…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end

MOSCOW: A senior Russian diplomat has warned the West against trying to predetermine a future leadership of Syria.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter Friday that such attempts would contradict guidelines for a political transition in Syria approved in Geneva in June.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the administration would push for a shakeup in the Syria opposition leadership so that it better represents fighters on the frontline. Washington believes that a revamped rebel leadership could rally wider international support and prevent extremists from hijacking the rebellion.

Russia has been the main supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, shielding it from U.N. sanctions over a crackdown on the 19-month uprising, in which at least 36,000 people have been killed, according to opposition activists.

…source

Protesters in Sanabis massive in tribute with the political prisoner Hassan Mushaimae

Another fine piece of total fabrication(bullshit) from “The Hill”. When Mark Toner was directly asked if his “public scolding” of Bahrain had been discussed with the Bahraini government he appeared to have absolutely no clue. The actual “Scolding” was not much more than a few words, quite to the contrary of The Hills story. The “scolding” Toner delivered is nothing new and has been uttered repetitively over the past two years of the al Khalifas relentless, tortuous and murderous bloody crackdown on protests. The only thing missing was the reference to the al Khalifa’s as “friends” and that usually follows when the King dispatches one of his relatives to visit the US in a week or two to kiss some State Department Ass. Phlipn out.

HERE is the “lengthy condemnation” of Bahrain “protest crackdown” that has been in practical effect for the last two years.

State condemns Bahrain’s crackdown on political demonstrations
By Julian Pecquet – 31 October, 2012 – The Hill

The State Department issued a tough and lengthy condemnation of Bahrain’s crackdown on protesters Wednesday, saying the United States is “deeply concerned” by the U.S. ally’s decision to outlaw public gatherings.

“Freedoms of assembly, association and expression are universal human rights,” department spokesman Mark Toner said. “We urge the government of Bahrain to uphold its international commitments and ensure that its citizens are able to assemble peacefully and to express their views without fear of arrest or detention.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to work with responsible protest leaders to find a way for peaceful and orderly demonstrations to take place. The decision to curb these rights is contrary to Bahrain’s professed commitment to reform and will not help advance national reconciliation nor build trust among all parties. We also urge the opposition to refrain from provocations and violence; violence undermines efforts to reduce tensions, rebuild trust and pursue meaningful reconciliation in Bahrain.”

The Persian Gulf kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by protests since the government quashed an Arab Spring-inspired uprising in February and March of last year, leaving more than 80 people dead. Bahrain has since established a commission of inquiry that faulted the government for systematic torture and made several recommendations to alleviate tensions.

The latest measure also threatens legal action against protest supporters amid intensifying complaints of discrimination against the Sunni-ruled country’s Shiite majority. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla al-Khalifa justified the decision by accusing protesters of fomenting violence and disrupting the economy.

Al-Khalifa on Wednesday called the ban “temporary.”

“Interior Minister: banning rallies & gatherings is a temporary decision until security is restored to protect national unity,” the Interior Ministry said on Twitter. “Freedom of expression is protected within the constitution and law.”

The Obama administration has been criticized for not supporting the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain, as it has in other Arab Spring countries. Republican candidate Mitt Romney has declined to challenge President Obama on the issue.

Great Britain has criticized Bahrain, despite signing a defense cooperation agreement with the country earlier this month.

“A blanket ban of this nature is excessive,” Alistair Burt, the British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said Tuesday.

“Peaceful protest is a democratic right. I hope the Bahraini government will rescind this measure as quickly as possible.”

The human-rights group Amnesty International has also weighed in.

“Even in the event of sporadic or isolated violence once an assembly is underway, the authorities cannot simply declare a blanket prohibition on all protests,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, the Middle East and North Africa Program deputy director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

“Such a sweeping measure amounts to nothing less than nullifying the rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. Law enforcement officials must act to protect peaceful protesters rather than using the violent acts of a few as a pretext to restrict or impede the rights of all.” …source

Mum on drones, US up on Balochistan
By: The Nation Monitoring – 1 November, 2012

UNITED NATIONS – Ducking the drone issue, the US has voiced concerns over what it called “growing instability” in Balochistan.US Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Eileen Donahoe, alleged that security squads in the province, under their kill-and-dispose of policy, have been “targeting proponents of civic rights, local activists and their families, journalists, political workers and student leaders, therefore the Baloch society has been alienating and chances of peace there have been shrinking”.

Donahoe, while taking part in the debate on the human rights situation in Pakistan during a UN Human Rights Council meeting Tuesday, demanded that this drive to gag opponents through the use of force be stopped, and those responsible for torturing and lifting people at the national level be brought to justice.

According to BBC, the US envoy also expressed apprehensions over the increasing attacks on Shias and Pakistani authorities’ sluggishness to investigate them. Donahoe, however, did not make any mention of US drone strikes that some believe she should have.

The UN Human Rights Council, elections for which are heating up, allowed a mere 80 seconds per speaker on candidate Pakistan.Including Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, most of the Western countries called for amendments to the blasphemy law in the light of the international conventions; signing of international convention against enforced disappearance of civilians; effective execution of the rights of women, children, religious and ethnic minorities; effective implementation of the existing laws to discourage the trend of forced marriages and human trafficking.

They also called for the protection of human rights activists and journalists. Algiers, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia, many African and Asian Muslim countries, and China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Sri Lanka expressed satisfaction over the progress in legislation about human rights in Pakistan, keeping in view the economic, political and terrorism challenges facing it.

Nevertheless, Indian delegation did not participate in the UN review meeting for Pakistan, although it was present in Geneva.

Speaking back to back, Sri Lanka wished Pakistan best of luck in its fight against terrorism, and Sudan raised the issue of US drone strikes. Last week, Christof Heyns as UN system Special Rapporteur responded to Inner City Press that this fight in 2009 killed some 40,000 civilians. Is this the luck being wished? Sri Lanka soon faces its own so-called Universal Periodic Review, but with even less time per speaker: only 72 seconds.

On Pakistan, Sudan raised the issue of drone strikes, days after its ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, told Inner City Press that his country would be filing a complaint against Israel with the UN Security Council for the bombing of Yarmouk compound in Khartoum.

The UNSC has been closed for five days: first for Eid and the weekend, now two days and counting for Hurricane Sandy in New York.Incoming UNSC member Australia raised Malala by name; Brazil offered some praise despite a glancing reference to ‘recent disturbing developments’.

Permanent UNSC member the UK raised the death penalty; failed UNSC candidate Canada used its time to ask a question about religious freedom.The US has been running to keep its seat on the Human Rights Council, and sent official Harold Koh to make its case at the UN Headquarters earlier this month. When Inner City Press asked about drone strikes, not only in Pakistan but also Yemen and Somalia, Koh said these comply with all international laws, a point about which Inner City Press asked Heyns, who is UN system Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions. He was less sure of their legality. But what is or can be resolved in the 80 seconds given on Pakistan? Or the 72 seconds coming up on Sri Lanka?

…source

US to break silence over Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests
By Julian Pecquet – 31 October, 2012

The Obama administration is preparing a statement addressing the ongoing crackdown against pro-democracy protests by U.S. ally Bahrain amid increasing international condemnation, a State Department official told The Hill on Wednesday.

The Persian Gulf kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, banned all public demonstrations on Tuesday. It also threatened legal action against protest supporters amid intensifying complaints of discrimination against the Sunni-ruled country’s Shiite majority. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla al-Khalifa justified the decision by accusing protesters of fomenting violence and disrupting the economy.

The State Department and the U.S. embassy in Manama have so far declined to comment. The department, by contrast, vocally condemned the death of a Bahraini policeman earlier this month when his patrol came under attack by rioters.

Al-Khalifa on Wednesday called the ban “temporary.”

“Interior Minister: banning rallies & gatherings is a temporary decision until security is restored to protect national unity,” the Interior Ministry said on Twitter. “Freedom of expression is protected within the constitution and law.”

The Obama administration has been criticized for not supporting the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain as it has in other Arab Spring countries. Republican candidate Mitt Romney has declined to challenge President Obama on the issue.

The United States is increasingly isolated, however. Great Britain has criticized Bahrain, despite signing a defense cooperation agreement with the country earlier this month.

“A blanket ban of this nature is excessive,” Alistair Burt, the British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said Tuesday.

“Peaceful protest is a democratic right. I hope the Bahraini government will rescind this measure as quickly as possible.”

The human-rights group Amnesty International has also weighed in.

“Even in the event of sporadic or isolated violence once an assembly is underway, the authorities cannot simply declare a blanket prohibition on all protests,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, the Middle East and North Africa Program deputy director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

“Such a sweeping measure amounts to nothing less than nullifying the rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. Law enforcement officials must act to protect peaceful protesters rather than using the violent acts of a few as a pretext to restrict or impede the rights of all.” …more

The BCHR Holds the King Responsible for the Spread of the Culture of Impunity which Has Claimed the Lives of Tens of Victims
31 October, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights reached compelling and extremely worrying facts, after having prepared a deep report (study) by both the Monitoring and Research Committees in the Center, looking into the cases of impunity and lack of accountability to members of the ruling family and officials in the security forces and the army who were involved in gross violations of human rights, that violate both local and international law, by committing crimes of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary executions, deprivation of life, brutal torture, mock trials and the use of excessive force. This is after the Authority in Bahrain backed with forces from the Gulf states (Peninsula Shield) – mostly from Saudi Arabia – crushed the vast national uprising that was affected by the Arab Spring and that calls for freedom and democracy in February and March 2011 and thereafter until the writing of this report.

The results of the study, which comes a year after the release of the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry [1], show that the policy of impunity is still entrenched in the doctrine of the Authority and its security institutions as a basic prevalent culture. This culture which is humanly and internationally condemned constitutes an instrument of repression and paves the way for the fall of more victims of the official excessive violence that is still practiced by the Authority in Bahrain as the only option for dealing with the peaceful demonstrators. This policy is one of the main obstacles behind limiting violations and one of the most important indicators of not implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which clearly recommended investigating the violations and holding the offenders accountable based on the level of responsibility, and it also documented cases of murder, torture and excessive use of force.

What increases the concern of the BCHR is that this systematic policy of impunity and of providing immunity to criminals and enabling them to continue with their duties and their security positions without accountability has led to more deaths among peaceful demonstrators. In August / September 2012, two young men were killed; Hussam Mohammed Jassim Al-Haddad (16 years) [2], and Ali Hassan Neamah (17 years) [3]; who were shot dead by the security forces, and which is the same way by which they killed a number of protesters in February, March 2011 and the months that followed. Instead of undertaking serious investigations in these two incidents, the Bahraini Public Prosecution quickly acquitted the policemen accused of killing Al-Haddad and Neamah, and reserved the cases, justifying that with the self-defense position they were put in which forced the policemen to use bullets and violence that leads to killing as stated by the Public Prosecution about reserving the two cases [4]. …more

Bahrain charges four men with insulting king
18 October, 2012 – The Guardian

Bahraini authorities have detained four men on charges of defaming the country’s king on Twitter, according to the state news agency BNA. The men, all in their 20s, were arrested on Wednesday morning after security forces confiscated their computers and other electronic equipment, Mohammed al-Maskati, head of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights said.

Criticising King Hamad and other members of the Al Khalifa ruling family is a serious offence in the Gulf Arab island kingdom. Bahrain’s public prosecution office had questioned four defendants and charged them with the “crime of insulting his majesty the king on their personal accounts on Twitter”, prosecutor Ahmed Bucheeri said on Wednesday, according to BNA.

The defendants will face “an urgent trial before the criminal court”, he said. No date has yet been given.

Bahrain, a US ally that hosts the US navy’s fifth fleet, has been in political turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by its Shia majority erupted last year and were put down by the Sunni rulers.

Last month, Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of an imprisoned Bahraini activist was jailed for two months for damaging public property in a police station, which included the picture of King Hamad, the government’s information authority said. Khawaja’s lawyer said her sentence was handed down for tearing up a picture of the king.

In July, prominent protest leader Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three months in jail over a tweet against the prime minister, a member of the ruling family, which the court said insulted Bahrainis. He was later acquitted on appeal.

The ruling family used martial law and help from Gulf neighbours to put down last year’s uprising, but unrest has resumed.

Protesters and police clash almost daily and Washington has called on its ally to talk to the opposition. Bahraini authorities accuse Iran of encouraging the unrest and has vowed a tough response to violent protests as talks with the opposition have stalled.
…source

Syria opposition must beware of Islamist ‘hijack’: Clinton
31 October, 2012 – Agence France Presse – The Daily Star

ZAGREB: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Washington wanted to help the Syrian opposition unite against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime but urged it to resist efforts by “extremists” to hijack the revolution.

“There are disturbing reports of extremists going into Syria attempting to take over what has been a legitimate revolution against an oppressive regime for their own purposes,” Clinton warned during a visit to Croatia.

The opposition should “strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution.”

Clinton’s comments as international Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi urged China to help end the escalating conflict that has killed more than 36,000 people since an uprising against Assad’s rule erupted in March last year.

“We are working very hard with many different elements of opposition inside and outside Syria,” Clinton told reporters, saying the United States was interested in “helping the opposition to unite strongly and resist the Assad regime”.

Washington wanted to assist the opposition “to unite behind a shared effective strategy that can resist the regime violence and begin to provide for a political transition”.

The opposition umbrella group the Syrian National Council (SNC) “can no be longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition,” Clinton said.

“They can be part of the opposition, but the opposition must include people from inside Syria and others.”

Clinton also called for an opposition “leadership structure” to ensure that all Syrians are represented and protected, adding: “There has to be a representation of those who are on the front line fighting and dying today.”

Earlier Wednesday, Syrian opposition groups, including representatives from the SNC and leaders of the Free Syrian Army, called for a transitional government in exile to be formed to win greater political support from the international community.

But in Paris, Russia warned that the “bloodbath” in Syria would continue if the West stuck to its demand for Assad’s ouster.

“If the position of our partners remains the departure of this leader who they do not like, the bloodbath will continue,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.

Fabius also said France and Russia failed to bridge their differences over Assad’s role in any future transition government at a meeting in Paris.

…source

In 2010, France made the choice to breath new life into its colonial policy. This led her to instigate a regime change in the Ivory Coast and Libya, and to aim for the same result in Syria. But faced with the fiasco of the latter operation, Paris got carried away by the wave of events that she herself unleashed. After having armed and trained terrorist groups in Syria, the DGSE has now struck at the heart of the Lebanese capital.

The Sore Losers of the Syrian Crisis
by Thierry Meyssan – Voltaire Network – Beirut (Lebanon) – 1 November 2012

A dramatic scene following the attack against Beirut’s Christian neighborhood of Achrafieh. The personal effects belonging to General Wissam that were found at the crime scene led the authorities to conclude that he had been killed. However, the forensic investigation was unable to establish that the victim was actually inside the car. The General allegedly returned the same day from Paris where he had met with his reporting officer, General Benoît Puga; however the air and border police could find no record of his arrival in Lebanon.

During a recent Round Table in Ankara, Admiral James Winnfeld, Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that Washington would reveal its intentions toward Syria once the 6 November presidential elections were over. He made it plainly understood to his Turkish counterparts that a peace plan had already been negotiated with Moscow, that Bashar al-Assad would remain in power and that the Security Council would not authorize the creation of buffer zones. For his part, Herve Ladsous, the U.N. Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, announced that he was studying the possible deployment of peacekeepers (“blue helmets”) in Syria.

All regional actors are preparing for the cease-fire which will be overseen by a U.N. force composed principally by troops of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikstan). These events signify that the United States is effectively continuing a process, begun in Iraq, of retreat from the region and has accepted to share its influence with Russian.

At the same time, the New York Times revealed that direct negotiations between Washington and Iran are slated to restart even as the United States continues its attack on Iranian monetary values. It is becoming clear that, after 33 years of containment, Washington is acknowledging that Teheran is an established regional power, all the while continuing to sabotage its economy.

This new situation comes at the expense of Saudi Arabia, France, Israel, Qatar and Turkey all of whom had placed their bets on regime change in Damascus. This diverse coalition is now suffering divisions between those demanding a consolation prize and those trying to sabotage outright the process underway.

Ankara has already changed its tune. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, previously ready for the worst, is now actively seeking reconciliation with Teheran and Moscow. Several days after insulting the Iranians and harrassing the Russian diplomats in his country, he is now all smiles. He took advantage of the Organization of Economic Cooperation in Baku to approach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He proposed a complex framework for discussing the Syrian crisis which would allow Turkey and Saudi Arabia not to be left by the wayside. Careful not to humilate the losers in the conflict, the Iranian president indicated he was open to such an initiative. …more

Excerpt – Press Briefing US Department of State

Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
October 31, 2012

TRANSCRIPT:

1:34 p.m. EDT

MR. TONER: Good afternoon. Happy Halloween. I’d like to say the reason we’re late is because I was getting into my elaborate costume, but clearly, unless you count a middle-aged bureaucrat a costume –

QUESTION: I thought it was a little Dr. Evil. (Laughter.)

MR. TONER: In any case, welcome to the State Department. And it’s good to see you all. I hope everyone made it through the storm more or less intact and that your homes and your families are safe. Certainly it was a suspenseful couple of days, but welcome back.

Just at the top, I do want to note that the United States is deeply concerned by the Bahraini Government’s decision to ban all public gatherings. Freedoms of assembly, association, and expression are universal human rights. We urge the Government of Bahrain to uphold its international commitments and ensure that its citizens are able to exercise – are able to assemble peacefully and to express their views without fear of arrest or detention. We urge the Government of Bahrain to work with responsible protest leaders to find a way for peaceful and orderly demonstrations to take place. The decision to curb these rights is contrary to Bahrain’s professed commitment to reform, and it will not help advance the national reconciliation nor build trust among all parties.

We also urge the opposition to refrain from provocations and violence. Violence undermines efforts to reduce tensions, rebuild trust, and pursue meaningful reconciliation in Bahrain. Recent violent attacks, including fatal attacks, on security force personnel are a deeply troubling development. So we urge the Government of Bahrain to take steps to build confidence across Bahraini society and to begin a meaningful national dialogue with the political opposition.

With that, I’ll take your questions.

QUESTION: Just on that —

MR. TONER: Yeah, sure.

QUESTION: — before we move onto Syria. This has been made – this position, your views have been made clear to the Government of Bahrain directly? Is that correct?

MR. TONER: Matt, I’m not sure at what level we’ve communicated these to the Government of Bahrain.

QUESTION: They’re not just hearing this from you right now?

MR. TONER: They’re not just hearing this from me, no. But I’m not sure at what level – I’m not sure whether through our —

QUESTION: Well, was it there, here?

MR. TONER: — embassy or bilaterally. I’ll have to check on that.

….source

US concerned at Bahrain’s ban on protests
31 October, 2012 – Lebanon Now

The United States on Wednesday voiced concern at Bahrain’s ban on all protests and public gatherings, urging the Gulf state to find a way to allow peaceful demonstrations to resume.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the Bahraini government’s decision to ban all public gatherings. Freedoms of assembly, association and expression are universal human rights,” acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to work with responsible protest leaders to find a way for peaceful and orderly demonstrations to take place.”

Curbing the right to assembly was contrary to “Bahrain’s professed commitment to reform and will not help advance national reconciliation nor build trust among all parties,” he told journalists.

Bahrain on Tuesday banned all protests and gatherings to ensure “security is maintained,” after a spate of clashes between Shiite-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country.

The Gulf state has been shaken by unrest since its forces in March last year crushed a month of popular protests led by members of its Shiite Muslim majority demanding greater rights and an end to what they said was discrimination against them by the Sunni royal family.

The crackdown, which drew strong criticism from international rights groups, was followed by a three-month state of emergency declared by King Hamad, during which protests were also banned.

Toner added Washington was also urging “the opposition to refrain from provocations and violence” adding recent attacks on security forces were “a deeply troubling development.”

“Violence undermines efforts to reduce tensions, rebuild trust, and pursue meaningful reconciliation in Bahrain,” he said.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to take steps to build confidence across Bahraini society and to begin a meaningful… dialogue with the political opposition.”

…source

March 14 Group’s Political Games will Never Return Them to Power
By Mohammad Irani – Mehr News Agency – 29 October, 2012 – Moqawama.com

Lebanon is facing a new security dilemma in the wake of the recent bombing in Beirut that killed the head of the intelligence unit of the country’s Interior Ministry, Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan.

In light of current developments in the Middle East and Lebanon’s special geopolitical position in the region, the repercussions of the incident were not restricted to Lebanon.

Neighboring Syria, which is still grappling with a 19-month political crisis, was roundly accused and the Lebanese opposition said it was the prime suspect.

Al-Hassan was one of the key members of the March 14 alliance and was totally opposed to Syrian intervention in Lebanon. Immediately after the bombing, some figures in the opposition seized the opportunity and accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of personally having a hand in the assassination of al-Hassan. This is obviously a new political game by the March 14 group to help it return to power, but the country’s current situation shows that there is almost no chance for the March 14 group to win such a game.

Meanwhile, after more than 19 months of chaos in Syria, the efforts of Western governments and their regional proxies to internationalize the crisis have failed. The Sassine Square bombing in Beirut was apparently another move by the anti-Syria front to intensify the crisis and pave the way for military action against the Syrian government.

The fragility of the sectarian political system in Lebanon increases the risk of civil war. This would not only harm Lebanon’s national interests but would also create a threat for neighboring countries.

However, despite the Lebanese opposition’s anti-Syria propaganda, it can be said that Syria did not gain any advantage from the Beirut bombing. In light of the internal crisis in Syria, it would be almost impossible for Damascus to commit such an act of political suicide. Moreover, after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, Syria has had a much more diminished role in Lebanon, and logically, the Syrians do not want to add to their problems in Lebanon.

The assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, who was one of Lebanon’s most senior security officials, was certainly a complicated operation that needed sophisticated intelligence support. Taking Syria out of the picture, the only other regional player that could have sponsored such an operation is “Israel”. The “Israelis” have a long record of hostility toward Lebanon and Syria, and this time, they were trying to replicate what they did in the Hariri assassination to further destabilize the region. However, the conspiracy was foiled again, and “Israel” was unable to benefit from the unrest in Lebanon. …source

Months before Assassination, Jordanian Intelligence Warned Al-Hassan: “Israel” Wants Your Head
Local Editor – Moqawama.com – 30 October, 2012

Under the title, “Wissam al-Hassan: They want my head,”, “al-Akhbar” Lebanese newspaper revealed information that reflect the possibility of “Israel’s” involvement in Achrafieyh blast; thus, the assassination of Lebanese Information Branch head.

According to “al-Akhbar” Tuesday’s editorial, the victim informed people close to him, that Jordanian officials warned him he is at the center of “Israeli” targets.

In details, months before his murder, al-Hassan told a number of his close associates about two meetings he held with the head of Jordanian intelligence [in Germany] and a minister in a direct connection with the Jordanian intelligence. “The two men reported information from meetings with “Israeli” Intelligence officials,” al-Hassan said.

Al-Hassan further revealed the content of the Jordanian officials talks with the “Israelis”, which tackled the situation in Lebanon and its consequences.

According to “al-Akhbar” sources, the Jordanians addressed al-Hassan by saying: The “Israelis” aren’t satisfied with your performance and you have to be cautious.”

In parallel, one of the two men warned al-Hassan: “You have to be careful, even in Europe .”

“Al-Hassan was aware of the fact that the “Israelis” wanted his head and said more than once that he is no longer safe during his visits to Europe,” the daily mentioned.

It also noted: “The victim knew the size of “Israeli” wrath resulting from the fall of their espionage cells in Lebanon since 2008.”

Moreover, other sources unveiled to “al-Akhbar” that “The beginning of this year carried another alert to al-Hassan.”
“He received a letter, in January 2012, from United Arab Emirates Intelligence based on reliable information that a senior officer in the Lebanese Internal Security Unit will be a target of an assassination attempt,” they said.
Al-Akhbar quoted these sources as saying: “The officer will be the target of a car bomb in the Achrafieyh, on the road between the ISF building and the ISF official’s residence.”

“Al-Hassan was surprised for until that moment , his secret office was unknown,” the newspaper added.

In this context, it also highlighted: “An Emirati official told al-Hassan that available information reflected that “al-Qaeda”, particularly a group in ain al-Helwe camp, is preparing for an assassination attempt.” …source

Bahraini Monarchy Asks For More Rebellion: “All Rallies Banned”
30 October, 2012 – The Trench

One day after a former admiral of the Fifth Fleet published a laughable defense of Bahrain’s monarchy, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and his royal circle have flashed their true colors for all to see. Of course the King’s American loyalists appear to be irreparably blinded by the island’s military use vis-à-vis Iran, but their arrogance may seriously threaten U.S. interests at some future moment.

In the immediate term, one of the fastest ways to explode any trend is to ban it.

On Tuesday Bahrain’s Interior Minister, a hawkish instrument of King Hamad’s power, announced the monarchy’s decision “to stop all rallies and gatherings until ensuring that security is maintained through achieving the targeted security to protect national unity and social fabric to fight extremism.” Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa manifests the kingdom’s ongoing attempt to delegitimize Bahrain’s pro-democracy opposition, so his rhetoric comes as no surprise to protesters and opposition leaders. Turning youthful and revolution-minded individuals into “terrorists” and “extremists” is standard procedure for Bahrain’s monarchy, a borrowed tactic used by autocracies for the last half century.

The Interior Minister argued that King Hamad, “has strived in the previous phase to protect freedom of expression by allowing rallies and gatherings, but that privilege has been abused repeatedly by organizers’ violations and the participants’ lack of commitment to the legal regulations.”

Denying the violent elements of Bahrain’s opposition is a non-starter. Rather, their actions are justified by the government’s disproportionate crackdown on a largely peaceful movement for greater representation and human rights. Governments bear a higher level of responsibility than non-government organizations, and starting a protest at a funeral is trumped by gassing that protest. King Hamad committed a fatal error when summoning Saudi Arabia and the GCC’s Peninsula Shield (along with Jordanian and Pakistani mercenaries) early into a national crisis. Repeated attempts to stage a hollow “National Dialogue” robbed the process of its credibility, and the King’s hyped Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) functions as a diversion away from the fundamental issues of parliamentary and judiciary reform – and growing calls to strip Hamad of his powers. …more

Bahrainis hold anti-regime demonstrations in Manama despite ban
31 October, 2012 – PressTV

Bahraini anti-regime protesters have once again staged rallies in the capital Manama despite a recent ban on all opposition protests and public gatherings.

The angry protesters took to the streets in support of political prisoners being held in jails, including opposition leader Hassan Mushaima.

The family of Mushaima says he is gravely ill and needs immediate medical attention.

Senior Bahraini cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim said the Al Khalifa regime has denied treatment of Mushaima in jail despite his “frightening” health condition.

Bahraini security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators in Manama.

The recent demonstration comes after Bahrain’s Interior Ministry imposed a ban on all protests and gatherings across the country and cited anti-regime demonstrations as repeated abuse of the rights to freedom of speech and expression.

“All rallies and gatherings have been suspended and no public activity will be allowed until security and stability are achieved,” said Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Tuesday.

“Rallies and gatherings will be considered illegal and legal action will be taken against anyone calling for or taking part in them.”

Bahraini protesters have been holding anti-regime demonstrations since February 2011 and they hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of demonstrators during the uprising.

The protesters say they will continue holding demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met. …source

Muqtada al-Sadr: Iraq Is Being Driven to Ruin
By: Ahmad al-Moussawiv – 25 October, 2012 – Al Akhbar

The Sadrist leader tells Al-Akhbar that the US still wields too much influence in the country, Maliki is a threat to democracy, and there is no way of resolving the political crisis.

Baghdad – The Ahrar Bloc affiliated to the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr is one of the biggest players on the Iraqi political stage, with 39 members of parliament and five ministers in the government as part of the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) coalition.

The movement began taking shape as a political current in the 1990s under Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, who was killed along with his sons Mustafa and Mumal in Najaf in 1999 by agents of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Sadr accused the US of continuing to meddle in Iraqi affairs, despite the withdrawal of most of its troops from the country, with damaging consequences for Iraqi politics.

After the 2003 US invasion in 2003, Muqtada, Sadr’s fourth son, emerged as the movement’s leader, delivering a now-famous speech after Friday prayers at the Koufa mosque in which he declared his opposition to the American presence and announced the formation of the movement’s paramilitary wing, the Mahdi Army.

The Sadrist movement has been engaged in the political process since the first post-invasion parliamentary elections in 2005. Sadr himself moved to Iran last year to complete his theological studies at the seminary of Qom, but continues to follow political development in Iraq from his base there.

In an interview with Al-Akhbar, Sadr accused the US of continuing to meddle in Iraqi affairs, despite the withdrawal of most of its troops from the country, with damaging consequences for Iraqi politics.

“The American occupation of the sacred land of Iraq had a big and negative impact on the land and the people. It took lives and plundered resources, and it continues to do so,” he said. “But perhaps the most important of these negative results is the consolidation of the occupation’s influence over the land that tormented it for years. This influence amounts to imposing military and political control and continuing its unacceptable interference with the political parties.”

Sadr charged that a number of Iraqi institutions remain under US control. “There are still many files which it continues to control, as well as some bases and detention centers, in addition to its intelligence and other influence,” he said.

“This interference will prevent Iraq from being independent and making its own regional and international decisions,” Sadr added. “America wants this in order to increase its hegemony and power internally and externally.”

Sadr was also strongly critical of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying his autocratic behavior was endangering the country’s democracy and making a resolution to the long-running political crisis in the country “impossible.”

Sadr concurred with the growing chorus of charges by Iraqi political groups that Maliki monopolizes the decision-making, and warned: “ I’ve said it in the past and will continue to say it. I do not fear for myself personally in this regard, but this behavior will ultimately result in taking Iraq away from the path of democracy and freedom, and even that of clean elections.” …more

These are fighters, brothers and cousins with a sworn allegiance to those who felled the US Trade Towers in 2001

Call me jaded but I expect the article’s author, Shadi Mokhtari, has become the poster child for the “new veneer” of Western Human Rights agenda that strangely resembles a Wooded Horse I once saw in Troy named “NGO”. Polly Anna lives for another day. The BICI Report Shadi claims as progress for Human Rights was and still is a misdirection created by forced collaboration between the State Department and Bahrain’s bloody MOI to save 10s of millions in Military Contracts from a roving “pack of liberals” back in the US.

The “New Politics of Human Rights” in the Middle East made Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights another White House doormat. To date noting substantial from the State Departments BICI has been acted upon and the systematic elimination, murder and imprisonment of “anti-regime” elements seems nears completion. The imprisonment of Nabeel Rajab and Zainnab al-Khawaja has cleared the way for the restoration of “opposition regime reformers” who have patiently waited on State Department-Regime mop-up activities to contain the Revolution.

Shadi’s references to the elimination of Hosi Mubarak as a small victory; under the bus he went to the cheers of all of us as Obama made his bid in the back-halls to hang on the CIA trained Military that has become the steering committee for the New Democratic Egypt. Sorry, at the moment it hard for me to hear the optimism of New Human Rights in the Middle East. It sounds like spinning a train wreck as an opportunity for the scrap metal dealer…. Phlipn Out.

The New Politics of Human Rights in the Middle East
By Shadi Mokhtari – 30 October, 2012 – Foreign Policy

For decades, “human rights in the Middle East” was a subject of scrutiny, debate, and mobilizations spearheaded from outside of the region. Western governments including successive U.S. administrations frequently took up the region’s dire human rights conditions and funded a variety of human rights initiatives to remedy them, in many ways as a substitute for forgoing economic and military alliances with highly repressive regimes. These foreign governments’ human rights talk was heavy in its emphasis on women’s rights and other violations for which backward cultural and religious belief were designated as the key culprits and light on its emphasis on civil and political rights violations. During the post-9/11 era, as highlighting the Middle East’s deplorable human rights conditions added a veneer of moral purpose to military interventions in the region, the “human rights in the Middle East” line of inquiry took on a life of its own and created a cottage industry of Western-driven human rights assessments and prescriptions. All the while, local voices promoting human rights were largely silenced by authoritarian rulers simultaneously paying lip service to human rights and undermining it by arguing that it served foreign, Western, imperialist agendas. Cumulatively, there dynamics resulted in minimal Middle Eastern agency in defining the nature and scope of its own predicament vis-à-vis the human rights paradigm.

Today, the region’s myriad of human rights mobilizations and contests are increasingly being spurred from within the Middle East, not abroad.

Domestically, where there have been uprisings (not facing crippling state violence) human rights have emerged at the fore of calls for political change and local human rights activists long relegated to the realm of the out-of-touch Westernized elite, have gained considerably in their legitimacy, numbers, and influence. These strengthened human rights forces now insert their voices into virtually every unfolding political contest — openly bringing past and present abuses to light and pushing human rights stances into constitutions-drafting processes, parliamentary agendas, and socio-economic policies. Where they have not been able to substantially realize their demands, they have often compelled authoritarian rulers to go to increasingly greater lengths to showcase purported commitments to rights, the most notable examples being the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and the prosecution of Hosni Mubarak.

At the same time more meaningful human rights engagements are taking shape at the regional level. Using Cairo and Tunis as venues for considerably less fettered activism, protesters and an expanding cadre of activists are posing human rights challenges across borders within the region. For instance, Egyptian NGOs put out statements on Saudi abuses, an NGO banned in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) moves to Tunisia, activists and ordinary citizens protest in front of Syrian embassies throughout the region, and Tunisian activists hold a “Friends of Bahrain” conference to show support for the Bahraini revolution in reaction to the “Friends of Syria” conference in Tunis, while Yemeni activists gather to support the hunger strike of a prominent Bahraini activist. …more