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

Saudis try to threaten UK out of human rights probe
by Avaaz Team – 15 October, 2012

Saudi Arabian officials say they feel “insulted” by a British parliamentary inquiry into the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, in the wake of concerns about Saudi and Bahraini human rights abuses since the Arab spring uprisings of last year.

In thickly loaded diplomatic language, the Saudis have said they are “re-evaluating their country’s historic relations with Britain,” and say that “all options will be looked at.”

The inference behind this could not be clearer: keep poking your nose into how we run things, publicly criticise us in any way, and your business interests will suffer.

That message, which comes just after a UK parliament committee announced a review into Britain’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, should come as little surprise. It reflects the arrangement between western powers and the Gulf kingdom for decades: stay out of our internal politics, ignore our human rights outrages, and together we’ll make lots of money.

Trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia is currently valued at £11bn – and lucrative arms deals account for a large chunk of that (the £7bn BAE Systems contract for Typhoon jets, for example). British companies with a strong presence in Saudi Arabia include Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Marks & Spencer.

Still, the hypocrisy’s worth pointing out yet again. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain brutally suppress democratic protests in their own countries, and accuse Iran of “interference”. At the same time, Saudi Arabia heavily supports Syrian rebels trying to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

British and US criticism of the Gulf monarchy to date has been shamefully muted; UK officials today have been at pains to stress that “Saudi Arabia is a key strategic partner in the region and one of the closest friends and allies”. While it’s a good sign that parliament is re-evaluating this relationship, it comes late in the day and, on current evidence, the outcome is likely to be tame. …more

Bahraini King says ‘door for dialogue open’
15 October, 2012 – Ya Libnana

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa said that the “door for dialogue is open,” when he addressed the new National Assembly on Sunday.

Al-Khalifa said that the visions for a consensus on national dialogue represent a “national desire” to start a new phase to understand what the country is going through, Al Arabiya TV reported him as saying.

He added that these visions “have led to new important constitutional amendments,” that will cement democracy and consolidate transparency, human rights and freedom of expression.

In May, the King has approved amendments to the country’s constitution that give more power to the parliament by allowing it to have more control over government ministers.

While the King hailed the armed forces and the defense ministry in “protecting the country,” he said that the “council of Human Rights accepting a report by Bahrain is a confirmation of trust that the international community has in Bahrain,” he said.

In September, the U.N. Human Rights Council accepted Bahrain’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). President of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, hailed the Kingdom for providing voluntarily an interim report to the Council prior to the next UPR.

Bahraini rulers have blamed foreign countries such as Iran for manipulating sectarian differences in the Gulf state. Iranian threats against Bahrain include possible aggravations in the coastal waters of the Gulf state as well as air attacks by Iranian-made missiles.

Opposition groups in Bahrain demand a representative parliament in a country that has Shiites forming majority ruled by a Sunni monarchy. …source

European satellite provider cuts off Iranian TV
15 October, 2012 – Associated Press

PARIS: European satellite provider Eutelsat has taken 19 Iranian television and radio broadcasters off the air as a result of European Union sanctions.

Eutelsat spokeswoman Vanessa O’Connor says the channels operated by Iranian state broadcaster Irib have been blocked for viewers in Europe and elsewhere as of Monday morning.

Eutelsat says a new round of EU sanctions against Iran adopted earlier this year included Irib. The EU toughened its sanctions against Iran as part of broader efforts to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s Press TV says Iran’s broadcasting company could seek legal action against Eutelsat.

Press TV says it’s among the channels cut by the Eutelsat decision. Others include Farsi-language channels for Iranian expatriates and Arabic-language offerings, including the news channel Al-Alam. Most are still visible in Iran.
…source

Mursi’s pardon decree ‘too little, too late’
9 October, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi on Monday issued a decree to pardon all prisoners detained during last year’s uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

The amnesty covers citizens facing trial and those serving jail sentences except for those convicted of murder, a presidential spokesman said.

But human rights lawyers say the wording of the decree is vague and open to interpretation, and that it may take months before any prisoners are released.

The decree asks the prosecutor general and the military prosecutor to prepare a list of names, within a month of the decree’s issuance, of those who may benefit from the pardon.

“It is a great step, but not enough,” said Ahmed Seif, a member of the committee formed by Mursi to review cases of those tried following the uprising. He said he had advised Mursi to specify who would benefit from the pardon.

“Now, there will be differences over how to implement the pardon, and a debate,” Seif said.

Thousands of civilians ended up in army courts in the security vacuum that followed the fall of Mubarak in 2011. The campaign group No to Military Trials had said at least 5,000 political prisoners were still in jail.

Many of those jailed were arrested in the protests that erupted during the 18 months an interim military government was in charge in Egypt under the leadership of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

Some prisoners have even been tried since Mursi took office in June.

Mohammed Gadallah, Mursi’s legal advisor, said the decree is “one of the revolution’s most important victories.”

“It shows the revolution is now in power and guides the decision-making,” Gadallah told The Associated Press. “This is a legislation that protects the revolutionaries.”

Gadallah said the decree is likely to cover all major court cases where protesters clashed with military troops and security forces. However, he admitted it is not clear how many would benefit from the pardon.

Protesters currently on trial face charges ranging from resisting authorities, damaging public or private property or disrupting public order.

More than a 12,000 civilians have been brought before military tribunals, many of them on charges such as “thuggery.”

It will be up to the prosecutor general and the military prosecutor to name those who will be pardoned. Suspects who are excluded can challenge the decision, and a judicial panel would be the final arbiter.

Seif said it could take months before pardons actually materialize. …more

Reflections on “Columbus” Day
8 October, 2012 – By Johnny Barber – Truthout

An illustration of Christoper Columbus arriving in America.An illustration of Christoper Columbus arriving in America. (Photo: L. Prang & Co., Boston)I love Columbus Day. Each year, I recall the simple song I learned as a child about the man who “discovered” America. I still recall the innocent boy whose imagination was taken by the story of adventure and discovery.

In fourteen hundred and ninety two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

On Columbus Day, I reflect on the facts of that fateful discovery. Hispaniola at the time of Columbus’ arrival was home to as many as 300,000 people. On seeing the Arawak people Columbus wrote in his journal, “At daybreak great multitudes of men came to the shore, all young and of fine shapes, and very handsome. Their eyes are large and very beautiful.” In the same entry he wrote, “It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion.” Columbus kidnapped up to 25 people, although only seven or eight survived the journey back to Spain. By 1496, it is estimated that one third of the population had been killed or taken as slaves. In 1592, fewer than 200 Indigenous people remained. By 1555, none survived.

I realize every lie and distortion I hold of my country began in that classroom all those years ago.

I love Columbus Day. It reminds me that often, even the most God-fearing individuals are the most self-deluded. In the spring of 1493, Columbus wrote to a sponsor, “They are artless and generous with what they have, to such a degree as no one would believe but him who had seen it. Of anything they have, if it be asked for, they never say no, but do rather invite the person to accept it, and show as much lovingness as though they would give their hearts.” Later in the letter Columbus went on to say, “Their Highnesses may see that I shall give them as much gold as they need … and slaves as many as they shall order to be shipped.” Though he was aware of their generosity and selflessness, rather than emulate them, he decided he would subjugate them. Columbus was the first slave trader in the Americas.

Columbus Day reminds me that my country’s origin was based on violence, subjugation, racism and genocide. As the native population was decimated, it was deemed necessary to bring slaves from Africa to the “New World” for cheap, disposable labor. Throughout the years when America was a slave republic, the wealthiest Americans were those who owned the most human beings. But we should not forget that slave owners spanned all classes. This, from America, the country founded on the idea that all human beings have equal intrinsic worth, value, and rights. The “land of the free, home of the brave,” indeed.

…more

Leonard Peltier Columbus mass murderer of Indigenous Peoples
By Leonard Peltier – 8 October, 2012 – Censored News

Greetings my relatives and friends, supporters!

I know I say this same line all the time but in reality you all are my relatives and I appreciate you. I cannot say that enough. Some of our people, as well as ourselves have decided to call today Indigenous Day instead of Columbus Day and it makes me really think about how many People who still celebrate Columbus, a cruel, mass murderer who on his last trip to the Americas, as I have read, was arrested by his own people for being too cruel. When you consider those kinds of cruelty against our People and his status, it makes you wonder to what level he had taken his cruelty. In all of this historical knowledge that is available people still want to celebrate and hold in high esteem this murderer.

If we were to celebrate Hitler Day, or Mussolini Day, or some other murderer and initiator of violence and genocide, there would be widespread condemnation. It would be like celebrating Bush Day in Iraq. It’s kind of sad to say that even mentioning Columbus in my comments gives him more recognition that he should have.

So I agree wholeheartedly with all of you out there that have chosen to call this Indigenous Day. If I weren’t Native American or as some of have come to say – Indigenous, I would still love our ways and cling to our ways and cherish our ways. I see our ways as the way to the future, for the world. Where as I and others have said over and over, and our People before us, this earth is our Mother. This earth is life. And anything you take from the earth creates a debt that is to be paid back at some time in the future by someone.

In speaking of our ways I can’t help but think of times that our sweat lodge that I feel that we could be anywhere, that we are with the Indigenous People, in that time, those moments in our prayers and in our hearts there is no distance between us. I am no longer in a prison in Florida. I can be on the prairie in South Dakota or in a lodge in British Columbia or in a lodge in South America. Or even with some of my children in a family lodge. We all need to be thankful for what we have but we cannot afford to forget what has been taken from us.

There is no amount of freedom that I could personally receive that would be restitution enough for what they have taken from me. But if in some way my incarceration and sacrifices for our People who came before me and throughout our Indigenous history serves as a pathway to a brighter future, a healthier earth, and for life of all mankind; if it would bring us together to be of one mind in protecting the future of our People, our children, and all the future generations upon the earth, then it will have been well worth it.

Indigenous Day should become a way of life that embraces all that promotes life and not just a few days out of the year. If you’re standing or sitting or whatever with whoever lives around you, give your loved ones a hug for me. Guard your freedom zealously. Rescue Mother Earth where you can. Sweat often and know that this common man, Leonard Peltier, will always be with you in the struggle, one way or another.

May the Great Spirit bless you with the things you need and enough to share.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Osceola, Geronimo, Chief Seattle and all those many others who stood for what was right and tried to right what was wrong.

Mitakuye Oyasin.
Leonard Peltier

…source

Dennis Banks: Palestinian Suffering Under U.S.-Backed Occupation Recalls Plight of Native Americans
8 October, 2012 – Democracy Now

Dennis Banks, the legendary Native American activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement, was in New York City this weekend to serve as a jurist at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, an international people’s tribunal created in 2009 to bring attention to the responsibility other states bear for Israel’s violations of international law. Banks says, “What is happening to [Palestinians] is what we went through during the last century. Unfortunately, it is the same, same people [backing it]: it is the U.S. government, which funnels money to Israel, and then it goes to hurt the Palestinian people.” [includes rush transcript]

Saad Hariri’s Future Party supplying Saudi arms to Syrian rebels: NYT
8 October, 2012 – Shia Post

Saad Hariri’s Future Party is chief supplier of Saudi weapons to the Syrian rebels, it is reported in the U.S. daily newspaper New York Times.

At the Turkish border town of Antakya late last month, Syrian rebels spoke openly of the Saudi and Qatari intermediaries who dole out weapons on behalf of their governments.

The chief Saudi supplier is said to be a Lebanese figure named Oqab Saqr, who belongs to the political coalition of Saudi Arabia’s chief ally in Lebanon, Saad Hariri.

Maysara, 40, a lean rebel commander from the northern town of Saraqib, who withheld his last name for safety reasons unveiled that “they deliver weapons once every few weeks.” In one recent shipment, he said, a 200-man fighting brigade received six Russian-made AS Val assault rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Maysara added that “Saqr seemed to struggle with supply issues; he once saw Saqr asking rebels for the name and contacts of a weapons dealer from the former Yugoslavia that he was hoping to meet.”

“The Saudi government appears to be trying to finance more secular rebel groups,” Maysara said, “while the Qataris appear to be closer to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

But these distinctions are slippery, in part because rebel groups adapt their identities to gain money and weapons. One group, in an almost comical bid for support, named itself the Rafik Hariri brigade, after the former Lebanese prime minister and Saudi ally, and whose son Saad is influential in doling out Saudi support to the rebels. …source

NATO Terrorists Mass Slaughter Civilians in Aleppo, Syria
Voltaire Network – 7 October, 2012

NATO-backed terrorism swept the northern Syrian city of Aleppo this week, killing and maiming scores of civilians. Al Qaeda-style car bombings targeted public squares throughout the city in a coordinated attack the Western press has attempted to claim was “targeting government forces.” CNN in their article “Syria: Dozens killed in blasts at Aleppo public square” [1], bases this conclusion on the discredited Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a single man, Rami Abdelrahman, who is admittedly a biased member of the so-called “Syrian opposition,” based not in Syria but in Coventry England disingenuously posing as an entire “human rights organization [2].

But even Abdelrahman’s baseless claims state that “most of the casualties were government forces” meaning that the remaining victims were indeed civilians. Attacking public squares populated with civilians using indiscriminate explosive devices in such attacks is a brazen war crime, one made possible by Western cash, armaments, and political support supplied to sectarian extremist groups starting as far back as 2007 [3].

The city of Aleppo has suffered heavily at the hands of NATO-backed terrorists, entire battalions of which consist of Libyan terrorists [4], not Syrian “freedom fighters” as the Western media attempts to repeatedly state. Libyan militants from the listed terror organization, The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) [5], are stationed, armed, and funded in NATO-member Turkey by Western and the Persian Gulf states of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, before crossing into northern Syria to carry out atrocities against the Syrian people under the guise of the so-called “Free Syrian Army.” …more

West using terror to plunder oil resources of Nigeria
7 October, 2012 – nsnbc.com

Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producing nation, is witnessing a surge in sectarian violence that is destabilizing the central government and threatening to split the country in two.

On the surface, a militant group known as Boko Haram appears to be the protagonist. But some believe that powerful Western interests are using the violence to consolidate foreign control over Nigeria’s vast oil wealth.

With a population of 160 million, Nigeria is the known as the “giant of Africa”. In addition to crude oil, Nigeria has also the biggest reserves of natural gas among Sub-Saharan nations. Western energy companies are gearing up to tap this wealth even further in the coming years. Balkanising the country into North-South entities would undermine the central government in Abuja and bolster exploitation by these corporations.

Recent national security concerns by the US government and its Western allies, Britain and France, have featured West Africa as a new global priority. These powers have warned against the rise of so-called terrorism in the region and are citing this threat as a reason for expanding their military presence in Burkino Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali and Niger. Britain’s former colony Nigeria is emerging as a supposed top Western security concern.

The cold-blooded slaughter last week of 25 students and staff at a college dormitory in northern Nigeria has been linked to the militant group, Boko Haram.

The secretive sect is blamed for nearly 1,400 killings since 2009, involving a campaign of terror that has seen bomb and gun attacks on government buildings, police stations, communication facilities, churches and even mosques.

On the country’s Independence Day last Monday night, a group of unknown armed men entered the Federal Polytechnic premises in the northeastern town of Mubi. The attackers called out students by name, according to local police, and then proceeded to execute the victims by gunshot or by slitting their throats with knives.

The killings have since sparked a desperate exodus of students from the town, and the region has become gripped by heightened fears of further bloodshed.

Boko Haram seems the most likely culprit. The reclusive network is said to want to impose a strict version of religious law and to ban all symbols of Western influence, including the central government of President Goodluck Jonathan. Western commentators have labeled the group “Nigeria’s Taliban”.

However, some Nigerian analysts believe that the organization is being used by powerful external forces as a conduit for destabilizing Nigeria. Political analyst Olufemi Ijebuode says: “The upshot of this latest massacre is to destabilize the state of Nigeria by sowing sectarian divisions among the population. The killers may have been Boko Haram operatives, but Boko Haram is a proxy organization working on behalf of foreign powers.”

“The bottom line is that this murderous attack, as with many, many others in recent years, is saying that the Nigerian government is not in control of its own country,” adds Ijebuode.

A timeline of Boko Haram’s insurgency shows a remarkable increase in violent capability. The group was first formed in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri, the northeast most state of Borno. However, it was not until mid-July 2009 that it adopted violent tactics, apparently following a heavy-handed crackdown by Nigerian security forces that involved extrajudicial killings of leading members.

In these initial violent clashes, supporters of Boko Haram were armed with rudimentary means, such as attacking police stations with motorcycles laden with fuel and even using bows and poison-tipped arrows.

Within two years, the group had acquired assault rifles and was able to mount bomb attacks in the capital Abuju, including one on the police headquarters in June 2011. Two months later, in August 2011, the United Nations headquarters in Abuja was bombed, killing 24 people.

In the following months, the group carried out a wave of coordinated bomb and gun attacks in several cities across the north of the country that resulted in hundreds of deaths. As well as government buildings, churches and mosques have been targeted in a deliberate attempt to provoke sectarian hate. …more

Bahrain: Rajab on Hunger Strike, Forces Use Hot Water against Protesters
8 October, 2012 – ABNA

Bahraini Human Rights activist Nabeel Rajab began hunger strike in prison to protest against preventing him from participating in the all 3-day funeral of his mother who died last Thursday.

Bahrain: Rajab on Hunger Strike, Forces Use Hot Water against Protesters(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Bahraini Human Rights activist Nabeel Rajab began hunger strike in prison to protest against preventing him from participating in the all 3-day funeral of his mother who died last Thursday.

“Nabeel Rajab called me Friday and informed me that he would stop eating food, drinking water and taking his medicine until he’s allowed to attend his mother’s funeral,” his wife Soumaya Rajab appealed via “Twitter”.

She added: “I spoke with the doctors and they told me that Rajab’s health would collapse after 24 hours without water and his body organs will stop from working after just three days.”

Several rallies were held in Bahraini cities in loyalty to the martyrs of the popular uprising who died recently. Some villages also saw demonstrations in solidarity with Nabeel Rajab. Rallies were met with tear gas and hot water, which is a newly used weapon by the Bahraini forces against peaceful protesters.

Rajab was set to be freed for 3 days to attend his mother’s funeral. He was freed but then arrested in the first day because of a speech he delivered which the authorities claimed as “provocative.”

In the same context, a Bahraini medic was freed on Sunday for time served in jail, just five days after he was sentenced with five colleagues in connection with last year’s anti-regime protests in the Gulf state, his lawyers said.

They said Mahmud Asghar, who was sentenced to six months, was released for time served before his conviction.

The six medics were jailed on Tuesday, a day after their convictions were upheld by the kingdom’s highest court.

The medics were among 20 doctors and nurses who worked at the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama during the popular uprising against the oppressive rule in the kingdom. …source

4 September, 2012 – BYSHR

1-Abdulwahab Hussain Ali ( life sentence imprisonment)
2-Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa ( 5 Years imprisonment)
3-Hassan Ali Mushaima.( life sentence imprisonment)
4-Abdulhadi Al Khawaja ( life sentence imprisonment)
5-Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace.( life sentence imprisonment)
6-Mohammed Habib Al Safaf. ( Mohammed Habib Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
7-Saeed Mirza Ahmed. ( Saeed AlNouri) ( life sentence imprisonment)
8-Abduljalil Mansoor Makk. (Abdul Jalil Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
9-Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos.( 5 years imprisonment)
10-Salah Hubail Al Khawaj.( 5 years imprisonment)
11-Mohammed Hassan Jawad.( 15 years imprisonment)
12-Mohammed Ali Ismael. ( 15 years imprisonment))
13-Abdul Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan ( Abdulhadi AlMukhodher) ( 15 years imprisonment)

Defendants ( in Absentia) :

14-Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh.( 15 years imprisonment)
15-Ali Hassan Abdullah.( Ali Abdulemam) ( 15 years imprisonment)
16-Abdulghani Ali Khanjar.( 15 years imprisonment)
17-Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab.( life sentence imprisonment)
18-Abdulraoof Al Shayeb.( 15 years imprisonment)
19-Abbas Al Omran.( 15 years imprisonment)
20-Ali Hassan Mushaima.( 15 years imprisonment)

…more

The Observatory: BAHRAIN: Ongoing judicial harassment and arbitrary detention of Nabeel Rajab as criminalisation and threats against human rights defenders go unabated

2 October, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Paris-Geneva, October 2, 2012 – The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), deplores the decision to further delay the trial on appeal of Mr. Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and FIDH Deputy Secretary General. Such ongoing judicial harassment and arbitrary detention is one more evidence of the continued criminalisation of human rights defenders’ activities.

On September 27, 2012, the Bahrain Appeals Court once more refused to release Mr. Nabeel Rajab on bail and further postponed the ruling on his appeal to October 16, 2012[1]. The Bahrain Appeals Court was seized by Mr. Rajab’s lawyers to contest the decision taken on August 16, 2012 by the Lower Criminal Court to sentence him to three years’ imprisonment for three cases related to his participation in peaceful gatherings in favour of fundamental freedoms and democracy. In addition, during the hearing, the court continued to deal with the three cases as separate cases, rejecting once more the request of the defence to merge them. Mr. Rajab has been detained since last July 9 and has been continuously denied release since then[2].

Moreover, during the hearing, the judge reportedly showed a DVD containing images of Mr. Nabeel Rajab at peaceful demonstrations arguing with an officer on the legality of the protest, as well as images of young people throwing Molotov cocktails during what the judge alleged was one of these protests. Mr. Rajab’s lawyers insisted that this last part did not take place at the same location nor time as those of the said peaceful protest. Mr. Rajab further recalled that none of the protests he attended had witnessed violence. Mr. Rajab’s lawyers s well as some observers who attended the hearing, consider that this part of the DVD consist in clear montages.

The Observatory is thus extremely concerned over the new postponement decided by the judge, as it aims at sanctioning Mr. Rajab’s human rights activities by keeping him in arbitrary detention. The Observatory further strongly denounces the montages broadcast in court, which clearly aim at discrediting Mr. Rajab and legitimate peaceful protests in general.

In addition, the Observatory deplores that, notwithstanding the commitments expressed on several occasion by the Bahraini authorities to make NGOs’ access to Bahrain easier, the visa request which was submitted by the Observatory on September 19, 2012 to the relevant authorities on behalf of an Observatory-mandated trial observer, was accepted only a few hours before the planned flight departure of the said observer, making it impossible for him to travel to Bahrain.

The Observatory further highlights that on September 26, Ms. Zainab Al-Khawaja, a human rights blogger who has been denouncing human rights violations of the Bahraini regime, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment on the charge of destroying government property for publicly tearing a picture of the King of Bahrain. The Observatory recalls that Ms. Al-Khawaja has been detained for almost two months[3], and has therefore already served most of the sentence. It is however unsure whether she will be released in the following days or be kept in detention, as 12 other cases have been filed against her over the past months for her participation in peaceful protests.

The Observatory is also extremely concerned about the ongoing threats of reprisals targeting Bahraini human rights defenders who cooperate with the United Nations (UN). Most recently, on September 23, the defenders who travelled to Geneva to participate in the 21st session of the Human Rights Council have been accused of “defaming Bahrain” and labelled as “traitors to the country” by pro-governmental newspaper Al-Watan. One of them even reportedly received death threats through anonymous phone calls while he was in Geneva. …more

Welcome to the Fascist States of America
4 October, 2012 – by Thurman – Thurman’s Soap Box

Dear friends and family,

I am reassured to know that you have my back, and that you have done everything to prevent the US Government from threatening to detain me indefinitely without charge for my work as a journalist and citizen.

I am not one for cultivating an exaggerated sense of self-importance. I think it takes more character and courage to live in reality. Anybody who knows me personally, knows that if this can happen to me, it can and will happen to you or someone you know.

Since January 2011, I have covered the WikiLeaks release of US State Department Cables, JTF memoranda known as the ‘GTMO files’, and revolutions across Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, and Yemen, as well as the legal proceedings against Bradley Manning and the US investigation into WikiLeaks. I have interviewed a preeminent US foreign policy expert on the Cambodia cables, and published hours of interviews with former GTMO guards, detainees, defense lawyers, and human rights activists, as well as WikiLeaks media partners: Andy Worthington, a GTMO historian and author, and Atanas Tchobanov, the Balkanleaks’ spokesman and co-editor of Bivol.bg.

Why do I do this work? Because it moves me deeply. Because I am compelled to learn and to understand. The positive results of some of my work also grants me a sense of common purpose in service to my fellow man/woman.

When the US Government said in Federal Court that they would not guarantee that I would not be indefinitely detained without charge under Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act FY2012 for articles I had written on the ‘War on Terror’, you set aside partisanship. You realized that what is as stake is more than an election. What was at stake is the safety of your friend, your daughter, a fellow citizen or journalist, as well as this nation and people across the globe. The NDAA, after all, was passed with bi-partisan support, and signed into law by President Obama.

Section 1021 of the NDAA FY2012 allows for the indefinite detention without charges or trial of anyone, including American citizens, who are deemed by the US Government to be terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. The institutions of civil society – the press and civic square – are now what our military terms an information environment in a global theater of war. The ‘War on Terror’, our military says, is fought with intelligence and information. And, the US Government has already detained journalists at Guantanamo Bay under the AUMF seeking to gain intelligence on media organizations. The President has already played a personal role in the imprisonment of a journalist covering the US ‘War on Terror’ in Yemen.

When Government contractors falsely linked a group, which I helped found – whose only purpose is to support campaign finance reform in the United States – to Al Qaeda, you were outraged.

When I was sent messages by a Government contractor saying that I was now associated with Al Qaeda and so called ‘cyber-terrorists’, you spoke out.

When emails revealed that other private security contractors with ties to the US Government were “specifically asked to connect” the group that I helped found “to any Saudi or other fundamentalist Islamic movements,” you took action.

When US Department of Homeland Security bulletins declared in error that a group that I helped found was linked to so called ‘cyber-terrorists’, you contacted your representative and presidential candidate and expressed that their support of Section 1021 of the NDAA FY2012 had the consequence of your lack of support for their candidacy.

I am especially grateful to those individuals, including a fellow journalist, who warned me privately that there were other unpublished US Government documents and that US Government agents were focusing their sights on me. They cautioned me to take special care. They understood the consequences for me.

Citizenship is a public office, but who among us can risk engaging in the body politic authentically, when we have families to provide for? Who can risk publishing about the workings of Government, our alliances, and wars when you might end up in my position?

No matter what your party affiliation, Section 1021 of the NDAA FY 2012 violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US constitution, the principles that safeguard the independence of our republic and any real freedom or lasting security for our citizens and all peoples.

If this could happen to someone like me, it can and will happen to someone like you or someone you know. None of us can afford that risk. Do something now.

Best regards,

Alexa O’Brien

..source

Jordanian lawyer: “Bahrain’s Al Khalifa regime is UK protege”
5 October, 2012 – Global Movement of Resistance

Interviewing with the Al-Alam news channel, Jawad Younis, the Jordanian attorney, accused the ruling regime of the tiny Persian Gulf island state of being anti-human rights, stressing that the country’s despotic government is trained by the UK intelligence agencies in repression, terrorism and rights violations.

He also added that the Al Khalifa regime’s existence is fundamentally wrong and illegitimate, insisting that the the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) countries are attempting to handle affairs with the aim of supporting the US’s conspiracy in the region.

Bahrain, the home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been the scene of anti-regime demonstrations since February 2011, in which scores of people have been killed and many others arrested in the brutal Saudi-backed crackdown.

Earlier in September, Katy Clark, the British Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, called on the UK government to review its relationship with the Bahraini regime, condemning Britain’s failure to support pro-democracy campaigns that are demanding the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family. …source

Bahrain Protests: Clashes Break Out In Manama
By BRIAN MURPHY – 5 October – Huffington Post

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Riot police in Bahrain used water cannons and tear gas on Friday to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach a heavily guarded site that was once the hub of their uprising.

The demonstrators marched toward Pearl Square in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, after a funeral procession for a protester who died in custody. The government said the man died of a blood disease.

An Associated Press photographer said the demonstrators hurled firebombs and rocks at troops about 700 meters (yards) from Pearl Square, where crowds gathered in February 2011 as the Arab Spring-inspired uprising erupted in the Gulf nation.

Bahrain’s majority Shiites seek greater rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. At least 50 people have died in nearly 20 months of unrest.

Dozens of opposition leaders have been jailed, including human rights activist Nabeel Rajab whose family said he began a hunger strike Friday.

Rajab was temporarily freed from prison this week to attend his mother’s funeral, but the furlough was cut short after he delivered a speech urging for protests to continue.

Amid Protests, Bahrain’s Nabeel Rajab Begins Hunger Strike
5 October, 2012 – POMED

Bahraini riot police have reportedly used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach the former site of the Pearl Roundabout. Meanwhile, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expressed concern over imprisoned human rights defender Nabeel Rajab choice to participate in a hunger strike Friday. Rajab will abstain from taking food, water and medication in protest of what he calls unjust treatment. Rajab was briefly released from prison yesterday to attend his mother’s funeral but was quickly returned to jail. …source

#FREE HASSAN #BAHRAIN #
by Rita Nalette

Just met Enas, Hassans sis. She told me abt Hassan & how much he has been thru since feb14 #bahrain twitpic.com/82qj2j

As I mentioned before 18 yr old Hassan has been arrested 4 times be4. Today is the 5th arrest he has been subjected too #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Last time Hassan was arrested it was for three month, in those months he was subjected to torture #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Before that Hassan was injured twice, the first time he was shot with birshot, which spread all over his body #Bahrain #FreeHass

Hassan still has birdshot pellet in his head, others were taken out for him at home but 1z in his head needed an xray #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Hassan like so many protesters in #bahrain was too afraid to go to hospital and therefore still has pellets in his head #FreeHassan

The 2nd time he got injured when shot with stun grenade in his thigh & close to his eye, he fell & was arrested #Bahrain #FreeHassan
While Hassan was in prison he met the BICI, they promised he would get released within days. One of the many promises they broke #Bahrain

After that Hassan was frustrated and went on hungerstrike, he got tortured more severely after that #FreeHassan #Bahrain

after his hungerstrike the other detainees were prohibited from speakin to Hassan. ANy1 who spoke to him wud be put in solitary #Bahrain

The most person who tortured Hassan during the previous detentions was officer Yousif Mulla Bkheet #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Other than the sexual assault Bkheet also tortured Hassan by hanging him, making him stand on one leg for long hours #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Bkheet forced Hassan to make animal sounds, curse his sect & leaders. He also poured very hot & cold water on him #Bahrain #FreeHassan

But even after his release a month ago Hassan could not live in peace. The threatning phone calls and msgs started #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Bkheet is not even ashamed of his act & wrote to Hassan on BB we will catch u & rape u with the black hose again #Bahrain #FreeHassan

I read 1 msg, Bkheet uses very vile language and tells Hassan, “You will be the rape martyr when I get hold of you” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Hassans older brother is a political prisoner, Bkheet told him “We will get Hassan, tell him to say goodbye to his mum” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Hassans bro said “He’s only a kid” Bkheet replied “Becuz of him they’re writing my name on the walls” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

After Hassans release he told ppl abt the torture, on the village walls protesters wrote “Bkheet ur not above Gods law” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Hassan was brave enough to speak of what he was subjected to, many men who have been thru the same wud never speak out #Bahrain

Hassan is v. brave cuz he spoke out against his torturer who still holds a position, & joins attacks on the village #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Enas says last night her brother Hassan told her “If they get me this time, I wont come out again. Thats it” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

“he looked so serious, lately he had been so scared to sleep at home. He says he felt they’re coming for him” Enas #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Hassan told his sis “I want to study, if they arrest me again I wont be able to finish my studies” #Bahrain #FreeHassan

“this morning as I slept Hassan was talking to my dad abt the protests. I yelled @ him, Keep it down! I said” Enas #Bahrain #FreeHassan

Enas wonders if her beloved brother was right & whether she will c him again. Close to her sits her youngest bro Ahmed #Bahrain #FreeHassan

16 yr old Ahmed sits with us calmly drinking milk, altho he cudv been in jail with his bro #bahrain twitpic.com/82r1v6

After gov thugs in civilian clothes took Hassan away they went to Ahmeds school to arrest him, Ahmed afraid of arrest was not there #Bahrain

Ahmeds 2 older bros are political prisoners, he is on the run. He tells me “Take my pic, I might be a political prisoner tomorrow” #Bahrain

I looked arnd me, every1 of the boys has been arrested. Altho they dont have pics of Yousif, I can tell they know his face well #Bahrain

Another girl from Hassans village had enough 2day, yesterday they arrested her cuzn & 2day she heard abt Hassans arrest #bahrain #FreeHassan

She said also she heard form Hassans family abt the death threats and decided she had enough. #Bahrain

Brave Fatima carried a flag & a sign then walked to the police station alone #bahrain #FreeHassan twitpic.com/82r7m9

Fatima sat infront of the police station with her “Free the Political Prisoners” sign, when riot police came, she didn’t move #Bahrain

A yemeni police shouted at Fatima “Leave now! you have no permission to be here” Fatima said “Permission from who?” #Bahrain

The policeman said “u need permission from the gov” 16 yr old Fatima said to him “We never voted for this government” #Bahrain

Female police were brought, they shouted at Fatima, grabbed her flag & sign and dragged her into the police station #Bahrain

Fatima was interrogated with and forced to sign a pledge before being released. Respect to our brave Bahraini girls #Bahrain

Hassan believes he wud die in prison if arrested again, lets make sure that doesn’t happen. Lets all unite to #FreeHassan #Bahrain

Now with the family of Fakhriya Jassim, 55 yrs who passed away today after her health deteriorated from tear gas on New Years eve #bahrain

Fakhriyas son showing us his mums photo, saying she was fine until tear gas suffocated her #bahrain twitpic.com/82rr0u

Fakhriyas son says a day before she died his mother kept saying “this time the tear gas is different” she cud barely talk #bahrain

The night be4 being exposed to the teargas Fakhriya was fine, she went out shopping #bahrain twitpic.com/82rrzj

Fakhriyas husband says “my wife is one of many who have died from this poison. Some reported and many not even reported” #bahrain
#USteargas

Martyr Fakhriya has left behind 5 children and 10 grandchildren. #bahrain #USteargas

When she cud speak Fakhriya asked her son to prepare her coffin, she asked him to close the windows & said “I feel its killing me” #bahrain

One of Fakhriyas sons says “we’re all suffering from the tear gas, all of us… sunnis and shia” #bahrain #USteargas

Fakhriyas son was arrested twice, the last time in november she got very scared when dozens of riot police stormed her house #bahrain

I’m sitting with some of the women who were with Fakhriya right before she was exposed to the teargas, they say she was fine #bahrain

They say “mullayah Fakhriya was such a strong woman, so outspoken and loved” #bahrain

The girl who saw her last before being taken to hospital said Fakhriyas lips were bluish, and she kept pointing to her chest #bahrain

The girl asks “what is in this teargas??! Where do they bring this poison from?!” #USteargas #bahrain

Some of the tear gas used on that night beside Fakhriyas house was green in colour, say her family #bahrain #USteargas

Baby Yaseen was born one day after his father, Fakhriyas son, was released from prison. #bahrain twitpic.com/82s68k

..source

Bahrain: Impunity for protesters’ killers: acquittal of 2 policemen and a light sentence for the third
ABNA.co -3 October, 2012

To this day, Bahraini courtrooms are being ruled by a culture of impunity and a corrupt judicial system. The policemen accused of killing of Isa Abdul Hasan, Ali Al Moamen and Hani Abdulaziz who were murdered last year have either been ruled innocent or given light sentences despite their deliberate killing of unarmed peaceful protesters….

Bahrain: Impunity for protesters(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – To this day, Bahraini courtrooms are being ruled by a culture of impunity and a corrupt judicial system. The policemen accused of killing of Isa Abdul Hasan, Ali Al Moamen and Hani Abdulaziz who were murdered last year have either been ruled innocent or given light sentences despite their deliberate killing of unarmed peaceful protesters. This comes at a time where human rights defenders are being jailed for tearing up photos of the King[1].

On 27 Sep 2012, the high criminal court acquitted 2 security men from the murder of Isa Abdul Hassan (60 years old) and Ali AlMoamen (23 years old) on Feb 17, 2011, after a show trial that lasted for months on charges of “accidental murder”. Isa and Ali were killed during the attack on the early hours of February 17 2011, when the Bahraini regime violently attacked the Pearl roundabout where protesters were camping out to demand their rights to democracy and to self-determination. They conducted a pre-dawn attack without warning, endangering the lives of women, children and elderly who were present at the peaceful sit-in. This lead to many injuries and four brutal deaths.

The public prosecution failed to press charges of deliberate murder despite evidences of shooting from very close range, and testimonies of eye-witnesses. Isa Abdulhasan was shot on the head at close range and Ali AlMoamen was killed by a shot on each of his legs, where the canister was shot directly at his body, however the public prosecution pressed charges of accidental murder. The charges were changed by the court to deliberate murder only few weeks before the verdict session. The two security men, one of them of Arab nationality and the other one Bahraini nationality, did not attend the trial as they were not under arrest. The court rejected the repeated requests of the deceased’s’ lawyers to arrest the defendants to avoid their escape, given that one of them is non-Bahraini and he can leave the country[2]. The officer who gave the order to shoot the protesters was presented to the court as a defense witness and when the lawyer requested to have him as a defendant the request was ignored. The public prosecution denied existence of any record of the murder by the hovering helicopter, in contradiction with a testimony given by one of the security officers confirming existence of the record[3].

Isa Abdul Hassan’s death was caused by shotgun pellets shot at his head from a very close range, as close as a few centimeters. The shot was aimed at his forehead, leading to his head to split open[4]. Nazeeha Saeed is a Bahraini journalist who was present at the scene and witnessed the killing of Isa Abdul Hassan. She gave her testimony at court and she was arrested and tortured for saying the same on media last year[5]. Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) investigated into the case and concluded that: “The death of Mr Hussain can be attributed to the use of excessive force by police officers. The fact that the deceased was unarmed and was shot at close range in the head indicates that there was no justification for the use of lethal force.”[6] An investigation was launched by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and on July 6 2011, two police officers were referred to the Military Court. …more

Bahraini forces clash with mourners after funeral
3 October, 2012 – Shia Post

Bahraini security forces have clashed with pro-democracy protesters after the funeral of an activist, who died in custody while serving a seven-year sentence for participating in anti-regime demonstrations, Press TV reports.

Clashes broke out on Tuesday after Bahraini forces attacked a gathering of people who had attended the funeral of 24-year-old Mohammed Mushaima. Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The opposition activist was pronounced dead at a government hospital in the capital Manama on Tuesday.

Bahraini officials say Mushaima was suffering from sickle-cell anemia and that he was admitted to the hospital on August 29. Some reports, however, say he lost his life due to “torture and medical negligence” by the authorities.

Lawyers say they had asked the court to release Mushaima because of his bad health but court rejected their request.

Several anti-regime activists have died of various illnesses while in custody over the past year and this has prompted Human Rights Watch to call for an investigation.

In September 2011, the authorities said a prisoner, whom the opposition claimed died after being tear-gassed, had passed away due to “acute respiratory” problems resulting from sickle cell anemia.

The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that the Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force in the crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.

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

White House widening covert war in North Africa
3 October, 2012 – By Kimberly Dozier – Associated Press – The Daily Star

WASHINGTON (AP) – Small teams of special operations forces arrived at American embassies throughout North Africa in the months before militants launched the fiery attack that killed the U.S. ambassador in Libya. The soldiers’ mission: Set up a network that could quickly strike a terrorist target or rescue a hostage.

But the teams had yet to do much counterterrorism work in Libya, though the White House signed off a year ago on the plan to build the new military task force in the region and the advance teams had been there for six months, according to three U.S. counterterror officials and a former intelligence official. All spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the strategy publicly.

The counterterror effort indicates that the administration has been worried for some time about a growing threat posed by al-Qaida and its offshoots in North Africa. But officials say the military organization was too new to respond to the attack in Benghazi, where the administration now believes armed al-Qaida-linked militants surrounded the lightly guarded U.S. compound, set it on fire and killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Republicans have questioned whether the Obama administration has been hiding key information or hasn’t known what happened in the immediate aftermath of the attack. They are using those questions in the final weeks before the U.S. presidential election as an opportunity to assail President Barack Obama on foreign policy, an area where he has held clear leads in opinion polls since the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.

On Tuesday, leaders of a congressional committee said requests for added security at the consulate in Benghazi were repeatedly denied, despite a string of less deadly terror attacks on the consulate in recent months. Those included an explosion that blew a hole in the security perimeter and another incident in which an explosive device was tossed over the consulate fence. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Congress in a letter responding to the accusations that she has set up a group to investigate the Benghazi attack, and it is to begin work this week.

As of early September, the special operations teams still consisted only of liaison officers who were assigned to establish relationships with local governments and U.S. officials in the region. Only limited counterterrorism operations have been conducted in North Africa so far.

…more