France 24 correspondent tortured for covering pro-democracy demonstrations
\nPublished on Monday 30 May 2011.<\/p>\n
When Nazeeha Saeed, the Bahrain correspondent of France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya, was summoned to a police station in the city of Rifa\u2019a for questioning at midday on 22 May, she expected to be back home two hours later and had no inkling of the nightmare awaiting her.<\/p>\n
On arriving at the police station, she took a seat and waited calmly. Other women, mainly nurses, were also waiting, sitting on the floor.<\/p>\n
An hour later, she was called. She entered an office where there was a male officer. In a quiet but unsettling voice, he told her to answer the questions that would be put to her. He then left her with a female officer, who accusing her of \u201clying\u201d in her reports and told her to admit her links with the Hezbollah TV station Al-Manar and the Iranian Arabic-language TV station Al-Alam. \u201cYou must confess,\u201d the woman kept repeating, going on to accuse her of participating in the pro-democracy demonstrations that have taking place in Bahrain since March.<\/p>\n
An hour later, she was taken to another office. There, a woman police officer mocked and insulted her. When Nazeeha ignored her, the policewoman grabbed her by the chin, held it hard, and slapped her with the other hand. \u201cYou must tell me the truth,\u201d she screamed, continuing to slap her and then seizing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground. Four policewomen proceeded to slap, punch and kick her repeatedly. One of the women took her shoe and forced it into her mouth. \u201cYou are worth less than this shoe,” she said. …more<\/a><\/p>\n