No front teeth, broken nose and bleeding ear…Abbas Al-Sameea: I am being executed everyday
2015-04-15 - 2:14 am
Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Shedding her tears, she said: "I couldn't recognize him. I started looking at his pale face closely as he stood in front of me behind an insulating glass wall that reached the ceiling. Is this really Abbas? His nose was broken at the middle, his front teeth were all shattered, his gums were swollen and infected as a result of severe beatings and he had paper towels stuffed in his ear. The color of his skin was almost as dark as my black Abaya. His body was as thin as a paper that could be blown by the wind. Is this really my son Abbas?"
As strong as the pain a person suffers from will be his revenge. Abbas Al-Sameea (25 years old) is sentenced to death over charges of murdering an Emirati police officer, Al-Shehhi, and two others. He brought a great deal of harm to the Bahraini regime because, while behind bars, he was able to send video recordings outside prison that
documented his innocence and showed his pride and honor. The recordings also unveiled the regime's tyranny, oppression and how the judiciary made a mockery of itself. Abbas has defied the walls of prison and the cruel unjust sentence issued against him, by sending his letters to the Bahraini and Emirati peoples, proving his innocence and depending only on God Himself. Since that day, Abbas has been a target of being killed, while still drawing breath.
Sunday, April 12, was the date of the scheduled visit of Abbas's family. His family felt indescribable joy upon hearing the news saying that they are now allowed to visit him after losing contact for almost a month, following the escalation of recent events on March 10, 2015 inside ("Guantanamo" of Bahrain) Central Jaw Prison.
At 11 in the morning, his family waited so eagerly for their scheduled visit to begin. They were left to wait for two long hours and a half, intentionally humiliating them as it seemed clearly. The family noticed that most of the
security personnel there were different from the ones they dealt with before. Meanwhile, other families that had just arrived were allowed to meet their sons instantly. His family was treated with cruelty and carelessness.
During these hours of waiting, they would repeatedly came up to his family and indifferently ask them: "What did u say his name was?" His mother would say: "Abbas Jamil," in order to conceal his real name "Al-Sameea", because she knew that if she uttered his last name, they would shower them with insults as always. The female
officers intentionally reiterated the question over and over again, hoping his mother would forget and say: "Abbas Al-Sameea", yet she didn't. The family felt that leaving them waiting for so long is a part of their revenge.
Meanwhile, the families of other detainees were heading to see their sons and Al-Sameea's family was still waiting.
One after one, the detainees entered as the women's screams filled the air upon seeing their sons' conditions. "We heard the women's screams and cries for they were shocked to see the condition their sons were in due to the severe torture they were subjected to."
"I saw three detained brothers as they entered to see their family. Two of the brothers were dragging the third one who was unable to walk," Abbas's mother added. "I also saw the young man, named Ali Haroun, who was arrested in Thailand. He was unable to walk or move. I wept when I saw the condition the prisoners were in and their shocked families."
She goes on saying: "All this took place as we waited for Abbas and after two and a half hours, they took us to "booth 8". I found out later that it was for isolated prisoners. It is different from other booths, since the prisoners would be completely isolated from his family with an insulating glass wall that reaches the ceiling and they talk to their visitors through phones. We waited until Abbas entered the booth and it was a shock..."
"A young scrawny young man entered. He was wearing dirty rags; the same ones he was wearing the last time we visited him, as if he didn't change his clothes since then. I was heartbroken to see him drag the chains around his hands and feet. I didn't recognize this person, whose features had faded away. I asked myself: Is this really my son Abbas? My shock was indescribable. I completely collapsed."
"We found out later on that one of the reasons behind Abba's late arrival was because he insisted on removing the chains before he met us, but they refused. He wanted to spare us some pain, for he knew that we would be shocked to see him in that condition, but they insisted on breaking our hearts and hurting us as much as possible."
Abbas is not used to complaining, but what he was suffering from was unbearable. He said to his family: "I am dying...I am being executed every day." During the latest events that occurred in Jaw prison, Abbas was particularly targeted. This wasn't a surprise. His face was severely beaten, specifically on his nose and ear. It is unknown whether the blue mark on his nose is caused by a wound or a broken bone, since he hasn't been examined by a doctor yet. He also didn't know another way to stop the blood from flowing from his ear but to stuff paper towels inside it. He was punched repeatedly on his jaw and month until his front teeth were broken, his gums became infected and his lips swollen. Abbas cannot eat nor drink because of the infection in his gums. "Tell the lawyer that I am in extreme need of treatment, for I am dying without treatment," he told his family.
Abbas told his family about his suffering in the past days, the brutal torture that almost killed him and how he was transferred to an isolated cell and prevented from seeing or speaking to anyone but his torturers. He was subjected to daily torture at the hands of policemen and officers and every time he was slapped, he had to respond by saying: "Yes, sir". They were not the only ones who tortured Abbas, he was also insulted by the janitors. He is allowed to use the restroom twice a day with the door open. As for his showers, they only pour one bucket of water on him as he is fully clothed and then he is returned to his cell in block 1.
Abbas tried to show his family that he is strong so that they wouldn't feel as sad as they were. He tried to smile and laugh, but his front teeth were shattered and whenever he laughed, his infected gums would show, which reflected all the pain he was enduring.
"Save Abbas from death...They are executing my son (everyday) before executing his death sentence," a heartbroken mother pleads..
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