The Midnight Visitors

 It was a Tuesday, April 26th, it was just one hour into that Tuesday.

I had come back late from football training, took a long bath & had plans to curl my hair through the night (being recently unemployed). He was playing X Box, came to my room and said: is the chocolate in the fridge yours? Yes, I said, have some but don't finish it...


He continued playing, I continued watching whatever it was on TV. He went to sleep early. At 1:40 am, I heard a loud sound coming from the garden, something breaking, I went to look down from my bedroom's window then thought let me tell my sister to go & see what her cats have done in the garden. Leaving the room, she was waking him up to go out & see what happened. Less than a minute later, we heard an even louder sound. Louder & clearer. It was inside the house.

We ran half way down the stairs, it was the front door. My mother was on the floor crying, someone was pointing (some sort of) a gun to her. WHAT IS HAPPENING??!! Around 15 masked men were inside the house, all of them holding guns. WHAT!??! some of them were wearing jeans & tshirts, some wearing police uniforms, I look from the window to see the garden filled with masked policemen. The nerd inside me started counting.

One was telling my mother to lower her voice, she was in no state to talking, respond, react or do anything. I've never seen her like this, Another one looked at us and said: it's nothing, go back up.

Someone yelled: YOU..the three of us froze for a second, WHAT'S YOUR NAME? so&so, my brother answered. Five of them now were running towards us, Bring Your ID & Come With Us. One stood to watch my sister, one blocked the stairs to we couldn't escape (to where I was thinking!), two went with my brother to his room and one stood to watch me, he looked at me & whispered: don't be scared, I'm here, don't worry..his ski mask was a bit loose, I was trying to stare at the visible parts of his face..do I know you?

My sister finally spoke: what are you doing inside our house? why are you here? My mouth finally opened as well: why are you here? don't go up! I followed my brother to his room, he took his ID, they didn't even let him take his glasses. He can't see without his glasses!

Where are you taking him? Why are you taking him? Show me your papers? Do you have an order? my sister was still asking, thinking that someone might have answers, when finally one looked at her and yelled: SHUT UP..the same person looked at the tall guy & said: sir, do you want us to "turn over their house", tall guy replied: no need...

They took my brother out of the house...

The number of policemen was unbelievable, we followed them out..here I realised that the first sound was the garden gate breaking. The vacant land next to our house was filled with police cars (4x4's) & even more policemen. I still don't understand why all of them were masked. There was one white van. They pushed my brother in, accompanied with those who weren't wearing the police uniform.

Take me with you, my mother told one of them, let me see him. He looked at her and said, Don't make a scene, go back inside. Why him my mother asked? the policeman answered: "Honestly, because you are Shiite & scum of the society". I thought I'd ask the people from the other car, Where are you going? we'll come with you..,the same guy from the stairs came & told me, Come to "X" police station after one hour, we should be done with him..

They all went into their cars and disappeared, mother still crying, sister trying to make her stand up..we managed to pull her back in. I told them to change, we're going to the police station. We were all in our sleep wears. I went to my room to put something more proper on, I looked at my phone, it was 1:45 am.

Did all this happen in 5 minutes? really?

All I can remember from that ride to the police station is my mother wailing and my sister trying to calm her down. I was thinking, he had JUST turned 21! it was his birthday, day before yesterday, it was a happy day, how did this happen?

We reached "X". Entering the police station at 2:00 am. We told them what had happened. Policemen there looked puzzled, they had no idea what was happening. They told us, the only prisoners we have here are thief's, drunk people & prostitutes. Why don't you check in "Y" police station? we drove there, entered, answered the same questions (where do you live, what' the name of your son, how old is he, where does he work, where does he study, what did he do, why did they take him, etc etc...to the end of the silly questions)

3 hours and 6 police stations later, same questions, same answers, they all laugh when my mother cries, they all deny that any arrests happened, they all don't know anything, they all weren't Bahraini...finally, the only Bahraini we saw told us to come back in the morning. It was past 5:00 am...

In the morning, at around 9:00 am, we went to the same police stations only to be asked the same questions and have the same answers. No one knows where he is, they all told us to stay at home and wait for someone to call us.

Every other day or so, my mother and I take the same trip to the same police stations, to see the same people and hear the same answers. A family member suggested appointing a lawyer to help find my brother, apparently in the current "State of National Safety" lawyers do not enjoy the same power and privileges they normally do. Lawyers, during the "State of National Safety" are not allowed to represent anyone unless the Military Courts sentences that person and allows them the right to appeal. Only then lawyers can get involved.

Everyday we hear of more people being arrested, some being sentenced to crimes they know nothing about, very few released. Those who are released are usually beaten up & tortured very badly. Everyday we hear things about people we know, we see what happens to people in order to believe and we convince ourselves that there is still hope that he would come back safe.

Today, 32 days later, we are still waiting for "The Call". The Call that would either ask us to go and take him or (God Forbids) tell us to go to court.

Today, 32 days later, I still have hope..I still believe that innocent people will come out of this innocent...I still believe that injustice won't last for long..

Today, 32 days later, every night I pray that he comes back in the morning & I have hope....