A female Bahraini activist who has composed
anti-government poems has been killed, after being arrested and raped by
Manama forces.ASH/GHN/HRF
Ayat
al-Ghermezi, 20, had recited her poems, in which she slammed the ruling
regime and Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifah Ibn Salman al-Khalifah,
during protests in Pearl Square in the capital city, Manama, Fardanews
reported. Shortly afterwards, Ghermezi received an influx of insulting
and intimidating letters and emails, but when she referred to the police
to report the threats, she was insulted and mocked by officers, her
family says.
In late March, security forces raided Ghermezi’s home twice, threatening
her family to reveal Ayat’s whereabouts, otherwise they would “destroy
the house over your heads, by the order of high-ranking officials.”
After the security forces coerced Gehrmezi’s family into disclosing her
hideout, the family heard no word from her, Ayat’s mother said.
When the family started searching for Ayat, the police told them they
have no information about Ayat and tried to force them to confirm
through a letter that their daughter had gone missing. In mid-April, an
anonymous call was made to Gehrmezi’s family, informing them that Ayat
was in coma at an …
