Eid in Bahrain -- Not a Happy Time for Everyone

By John Ballard

Last night was the end of Ramadan. The lunar month is established by the lunar calendar and the experts who monitor those events determined that when at yesterday's sunset the Eid festival could begin. Following a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, even without liquids, observant Muslims are understandably excited about ending this holy monty.  

But this year, in addition to the savage treatment its people on the part of the Syrian regime, a string or tweets from Bahrain also reveals a tragic side to the festival of Eid.  Last night I grabbed this from Zainab Alkahwaja.

There r crimes happening every day & night by riot police, gov thugs & prison guards in , personal acts they say!

Sitting by his 9 year old son who will probably never forget what was done to his father http://t.co/scdihH3

Few I met the man and his 9 yr old son, I asked the kid what happened. "They started beating my dad, I was crying"

Here is the man after being beaten by riot police last night http://t.co/fjpTaxu

They broke his finger, many in nearby houses heard him shouting in pain, and he came back home covered in his blood

Riot police attacked him, kicked, punched and hit him with their batons for almost 15min. Infront of his 9 year old son! He went out to buy bread from a place close to his house, he took his 9 yr old son with him

I spoke tonight to the 40 yr old man who got attacked last night in Jannusan by riot police Since the kings speech the attacks on the villages have been much worse. Shotgun being used more, gov thugs r bak & random attacks  How do u convince ppl to take their injured to hospital when they risk getting them arrested & beaten instead of treated! 

Tonight we get a taste of what it feels like to be "forgiven" by Hamad. This is how he forgives those who call for democracy

Hamad u can recite the whole Quran on TV, still wont make u a better muslim or a better human being when ur attacking unarmed boys  Hamad spoke abt Islam & Ramadan, he recited aya's from Quran in speech. Then he attacks & injures peaceful protesters on Eid night

What is this country, there are big fancy hospitals everywhere and the injured are forced to treat themselves @ home

In another village a young man has passed out and isn't regaining consciousness because of tear gas  Hit with birdshot from close range in Nabi Saleh

In @ least 4 diff. villages tonight there r serious injuries. In all cases the victims of police violence cannot go to hospital!
not only have they not received compensation, but some of the injured still too afriad to get treatment others imprisoned

My dad & uncle Salah when they were kids, now sharing a cell in Alkhalifas military prison http://t.co/7nRbssl

@AmalHanano I pray for #Syria too, and feel for our brothers and sisters who suffer alongside us in the struggle for freedom =(
@nurmona43 He was at home when they came to arrest my dad, so they took him and my brother in law too. My uncle was taken few weeks be4 them 
minutes later my dad called & said their testimonies of torture have been dismissed by gov for "lack of evidence"

Hamad said in his speech that we have in a system where if ur wronged u can get ur rights back.

My father & uncle share a cell now, he said there's a camera recording their every move now

After Hamads speech my father, sentenced to life in prison, called me. He said be4 the BICI visit cameras were put up in the prison

Residenrome seeing his family made me cry.

We will not celebrate Eid this year Hamad. We'd rather continue our struggle, so that maybe, just maybe, next Eid, well be free

We r oppressed. Our ppl have been killed, detained, injured and tortured by you Hamad, our chants will continue "Down down Hamad"

Hamad, this is Jaffar after being shot with ur mens shotguns http://t.co/E7KEBaS Jaffar will never c his daughters again 
I heard Hamad speak, I met Jaffars family, I went to Janusan, I met an injured boy, I chanted with my people "Down Down Hamad" 

Hamad have you no shame, after all your crimes, to tell us, your victims, that YOU will forgive US? 

See this picture & tell me... WHO NEEDS TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM WHO?! 

sure r alot of riot police personally deciding to commit crimes, actually it might be every single one of them.. personal acts?

And the fight goes on. The Chirpstory above was put together last night.
As I write, the following is what's coming from her timeline...(Note -- this narrative reads backward in time, starting 35 minutes ago.)

In a house, house is full of tear gas smoke. Baby crying. When will we have a gov that doesn't attack us for demanding our rights?  
Boys saying this black smoke cud be nerve gas This def. is not tear gas, my face and eyes have never burned this bad. And my chest hurts, feel like I will puke

Protester shouting "are u using ur expensive tear gas now? We're not leaving"  
Boys shouting "this year there is no Eid!"

The new tear gas looks like firworks at first, when it falls black smoke comes out of it  New kind of tear gas being used. It lights up  More shooting, tear gas, rubber bullets and sound bombs  On main street again, protesters drumminh down down hamad  We're in the houses now, getting away from the tear gas.

We can't see from all the white smoke
Female protester "this gov thinks they're dealing with our kind grandfathers who accept their oppressive rule. We're not them!"  
Attacking houses we're in now. We hear the canisters on the rooftops They really are cowards. With their guns and protective gear and helicopters, attacking unarmed protesters   [1 hour ago] Unarmed peaceful protesters shouting "cowards! cowards!" at the riot police who r attacking us