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Zakariya Rashid Hassan Al-Ashiri ( ar, زكريا راشد حسن العشيري), also spelled Al Asheri and Aushayri, (1971– April 9, 2011), was a forty-year-old Bahraini blogger and journalist, worked as an editor and writer for a local blog news website in
Al Dair Al Dair ( ar, الدَيْر) is a village in Bahrain on the northern coast of Muharraq Island. It lies north of the Bahrain International Airport, and north west of Samaheej village. Before the discovery of oil in Bahrain, most of the inhabitants ...
,
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. He was killed on April 9, 2011, while in custody of the Bahraini Government.Matthew Cassel. 2011. "Arrests said forcing Bahraini writers into exile." al-Jazeera, 16 July. Retrieved 9 November 201
al-Jazeera
/ref>BBC. "البحرين: وفاة ناشطين في" April 12, 2011. Retrieved 28 November 201
BBC Arabic
/ref> Al-Ashiri was the first journalist in Bahrain to die in direct relation to his work since
The Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...
started keeping records in 1992, and he was the first to die in the
Bahraini uprising (2011–present) The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and prote ...
. Al-Ashiri was also the second blogger-journalist worldwide to have been killed for his blogging. Al-Ashiri follows the death two years earlier of Iranian
Omid Reza Mir Sayafi Omid Reza Mir Sayafi (also Omidreza Mirsayafi; 1979/80 – March 18, 2009 in Evin Prison in Tehran) was an Iranian blogger and journalist. Mir Sayafi was the first blogger to have died while in prison for his publication. Two other bloggers ...
, who was the first blogger to have been known to be killed for his publication. Two months after Al-Ashiri, Brazilian blogger Edinaldo Filgueira was killed in June 2011.Curt Hopkins. 2011. "Brazilian blogger ." ReadWriteWeb, June 23. Retrieved 4 November 2011 from the Lexis-Nexis Database.


Personal

Zakariya Rashid Hassan Al-Ashiri was born in the village of Al-Dair in 1971, where he reported and edited his internet website.


Career

Zakariya worked as an editor and blogger for the local news website which is named after his home village. He regularly reported on human rights, business, culture, and politics. The website he worked for was named ''Al-Dair'' after his home village.


Background

The
Bahraini uprising (2011–present) The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and prote ...
, a series of protests to gain greater political freedom, began in February 2011. Protesters set up camp at the
Pearl Roundabout The GCC Roundabout, known as Pearl Roundabout or Lulu Roundabout (Arabic language, Arabic: ', "Roundabout of the pearl(s)" was a roundabout located near the Central business district, financial district of Manama, Bahrain. The roundabout was nam ...
in
Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very di ...
and continued until March. After a month, the Bahraini government sent in troops and police forces from the
Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...
while the
king of Bahrain The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hak ...
declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency.Central Intelligence Agency. 2011. "Bahraini Uprising" The World Factbook. Retrieved September 20, 201
CIA
.
The protests continued for several months after. Police forces raided Shia homes, carried out beatings at checkpoints, and denied those in need of medical attention. As a result, nearly 800 people were arrested and a total of four were reported dead while in government custody.


Death

On April 2, 2011, Al-Ashiri was arrested and charged with providing false news, inciting hatred towards the regime and calling for an overthrow of the government. On April 9, 2011, just seven days after his arrest, Al-Ashiri was reported dead while in government custody under mysterious circumstances. Authorities claim that he died of complications due to "sickle cell anemia." The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that this diagnosis was denied by family members. Photos later surfaced of Al-Ashiri's corpse, which displayed cuts and gashes, and added further evidence that Al-Ashiri had been beaten to death. As a result, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Bahraini authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on his death. Another Bahraini journalist
Karim Fakhrawi Karim Fakhrawi, also known as Abdulkarim Ali Ahmed Fakhrawi (1962? – 12 April 2011), was the co-founder of '' Al-Wasat'', considered one of the more popular newspapers in Bahrain by winning numerous awards. He died while in the custody due to s ...
died on April 12, 2011, also while in detention and was similar in that officials said he died of kidney failure.


Investigation

The
Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), also known locally in Bahrain as the Bassiouni Commission, was established by the King of Bahrain on 29 June 2011''Bahrain News Agency''" HM King Hamad Sets up Royal Independent Investigation co ...
(BICI) conducted an investigation into deaths and torture claims among other civil rights abuses committed during the protests. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry released its report 23 November 2011, and in the report, Al-Ashiri's case (no. 24) was investigated and classified under "Deaths Caused by Torture."The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, ''Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry'', 23 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 201
Report
The Commission's fact finding documents confirmed that Al-Ashiri did have bruises over his body from torture and died while at the Dry Dock Detention Centre and in custody of the Ministry of Interior. A witness who was in detention with him said Al-Ashiri was beaten and he heard a guard say, "He is dead," at which point those in the same cell were moved. Two policemen are accused of the death beating and could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.


Reactions

In response to his death, the
Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...
in Washington, D.C. will be adding his name along with other journalists who have died while reporting to the Journalists Memorial Wall.


References


External links

* Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry'
Report
* ReutersVideo. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashiri, Zakariya Rashid Hassan 1971 births 2011 deaths Deaths during the Bahraini uprising of 2011 2011 in Bahrain Bahraini bloggers Bahraini journalists Journalists killed in Bahrain Journalists killed while covering the Arab Spring