01/23 to 01/29/16
Saudi Arabia
On Friday January 29th, a Shia mosque was targeted by two gunmen wearing suicide belts in yet another
anti-Shia rampage. Early reports are confirming at least two people were killed and seven injured at the
Imam Rida mosque in Mahasen, Saudi Arabia, however this number may rise. According to witnesses at
the scene, one attacker detonated himself in the mosque while the other opened fire. The second
gunman was prevented from detonating his suicide vest by mosque attendees. The Friday prayer which
was the subject of the attack was targeted for holding a memorial service for Sheikh Nimr, the Shia cleric
who was executed by the Saudi government at the beginning of the month for his peaceful resistance to
the regime. Mohammed al-Nimr, sheikh Nimr’s brother was in attendance at the mosque at the time of
the attack and expressed his worries that the death toll may rise. Video of the aftermath of the attack
has circulated the internet and it shows numerous worshippers bloody and either laying on the ground
in pain or fleeing the scene. A responsible party for these attacks has yet to emerge but it is highly likely
that this was perpetrated by ISIS who has attacked numerous Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia in 2014 and
2015. Shia Rights Watch strongly condemns this attacks and call for a full investigation and for the
responsible parties to be brought to justice.
Azerbaijan
News has emerged of the torturing of a prisoner of conscience in Azerbaijan at the end of 2015. A
Eurasian news agency has reported that Shia Muslim theologian Taleh Bagirov was subjected to “severe
torture” during his detention at the Main Directorate for the Struggle with Organized Crime which is run
by the country’s interior ministry. Exact details on his torture are unknown but it is known that he
suffered a broken nose. Bagirov was one of the prisoners who were arrested in the November 26th raid
which we reported a few months ago and it currently awaiting trial. Shia Rights Watch condemns the
maltreatment of Taleh Bagirov during his detention and seeing as how he committed no crime, calls for
The overreach of the Bahraini judicial system has continued as a court in the island nation gave an
additional 15 year sentence to 57 prisoners at the Jaw prison who were involved in a mutiny in March
2015. Of the prisoners, the court revoked the citizenship of 23 of them and fined two of them 200,000
dinars ($530,000). This is a clear example of a judicial system that lacks due process. These steep
sentences, fines, and the revocation of citizenship is a punishment that far outweighs the crime. Shia
Rights Watch calls for the immediate reversal of this decision.
Bahrain
The actions of the Bahraini government in 2015 have come under increased scrutiny and that has
emanated from two of the largest human rights NGOs in the world. This past week, both Human Rights
Watch and Amnesty International have highlighted the poor human rights record of the country.
Amnesty International mentioned that the Bahraini authorities continue to silence the opposition
through unnecessary for and continue to torture detainees. Human Rights Watch in their annual report
stated that “the torture of detainees continued due to the failure of authorities to implement effectively
recommendations for combating torture” such recommendations were put forth by the Bahrain
Independent Commission of Inquiry in 2011. Overall they wrote that the abuses occurring in the country
“points out the ineffectiveness of institutions established by the state since 2011 to safeguard detainees
and the persistent failure of authorities to hold officials accountable for torture and other serious rights
violations. The time has come for Bahrain’s actions on human rights to live up to its commitment to
In the wake of the Zaria Shia massacre, many questions are left unanswered and the Islamic Movement
of Nigeria has pressed the government for answers. This week the group published a list of members
who had gone missing following the attack. This extensive list contains 705 names. Should the worse
that people expect come to fruition, this would drastically raise the official casualty list for this attack.
The government has launched an investigation but it has come under immense scrutiny from the Shia
community both in Nigeria and around the world. Shia Rights Watch is calling for an independent
investigation of this incident to bring the truth to the light and restore the faith of the Shia community in
the country’s democracy. For the full list of names missing, visit the link below.
