Bahrain: Detainees at home and abroad · Global Voices
Last December, a number of Bahrainis were arrested following clashes between protestors and security forces, and many are still being detained. Allegations have been made that some of them are being tortured. In February, eight Bahrainis were arrested in Saudi Arabia, apparently for straying into a restricted area.
Concern has been expressed about the health of one of the December detainees, <PERSON>, who used to be a blogger, and <PERSON> has addressed an open letter to him:
Dearest <PERSON>,
The “cage went in search of a bird” – <PERSON>.
It was only a matter of time – but still, I didn’t expect you to be caged up for this long. Each word is a dagger wrenched out of a heart weighed heavy with shame, guilt and sorrow over what you are having to endure. 926
The pen doesn’t know what the heart will say, but you have seen these words even before they appeared on this page since you are closer to my heart than the jugular vein. The pen is merely executing this letter-writing exercise as a postdated transcription of my tormented thoughts drained by internal bleeding. … In your letter you say that “they can fire bullets at us and at our dreams but they can not stop us from dreaming”. … Stay strong, passionate and committed…a hero needs no saviour, but we definitely need you!
Meanwhile, <PERSON> writes about the eight men being detained in Saudi Arabia:
لكل إنسان على هذه الكرة الأرضية وطن ولكل وطن شعب ولكل شعب حكومة ولكل حكومة قوانين ودساتير، ولكن هناك ثمانية أشخاص محتجزين بلا وطن وبلا حكومة ترعاهم، هم ثمانية يحملون الشهادات الجامعية ويدرسون أجيال وطن له شعب وحكومة ودستور، فهل من المعقول أن تتغافل حكومة عن مواطنيها وهم محتجزين بسجون دولة شقيقة بل دولة أخوية بكل ما تحمل من معنى الأخوة، لا يربطنها بها مجرد جسر بل يربطنا بها قوة المحبة والتعاون والتزاوج. 990