Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Only seeing her husband for the last time was all that was left of her dreams. She demanded and insisted on reaching her husband and this is what indeed happened on Wednesday (June 9, 2021). How did Tahani Radhi Khalil bid farewell to her husband, the political prisoner, Hussein Barakat?

They allowed her to enter his room, which was very quiet. She looked at him and asked the attending staff if she could touch his hair. They allowed her.

She gently passed her hand over his hair and said "I promised you that I will annoy you and play with your hair if you get out of prison and here I am doing so Hussein, but I didn't expect to do this while you are dead."

She continued speaking to her husband after she held his hand as if she was playfully teasing him. She said "I wished to do so and here I am. Can you feel my fingers Abo Ali?"

Human rights activist Ibtisam Al-Saegh says "I was with his wife while she was speaking to her husband. We were all looking at his face. I don't actually know, but I feel that he smiled at us. I don't know if this actually happened or not. He looked calm. It seems that he faced death calmly. However, his lips were white as if he died thirsty. I saw his thin body. He endured a lot of pain."

Martyr Hussein Barakat, from Al-Daih, took part in the 1990s uprising. He was arrested at that time and was severely tortured. His knee ligament was torn due to being held in an upside down posture, causing him a permanent knee injury. He was then arrested in 2015 over the Zulfiqar Brigades case. Everyone knows the brutal torture defendants in this case were subjected to.

Hussein Barakat, as he told his family, was severely tortured. Investigators used to stand over his chest and press hard to force him to confess. This made martyr Barakat suffer shortness of breath for the past six years.

After being sentenced to life imprisonment, Hussein tried throughout his time in prison to support the young prisoners. He was like a compassionate father and a loving brother to them. He helped them solve problems, provided support and gave advice to everyone in need. He tried to ease the atmosphere for the tired prisoners, that's why many prisoners are in shock now, as prisoners reported.

Barakat was infected with coronavirus, and his respiratory condition deteriorated rapidly. His prison companions tried to convince the prison administration to transfer him to the hospital. He was examined by the prison doctor. Prisoners heard the doctor telling the police that he has Coronavirus and that his oxygen rate was very low. However, the police returned him to the prison cell where he remained for five days before his health deteriorated more. He was only transferred to hospital after the prison administration was sure that he was about to die.

In January 2014, his son Ali Barakat, 16, was arrested and sentenced to 22 years in prison. It has been 8 years since he was arrested. He is now 24 years old. Ali was temporarily released, with an electronic cuff secured on his foot, to attend his father's funeral and then return to prison.

The martyr's wife lives alone with her son Rida, 16, in a humble apartment in Sanabis.

The family was prevented from receiving a house from the Housing Ministry as a collective punishment by the authorities similar to what happened to family of martyr Malullah who was martyred in April inside prison.

Martyr Barakat was buried in Abo Anbara cemetery in Bilad Al-Qadeem. The family gathered at the grave after the burial ceremony. The mother hugged both of her sons and cried in agony. This was their last farewell. 

Arabic Version