Bahrainis determined to get political change: Saeed Shehabi

Press TV has conducted an interview with Saeed Shehabi, from the Bahrain Freedom Movement, about the security forces in Bahrain once again clashing with anti-regime protesters, who took to the streets across the country to denounce the Al Khalifa ruling family.

What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you view the persistence of the resistance of the Bahraini people and also the persistence of the Al Khalifa regime in carrying out its crackdown on these demonstrations?

Shehabi: Thank you very much and of course my greetings on the Eid of Haj, of pilgrimage, Eid al-Adha to everybody, to all Muslims and especially to the people of Bahrain who were mourning the end of the ceremony to bury the latest martyr Yusef al-Nashmi.

Now what has amazed me over the past two and a half years is the fact that the Bahrainis have been persistent in their daily protests, in their daily demonstrations and as we just heard from your video clip, people are just shouting without fear, down with Hamad, down with Hamad and so on. So this shows that the people are determined to get a political change in their country. They do not want to sit back and wait for the Americans or for the West to change the situation. They will change the situation themselves. The only thing they are asking the West to do is not to side, not to support, not to continue giving military and security support to this defunct regime. So what I see is there is on one hand the determination of the people to continue their struggle, on the other hand the continuation of the regime to suppress, to maim, to attack, to detain, to try the Bahrainis and torture them.

Press TV: How come Western countries, some Western countries and their major media outlets aren't giving the uprising and the crackdown in Bahrain more proper and adequate attention and coverage?

Shehabi: This is really perplexing because on one hand you can see that the human rights bodies such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch are giving importance, significance to the situation in Bahrain. They are issuing statements, urgent actions against the Al Khalifa regime.

On the other hand there is a total blackout in the Western media on what is going on in Bahrain. Imagine a revolution that has been going on for thirty months, that has been protesting everyday without any stop, either it is Eid, either it is a religious festival or a martyrdom or it is hot or cold, the march has continued. Yet this media which is supposed to cover the world events, is ignoring purposely this revolution. This is something that cannot be excused or understood. I believe that there is hidden agenda with this media which is totally and continuously ignoring the plight of the Bahrainis while concentrating on other places of interest to them. I believe that what we have learned over the past two years is that unless the people depend on themselves neither the West nor anyone else is going to help them. This is why the people are ready to sacrifice, are ready to protest, are ready to go and to pour into the streets on daily basis in their hundreds, thousands to change their situation. I believe the end will be near because there is no room for dictatorship even if it is supported by America or by Britain, there needs to be a serious change and that change will be coming soon Inshallah (God willing).