Maryam al-Khawaja
@MARYAMALKHAWAJA · Gulf & Arab world
Maryam al-Khawaja is a Bahraini human rights activist.
The occupation forces raided a kindergarten.. Pause. Take a breath. Read that again. Their crimes and atrocities are endless
I decided to share this alternative open letter by a former Iranian political prisoner because I think this is how people living in the West should address situations in global majority countries. My personal preference is to believe in ليس من أراد الحق وأخطأ كمن أراد الباطل وأصاب - those who want to do good and miss are not equal to those who want to do harm and succeed (rough translation). There is much the Iranian government must be held accountable for - numerous human rights violations inside the country and their crimes and role in Syria. Solidarity with the Iranian people, Iranian activists, Iranian political prisoners must be core to our movements, as is our solidarity with all other peoples movements. At the same time, it is amiss for activists and thinkers mostly based in the West (and most of whom are not Iranian) to put Iran, the US and the occupation in the same boat in an open letter, and then publish it in English in a British outlet, especially during a time when Iran is being demonized, dehumanized and attacked by the West. A British outlet in a country, mind you, that has criminalized support for the IRGC with up to 14 years in prison but continues to support the occupation during a genocide and work closely with the US (and that's not mentioning their colonialism, crimes, etc)... The original letter would've felt more genuine if it was written in Farsi (with an English translation provided) and published in a non-Western outlet.. I don't believe that there is a right and wrong time to speak of the human rights issues in any country, and I don't believe we should be silent about the human rights violations in Iran right now because of the current circumstances - I believe we should uplift Iranian voices, especially those of political prisoners, without becoming tools for the West (read: general remark); and keep in mind our own positionality when speaking and the platforms we're choosing.
Bahrain is rearresting political prisoners who were released through a royal pardon, stating they have unpaid fines for a strike they took part in inside the prison THAT THEY WERE PARDONED FOR; - noting they were political prisoners who shouldn’t have been imprisoned to begin w.
Bahrain has rearrested three people so far who were released in September 2024 as part of a royal pardon; amongst them human rights defender Naji Fateel.