Wife of a Former World Champion Speaks Out in Bahrain: ‘He Was Arrested for Buying Cigarettes and Milk’ · Global Voices
Mohamed Hassan

A man paints a picture in support of the detainees in Bahrain during a rally in Mogsha in April 2013. Photograph by bahrain14feb bilad. Copyright: Demotix
For one young mother from Bahrain, the previous four years have been one long nightmare with no end in sight. One day, her husband ventured off to buy cigarettes and milk. The next, he is serving a 15-year sentence on what she describes as trumped up charges. And she is not alone. Hundreds of families across the country have been living this recurring nightmare since pro-democracy protests, inspired by the so-called Arab Spring, erupted in the country.
Bahrain witnessed a popular uprising in 2011, which was followed by a crackdown that is still hitting hard on the small kingdom. Four years ago, the crackdown started and a sweeping round of arrests has continued.
Bahraini activists are campaigning to stop the crackdown. A Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BCIC) that was hired by the King found that systematic torture and arbitrary arrests, along with excessive use of violence, were the norm with those arrested in the sweep. And Bahrain's justice system is still receiving strong and clear criticism from international organizations.
Among those arrested on the 16 March 2011 is the former gold medal holder in Brazilian jujitsu Mohamed Mirza. On the fourth anniversary of his arrest, Mohamed's wife, Masooma Mahdi, tweeted the story of her imprisoned husband, who went out to buy cigarettes and milk and never returned home.
She chronicles her story in 28 tweets, a story which is being repeated in countless homes across the country. Up to 4,000 people are still detained in Bahrain following the crackdown, which started on 16 March 2011, signalling the beginning of the National Safety period, which saw untold horror as the story below demonstrates.
Former gold medal holder in Brazilian jujitsu Mohamed Mirza holding his baby Jibrael before he was sentenced to 15 years in prison “for going out to buy cigarettes and milk.”
This Brazilian jujitsu champion is one of many athletes targeted by the state and framed for crimes, as part of a crackdown on Shia sportsmen. Among the other athletes arrested and tortured during this period are Bahrain's top football goal scorer of all times Ala'a Hubail and his brother Mohamed Hubail.
In this video, from the Thailand championship, held in 2008, Mirza is seen in the semi-final match in which he won his title:
Mirza's ordeal started on 16 March 2011. That was the last night his wife saw him a free man. She tweets:
“المساء الأخير”..16 مارس #بحرين#سجن_جو_المركزي #الاسرى_في_خطر يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
The last afternoon.. 16 March.
For Mrs. Mahdi, that is day to remember:
مساء 16 مارس من العام 2011، كان المساء الأخير الذي يقضيه الرياضي محمد ميرزا (أبو جبرائيل) بين أهله، زوجته وطفله وكذلك والدته وأشقاءه
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
المساء الأخير الذي ينام فيه تحت سقف بيته! لتبدأ معه فصول من حكاية كتبت حروفها من مساءات ألف ليلة وليلة
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
The afternoon of 16 March 2011 was the last afternoon the athlete Mohamed Mirza has spent with his family, the last afternoon he was able to sleep under the roof of his house, what followed was a chapter of a story fit to go within the chapters of Arabian nights.
The long hours that followed turned her life upside down. She tweets:
يوم 16 مارس، كان فاصلا، مأساويا.. وجنونيا، ففي لحظة ما ستبدأ القصة التي لازالت فصولها تكتب لغاية اليوم، وبحروف من الألم والقسوة!#بحرين
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
27 نوفمبر 2008 تزوج محمد ميرزا، وبعد سنة وسبعة أشهر رزق بولده (جبرائيل)..يتبع#البحرين #سجن_جو#الاسرى_في_خطر
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
فتكون الحسبة الدقيقة لعمر وجوده مع زوجته سنتان وأربعة أشهر ومع ولده ثمانية أشهر فقط.. وبعدها تغير كل شيء..!#Bahrain يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
16 March was pivotal, tragic and hectic. Somewhere on that day will start a story that is still being written, a story of pain and agony.
On 27 November 2008, Mohamed Mirza got married. Nineteen months later he had his first boy Jibrael. This means that the total time he spent with his wife is two years and four months, and only eight months with his child. After that, everything changed.
On that eventful day, Mr. Mirza left his house to buy cigarettes and milk for his son.
يوم 16 مارس 2011، خرج من منزله ليشتري علبة سجائر لنفسه وعلبة حليب لجبرائيل،#Bahrain يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
فتوقف الزمن حوله عند نقطة تفتيش انتزعته في لحظة فارقة من حياته لتودعه في غيابة المجهول! #Bahrain #الاسرى_في_خطر
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
ماذا لو لم يقرر محمد ميرزا في تلك اللحظة من ذلك اليوم البائس أن يخرج من بيته لشراء علبة سجائر، وعلبة حليب؟ #Bahrain #الاسرى_في_خطر
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
أكانت نقطة التفتيش ستختاره ليكون ضحيتها في واحدة من أغرب القضايا..!#Bahrain #14Feb #سجن_جو
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
On 16 March, Mohamed went out of his house to buy a pack of cigarettes for himself and milk for Jibrael. At a police checkpoint, time stopped for him. He was removed from the life he knew and thrown into the abyss.
What if he didn't decide to go out on that ominous day to get those cigarettes and milk? Would he have escaped the checkpoint that led him to be the victim of one of the most ambiguous cases?
Mrs. Mahdi then describes the ordeal that followed:
في 16 مارس 2011، اختفى محمد ميرزا، لا أحد يعلم أين تنقل بعد حاجز نقطة التفتيش؟ #Bahrain #الاسرى_في_خطر #14Feb #سجن_جو يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
كان خارجا لمشوار قصير، لكنه تأخر كثيرا..لتشتغل محركات الخوف والهلع في محيط أسرته.. #بحرين#14Feb #الاسرى_في_خطر #سجن_جو يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
لتشتغل محركات الخوف والهلع في محيط أسرته.. لم تفلح كل الاتصالات التي أجريت بحثا عنه في بيان إجابة لسؤال مُر..أين محمد ميرزا؟ #bahraim
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
On 16 March 2011, Mohamed disappeared. Nobody knew where he was taken after that checkpoint. He went out to run a short errand. When it took longer than usual, his family panicked. We tried to contact everyone we could to get an answer to the bitter question:”Where is Mohamed Mirza”?
During the National Safety days, such disappearances were a common occurrence in Bahrain. She continues:
وكعادة تلك الأيام، ليس فيها إلا قصص الاختفاء الغامضة.. والإحجام الوقح عن البيان..!#سجن_جو #14Feb #Bahrain
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
تحرك أهله في كل اتجاه، قصدوا كل زاوية يمكن أن تضعهم أمام صورة واضحة..أين محمد؟ #سجن_جو #14Feb #Bahrain
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
في تلك الإثناء، كان أبو جبرائيل يُنقل من مركز توقيف لآخر، ويتحول جسده إلى لعبة تستقبل بصمات الجلادين.#سجن_جو #14Feb #Bahrain
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
كتب على محمد ميرزا سيرة الكعب الدائر من مركز شرطة الخميس لمركز شرطة النعيم،لمركز شرطة دوار 17 في مدينة حمد، للحوض الجاف، #Bahrain يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
إلى معتقل القرين قبل بدء محاكمته العسكرية.. ليستقر أخيرا في سجن جو المركزي#Bahrain #14Feb #سجن_جو #الاسرى_في_خطر يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
رحلة شاقة، لرجل خرج من منزله في اللحظة الخاطئة فقط ليشتري علبة سجائر.. وعلبة حليب!#البحرين #سجن_جو#14feb يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
During those days, it wasn't unusual for someone to vanish. If you tried to ask about the fate of someone, you'd be faced with the insolent disregard. We tried everything. We went to every possible place that could lead us to know.. Where is Mohamed?
Meanwhile, Mohamed was being moved from one detention to the other, from one torturer to the other, leaving their marks on his body. Mohamed was destined to be paraded between detention centres, from Alkhamis detention, to Nuaim detention, to Madinat Hamad detention, to the Dry Dock, and finally to Qurain military detention before his military trial which led him to Jaaw prison. A very long trip for someone who's only crime is: he went to get cigarettes and milk at the wrong time!
Mrs. Mahdi then describes the trial saga her husband and family had to endure:
وما بين مارس 2011 لغاية مايو 2011، أعدت مسرحيات المحاكمات العسكرية، ولفقت لمحمد ميرزا وشباب آخرين تهمة مثيرة للسخرية (اختطاف رجل أمن مسلح)
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
في جلسة الثانية من مهزلة المحاكمة العسكرية، حكم على محمد ومن معه في القضية بالسجن 20 سنة، ثم خُفض الحكم إلى 15 سنة في الإستئناف#14feb يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
كانت أحكام قضائية عبثية، لا تستند على دليل واحد، سوى الاعترافات المنتزعة تحت وطأة التعذيب#14feb #Bahrain #سجن_جو الاسرى_في_خطر
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
ومع قدوم لجنة تقصي الحقائق، وتحويل ملفات القضايا للقضاء المدني#bahrain #14feb #الاسرى_في_خطر #سجن_جو يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
اعتمدت كل المراحل السابقة للتقاضي برغم أن أهم ما شككت فيه لجنة تقصي الحقائق #bahrain #الاسرى_في_خطر #14feb يتبع
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
في القضاء المدني، تم تبرئة جميع المتهمين في قضية الخطف، بإستثناء رجل واحد، هو محمد ميرزا، فتم الحكم عليه بالسجن 10 أعوام#bahrain
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
The period between March and May 2011 witnessed the theatricals of the military trials. Mohamed and several others were charged with a ridiculous offense — taking an armed trained member of the security forces as a hostage. At the second session of the theatrical military trial, Mohamed and his co-defendants were sentenced to 20 years each. It was commuted to 15 years in the judicial appeal. The sentences were random and chaotic and depended on one evidence: confessions extracted by torture.
When the BICI commenced its work, retrials were held. Cases were transferred to civilian courts, but the procedures leading to the first trials were not revoked, despite the fact the the commission found that those procedures lacked the basics of fairness. All the defendants were acquitted, except for one man, Mohamed Mirza was sentenced to 10 years!
Mrs. Mahdi concludes:
مضى على كل ذلك أربعة أعوام كاملة، هي أطول من عمر حياته الزوجية الفعلية التي لم تزد على عامين وأربعة أشهر#bahrain #الاسرى_في_خطر
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
وكل ذلك كتب، في لحظة فاصلة حين قرر أن يخرج من منزله ليشتري علبتين فقط، احداهما علبة سجائر.. والأخرى علبة حليب#Bahrain #14feb
— msmahdi (@masoomamahdi) March 15, 2015
Four years passed, that's longer than the two years and four months he spent with his wife. All of this happened when his path crossed a checkpoint he had to pass when he needed two boxes, a box of cigarettes and a box of milk.