Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Bystander, Activist or Leader?
which one are you?... then you wonder why the winds of change are westerly.
Alwasat reported today that the 3 detained website moderators are due to appear before the General Prosecutor this Sunday where they will be either officially charged, detained for longer (maybe another 45 days) or released.
Meanwhile, it seems their incarceration isnt a very pleasant experience. Ok no one expects a 5 star hospitality service, this isn't the UK where you can play snooker all day or do a distance-learning course and leave prison with a PhD at taxpayers expense. No this is Bahrain, where you're not even allowed pen and paper, and cockroaches are man's best friend. Seriously, you can have amazing fun with cockroaches, you feed it and feed it till it gets humungus and ready to enter the dreaded ring to face its opponent that you're cellmate has been breeding for the last week. Then watch the battle of the cockroaches ensue to see who can bite the other's head first. Try it, it's very entertaining, besides the loser gets to become that day's delectable pre-dinner snack. Just make sure you tie a string round the neck of the winner so it doesnt go wondering off at night.
Anyway, will Abdulemam and co. be detained further, arrested or released? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing, if there is a good turnout at tomorrow night's protest, this will put direct pressure on the authorities to release them. My sources tell me that the most probable outcome is that they will be detained for another 45 days. This would be seriously outrageous.
I urge all of you who are in Bahrain to go to the protest that is going to be held outside Hoora Police Station tomorrow night at 8pm. Cover your face if you don't want your identity revealed, wear a fancy dress costume or whatever, just try and get as many friends as you can and head down there.
The colour orange has been chosen by the campaigners to reflect the near critical level of danger to freedoms that these arrests signify:
Are you going to wait till it gets Red before you decide to do something?
Hoora Police Station, 8pm, 10th March 2005
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Hmmm...not just babbling are we...that's some serious incitement there...no?
hope your demonstration works out...better to raise money for good lawyers...
demonstrations are shrugged off in this part of the world
Hi metal
incitement to demonstarte - yes... and whats the problem with that? This is the least one can do in the face of injustice. I'm open to suggestions here? Petitions are shrugged off too. Get you're bisht on we're going to 9afria.
25 lawyers actually volunteered to represent the three. Its good to have them there for support but to what extent they actually affect the outcome of a case is subjective in a non-independent judicial process.
sorry to say this but the petitions don't make much change nor does a single day protest - atleast thats what i've noticed.
If you really want to show your support for Ali's release, i'd suggest holding 72 hour 'silent' sit in/vigils including candle light ones at night in front of the place where he and others have been detained.
I'm a student just like you, and yes i know most of those who'd come to show their support would also include many university students - have a sit in occur in shifts. in the morning - ppl will need to have to go to work, school, etc. etc. - but even if it means to just have 3 people continuing the sit-in - that does make your point and stance on the issue crystal-clear - u're showing them despite whatever happens you all are united in supporting this cause and it isn't just protests weekly or whatever.
You want to show continuity of some form of protest wherever Ali is being detained - even have one in Seef or any of these high-traffic areas - but remember to keep it peaceful and calm so it does not obstruct the flow of traffic in any way.
Call me ignorant, a fool or stupid - that's all right - i've been called names for my forms of protest and it has worked most of the times- but i'm only giving out a suggestion here- the point is to maintain some sort of a visible continuity of protesting.
"Where there's a will there's a way"
BTW - F1 is coming up - so i'm thinking positive that they release him, otherwise the whole wide world will check out the protests that happen during the GP Races in April.
My guess is that if they don't release Ali before the F1 race this year, all the foreign media in the country will have a special exclusive for their networks, Bahrain can add up its bad reputation points, Ali might well outbeat A. Hadi with all the press/paparrazi attention he'll get - in the end they'll have to release him anyway- so why go thru sh!t when u can relieve the system well in time and everyone keeps smiling ;)