Twentieth Feb 2016..there was a riot in the new prison... other side from me.
Some fellow was imprisoned for possessing a spiff.. a weed cigarette.
He was so incensed at the injustice and counter logic at being held amongst more drugs and addicts inside the jail than outside.
So he filmed himself sitting with a group of hopeless criminal addicts all smoking meth inside the cells.
There are certain blocks where there are many who manage to continue with their addictions.
The publication of this video was a huge embarrassment to the prison managers and the wrath of all hell broke loose.
By instruction from the highest levels in government.. special forces were dispatched to the prison in order to isolate the culprits and then to further ensure that no trace of any narcotic substances remained.
The onslaught was rigorous and the inmates in the implicated block were herded outside by blackmasked helmeted special force police with shock sticks and truncheons.
This happened as Shireen approached the main front gate of the prison sunday morning 08h30 am.
The inmates herded into the back yard were in such terror as the police screamed and flailed their batons mercilessly.
The screams were heard right through the prison and the tension racked up everywhere.
Everything inside those cells within that block was removed and put on the trash heap .. trash mountain outside.
The inmates were stripped down to underpants and beaten repeatedly until they all lay cowering in silent whimpering rows on their knees with their faces in the dust .
The aircons were stripped.. tv s ripped off the walls and even the light fittings ripped open.
Drains and electrical outlets too.
No place remained un exposed and all the contraband was removed.
Every blanket and mattress all thrown out.
Three and a half hours they took to evacuate every personal item from that block and the screaming and shouting wemt on right through the day as the wardens and special forces shaved the heads and terrrorised the drug block inmates further in the yard.
They were searched again and then re admitted to their sanitised cells.
.
Poor Shireen had just chanced on the most inopportune moment to come in to visit me all the way from london so specially.
Bravely she persevered assertively and curteously and through the most unbelievable barriers set before her.
I am so honoured to have such a friend.
I was called out of my block by special escort against all the standard procedures.
But.. they fetched me.. through a completely locked down prison.
While all that terrifying prison purge was going on... starting at one end...it was to sweep right through the entire prison.
Every day after that .. another block was systematically evacuated..and purged of all normal privelaged comforts.
The drugs blocks were attacked with the most vigour and left completely bare.
The more select blocks like state security and financial sexual crimes were not quite so badly penalised and were allowed to keep most of their bedding.
The block seven.. across the way from us .. was taken out one wednesday morning.
And we heard every scream and shout and the cracking thuds of the baton impacts.
It was terrifying to hear even through the closed steel door...and the whole miserable affair went on for another five hours as we , in our block were under lockdown.
We were also moved out of our rooms on the side of the yard where the others were being manhandled and beaten .. so that we could not see what was being done to them.
Ok.. admittedly.. block seven is a very dirty and low privelaged drugs block so they were subjected to the most stringent discipline and torment.
My block eight consists of selected students who attend the mosque school daily and we have a great many privelages for the price of attending classes dilligently.
Our block is clean.. well lit and pretty well behaved in general.
There is absolutely no sign of any drug use here.
Still .. our time was coming and we had no idea when that would be.
Day after day we heard of reports of the terror the others had endured at the hands of the masked police.
I buried my fone in the aircon and knew they might find it because of the way other aircon units had been destroyed in all the other blocks.
There were no places to hide anything and most inmates resorted to hiding their fones and chargers inside their tv s.
Now let me just tell you one thing is for sure.. these police know every hiding place in these cells now and there are no new tricks.
The weekend went on by and sunday came.... where we thought just possibly ...that we had been let off the hook..
The day dragged on by ...and we waited anxiously for our turn to come .. but it didnt.
Still .. that night, i dissassembled my tiny phone and hid each component in a separate place leaving my trusty charger deep under my bed behind some boxes.
The next day i was ready... even though there was a chance that we would be passed over.
Eight .. nine.. ten oclock nothing.
I showered.. cleaned my room. Hid my knives .. took my bit of cash in my jacket.
Turned off my aircon and tv. Got changed .. went to the loo.. brushed teeth and waited.
Then there was shouting and the steel door latches oitside the main block door drew back loudly.. amd we knew ot was coming.
One little cleaner man came running into my room in sheer terror to escape the storm of black clad ..masked special fprces rushing into our block.
I stood far back im my shower doorway and waited until a policeman loudly and vigorously urged me out jabning me in the back as i grabbed my jacket off the hook near the door on my way out.
Once out in the gloomy passageway we were led into three rows where we were thorougly searched.. and to my relief there were a couple of our normal daily wardens helping out with that.
From there we were shunted roughly into the back yard where we were given the same thrashing and kicking and screaming terror treatment.
Soon we were all lined up on rows on our knees and faces into the ground.
Anyone looking up got a boot in the ass or a baton whipping.
I was a bit intrigued with all tjis terrifyongly violent discipline and was pleased to notice their caution with me .. or possibly that i had imagined it ?
I found a place next to the front corner and sat as still as possible.
But.. i was the only one out of the entire block with a grey jacket on and all the special forces had seen me.
I was separate but next to the trooper standing up front and he said in clear perfect american english .. to me.. to sit still .. do as I was told and you will not get hurt.
The beatings behind kept on as the troopers kept us cowered into the ground and one at a time those with any hair were shorn bald.
The trooper at the front asked me is clear english where i was from and why i was in jail.
I tried avoiding the chat.. but he insisted i talk louder so that everyone could hear.
I said it was a long story and he said .. well we have plenty of time.
So i gave him a fairly honest rundown carefully admitting my carelessness and culpabilities.
He commented to my credit in that respect which was a good thing.
I also took advantage of the chance to mention that embassy kept a close eye on me and aparrently were working on some arrangement with kuwait government to exchange or release wanted prisoners.
And lastly that i was sure they would let me go soon.
Then he asked me to follow him and the guy in a wheelchair to the back where i had to get my already bald head shaved by the filthy diseased clipper machine.
Then i was redirected to a position near the wheelchair inmate once again separate from the main group on the back corner where i sat with my head between knees drawn up tight..
The air was cool and there was a breeze.
I was just waiting for one of them to kick me or baton me.. i would not object.. but it would be a part of the adventure which would glow with authenticity.
Gladly.. it didnt happen.. i behaved as well as i could.
And.. i think someone had said something to them about me.
The stony ground was hard and all of our backs were aching.. and over two hours in this prolonged nose in the filthy ground position was hard going.. but the threat of a baton whipping kept us all dead still.
Remember.. these are dangerous criminals that these troopers are handling and given half the chance these criminals would do something stupid like attacking a warden.
So they have to be tough and stick to standard prcedures.. and with us.. they did that.. and actually they were very soft on us.
They even handed out water and juice which incidently had been commandeered from someones cell.
The english trooper asked me if i was cold and i said no..
He asked me why i was shivering.. was i scared.. i replied. "Yes.. a bit"
We sat for another twenty minutes or so as others had their heads shaved and the troopers inside our block continued with their savage destruction of our cells.
I listened as i sat there and heard the pidgeons high up roosting in the roof.. the crashing of the troopers on my cell i was sure.. the sound of a passenger jet high up where drinks were being served and the idle chatter of the wardens amongst themselves behind me.
The small stones dug deeply unto my bum and then we were all told to stand and stretch legs.
My back complained like an old
On chap .. my chef friend ali.. collapsed in a faint and was carried out by four inmates to the hospital for some attention.
Another chap who had managed to get permission to grow his hair because of a scalp disease was whipped mercilessly and shorn bald because he had no doctors letter.
The block search was completed and i was led out of the yard first. The english trooper said to me to follow him.
As if.. he was looking after me?
I was grateful and followed closely and he said to get in my cell..look down and dont look round.
When i was in there another walked by and said to me to sit on the bare floor.
Bare because all my carpeting pieces and blanket floor covers were thrown on a huge pile outside my door.
It was an indescribable mess.. all the contents of all the cells thrown into the middle of the block.
And one by one all the inmates were searched and let in to the block again where they clawed their way like i did over the piles of bedding and boxes and food and appliances and just so much as they went back to their cells.
It was with great relief because the ordeal was over all of a sudden.
The main door boomed shut.. and we knew the troopers were gone..
But we had one hell of a mess to clear up..
But..
One thing lay on top priority.
Had my phone been located?
Quickly i went to run my hand into the groove and to my relief.. there it was still.. and its charging cables.
I just left it there and was just so relieved .. everything else just didnt matter.
I sat down in a wrecked relieved heap and gathered my wits as i tried to figure out where to start.
My tv was gone and had to be collected grom a trolley outside.
My cables were all gone too.. but i just didnt care.. my phone and charger were miraculously all safe and sound.
Itcwas about three pm and i started washing all my towels clothes and floor blanket.
I did this so that it could dry while i tidied my room.
Took ages .. but it was good to have a spring clean and to reset my kitchen area.
The ordeal is over.. at least for a while.. others were not so lucky as many lost their phones far more expensive than mine.
They will have new ones by next month..
