Shia Rights Watch’s executive director Mustafa Akhwand is invited to the conference titled “Persecution of Shia in Bahrain,” for a two day summit in Brussels. This summit is organized by SALAM for human rights and justice and No Peace without Justice(NPWJ), to promote and protect human rights and democracy in the Middle East and in Bahrain in particular.
There are many objectives in this summit, a closer look at the history of Shia in Bahrain, political challenges and freedom of religion. Despite all the effort of stopping violence against Shia in Bahrain, government is not willing to respect their citizens and give them dignity they are entitled to according to the International Laws. Shia Rights Watch’s director Mustafa Akhwand will analyze the conflict in Bahrain as “Structural Violence” that is causing the history of Bahrain to collapse in near future, This Summit will shed light on facts regarding “Bahrain government aiming to destroy the Shia history, ruining the future generation of Shia.” said Mr. Akhwand, and also added his optimism for seeing results and change people and NGOs collectively work together and aim for commonalities as opposed to differences in solving problems.
Persecution of Shia Muslims In Bahrain
Shia News Wire #63
April 15th to 22nd, 2016
Azerbaijan
In Lankaran, Azerbaijan, many Shia figureheads were arrested. Police raided the homes of clerics and activists, including Karbalayi Qismat, Syed Nazem and Seyed Waqar, taking them into custody, according to reports by the Caucasus cultural center. Shia Muslims make up 85% of the country, yet are still extremely discriminated against. During the raid, the officers have closed the entrances into Lankaran.
Bahrain
The Bahraini regime detained Shia cleric Mohammed al-Mansi, who works as a leader of the Islamic Clerics council. The regime used the excuse that he held prayers without the permission of the Al Khalifa regime in order to arrest him. The cleric has been known for speaking out against the destruction of 43 Shia mosques by the Manama regime. Before his sentencing he was subjected to a 48 hour interrogation.
Saudi Arabia
Three men currently wait to be executed after being given the death sentence for crimes they had allegedly committed during their youth. Their confessions had been given under torture where they had been forced to sign blank papers on which their “crimes” were later written down. An official statement by the government made it sound like either one or potentially all of them would be executed soon. The men’s names are Ali al-Nimr, Dawoud al-Marhoun and Abdullah al-Zaher. Unlawful practices against them surrounding their incarceration include them not being appointed lawyers during any of the interrogations/confessions/ period following. They were put under arrest following participation in Shia protests back in 2011 and 2012. Al-Nimr was tried and sentenced invidually May 2014, while the other two were arrested the following October as part of a group. Al-Nimr and Al-Marhoun were both 17 at the time, while Al-Zaher was only 15 years old. The three men are currently being held in Dammam Mabahith Prison.
Iraq
According to the Iraq body count there were approximately 63 deaths this week caused by a combination of IEDs, gunfire, and executions. These murders occurred in many cities across the nation including but not limited to Baghdad, Karbala, Mosul, Madain, etc.
Letter to President Obama to advocate for human rights in his meeting with leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council in Saudi Arabia
Letter to President Obama to advocate for human rights in his meeting with leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council in Saudi Arabia
Mr. Barack ObamaPresident of the United States of America1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama;
On behalf of the Shia Rights Watch (SRW), we respectfully urge you to use your upcoming meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on April 21, 2016 to emphasize on the importance of improvement on human rights in mentioned countries.
As you are aware, Gulf leaders use the national security as a mean to oppress pro-democracy activists, minorities, journalist and human rights defenders. Saudi Arabia’s Terrorism Law Template, for example, defines terrorist as a person who “insults the reputation, of the state or its position”. Based on this definition anyone who critiques the corruption or violation carried by the government is punished as terrorist. As the result human rights defenders face judicial harassment and other reprisals for their domestic human rights advocacy, engagement with UN human rights mechanisms, or engagement with the international human rights community. Also, similar law enabled all six Golf states to harass, detain, put on trial, and imprison political activists and human rights defenders.
Beside human rights defenders, minority groups, such as Shia Muslims, face serious threat by their governments in Gulf area. Destruction of historical Shia sites and imprisonment of Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia, deportation of this minority from Kuwait and United Arab Emirates, and ongoing Shia oppression including minor imprisonment in Bahrain, targeted killings in Syria and Yemen are only some examples of the human rights violations in GCC countries.
Compared to other GCC counties Saudi Arabia as the most human rights violations. Execution of the most influential Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nime, sentencing his nephew, Ali Nimr, beheading of at least 151 people in 2015 leaving their children and women unprotected, ongoing support of terrorists, extreme ban on Shia religious practices and, are issues that we urge you to keep in mind when visiting this country.
We urge you to advocate for the freedom of the prisoners who are detained because of expressing their religion, rights or opinion.
As American citizens and human rights defenders, we hope to see more freedom of religion and expression in Gulf countries after your meeting on April 21, 2016.
You putting human rights at the heart of your agenda at your meeting with the leaders of the GCC will send powerful message to all leaders and presents our American values.
Shia News Wire #62
April 8th to 15th, 2016
Pakistan
Three Shia Muslims were shot by terrorists of Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ) near Shafiq Mor area of Karachi on Friday April 8th, 2016. The three victims whose names were Hashim (40 years old) , Ali Sajjad (27 years old) and Shamim Rizvi (30 years old), were traveling in a car when suspects intercepted them at Namak Bank in the jurisdiction of Taimooria police station; they were then shot through their car. Hashim and Ali died instantly and Shamim joined them later on when he died from his injuries in a nearby hospital. It is being speculated that this attack was in response for the members of ISIS recently killed in combat, suggesting these two terrorist groups have close ties. Of the three killed two were father and son (Ali and Shamim) and one was a young Shia who must’ve been acquainted with the family. The attack occurred on their way home from offering Friday prayers at Shah Najaf Imambargah in Bafarzone. Their funerals were held in Incholi, Pakistan (the father and son on Friday and Hashim on Saturday, which is when he was declared dead).
Iraq
According to Iraq Body Count, 63 Shia Muslims were killed In Iraq. Most bombings took place either in Shia populated markets or Shia neighborhoods.
Nigeria
This week marked 100 days since the killing of hundreds of Nigerian Shia. Based on our findings, during the early attack to the Shia Mosque in December and recently confirmed by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the army brutally killed more than 400 Shia men, women, and children and buried bodies in a mass grave to prevent further investigation by families. According to local activists, the burial in Kaduna was based on a court order by the state government. The depressing fact that the army killed unarmed civilians in a 48 hours frame clearly states this action was based on some official order resulting in a substantial loss of life at the hands of the military.
SRW addressed Nigerian embassy in Washington DC through official NGO letter requesting update on the case and demand release of Sheikh Zakzaky. In our letter we stated « Shia communities face much discrimination around the world, and such violence carried by their government threatens their healthy existence. SRW reemphasizes the need of investigation by non-biased experts in human rights and country legislation. Nigerian Shia have lost their trust in their government and it is to the benefit of all parties to participate in investigation and bring justice and trust back to the community’.
100 Days Have Passed, yet the Nigerian Army is Not Questioned
The Nigerian army’s brutal attack and killing of hundreds of Shia Muslims on December 2015 concerns Shia Rights Watch deeply. Such action requires in-depth investigation. Based on our findings, during the early attack to the Shia Mosque in December and recently confirmed by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the army brutally killed more than 400 Shia men, women, and children and buried bodies in a mass grave to prevent further investigation by families, despite the families visits to police stations and asking for answers regarding the disappearance of their family members. According to local activists, the burial in Kaduna was based on a court order by the state government. The depressing fact that the army killed unarmed civilians in a 48 hours frame clearly states this action was based on some official order resulting in a substantial loss of life at the hands of the military.
The arrest of Sheikh Zakzaky; the community leader and a father whose children were killed in previous attacks to the community, is another on-going violation carried by the Nigerian government.
Shia communities face much discrimination around the world, and such violence carried by their government threatens their healthy existence. SRW reemphasizes the need of investigation by non-biased experts in human rights and country legislation. Nigerian Shia have lost their trust in their government and it is to the benefit of all parties to participate in investigation and bring justice and trust back to the community.
SRW urges immediate action based on humanity and dignity for all.
Shia News Wire #61
April 1st to 7th, 2016
Iraq
April 4th 2016, approximately 10 suicide bombers killed 25 Iraqis. The biggest attack of this incident happened when a man detonated himself at a restaurant killing 14 people. The bombings occurred in MAKHMUR, Iraq, with other bombings occurring in, Baghdad, Mashada, and Basra.
In other incidents, several anti-Shia attacks occurred within the country resulting in 23 deaths and two dozen injuries. This includes 5 lives lost and 9 injured following a bombing at a psychiatric hospital in Sadr City, a shooting attack on a Shia cleric by unidentified men in which he was killed instantly, shells mired by militants in west Baghdad left 2 killed and 8 injured, and a car bomb in Basra which killed 5 people.
According to sources 93 Iraqi citizens were killed in total this week and the main cities in which attacks occurred are Baghdad, Madain, Basra, Mahmudiya, and Naserieh. Dozens of Iraqi Shia were injured this week as a result of anti-Shiism.
Nigeria
Nigerian security agents prevent Shia Muslims from attending Friday prayers in Katsina and Kebbi. This rule was started Friday April 1, 2016 which does not allow members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, to pray Fridays in these towns. The preachers of the IMN cancelled services as the result to prevent violence and tension.
Bahrain
Ali Abdulghani, A young Bahraini Shia man, was run over by police-car in the city of Manama during an anti-government protest on March 26th. On March 31st, the police supposedly stormed his aunt’s house to arrest him, but he fled. He died from his injuries one week later on April 4, 2016.
Indonesia
A group of Wahhabi’s started a protest amidst a group of Shia Muslims who were having a celebration in honor of Sayyida Fatima’s Birthday. The Wahhabis shouted anti-Shia slurs and demanded the ceremony be closed. According to sources, the group was convinced this celebration would lead to increased Shiism is Indonesia, so they thought it was necessary to intervene. The protest took place in the town of “Bangil.”
India
On April 1, 2016, Indian authorities in the district of Lucknow have told Shia cleric, Kalbe Jawad, he must hand in his passport within the following ten days. According to police, there are many charges against him, but when he asked whether other people with such charges had their passports taken away, he was not given an answer, which leads many to believe that this was an act of anti-Shiism as opposed to a lawful crime and punishment scenario. In a statement on the issue by Jawad, he says, “A revenge is being taken against me as I have been raising my voice against anomalies committed by the district administration in the Hussainabad Trust”. Moreover, the cases in which the police are charging him for were resolved back in 2013 as the cleric states: “Regional Passport office (RPO) in connivance with district administration is trying to harass me. The cases against me mentioned in the letter sent by RPO were withdrawn in 2013 and the then DM Anurag Yadav’s letter on Apr 23, 2013 mentioned that.” Three years later he should not still be punished for crimes withdrawn back then, making this seem more like an excuse to condemn him and his religious beliefs.
Incidents of Anti-Shiism in March, 2016
Overview:
This report will analyze the data compiled on Shia deaths, injuries, and arrests that occurred between March 1st and March 31st, 2016. This month there were 466 deaths within the Shia community. Also 15 cases of arrest were reported. Anti-Shia violations were reported in seven countries during March 2016.
As it was expected Iraq has the highest number of civilian killing due to bombing and explosions. Highest number of arrest took place in Bahrain and most deportations are from Kuwait.
Beside killing, arrest and deportation, attack to religious gathering, and ban of Shia call to prayer was reported.
In March, Shia Muslims were targeted in ten countries; Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.
The data for this report was gathered from a variety of different sources. The most well-known incidents of anti-Shiism were retrieved from stories that are reported to Shia Rights Watch by eyewitnesses. Each incident is thoroughly evaluated for both authenticity and relevance. For an incident to be included in this report it has to show clear intent to target Shia Muslims on the basis of religious beliefs. The subsequent sections will present and analyze the data gathered by Shia Rights Watch for March.
Where have Shia Muslims been targeted?
Bahrain
Pressure on pro-democracy advocates continues Bahraini authorities arrest and detain peaceful protestors on daily bases. In month of March daughter of political activist, Zainab al-Khawaja, and her one year old baby were detained by the Bahraini government.
In addition, Bahraini autoritaires arrested ten people during a protest in Manama. The arrested individuals were found guilty of being involved in « terrorist plots », and resisting police. Four of them were given lifetime sentences while the rest of them were given between 3 and 15 years.
Déportions also continues as the government deported several Lebanese on the accusations of them having ties to militant groups. According to reports, so far 7 Lebanese families were deported on grounds of this. Dr. Masood Jahroomi was forced deportation by the government after having his citizenship taken away. He was arrested in 2011 and was detained five months before being given a sentence. Bahrain has been on human rights activits’s radar since the Arab Spring and violations has not decreased nor prevented since.
Bangladesh
Tuesday March 15, 2016 Top Shia preacher, Abdur Razzak, aged 48, was hacked to death on his way home from his shop in Kaliganj town in Jhenaidah district. Although the attack was later claimed by ISIS. police say it wasn’t ISIS. He was declared dead later that night at Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex.
According to the head of the Shia School in the district, Abdur Razzak has been a member of the Shia community at least 20 years. Right before the murder, he received threatening calls from drug dealers who believed him to have helped arrest them months previously.
Bangladesh is not known to have large Shia population. Any violation must be carefully examined in order to prevent future crises.
Iraq
Iraq continues to top the list for violence against Shia Muslims, and this could be a result of the majority Shia population and present of ISIS in this country.
As many as 377 civilians have been reported killed in Iraq in the month of March. Improvised explosive device (IED), gun fires, execution by ISIS, road bombs, and suicide bombers are responsible for the death toll. Violators use busy markets, funerals and religious gatherings to target civilians.
Iraq had the highest death toll in 2015 and 2016 is expected to be the same.
In 2015 more than 5000 people were killed and another 5000 injured in Iraq and the trend continues this year. The government and anti-ISIS coalitions have failed to protect civilians so far.
Pakistan
This month Pakistan had three murders, one arrest, and one injury according to our reports. The violation in Pakistan mainly occurred by gunfire against Shia activists. In the most devastating incident, Professor Abid Raza, school principal of ICMS school system was shot by four terrorists of Ahle-E-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat. He was attacked on his motorcycle by another cyclist. Video of the attack can be accessed by contacting SRW, but won’t be published due to graphic scenes. Another two Shia were killed in Dera Ismail Khan and one was attacked and killed in Charsadah.
Rizwan Haider was arrested under blasphemy laws and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Shia rights violations have long history in Pakistan. Shia minority have always been attacked and killed on daily bases and the government has not taken steps to prevent the killings.
Saudi Arabia
This month Saudi Arabia had seven deaths, two arrests, and a case of limited religious prayer
Makki Ali was arrested at the checkpoints and then detained in Awwamiyya district police station without any explanation. Securities denied his detention at first, but released his dead body after four weeks of his death. SRW’s investigation on the body revealed that Makki was subjected to severe tortured before he was killed.
The gouvernement also arrested a Shia cleric , Hussein al-Radhi, shortly after he led prayers in the al-Ahsa oasis region of Eastern Province. The detention came after the senior cleric wrote an article in which he criticized the authorities for jailing and executing critics and dissidents, including Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr who was beheaded in January. Saleh Ghanim is another detainee who was arrested becouse he expressed the need to protect SHia mosques in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is known for its support to ISIS and anti-Shia ideologies.
Kuwait
This month, the Kuwait government deported 74 Shia Muslims. All people deported are falsely accused of ties to Hezbollah. Most of those deported had Iraqi and Lebanese nationalities. This country has deported number of Shia Muslims in the past with the same accusation. Such accusations were never investigated and proved.
Nigeria
This month the Nigerian government was guilty of blocking a religious procession in honor of Muhammad’s daughter. The violation occurred Wednesday March 30, 2016. The procession, named the Sayyada Zahara Maulud procession, is an annual event by the movement to commemorate the birth of the prophet’s daughter, Fatima. According to the movement’s leader, ten armed security guards rolled up to the protest and started taking away their flags, signs, etc., making people very fearful. The governor stated that he did not mean to deny their religious freedom, but they could not tolerate religious events at public property. The procession began at 8am at the central mosque.
Conclusion
Causality cases against Shia Muslims were increased during March compared to February. Bahrain, Pakistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia that are covered in this report, have known history of violations against Shia. Thousands of Shia Muslims have lost their lives in mentioned countries combined and hundreds, including minors, are unlawfully detained.
Shia News Wire #60
March 25th to April 1st, 2016
Pakistan
Wednesday March 30, 2016 in Hayatabad, Peshawar, professor Abid Raza, school principal of ICMS School System was shot by four terrorists of Ahle–Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat on motorcycles. This was the fourth anti-Shia killing in the past few days, earlier, two people were killed in Dera Ismail Khan and one was martyred in Charsadah but the government has not yet taken any action against the militants.
Saudi Arabia
March 30, 2016 in part of their Shia crackdown, the Saudi authorities banned recitation of Adhan (call to prayers) from loudspeakers in Shia mosques in Al-Hofuf, a major urban center in the Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province. officials in the province also ruled that Friday prayer cannot last long or go beyond 12:30 in the afternoon.
March 30, 2016 funeral for young Shia man tortured by Saudi authorities and killed earlier this month just held. The funeral of Makki al-Aridh took place in the city of Awamiyah in the Qatif region of Eastern province. During the ceremony, people also denounced Riyadh’s oppressive policies against the country’s Shia minority. The man’s family didn’t receive the body until four weeks after the murder; the body had many evident signs of intense torture. He first disappeared march 2, 2016 on his way to find a job, however, when he didn’t return for two days, his parents got worried and then eventually received news of his death. According to Police, they had detained Aridh at a security checkpoint in Qatif two days earlier, and transferred him to the police station in Awamiyah on charges of taking photographs of the checkpoint. They claimed that he died of fright due to a psychosocial illness on March 3. However, according to the victim’s parents, he was completely healthy and void of any sort of psychological/ mental illness; The signs of physical torture also suggest he died as a result of physical treatment as opposed to “fear”.
Nigeria
Wednesday March 30, 2016 security forces halted a religious procession by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Shia Muslims) in Katsina , Nigeria. The procession, named the Sayyada Zahara Maulud procession, is an annual event by the movement to commemorate the birth of the prophet’s daughter, Fatima. According to the movement’s leader, 10 armed security guards rolled up to the protest and started taking away their flags, signs, etc, making people very fearful. The Governor stated that he did not mean to deny their religious freedom, but they could not tolerate religious events at public property. The procession began at 8am at the central mosque.
Bahrain
Tuesday March 29, 2016 Bahrain arrested ten people accusing them of attacking police during a protest. The arrested individuals were found guilty of being involved in terrorist plots. Four of them were given lifetime sentences while the rest of them were given between 3 and 15 years. The attacks occurred in a Shia village by Manama.
Kuwait
Monday March 28, 2016 Kuwait just deported 60 people because of accused ties to Hezbollah.
Iraq
Saturday March 26, 2016 bombing by ISIS at soccer stadium in Iskandariya near the capital of Baghdad killed 41 and wounded 105 others. Iskandariya is a Sunni and Shia Mixed city.
Achieving the Sustainale Development Goals Together
Shia Rights Watch places an important emphasize on importance of education, and more importantly; importance of availability of education for all and accessibility of education for all age groups.
On March 29th, our New York representative Mr. Akhwand attended 66th Session of UN DPI/NGO conference titled; Achieving the Sustainale Development Goals Together, where many Non Governmental Organizations shared their contributions in advancing Sustainable Development Goals,
In this event, participants also put forth ideas for betterment of “Education for Global Citizenship” conference to be held in Republic of Korea in June.
Shia Rights Watch, and its newly established SRWomen wing, view education as a mechanism for achieving healthy and stable change, and promote projects for education advancement.
Genocide Designation
The Shia Rights Watch would like to express its appreciation of Secretary of State, John Kerry’s recent statement in regards to recognition of ISIS’s crimes as “genocide”.
According to John Kerry, United States has determined that ISIS’s actions against minorities such as Yazidi, Christians, and Shia Muslims, all constitutes as acts of genocide. “Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions, in what it says, in what believes and in what it does,” The Secretary of State said in an official announcement.
The State Department had been reluctant to use term “genocide,” about the attacks and mass murders by ISIS, which leads SRW to believe that Kerry’s statement is a strong movement towards combating ISIS and its ideology
Furthermore, Kerry‘s support to collect and document the evidence against ISIS strengths and empowers human rights activists who have been endangering their lives in order to document ISIS’s crimes and advocates to hold perpetrators accountable.
Shia Rights Watch urges the White House to condone this statement and empower it further more. We also ask the State Department and the White House to denaturalize those citizens who join ISIS. Finally SRW hopes that US utilizes the International Criminal Court to punish not just ISIS fighters but also countries that financially and theologically support them.
