Asma Darwish:
– Stand As My Witness Campaign Lead and SWANA Advocacy Lead at CIVICUS
Editor’s Note: Asma Darwish’s “Did I Really Grow into This Woman?” is a four-part series, first published in the AAWE Paris newsletter in 2021. Women Chapter English is pleased to republish the series for our readers. Today, we publish the Part Three.
In my previous article, I provided the context for the uprising in Bahrain, my home country, and explained how it changed the course of my life, leading me to the work I have been doing since 2011.
The Pearl Roundabout and Myself
In March 2011, on the day of the crackdown at the Pearl Roundabout, I was there.
I had spent the night at the protest camp—hardly sleeping, I would say, as news of a brutal crackdown kept reaching the campsite. It was so windy that night. Internet and phone lines had been deliberately cut off.
At 5 AM, the crackdown began. The army was deployed with military tanks, while riot police started firing tear gas canisters and stun grenades directly at protesters.
We stood our ground until it became impossible to breathe. My nose and throat were burning like fire, and the air had become toxic with tear gas. We were suffocating. Since we were completely unarmed and posed no threat, we had no choice but to retreat.
The troops numbered in the thousands and were advancing rapidly. We fled towards the surrounding villages as helicopters and military jets hovered frighteningly close overhead.
It was terrifying.
People were killed that day. Anything seen moving in the streets was fired upon. I could have been shot. We took refuge in nearby houses.
The Aftermath
After that day, martial law was declared across the country, and the horror of late-night house raids began.
Everyone who had set foot in the Pearl Roundabout protest camp was tracked down by government trolls on social media and national television.
Including me!
I was at home when, at dawn, I heard violent knocking on my door. I woke up in panic to find dozens of armed riot police and masked forces in civilian clothing throughout my house.
They ransacked the place and began interrogating me. Some of my family members were arrested, and some even “disappeared”.
At first, I felt utterly helpless. Then I thought: why not go on an open hunger strike to draw attention to the injustice faced by so many people in Bahrain?
Meanwhile, I also raised my profile by delivering a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General to the United Nations offices in Bahrain.
Two of my compatriots and I were arrested for this.
I had used Twitter to communicate my plight, which caught the attention of Helen Clark, the [former Prime Minister of New Zealand, who advocated for my release](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5157962/Helen-Clark-comes-to-detainees-rescue).
At the time, Bahrain was in the international spotlight.
My story was not particularly special—it was just one among tens of thousands—but it received attention. Deep inside, I knew I could do more, especially when I felt supported by so many people around the world who showed solidarity and genuine compassion for my struggle.
I felt supported by the masses, and so I decided to join those working to communicate the situation in Bahrain to the international community.
I have succeeded.
My Advocacy for Human Rights
Since 2011, I have been a human rights defender, working with different local human rights organisations, most recently as an advocacy officer with the [Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)](https://bahrainrights.net/).
BCHR is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that has gained widespread support locally and internationally and received several international awards for its outspoken efforts to promote human rights and social justice in Bahrain.
I am now a refugee in France, where I continue my advocacy work to promote change.
Together with my colleagues, I have carried out and participated in numerous projects, including advocacy initiatives, digital security training, workshops, seminars, research, media campaigns, and reporting to UN mechanisms and international NGOs.
We have also participated in many regional and international conferences and workshops, and we have testified before the United Nations, national parliaments across Europe, the European Parliament, and the United States Congress.
Some examples of our collaborative advocacy work include contributing to efforts to reduce the widespread use of torture in Bahraini prisons, helping secure the release of prisoners of conscience, and advocating for adequate medical care for prisoners.
I try to focus my efforts on securing basic human rights in my country, including freedom of expression, which is almost entirely restricted in Bahrain.
My mission is to encourage and support individuals and groups to take an active role in protecting their own rights and those of others; to promote democracy and human rights in accordance with international norms; to document and report human rights violations in Bahrain; and to advocate for international policies that uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
All this sounds very interesting, I know. But without you and your support, none of it would have been possible.
If you ask me now how you can help, I can actually think of many ways.
Let us remind ourselves that a key principle of the human rights movement is its appeal to universality: the idea that all human beings should stand together in solidarity for a common set of basic rights and conditions.
One way to help in Bahrain is to pressure your own government. A close alliance with another country should never be an excuse for ignoring human rights violations.
Organise campaigns. Name and shame human rights violators, no matter where they are.
Speak up for those who are prevented from speaking.
Your voice does count, and it is priceless.
….To be continued…
First Part: https://womenchapterenglish.com/did-i-really-grow-into-this-woman-part-1/
Second Part: https://womenchapterenglish.com/did-i-really-grow-into-this-woman-part-2/
Asma Darwish
Campaigns Officer – Freedom of Peaceful Assembly
FoPA WeRise! Campaign Lead
Stand As My Witness Campaign Coordinator
Southwest Asia & North Africa (SWANA) Advocacy Lead