and face the world in the name of his “rights” and those of the vulnerable.

The Civil International Solidarity Committee with the People of Bahrain and the Arab Islamic Gathering to Support the Choice of Resistance organized an event outside the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) headquarters in downtown Beirut on Monday.

The protest was organized in solidarity with two-month hunger-striker detainee, Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. Protesters held banners which read “Freedom for Abdulhadi al-Khawaja” and “Abdulhadial-Khawaja… Towards Freedom or Martyrdom.”
Demonstrators chanted slogans against the Bahraini regime, demanding the immediate release of all political protesters.
During the gathering, Secretary General of the Arab Islamic Gathering to Support the Choice of Resistance, Yehia Ghaddar confirmed that “in response to the arbitrary detention of activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, his gathering will not deter from following up the issue until he is released, and until the Bahraini people attain their right to freedom, democracy and civil life.”

“The Muslim and Arab gathering is interested in activating the follow up on this issue in order to trigger the suspicious silence adopted by international organizations including the UN; which is supposedly the banner of human rights,” Ghaddar emphasized.
“The case of al-Khawaja and his fellow detained activists represents, if they are not released, a new stage which would remove the mask off the tyrants’ faces; and therefore expose them,” Ghaddar indicated.
“Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is dying so that the people of Bahrain would live in freedom, pride and dignity,” he further added.

On his part, Secretary General of the Civil International Solidarity Committee with the People of Bahrain, Sayyed Jaafar al-Alawi, stressed that the “Bahraini people sacrificed [so far] more than 80 martyrs, some of who were announced, while the unveiled is graver.”

“The al-Khalifa regime twitched its killing methods from massacring people, to slowly killing them via toxic teargas, which alone resulted in more than 35 martyrs including children, women, and elders. Another method is running the Bahrainis over with regime forces’ cars,” Sayyed al-Alawi reiterated.
In this context, al-Alawi affirmed, “Seeing the daily slaughtering and killing scene, detentions and vicious torture in the prisoners, the international human rights hero Abdulhadi al-Khawaja declared his own revolution through holding a hunger strike to inform the whole world of the truth of what is happening in Bahrain.”

“Although it has been 60 days on his hunger strike, the regime constantly treats him viciously, and now the forces detained his daughter Zeinab, and refused appeals by international organizations and countries to release him,” he went on to say.
Addressing the Bahraini King Hamad, Sayyed al-Alawi said, “All your attempts to defeat our people have failed, for they are now consistent with their revolution until achieving a new regime without your al-Khalifa family, and away from the retarded regime that spreads fear and sectarianism.”
“The piled up pressure and oppression against our people will trigger an explosion whose price you [al-Khalifa regime] will pay,” Secretary General of the Civil International Solidarity Committee with the People of Bahrain emphasized.

Referring to the Saudi political and military support of the Bahraini regime, Sayyed al-Alawi stated, “You [Saudi Arabia] are partners with the Bahraini regime in all its crimes.”

“Our people are against the US administration policy which supports the al-Khalifa regime and provides it with bullets, political campaigns, and weaponry deals. The US should halt its support of the al-Khalifa regime before it loses all its presence in the Gulf region,” al-Alawi added noting the US blatant black out on the Bahraini human rights violations.
Underscoring the Bahraini people’s stance with all rightful Arab stances and causes, al-Alawi urged the Arab nations to pressure their governments to make a difference and stop the slaughtering and oppression practiced against the Bahraini people.

Moreover, he demanded the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to liberate himself from the western pressures, and adopt an honorable and serious stance with the Bahraini people.

On her part, Lebanese lawyer May al-Khansa confirmed that “what is happening in Bahraini has become unacceptable”, wondering why the UN is not willing to listen and support the oppressed.
“Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is only demanding the implementation of the UN laws,” she added.

“We filed a lawsuit before the International Criminal Court(ICC), yet there are some obstacles taking place in that court, which we will be presenting in the press conference to be held on April 20, that will include pictures and reports that would expose the ICC Prosecutor,” lawyer al-Khansa asserted.
The Bahraini “case” is a special case as it witnesses an obvious media blackout and lack of international defense with its people. All free people of the world should look on to Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and get inspired from sacrifices he is doing for the sake of his country and people.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja… Towards Freedom or Martyrdom.