Page 327 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Trial and exile of political prisoners, March-December 1956 313

6. Evidence was given of the arrest of each of the persons
appearing before the Tribunal, It was stated that Ibrahim Fakhroo
had boen arrostod on 2 Novombor whilo trying to help a man who had
boon arrested. Fakhroo himsolf then rosisted arrest. The other
four inon were arrostod in their housos on various later dates in
November.
7* Tho various exhibits produced to the Tribunal were

identified. Exhibits 1 & 2 were stated to have been found among
papers in tho house of Abdel Bakr; Exhibit 3 in that of Shamlan; I
is
Exhibit 4 in that of Abdu Alewat and Exhibit 5 on the porson of
Isa bin Hindi. Other exhibits woro proved to have been found in
the office of the Committee in Manama in which building printing

materials and appliances were also discovered.
0. Evidence was given about tho activities of men dressed in
uniform, who were alleged by the Committee of National Union to be
Boy Scouts and who were seen to stop cars and usurp tho duties of
the Police in Manama during a strike which took place in August 1956.

These "Scouts" woro organized without the permission of tho Government
"to work for the advance of the purposes of the Committee". The
Government issued a Proclamation with the object of preventing the
use of such bodies and addressod the Committee on the subject in a
letter. (Government Proclamation No.45/1956 - Letter from H.H.
20th August 1956).

9* Evidence showed that the Higher Executive Committee was
originally formed without Government sanction. According to its
::
second notico, it was a socrot organization as tho names of members
were to be kept secret though the names of the Committee of eight
woro published, In one of its early notices it was stated that the

Committee did not aim at reducing in any was the authority of tho
Rulor. (Cominittoo Notico, 27*10.54)* On 23 March the Highner
Executive Committee changed its name, but not its object or tho
membors of its cominittoo to "Tho Committee of National Union".
It was then given recognition by the Government. The Secretary,
Abdel Rahman Bakr left after this on loavo and Abdol Aziz Shamlan
actod as Secretary.
3