Meeting on Bahrain yesterday

Bahraini agents assault opponents in London street



The house of a prominent Bahraini opposition activist was subjected to an arson attack and two opponents of the Bahraini regime were assaulted in King's Cross, a London meeting heard today.



At a seminar: Bahrain: state terrorism against opponents at home and in exile hosted by Lord Eric Avebury, the Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group , Dr Saeed Shehabi described how a fire destroyed the front of his house and his daughter's car. Abbas Al-Omran a board member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and Ali Mushaima an adminsitrative member of the Committee of Unemployed and Low Income Earners were atacked and beaten in King's Cross by three peopole in their mid-twenties of African origin.m All three opposition members had received warnings of reprisals if they did not desist from criticising the government of Bahrain for its gross violations of human rights.



The seminar was also addressed by Maitam Al Sheikh, a Bahraini human rights activist, who described the torture he was subjected to in Bahrain including beatings and electrodes applied to his sexual organs.



The meeting concluded with the unaninamous passing of the following resolution: This meeting, recalling that Britain continues to encourage Bahrain to honour its oblibations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and noting the Bar Human Rights Committee's statement that human rights activists in Bahrain are subjected to systematic harassment and torture by the state authorities in order to prevent them from criticising the government,



* Notes with concern the prior warnings and recent arson and grevious assault on human rights exiles from Bahrain in London;

* Draws the attention of the government to the testimonies of the victims given at this meeting;

* Requests the Metropolitan Police to complete their investigation of criminal offences committed against exiles and their property and

* If sufficient evidence is not available against the offenders to refer these crimes to the Crown Prosecution Service, asks the commissioner to make a statement;

*Calls on the commissioner to extend police protection to Bahraini opposition activists.



For further information contact Dr Saeed Shehabi: 0207-724-3033