SCRIPT INTRO

0:00

Voice Over

The Kingdom of Bahrain, a tiny islet in the Gulf, is a place that people go to let their hair down, party, drink alcohol and dress as they want. Whether living there as expats or temporarily visiting from other more conservative parts of the Gulf, this former British colony, is a world apart from many other countries in the Middle East. Bahrain, although it is home to some of the region’s finest hotels, best nightlife, it is most famous for its annual Grand Prix. But this glamorous side of Bahrain isn’t seen or experienced by most. For most of the country’s natives, life is different to say the least.

For the country’s Shia majority, who live hidden away in small villages away from Manama, arrests, beatings, harassment and torture are part of daily life. From 2011, when the population peacefully took to the streets to demand greater political rights from the Sunni regime, life for most Bahrainis has been difficult. The Al Khalifa royal family, which effectively runs the government, systematically cracks down of any perceived threat to its hold on power. Every day since the Pearl Roundabout demonstrations, protestors have come out at sundown to voice their desire for change and reform. But the government sends in security forces to stamp it out.

1:23

“If you go and visit villages, you feel like the whole state is under siege. We're living in a huge prison where people can’t move, can’t get from one place to another. There are checkpoints everywhere and there are security forces all over Bahrain.”

VO

1:45

But while dictatorships use violent repression around the world to suppress dissent, the Bahraini regime has found a new tool, a new way of diluting opposition. It revokes citizenships. It Makes Bahrainis stateless.  Without a passport, a person loses every right a human being is entitled to. They cannot work, they cannot freely access education or medical care or legal support, nor can they have a bank account, which means they can’t buy or sell property and many other things. But they also can’t leave Bahrain.

2.18

“I was sleeping, it was midnight. They announced it on Bahraini television.”

2.25

“It was around 2pm. I was just having lunch with my family.”

2.32

“My kids woke me up and they said, ‘Dad, we have bad news. They’ve announced that they’ve taken away your Bahraini citizenship.’ I said ‘OK that’s fine bye’ and I went to sleep.

2.50

“I received a message through social media that said a list was published of 72 Bahrainis whose citizenship was revoked. And my name was the third name.”

3:10

“I went to Turkey and Thailand. I came back from holiday from there and after 30 or 40 days, they put my name on the list. They have no case against me.”

3:22

“I found my name with a group of people who’d lost their passports. When I asked why, they said ‘we don’t know but you’re one of them.”

VO:

3.32

One morning in 2012, with no prior warning, the Bahraini government published a list of 31 people whose citizenship was revoked. This has happened twice more since. Once for 72 people and once for 56 people. Now, a total of 159 Bahrainis are stateless. These decisions were made without due process. Legally speaking none of these people are Bahrainis anymore. Most of them are from the Shia majority.

4:03

“If you lose your citizenship, it means you're dead. You can’t do anything.”

4.11

“Anyone who’s deprived of their citizenship has had taken away the most fundamental right of all. He’s a non-person. “

4:22

“Bearing in mind if someone loses their citizenship, he can’t study here, he can’t work, his family can't get healthcare. It means that he should either leave Bahrain or live here in a difficult situation where it’s difficult to get a job or education or even treated in a public hospital.”

VO

4:45

Although the authorities tell stateless people they can either stay in Bahrain or leave the country, neither of these things is possible without a passport. Hospitals, schools, banks and businesses do not recognise people without a citizenship. And in a country with checkpoints at every corner, not having ID can mean imprisonment. Daily life for someone without a citizenship is arduous.

5.05

“They say the case is yours, not your family, nothing will effect your family but I can see that it will.”

5:14

“My business is 90 percent gone. I have a big showroom selling diving gear and I used to have connections with all government ministries, now none of them will buy from me. They're calling all my customers to tell  them to stay away from me so 90 percent of my business is gone. Only 10 percent of the people I know are dealing with me. This only just covers my rent and electricity and nothing more.

5:46

“Every time I go anywhere I need to change my way. When I see a checkpoint, I need to change my way. Our life has become hell.”

5:55

“I discussed my case with the university management. I told them, 'look this is what they've decided and what I have to do. They said we can continue to work with you, you're a teacher, unless we're forced to fire you.”

6:15

“They also told me they're withdrawing my license to practice law.”

6:22
“Within two weeks I was called for a meeting where they informed me that they were forced to fire me.”

6:35

“The central bank of Bahrain told all the other banks in Bahrain to close our accounts. They also sent letters to the land registry office forbidding them to buy  or sell land to us.”

7:04

“You can see five or six cars 24 hours a day outside of my house, just 50 or 100 meters away. If there's any movement, they follow us. I don't know why.

VO

7:18

Most of the people the government made stateless are human rights activists, journalists and former politicians living outside of Bahrain. But those unlucky few still living in the country are not politically involved. From teachers to lawyers and business people, the government appears to be choosing people at random in order to scare the Shia majority. Scare them from demanding reform and from protesting on the street.

7:44

“This revocation of citizenship is yet another useless and hopeless tool. Yes, you will induce fear in the hearts of some. You may deter some people from going to protest in the street but so what? Suppose there's no protest. As long as there's no reconciliation between the people and the ruling family, peace will not return.

8:15

 “Most of the people who've lost their citizenship have nothing to do with politics or human rights issues.

8:23

“They want to frighten the people. To tell them that if you start talking, this is what'll happen to you.”

VO

8:30

The government claims these people are a “threat to national security” in accordance with the country’s terrorism law. But no one is spared from the regime’s latest tool of oppression. When in mid 2015, the authorities revoked the citizenships of 56 people, 9 of them were minors.

8:48

“In 2011, marshall law stipulated that Bahrain might revoke citizenships from people who might cause a threat to the national security or the government found out that his or her loyalty to the regime is in question.

9:10

“we have a terrorism law that was created as a tool to silence the people. This terrorism law can hold anyone accountable and put them behind bars even if he was found writing on a wall, no matter what age he is.”

9:31

VO

When the government published the list of 72 people in 2014, it was different to the first. To give its actions more credibility, the regime published a list that combined regular Bahrainis and Islamic State terrorists.

9:45

“The list of 72 people was surprising to many because it contained the names of people who are associated to iSIS, the Islamic State or Daesh in Arabic.

10.00

“The first list, which was 31 people, all of them were Bahrainis of Shia school of belief, while here it's complicated.”

10:16

“To mix them together is an attempt to distort the image and also to smear the names of the Bahraini natives who have committed no crimes in the eyes of the law.”

10:30

“We're not meeting with terrorist people. We're not destroying anything. Why are they behind us?”

10:39

VO

Many of the people whose citizenship was revoked now live in the UK as political refugees. This includes members of Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s main opposition party. The government has targeted many opposition groups since 2011. Al-wefaq’s leader Ali Salman is currently behind bars for “inciting change by force.” brothers Jalal and Jawad Fairooz, both former Al-Wefaq members of parliament, are among those who live in forced exile in Britain.

11:10

“So in a second, I was in exile, away from my beloved ones, away from my people, away from my family. Those days were also very difficult for my family to get a visa to enter the United Kingdom.

11:29

“Although my current condition isn't bad, nothing is the same as your country. If you live in a very tiny house in your country it's better than living in a palace anywhere in the world.”

11:51

“Maryam got married and I was not there. I was not there to take her to the priest. And this same daughter was pregnant and gave birth to my granddaughter and I was not there to see the granddaughter. Also my son, his wife got pregnant and gave birth to my grandson and I was not there.

12:31

VO

Although Britain recognises these people as political refugees, Bahrain and the UK remain strong allies. Since Bahrain became independent in 1971, British royals have regularly welcomed the Al-Khalifas. For instance, Bahrain’s King Hamad often joins Queen Elizabeth at the Windsor horse show; visits that are designed to bolster bilateral relations between the two nations.

12:55

“We have a historic interest continuing from when Bahrain was a colony of the UK and that relationship has just continued ever since. We invite them to events in the UK, their government is welcom, the ministers are received in Buckingham Palace and taken to Ascot and all the other public events you'd expect a head of state or senior ministers to take part in.

13:30

VO

Britain has a strong economic influence in Bahrain. Many big British firms use Manama as a strategic base for companies wanting to access other markets in the Gulf. There are also strong military ties between Britain and Bahrain. Britain has run naval patrols in the Gulf for the past 30 years. And the Bahraini government is currently paying for a permanent £15 million British navy base.

13:44

“We regard Bahrain as a friendly country that is moving in the right direction.”

“I’m a citizen who is actually stateless. My citizenship was revoked just ten days ago.”

“So you’re one of the 72?”

“Without due process. Without anything.”

“On the same day Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to six months imprisonment for sending a tweet.”

“The reprisal of the people, how they have been shot during protests and so on is something ongoing.”

“There is the arrest of the leader of Al Wefaq. I don’t know how one can justify Bahrain moving into the right direction.”

“And this report in fact, 79 pages from Amnesty, declares that this country isn’t really moving in the right direction. In fact it’s moving backwards.”

14:41

VO

In May 2015, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond made a “secret” visit to Bahrain amid UK attempts to sell BAE typhoon fighter jets. The very same day that human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was arrested for sending a tweet.

14:56

“The Bahraini government know how to buy the silence of the UK government and not only Bahrain, all of the Gulf countries, know the British government's weakness, business. You can buy their silence through business.”

15:12

“We were very much surprised when Philip Hammond said Bahrain was “On the right tracks”. What track? The situation is getting worse. Human rights defenders behind bars, journalists behind bars, people having their nationalities revoked, children behind bars. I have no idea what he meant, it means only one thing; they're on the right track in dealing with the UK.

VO

15:40

Contrary to Mr Hammond’s statement, the human rights situation in Bahrain is worst than ever. Although after the Pearl Roundabout protests of 2011, King Hamad set up the BICI, an inquiry, to investigate human rights abuses and implement reforms in the country. Its recommendations were never implemented. As a 2015 report by Amnesty shows, mass arrests, unlawful killings and torture are just some of the tactics the government is using to silence dissent, alongside the revoking of citizenships.

16:12

“The Bahraini International Commission of Inquiry found that Bahrain was in fact guilty of torture, of unjustified detentions, of violations to the right to freedom of expression and assembly, you name it. There are a whole para-ply of human rights consideration that the commission of inquiry looked into and made recommendations and the King then said he was going to implement all the recommendations, including reforms of the judicial system, precautions against torture being committed, precautions against the extrajudicial execution of people in custody, all of these things were accepted by the kind on behalf of the government and yet now these violations are more serious than ever.

17:19

There is no freedom for the national press. There is only one, among the several newspapers, that is independent Al Wasad and this is being harassed. It's received threats, it was forced in 2011 to change its board of administration through force and threats.

17:32

Even as simple as cases of illegal gatherings, we can't secure a proper verdict from the courts because most judges are manipulated by the wave of hatred against the majority of Bahrainis who are Shia, against the majority of Bahrainis who are seeking a better human rights situation, democracy and a share of the power.”

18.01

“Let's be honest if there's nothing to hide. Why don't they let the NGOs, journalists, special rapporteurs into Bahrain? If there's nothing to hide, let them come and see the reality.

18:15

“Super powers they know. They've heard it all but unfortunately they're used to mentioning it in the media but there's nothing in terms of real actions.”

18:32

“This is not a democracy. This is not a country where human rights are respected. It's a country where universal repression reigns and where I'm sorry to say our government is tolerating the oppression it knows perfectly well exists.”

18:50

VO

The regime tortures many of its prisoners of conscience. Most of these are Shia.

18.57

“During my periods of detention, different types of torture were applied to me; psychological, physical and part of it was also sexual harassment.

19:20

“When I was arrested on the 3rd March 2011, we were in jail for six months.”

19:36

“They said there's a Sheikh – a Sheikh is a title of the ruling family members - they said that he's waiting for me, for Jawad Fairooz since the morning and they took me to him, which was just a few metres away from where we'd been . He started hitting me badly and he said I've been waiting so long for you. He pointed a gun at my head and said he wanted to shoot me with the gun but he didn't want to spoil his hand with my dirty blood. I fell down. Him and his guards continued to hit me badly all over my body, using so many bad words against me. Then his guards said this is enough. He's been beaten enough. He just said I have electric shock tools but now it's too late. I'll wait for you and I'll get you next time when I have more time. “

20:49

“We were tortured for a month and five days. We were in a really bad situation with God. I don't need to remember that because it's in the past. I don't want to remember it. “

21:09

“It was so clear that the torture wasn't to extract information or to let you admit something. It was so clear that it was part of a revenge and hatred they wanted to express over you.”

21:28

But torture is just one way that the Government oppresses Shias. Discrimination against them extends to every aspect of their daily lives. Despite making up two thirds of the population they occupy virtually no positions in the army, the government, the judiciary and other top positions in key sectors.

21:47

“The great majority of the unemployed people are Shias. You'll see the majority of homeless people are Shia, the majority of the poor people are Shia and that's because the majority of government institutions either discriminate against the Shia people or they just dont employ Shia citizens at all.”

22:12

“Baring in mind we live in a very tiny place where people live together and you never ask whether you're Sunni or Shia in work, in schools, in universities, wherever we are. But since 2011 the Bahraini government has fed the others, especially the Sunni, that the Shia want to take power and they will kick out all Sunnis from their jobs and even the country and that they want to rule Bahrain and that they want to expel Sunni families from here.”

22:48

“There were never had any differences previously. Now the government is playing a sectarian card. It's dividing the people. “

22:58

“But Sunni and Shia used to work together, we used to play together, we used to live together. We have families whose wife is Sunni and husband is Shia and the opposite.

23:13

“This is something really dangerous. This card was played to divide the people. It will be really dangerous because we don't know what'll happen with the next generation. People lived together happily before.”

23:30

“Baring in mind, while they're losing their citizenships, the naturalising of non-Bahrainis, especially from the Sunni sect, are in the hundreds of thousands. We believe that more than one hundred thousand have been naturalised within the past 10 years and this tendency has intensified in the past 5 years from the revolution.”

23:53

VO

The Sunni regime is fearful that the Shia majority will overthrow it and take power. To avoid this, the government is giving out hundreds of thousands of Bahraini citizenships to Sunnis from different countries. This is to change the population demographic in Bahrain. This means while Shias are losing their Bahraini passports, foreign Sunnis are receiving them. The 2006 Al Bandar report, which was published by a former Bahraini government employee, reveals that it is official government policy to discriminate against Shias and to naturalise Sunnis from different nations.

24:28

“When everybody realized that the discrimination we faced was a government plan. There are facts and figures, which show how we are marginalized and how to make the Shia majority a weak minority,  how we should naturalize people so that they become a minority.

25:03

“They're coming from Syria, Yemen, from Pakistan, even Indian, so many business people, and they are all getting a passport and nationality very easily. “

25:04

“Pakistan and Jordan and some of them are even Iraqi and Syrian. They are all now Bahrainis. They hold Bahraini nationality or citizenship.”

25:18

“In one day, in one month, he gets a new house directly, a high salary. He gets everything. Nationality, everything.

25:28

“It's what I would call sectarian cleansing. “

25:32

VO

Since 2011, the Bahraini government has adopted a sectarian policy intended to divide the people, especially native Sunnis and Shias, and to discriminate against the Shia majority. The revoking of citizenships for native Shias is just one aspect of this. This is a phenomenon that is increasing, rather than stopping, as are vast human rights violations in the country. In the meantime, the divide between Sunnis and Shias continues to grow.

Key international players such as Britain need to recognise that these abuses are happening, rather than remaining silent. This could be pivotal in resolving a potentially-explosive situation. Until Sunnis and Shias are free to live peacefully side-by-side, unlawful killings, arrests, beatings and torture will not stop. Bahrain will remain in turmoil and the people will continue to suffer.