Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): No one knows anything about Bahraini citizen Sayed Alawi Sayed Hussein since he disappeared from his workplace on October 24, 2016. All his family's' attempts to get information about him were made in vain. What they only managed to find out was that Alawi is held by the security authorities. However, these authorities refrain from giving any statement about his whereabouts or whether he is alive or dead, disregarding a prisoner's right to contact his family upon detention.

Alawi suffers from high pressure problems and tuberculosis in his knee and abdomen, which raise his family's concerns, especially that they fear that he is being tortured. As the security authorities remain silent about Alawi's fate, his family's concerns rise. "I want to hear his voice. It is a citizen's right. I can't sleep anymore. What happened to him? What case is this that makes them hide Alawi in such a way? Every detainee has the right to call his family once he is arrested," his sister stressed.

His wife, Majida Al-Mosawi, does not know how to think and how to prevent herself from thinking about the worst that could be, "I can't imagine my son living without his father. I imagine that he will enter the house at any moment and wait for the phone to ring hoping that maybe I can listen to his voice. I feel like I am in a nightmare I want to wake me up from. I wish this was only a nightmare and not reality."

No one knows the reason behind Alawi's disappearance. He is an ordinary person from Diraz. He has not involved in any political activism. Besides, Alawi was not even banned from entering or leaving Diraz that has been on siege for over 5 months. He used to move about normally. If he was wanted, he would have been arrested. The Public Prosecution has not even issued any warrant against Alawi, which raises suspicions over his forced disappearance.

His wife talks about the day of his disappearance: "He called me that day at around 2 PM to tell me that he will be late and that he will not be able to pick our son from school, because he has work in Al-Hidd. Alawi works in fixing cables at Batelco." "I called him at around 3 PM asking him to tell me when he approaches the region to prepare the lunch for him. He; however, told me that he will be late, because he is waiting for the rest of the employees to finish work. I sat with my son to help him with his homework. Alawi never had stayed later than 5 or 6 PM. When I realized he was too late, I called him. His phone was out of service. I tried several times. I then realized that my husband was missing after my attempts to reach him failed. At that time I called my family and we headed to the Al-Budaiya police station at around 10 PM," his wife explained

She further stated that two hours later, "Al-Budaiya police station contacted me, asking me to withdraw the report because my husband was found at the Criminal Investigation Department. I headed the next day to the Ombudsman inquiring why they targeted my husband and arrested him from his workplace, why we didn't receive a notice to appear for interrogation and why they didn't allow him to call us? I haven't received any response until this day. Every time I ask for a response, they say it's a pending investigation".

The family spent 10 days without receiving an answer from any official party, "I went to the station again and told them that my husband hasn't called and I am worried about him. I wanted to file another report, but they refused, saying that they told me he is held at the criminal investigation department."

Three days later, the family went to the CID and took some clothes with them since Alawi was supposed to be held there. His wife says, "we asked about him and the officials started to avoid answering us. We then asked them about his clothes and they told us to wait. Two hours later they took the clothes and we were sure that he was there. We asked them to allow us to see him or even hear his voice. After insisting, they took our phone numbers and told us that they will call us. But this did not happen of course. After two days, they called asking us to come to take Alawi's clothes because he was transferred to Dry Dock Prison. We repeatedly asked: Are you sure that he is held at Dry Dock Prison. They said yes and he will call you today or tomorrow."

"We called Dry Dock Prison one day before heading there. I told them that my husband was transferred to the prison and that he still has not called. The prison's administration looked into its list and denied having him. On the following day, I took the clothes from the CID and headed directly to Dry Dock Prison. I was shocked to know that my husband was not held there. I gave them my number and asked them to make sure he is there since the CID stressed that he was transferred to that prison. The prison's administration denied and asked us to take the clothes and contact the prosecution," his wife added.

Two weeks after Alawi's disappearance, the family contacted the Red Cross to help them unveil his fate. However, the family received no reply. So the family hired lawyer Mohamed Al-Tajer and asked him to inquire about Alawi's whereabouts, but he could not get any information about him.

More than a month has passed now and nothing has changed. His wife wonders, "if Alawi is neither held at the CID nor Dry Dock Prison and hasn't called us yet, where he is supposed to be? We asked about him day in and day out; at the CID, Dry Dock Prison, all the hospitals, Al-Qalaa hospital, Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex and Defence Force. None of them gave us any information about him."

Sayed Alawi is a father of 9-year-old boy. His son Rida celebrated his birthday on November 11 for the very first time without his father. His aunts tried to compensate him and brought him many gifts. Rida; however, did not enjoy it. Rida constantly asks: "When will my father's interrogations end? When will he call us? When will I see him? When can I hug him?"

Alawi's mother lives with him in the same house. She was shocked when he went missing. Mothers usually sense such things. She was surprised about his unusual disappearance and started to ask about him every moment. We assured her Alawi will return. She started to cry hysterically. She suspected that he was arrested before we even told her. "They will kill him. They will torture him. Why didn't they call us? Of course, they killed him," she yelled repeatedly. "Although she cannot move due to her old age, she insisted that her daughters take her to the police station and the CID to ask about him. She thinks that they may pity her old age and tell her where her son is," Alawi's family further noted.

Arabic Version