'Bahrain is Burning and the world is silent'

“I witnessed first hand my students and colleagues being abducted, tortured and raped inside our school during the government terror campaign when we started to protest for democracy”. “Hundreds of teachers were brutalized, especially after we launched two strikes to demand an end to the crackdown. Many teachers were imprisoned including Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman, the president and vice president of the Bahrain Teacher’s Association who are still in jail facing long sentences for exercising their rights to protest”.

This interview was done live-to-air on Paradigm Shift on 9 Nov 2012 on 4ZZZ fm 102.1 Brisbane. Steve and Ian were the interviewers and Zainab was the person interviewed from the Bahrain Australia Youth Movement (BAYM). The discussion focuses on the repression of democracy in Bahrain and the oppositions groups try to get their message out. The Bahrain Australia Youth Movement (BAYM) can be contacted on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BahrainAustralianYouthMovement?ref=ts&fref=ts

Eyewitness Account of first martyr in the Bahraini struggle for Freedom and Democratic Rights. The events occurred in the village of Daih where the eye witness Hussain resided. The day is 14 February 2011: 'the rest is history...' says Hussain as he gives this terrible account of a regime gone mad against its people at the behest of US government interests.

These are the questions asked in the interview: 1) Please introduce yourself - if there are any restrictions placed on your ability to speak under your student or bridging visa please take care how you indentify yourself. 2) What is your background - what are you studying and why? Are you a member of any political organisation? If so, what are your aims? 3) Why have you come to study here in Australia - what sort of work do you hope to get when you return to Bahrain? 4) Could you describe what has been happening in Bahrain since February 2011? 6) How is it that so many people have lost their eyesight in your country? Please tell us about the demonstration you have organised tomorrow? 7) What can our listeners do to help? 8) Is there anything else you wish to say? i.e. Have you been involved in the struggle for freedom by the Palestinian people? Read Palestinian poem. 9) What happened to your Aunty and Grandmother? 10) How many have been affected by repression - how many martyrs?

Entire interview with President of Bahrain Nursing Society, Rula al Saffar, who calls for international support of workers for democratic rights struggle in her country.

Part 1 – Nurses campaign for salary increase followed by government crackdown on entire population Part 2 – Detention of protesters – organisation of nurses to help – nurses detained Part 3 – Medical Neutrality, people detained, Rula tortured, nurse made unemployed by militarised hospital system Part 4 – more on nurses made unemployed by militarised hospital system, Rula acquitted, doctors_in_chains website, 3 militaried hospitals, targetted shooting american and uk security forces involved – faith in freedom Part 5 – Staying strong – freedom is coming – solidarity with medics detained – no time to cry yet – message to nurses in Australia – Bahraini Australian Youth Movement – is it better to stay or to go – refugees of war – Geneva convention – attack from Saudi – and from within country – voice the opinion – i will not leave, not without my people

Part 1 – Nurses campaign for salary increase followed by government crackdown on entire population Part 2 – Detention of protesters – organisation of nurses to help – nurses detained Part 3 – Medical Neutrality, people detained, Rula tortured, nurse made unemployed by militarised hospital system Part 4 – more on nurses made unemployed by militarised hospital system, Rula acquitted, doctors_in_chains website, 3 militaried hospitals, targetted shooting american and uk security forces involved – faith in freedom Part 5 – Staying strong – freedom is coming – solidarity with medics detained – no time to cry yet – message to nurses in Australia – Bahraini Australian Youth Movement – is it better to stay or to go – refugees of war – Geneva convention – attack from Saudi – and from within country – voice the opinion – i will not leave, not without my people

Part 1 – Nurses campaign for salary increase followed by government crackdown on entire population Part 2 – Detention of protesters – organisation of nurses to help – nurses detained Part 3 – Medical Neutrality, people detained, Rula tortured, nurse made unemployed by militarised hospital system Part 4 – more on nurses made unemployed by militarised hospital system, Rula acquitted, doctors_in_chains website, 3 militaried hospitals, targetted shooting american and uk security forces involved – faith in freedom Part 5 – Staying strong – freedom is coming – solidarity with medics detained – no time to cry yet – message to nurses in Australia – Bahraini Australian Youth Movement – is it better to stay or to go – refugees of war – Geneva convention – attack from Saudi – and from within country – voice the opinion – i will not leave, not without my people

Part 1 – Nurses campaign for salary increase followed by government crackdown on entire population Part 2 – Detention of protesters – organisation of nurses to help – nurses detained Part 3 – Medical Neutrality, people detained, Rula tortured, nurse made unemployed by militarised hospital system Part 4 – more on nurses made unemployed by militarised hospital system, Rula acquitted, doctors_in_chains website, 3 militaried hospitals, targetted shooting american and uk security forces involved – faith in freedom Part 5 – Staying strong – freedom is coming – solidarity with medics detained – no time to cry yet – message to nurses in Australia – Bahraini Australian Youth Movement – is it better to stay or to go – refugees of war – Geneva convention – attack from Saudi – and from within country – voice the opinion – i will not leave, not without my people

Part 1 – Nurses campaign for salary increase followed by government crackdown on entire population Part 2 – Detention of protesters – organisation of nurses to help – nurses detained Part 3 – Medical Neutrality, people detained, Rula tortured, nurse made unemployed by militarised hospital system Part 4 – more on nurses made unemployed by militarised hospital system, Rula acquitted, doctors_in_chains website, 3 militaried hospitals, targetted shooting american and uk security forces involved – faith in freedom Part 5 – Staying strong – freedom is coming – solidarity with medics detained – no time to cry yet – message to nurses in Australia – Bahraini Australian Youth Movement – is it better to stay or to go – refugees of war – Geneva convention – attack from Saudi – and from within country – voice the opinion – i will not leave, not without my people

Interview with Abdulelah al'Hubaishi, a 34 year old civil engineer from Bahrain who was granted asylum in Australia last year. He is a member of the Bahraini Australian Youth Movement.

Interview with Matar Ebrhaim Matar, former Member of Parliament from Bahrain. Matar is visiting Australia to obtain support for the resistance in Bahrain. [This interview was broadcast on the Paradigm Shift on 4ZZZ (fm 102.1 Brisbane) on Good Friday, 2012. See also 'Resistance in Bahrain' @ http://workersbushtelegraph.com.au/2012/04/06/14240/ .] Matar Ebrahim Matar is one of the leaders al-Wefaq, an opposition organization in Bahrain which supports the opposition parties in Bahrain. Al-Wefaq works side by side with the Democratic Progress Tribune which consist of leftists parties and secular movements ( an anti-imperialist organization in opposition to the monarchy). The significance of al-Wefaq lies in its religious outlook which oppose the monarchs of the Gulf States who are mostly Sunni. Shia means followers of Ali (Mohammed’s cousin who was killed in Iraq). Sunni means ‘the law’ or the sayings and actions of Muhammad’. However al Wefaq has a secular outlook even though it comes from a Shia base.

http://workersbushtelegraph.com.au/2012/06/01/world-refugee-day-rally-for-refugee-rights/