Bahrain 1st-Hand: Mariam Al Sarraj and the Raid on Salihiya

A Bahraini flag is removed from the home of Nabeel Rajab last night.

See Also, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Newsflash --- "The Killings Continue"

Last month, Mariam Al Sarraj was arrested alongside Zainab AlKhawaja for staging a sit-in protest at a roundabout on Budaiya Highway. Last night, she tweeted that her father had been arrested during a raid on the village of Sallihiya, a raid that nearly also led to the detention of Nabeel Rajab, President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

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What happened in Salihiya last night --- The people came out in a peaceful march, with [President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights] Nabeel Rajab and [human rights activist] S. Yousif Almahafda.

Just after a few minutes [into] the march, mercenaries came to attack - and most of the people were running to hide in the nearest house. My uncle's house was the nearest to us, so we...entered. Nabeel Rajab and S.Yousif were in the same house, so we got the most amount of tear gas.

[There] were around 50 in one house --- many children & old women - it was a mess. Children were suffocating, crying, fear. As the riots [police] got the news that Nabeel Rajab & S.Yousif [were] in this house they surrounded the house, trying to break the door, but they couldn't.

God, the door was Aluminum & they were kicking it so hard I thought they entered. We were hiding in a small room, it was crowded. After half an hour, the riot [police] moved from the village---- Nabeel Rajab and S.Yousif went out with a few men to their car.

The riot [police] came again, kicking the door and shooting tear gas purposely near the door to suffocate us. We started to call the boys, asking [if] they were okay or not, and we heard that mercenaries arrested [Mariam's father] and dragged him.

I can't believe that they dragged an old man the whole way - an estimate distance of 500 meters, and [while continuously] beating him on the head and ears.

And how dad got arrested: they were running to enter grandma's house with a few boys. Dad was the last, [and] riot [police] were just a few miles behind them. The riot [police were] so fast and entered grandma's house, trying to catch them. One of them caught my uncle but he pushed him and ran away. Dad.. couldn't. They didn't take dad to any station, they kept him in a civilian car near Mahmoud Jalal with one boy who is from Bilad Alqadeem, Ahmed Saeed.

Hussain Ahmed was hiding, and when he saw no sound of riots he walked, going to his house, but a civilian saw him and hurt him [with a knife]. Hussain is fine now, it's a superficial wound, but the civilian took his phone with his jacket while he was trying to run from him.

After hours of calls to [figure out] what happened with dad, my cousin said that they will release him now. You can't imagine my happiness at that moment.

Dad was so tired when he came back that he couldn't walk --- I don't know what type of humans they are, beating old man in this way. The riot [police] who were beating him were Syrian, only the officer was Bahraini --- the officer asked the riot [police] not to beat him because some may film them....He didn't care that he's an old man. They are animals, not humans.

If dad got arrested for few a hours, and they did this to him --- How about the others who stayed 4 months [in prison], tortured, especially the leaders?