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

Bahrain: Protests for democracy defy the ‘Formula of Blood’
23 April, 2013 – Socialist Worker

Yusur Al Bahrani looks how the arrival of the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain has sparked off a new round of protests

Thousands of outraged protesters could not stop the controversial Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain.

But they have exposed the brutality of the regime and attracted global attention.

The Bahraini government tried to use the race to paper over grave ongoing human rights abuses.

Thousands took to the streets in a series of protests a week prior to the race and during it, under the slogan “democracy is our right”.

Bahraini security forces killed one peaceful protester, Salah Abbas, during last year’s Formula One race.

Since then the government has increased its crackdown on peaceful protesters, activists and ordinary people.

People in Bahrain call the race “Formula of Blood”.

Many protested peacefully. Formula One organisers have shamelessly ignored the concerns of people in Bahrain.

Ali Salman, secretary general of the Al-Wefaq opposition party, agreed to meet Formula One’s boss, Bernie Ecclestone.

But the meeting never took place.

The opposition wanted to explain the rightful demands of the people in Bahrain that Formula One organisers ignored.

On 20 April, protesters tried to march to the Pearl Roundabout, which is known as Martyrs’ Roundabout.

Tens were arrested and injured. Government forces then raided homes hunting for activists.

Alaa Shehabi is a Bahraini woman activist who posted on Twitter about her horrific experience during the day.

She wrote, “Police have locked us up in a room. Women beaten up. Used CSS Spray (tear gas). Can hear screams upstairs. Shooting from upstairs.”

Revolutionary youths bought Formula One tickets and burnt them during protests.

Some youths burned tyres and filled the skies with black smoke that was captured by the cameras during the race.

The government of Bahrain considers burning tyres a terrorist act.

Yet it is the one of the few means of peaceful resistance for angry young protesters.

Minors have been detained, tried, and given harsh sentences under an anti-terrorism law that criminalises young protesters who burn tyres or block roads.

Nabeel Rajab, the president of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said during last year’s Formula One, “We would prefer if it they didn’t take part.

“I am sure the drivers and teams respect human rights.”

He is now serving a two?year sentence for peacefully exercising his right of freedom of expression.

Shockingly, Ecclestone said to journalists last Saturday, “I keep asking people, ‘What human rights?’ I don’t know what they are… The rights are that people who live in the country abide by the laws of the country, whatever they are.”

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman Al-Khalifa refused to address the issue of systematic human rights abuses escalating during the race.

He said, “This weekend is really about sport”.

Now the “sport” weekend is over, but people in Bahrain continue their battle for democracy.

Hundreds have been imprisoned, while major opposition figures had their citizenships stripped.

We can help ordinary people in Bahrain by exposing the hypocrisy of the Western governments that back Al-Khalifa regime.

Bahrain: Two Girls Arrested for ‘Terror Plot’ on Formula 1 Race
By Gianluca Mezzofiore – 23 April, 2013 – IB Times

Bahraini authorities have arrested two girls for allegedly planning to attack the Sakhir race circuit during the controversial Formula 1 grand prix which took place last weekend.

AFP has named the two girls as Nafisa al-Asfur and Rihanna al-Musawi (ages unknown), and claims they will be detained for 60 days on charges of trying to “bomb the Sakhir circuit” in the run-up to the race.

State news agency BNA quoted police as saying they arrested “two girls who were trying to carry out a terrorist act at Bahrain’s international circuit in the south, as the kingdom was hosting the Formula One race”.

The Bahraini authorities refused to give further details about the suspects, but said one of them had concealed a pillow under her clothes.

They were held at the entrance to the circuit on Saturday, the second day of practice sessions. Earlier, the interior ministry said a weapons cache including 1,000 homemade firebombs was found in a warehouse.

The race went ahead without disruption despite the backdrop of daily clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police in villages outside Sakhir. A British TV crew was forced to leave the tiny Gulf kingdom after they reported on the violent clashes taking place between protesters and the government.

Tensions heightened ahead of the race after authorities launched a crackdown on opposition activists, with local sources reporting increased house raids and arbitrary detention of protesters.

Police fired tear gas and clashed with students during a raid on Jabreya Secondary School for Boys in the capital Manama last week. Students had staged a protest demanding the release of 17-year-old Hassan Humidan, arrested in the days prior the grand prix.

Pro-democracy activist and acting president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Maryam Al-Khawaja said that the “crackdown is worsening” after media and TV cameras left Bahrain at the end of the race.

“Word of advice to Bahrain regime: you can uncover millions of ‘terrorist cells’ but it won’t make the demand for rights and dignity vanish,” she tweeted.

The activist group Human Rights First has slammed the Bahraini government’s decision to cancel UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez’s visit to the country.

“Mendez was originally supposed to travel to the country in February 2012 but that visit was cancelled by the Bahrain government just a few weeks before he arrived,” said a statement.

“Despite repeated promises that he would be allowed in next month the same thing has happened again. The US government should publicly call for his immediate access to Bahrain.

“These delays only fuel the suspicion that the regime has a lot to hide.”

The Bahraini government agreed for Mendez to visit in April 2013. However, the Bahrain News Agency has recently announced his visit is to be delayed indefinitely. …more

Bahrain uprising threatens US hegemony
By Finian Cunningham – 12 November, 2012

The Western-backed Bahraini monarchy has been facing continuous street protests… since February 2011 calling for an elected government to replace decades of misrule and corruption under one family. While the self-styled royal rulers and their hangers-on live in absolute luxury -– never having worked a day in their pampered lives -– the majority of Bahrainis live in poverty and under constant harassment from regime goons and death squads hired from neighbouring Sunni countries, such as Yemen and Pakistan.”

Connecting the dots of recent dramatic events in Bahrain spells one unmistakable message — the US-backed Al Khalifa regime is on the political ropes. It is desperately trying to defeat a determined pro-democracy movement that just won’t lie down or go away.

The regime is fighting for its very survival under unrelenting pressure from the mainly Shia population, who won’t back down in their demand for human dignity and freedom, no matter how much they are brutalized and terrorized.

But it’s not just the survival of the Khalifa regime that is at stake. It’s the entire US-backed order of Arab monarchies which has been in place for over six decades, and which is now showing cracks in the dam. This order has historically guaranteed the West a reliable source of oil; and more recently it is crucial to shoring up the bankrupt petrodollar system that Anglo-American global capitalism depends on.

Moreover, the Persian Gulf Arab dictatorships are a lucrative destination for the American and British weapons industries. The latter vital interest was underscored last week by the visit of British prime minister to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — whose sole mission was to sell $9 billion-worth of fighter jets to these regimes. The Pentagon is also planning to sell Saudi Arabia $6.7 billion-worth of military transport planes, on top of the $60 billion deal signed off last year. In an age of debt-ridden American and British capitalism, the Arab dictators are vital sources of cash.

This crucial geo-strategic backdrop to Bahrain explains the escalating repression in the tiny island kingdom against civilian protesters, with a blanket ban invoked by the regime on all public demonstrations. Bloggers and organisers caught or suspected of agitating on social media have been dealt with instant imprisonment.

Then last week saw the rulers making the extraordinary Orwellian move of deleting the nationality status of 31 Bahraini pro-democracy leaders — a move that has shocked human rights observers and which contravenes the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imagine a government making its own citizens “non-nationals.” How sinister is that?

Those draconian moves followed on the heels of suspicious explosions in the capital, Manama, and earlier last month in the village of Eker, which claimed the lives of two Indian workers and a policeman, respectively. …more

Bahraini Prison Authorities Accused of Denying Medical Treatment to Nabeel Rajab
22 April, 2013 – Human Rights First

Washington, D.C. – Prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab should be given immediate access to the medical attention he requires, said Human Rights First today. Rajab, President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), is serving a two-year prison sentences for tweeting about protests, and is reportedly being denied medical treatment for a back injury.

“Nabeel shouldn’t be in prison in the first place, but while he is, Bahrain authorities have a duty to provide him with necessary medical treatment,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “Nabeel’s wife, Sumaya, told me she just spoke to her husband on the phone. She said whenever Nabeel goes to the prison clinic, he just gets the same inadequate medication and he is forced to sit or lie down most of the day because of the severe pain.”

Rajab says he has had chronic disc problems in his back since a beating by the police eight years ago and that he is being denied proper medical attention and medication. Families of other political prisoners, including that of Mahdi Abu Deeb, President of the Bahrain Teachers Association, also say necessary medical treatment is being denied to detainees.

“It’s hard to see why the Bahrain regime would want to attract more negative attention to itself by failing to treat Nabeel’s injury,” said Dooley.

Rajab is one of the most respected and well known human rights activists in the region. In 2012, Human Rights First awarded the BCHR the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty. …more

Saudi Arabia Sends More Tanks, Arms to Bahrain
22 April, 2013 – AlManar

Saudi Arabia has sent more tanks and weapons for its troops in Bahrain during the Formula One Grand Prix auto race in Manama.

F1 protestersBahrani activists said on Sunday that the tanks were sent by heavy military transport vehicles, which crossed the main bridge that links the two neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Bahraini security forces clashed with pro-democracy protesters, who held demonstrations on Sunday across the country against the Grand Prix race.

The violence erupted when police attacked protesters blocking roads in Manama. The protesters burnt tires on roads in villages outside Manama, according to witnesses.

Protests have increased in Bahrain as the Manama regime prepares to host the controversial sporting event.

On Saturday, police fired tear gas at anti-regime demonstrators calling for the cancelation of the sporting event. …source

Bahrain F1: What happens when the cameras are gone?
by Maryam Al Khawaja – 21 April, 2013 – The Independent

Should it matter that two years later, despite ongoing, grave and widespread human rights violations, the Formula One is returning to Bahrain?

Should sports and human rights be interlinked? In February 2011, hundreds of thousands of people in Bahrain took to the streets to demand self-determination, rights, and dignity.

Their basic demands were met by the regime’s horrifically violent crackdown, backed by its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and international allies. Two years later, the most prominent human rights defenders in the country remain behind bars, some of them denied family, lawyer, and hospital visits for over a month. Today, jails contain hundreds of political prisoners, excessive use of force takes place against protesters on a daily basis, reports of torture persist, hospitals are still militarized, and the culture of impunity continues. But why is any of this relevant to the Grand Prix race?

It matters for two main reasons.

The first is that holding the Formula One race in Bahrain causes human rights violations to occur. A year ago, BCHR president Nabeel Rajab (now in prison) and colleague John Lubbock wrote a joint article in the Guardian about human rights violations that occurred inside the Bahrain International Circuit; violations which continue to go without accountability. In the past week there have been around 60 arrests, most made in residential areas close to the Formula One circuit, and people are tear-gassed inside their homes. Security forces attacked 4 different high schools, like Jabreya Secondary School for Boys, conducting arrests and tear-gassing students. Despite the presence of cameras, a protester was caught on camera being beaten then arrested by security forces in Sanad in broad daylight. The practice of severely beating protesters, and the use of unofficial torture centers in Bahrain has been ongoing for more than a year now. All this is an attempt to downscale protests during the race period, meaning that for the Bahrain Grand Prix to take place, something resembling martial law is required.

The second reason is that the people of Bahrain are calling for it to be cancelled, as are local and international NGO’s, because the regime is attempting to use it for the political whitewashing of their ongoing human rights violations. Hosting the Formula One Race in Bahrain sends a message of “everything is back to business as usual”. The regime’s constant use of words like “terrorists” and “vandals” to demonize its critics is part of its campaign to push aside calls made every day for democracy as the regime continues its violent crackdown. These are terms used by the chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, Zayed AlZayani. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Bahraini’s have taken to the streets calling for the cancellation for the Formula One race, but to no avail. Their calls fell on deaf ears as security forces attacked them with teargas, stun grenades, and birdshot pellets.

Justin Gengler wrote in his Foreign Policy article “Who Needs the Bahrain Grand Prix” that:

“..the race, hosted not far from Sakhir Palace, was conceived mostly as a diversion for society’s elite, and aptly demonstrated the misplaced social and economic priorities of the ruling family.”

There are those who say that the Formula One should not be canceled, but instead used as an opportunity to get media attention for the situation on the ground. It is true that media attention is not only appreciated, but also crucial to improving the situation on the ground in Bahrain. The question is not whether Bahraini’s benefit from the media attention which will highlight their plight as they continue their struggle for rights and freedoms, but rather what takes place during the race – and more importantly, what happens after the cameras are gone.

Salah Abbas Habib was well respected amongst the protesters. He was a father of four young children, and their only provider. During last year’s race, he was stopped by security forces, severely beaten, and shot with pellets. His dead body was found the next morning.

A group of minors were arrested in April 2012 in preparation for the Formula One. Some of them were thrown off the roof of the house they were in. They were reportedly severely beaten, which in some cases amounted to torture. They remained in prison until June that year. Some are currently in hiding, because they are wanted by authorities. Others are in prison after getting sentenced. The plight of these minors did not stop with the end of the race. …more

Between Bahrain’s villages and F1 circuit, a stark contrast
20 April, 2013 – Rueters – By Alexander Dziadosz

(Reuters) – Young men hurl rocks and petrol bombs at police. Police fire tear gas and stun grenades. Thousands gather to demand an end to a Formula One car race they see as a public relations stunt to gloss over chronic human rights abuses.

But except for the odd plume of black smoke, hardly any sign of Bahrain’s two-year-old political crisis reaches the Grand Prix race site at the Sakhir circuit in the desert about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the capital Manama.

“When they talk about human rights, I don’t know what the human rights are or what it’s all about,” Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters when asked about the political situation in Bahrain.

Hosting Formula One is a point of pride for Bahrain’s rulers, who pay an estimated $40 million a year for the privilege. An image of the circuit is on the country’s half-dinar note.

Speaking a day ahead of the race, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa – seen as one of the country’s more reform-minded officials – said it was a chance to bring the country together.

“There are families out there – fathers, mothers, children – having the best times of their lives without regard to either ethnicity, sect or social income. So, I’m happy. And I go out there and I walk among the people and I’m comfortable,” he said.

SHARP CONTRASTS IN TINY COUNTRY

Along the palm-lined streets of the Formula One paddock, foreign women wear mini-skirts and sleeveless shirts – a blunt contrast to the full black dresses and veils favoured in nearby villages.

Moving just a few hundred meters can make for a dizzying transition in the country, only a quarter the size of Luxembourg. In downtown Manama and the main roads, nothing appears amiss.

But tucked just behind bland suburban strip malls, entire neighbourhoods are coated in graffiti, some decrying the race as “Formula Blood” – others calling for the downfall of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa. Bricks, broken wood, and burn marks are evidence of protests.

Many in these mostly Shi’ite villages see the race as a ploy to deceive the world into thinking there is nothing wrong in a country they say needs urgent democratic reform. Others frame it as part of the corruption they say is widespread.

“In Bahrain, Formula One brings benefits only to the individuals behind it. The people of Bahrain don’t get any benefit from the race,” said Mohamed al-Sughayer, a 61-year-old financial consultant, at a recent protest.

“Go around in any village, and would you believe this country has had oil for 80 years?”

Almost nightly clashes between protesters and police – as well as regular peaceful rallies – have hit the Gulf Arab island kingdom since pro-democracy demonstrations started in February 2011 at the height of the Arab Spring.

The Formula One race was cancelled that year during an uprising in which a government-commissioned report said 35 people died – a figure the mostly Shi’ite Muslim opposition says is too low. …more

Foreign journalists deported as Bahrain engulfed by pre-F1 protests
20 April, 2013 – RT

Two Bahraini anti-government protesters were injured on Saturday following clashes with police, who used teargas and rubber bullets. Three foreign journalists were deported from the country as F1 is to kick off.

Clashes in Bahrain have continued overnight with two people injured in an attack on police, AFP reports, adding practice sessions for Sunday’s Formula 1 race at the Sakhir circuit in the south were unaffected by the unrest.

Protests and clashes broke out in nearly 20 villages on Friday evening and night, according to Sayed Yousif al-Muhafda from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

“The riot police came and attacked them with teargas and shotguns and rubber bullets,” Muhafda said to Reuters.

Government officials have been trying to downplay the scale of violence, describing the overnight clashes as “the normal sort.”

“They are trying to exaggerate for the media before the Formula One race. They are working very hard to show a bad image of Bahrain,” Information Minister Samira Rajab said.

On Friday three journalists working for Britain’s ITV were asked to leave Bahrain. The country’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) explained the ITV team was deported because it “exercised media activities without obtaining a license from the competent authorities.”

ITV, however, insists its journalists had the media visas necessary to work in the country.

“Our news team were on assignment with visas approved by the Bahraini authorities,” a spokeswoman for ITV News is cited by The Guardian.

Last year, Bahrain denied entry to many journalists, including those representing the media holding rights to broadcast Formula 1 grand prix.

ITV Journalists were expelled on Friday, the same day the US Department of State issued its 2012 country report, pointing at Bahrain’s human rights violations.

“In practice the government limited freedom of speech and press through active prosecution of individuals under libel, slander, and national security laws; firing or attacking civilian and professional journalists; and proposing legislation to limit speech in print and social media,” the report says. …more

NGOs Release Two New Reports on Torture in Bahrain
20 April, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- REDRESS and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) issued a significant new report on torture in Bahrain.

Entitled Bahrain: Fundamental Reform or torture without end? the report describes torture as an integral part of the ongoing crisis in Bahrain, bahrainf1.wordpress.com reported.

The press release reads in part, “In 2011 the Bahrain International Commission of Inquiry (BICI) found that torture and ill-treatment had been used systematically to respond to protests in Bahrain. While the Government of Bahrain has taken some steps to implement the recommendations of the BICI, torture and ill-treatment continue and obligations towards victims have not been met.”

“Bahrain must address the legacy of torture and ill-treatment, as the practice continues to be documented in a number of different contexts, both in detention and by riot police who are ostensibly controlling protests,” said Lutz Oette, counsel at REDRESS. “Providing victims of torture and ill-treatment the reparation promised after the BICI report, and guaranteed to them under international law constitutes an overdue and important first step towards that end.”

Earlier Friday, the Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organisation (BRAVO) issued its latest report: Resurgence of Sexual Violence as a Torture Technique in Bahrain.

The report summary reads,” sexual violence in its many forms has re-emerged as a torture technique in Bahrain. The Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry report contains a disturbing litany of testimonies from victims of sexual violence occurring since February 2011.”

“Human Rights Watch had noted ongoing violations before 2010 but there has been a dramatic upsurge in rape, sodomy, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation of detainees in recent years.”

“Despite numerous testimonies and the findings of the BICI report the Bahraini government denies that sexual violence occurs in their prisons and detention centers.
Bahrain is a signatory of the Convention Against Torture and should repeal laws such as Law 56, 2002, which offers impunity for those responsible.”

BRAVO calls for an independent review of all claims of sexual violence against detainees in Bahrain under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The reports come just days after the death of Colonel Ian Henderson, a British citizen who, for several decades, headed state security in Bahrain as an advisor to the government. Grave accusations of torture have been leveled against Henderson, earning him the nickname “The Butcher of Bahrain”. In 1984, he received a CBE from Queen Elizabeth, for his “services to British interests in Bahrain”. Middle East expert Emile Nakleh, who encountered Henderson in the 1970s, wrote about him on Thursday in a piece entitled: Ian Henderson and Repression in Bahrain: A Forty-Year Legacy.
Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty. …more

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

Session: 2012-13
Date tabled: 15.04.2013
Primary sponsor: Clark, Katy
Sponsors: Anderson, David, Hemming, John, Long, Naomi, Lucas, Caroline, Slaughter, Andy

That this House calls for a boycott of the forthcoming Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix on moral grounds, given the continued human rights abuses committed by the Bahrain government against its citizens as detailed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations; believes that if it went ahead, the race would be used by the Bahrain government to present a false image to the world; is concerned that the human rights situation has not improved since the 2012 race; notes that the Bahrain government has failed to implement reforms it pledged to enact in 2011; and further notes that the Bahrain government is keeping prominent human rights defenders and political activists behind bars and continues to suppress, injure and kill peaceful protestors with excessive tear gas and birdshot. …more

…more

Protesters call for GP to be axed
17 April, 2013 – The Sun

A MAJOR anti-F1 protest is planned ahead of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Activists have even demanded the race be cancelled.

But F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt insist it will go ahead as planned.

Khalil al Marzooq, a senior Al Wefaq leader, announced the demonstration and declared: “The government wants the world to believe the situation is normal.

“Bahrain is not normal. The only thing that is normal is the repression.”

A letter co-signed by four non-governmental organisations has been sent to Ecclestone and Todt.

The appeal came from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Bahrain Press Association, Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and the UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade.

The letter read: “If the race went ahead it will be taking place in a country whose government continues to commit gross human rights violations, from arbitrary arrests to torture.

“Given the global controversy and public outcry, last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was an embarrassment to the sport and all those who took part.

“The race was used by the Bahrain government to broadcast a false picture of normality. The situation in Bahrain has not improved since last year. If anything, it is getting worse.

“By continuing to race, Formula One is facilitating the culture of impunity through which the authorities have operated.

“We hope you do not repeat last year’s mistake. If you do, you will again be allowing a repressive regime to hijack your sport for political purposes.” Todt is not expected to attend the Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

However, he responded to the letter by saying: “I take note of your concerns.

“It is our firm belief that sport, and the F1 Grand Prix, can have a positive and healing effect in situations where conflict, social unrest and tensions are causing distress.” …more

Bahrain detains activists 3 days ahead of F1 race
18 April, 2013 – Al Akhbar

Bahrain has arrested several people accused of stealing and burning cars amid heightened security in the island kingdom before Sunday’s Formula One race, which the opposition sees as a chance to publicize its popular campaign.

Bahrain’s state news agency said late on Wednesday that authorities had arrested a man who later confessed to an incident in which a car burned and exploded in the country’s financial district on April 14.

Four other people accused of stealing and burning a car near a roundabout were also arrested. Another person was detained, being accused of blocking a main road and causing damage to a Bahraini’s car.

Bahrain’s main opposition bloc has called for peaceful demonstrations to be stepped up before the race, saying the global spotlight shone on the kingdom by the Grand Prix would help showcase its message of reform.

Amnesty International said human rights activists claimed dozens of protesters had been arrested ahead of the race.

“The authorities are trying to use the Grand Prix as a platform to show progress, with claims that the human rights situation has improved, whilst stepping up repression in order to ensure nothing disturbs their public image,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program deputy director in a statement on Wednesday.

“We are seeing nothing but crackdowns and token gestures to clean up the country’s image,” Sahraoui added. …more

Another Bahraini dies of tear gas inhalation
17 April, 2013 – PressTV

Another Bahraini has died due to asphyxia after inhaling poisonous tear gas fired by Saudi-backed regime forces as Manama’s brutal crackdown on protests continues.

The victim, identified as Haj Ibrahim Hassan Salman, died on Tuesday nearly 45 days after inhaling toxic tear gas fired by regime forces.

Salman, 60, was hospitalized last month after security forces fired tear gas canisters into residential areas in the town of Samaheej.

His funeral is due to be held later on Tuesday.

Scores of Bahraini civilians, mostly senior citizens and kids, have died due to the misuse of tear gas against protesters by regime forces.

Last year, Amnesty International warned about the Bahraini regime’s misuse of tear gas against protesters and called for an investigation into the tear gas-related deaths.

Bahrainis have been staging anti-regime demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising in Bahrain began.

Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations is met. …more

Era of atomic bombs over: President Ahmadinejad
16 April, 2013 – Shia Post

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the era of atomic bombs is over and the use of nuclear weapons will no longer influence political equations.

“The era of the atomic bomb is over. Atomic bombs are no longer useful and have no effect on political equations. Atomic bombs belong to the last century, and anyone who thinks he can rule the world by atomic bombs is a political fool,” Ahmadinejad said during his visit to Benin on Monday.

Ahmadinejad added that imperialism is what currently threatens the world, not nuclear weapons.

The Iranian president said world powers seek to maintain their monopoly over nuclear energy and are using propaganda tools to insinuate the idea that nuclear energy equates a nuclear bomb – which is “a big lie.”

“Nuclear energy is one thing and an atomic bomb is another. This useful energy must belong to all nations,” Ahmadinejad stated.

“We are fighting so that all nations could use peaceful nuclear energy,” the Iranian president said, adding that although monopolists were resisting, they would fail against the struggles of independent countries such as Iran, and African and Latin American states.

Those countries that possess large stockpiles of nuclear weapons deceptively claim that they are against the use of such arms, Ahmadinejad said. He added that if those countries oppose the use of nuclear weapons, they must not be in possession of the weapons.

Ahmadinejad left Tehran for a three-day tour of Africa on Sunday at the head of a high-ranking delegation.
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Ecclestone staying in AlGudhaybeyya palace fearing “minority” & the children of
15 April, 2013 – February 14 Network

Still the owner of the commercial rights for the world championship racing formula one “obscene wealth” Bernie Ecclestone continues to ignore the demonstrations demanding democratic change in Bahrain & the leaks which have reached us recently point out that Ecclestone will be in the hospitality of Alkhalifa AlGudhaybeyya palace for the duration of his stay, which means that he lives a state of fear of the demonstrators who labeled them as “minority” & “children”.

Activist Alaa AlShehabi asked him in such days last year for formula one coincided with pro-democracy protests in Bahrain, he said “i do not care about religion nor politics, check cash are in out account and if it cancelled its the best for us but we are committed to the contract with the authority, close all streets leading to the circuit, postponed the race & express your demands through peaceful means and I my self will be present in your events” this was ecclestone’s comments prior to the race “Bloody formula” which actually showed that he cares about money only.

As if he’s saying to the people of Bahrain and its dictatorship regime “go to hell, all i care about is my money” , and this was boosted more by ignoring demonstrations witnessed by the country during the race despite the arrival of some demonstrators inside the circuit & brutally arrested too. Personality of old Bernie has always been a toast to the attention of many global media due arrogance & have entered him in many occasions in war of permits with many of the characters and known men of the community. Ecclestone is not pragmatic to the bone like other economy brokers, he is a fascist as he is defending leaders like Hitler & Mussolini, in addition to what pointed to by some newspapers in varying occasions of too hot scandals with many hookers.

This is still the inhumane Ecclestone continuing to ignore the demonstrations demanding democratic change in Bahrain , with the approach of the formula one in little gulf country Bernie Ecclestone made statements which cause an uproar media saying: “the authoroties took control over the situation in Bahrain, the opposition should accept the results of the dialogue if they want their interest”, and preceded by othe statements and described protesters as”minority” and “children”, in a position proving to everyone that he does not care about bloodshed and rights violations & affirms his attachment at the same time with equations of interest and numbers of allienation of humanity! …more

Thousands protest in Bahrain ahead of Grand Prix
AFP – 17 April, 2013

DUBAI — Thousands of Bahrainis demonstrated near Manama on Saturday urging democratic reforms, part of a campaign of protests planned by the political opposition ahead of next week’s Formula One Grand Prix.

Police used tear gas and sound bombs to break up a gathering of several hundred people in Sanabes, witnesses said.

Further south, a 14-year-old boy was severely wounded in the face and two people arrested when police fired buckshot and tear gas at demonstrators, the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq said on its website.

But in Bilad Al-Qadim, several thousand people demonstrated peacefully, chanting “no to dictatorship” and “down with the regime,” witnesses said.

Under the banner “Democracy is our right,” the mainly Shiite opposition is organising a week of protests that began on Friday to coincide with the April 19-22 Grand Prix.

On Friday, Al-Wefaq chief Sheikh Ali Salman said the action was intended to support “demands for democratic transition”.

“We do not want to hold up the race, but we are trying to benefit from the increased media presence,” he said.

Salman called on his supporters to attend a demonstration planned for April 19, as the event kicks off on the Sakhir circuit south of the capital.

A second opposition group, the February 14 Movement, organised another protest on Thursday night in the village of Khamis that was broken up by police.

The demonstrations came as a report by Human Rights Watch that police have been rounding up pro-democracy activists in bid to head off protests stoked renewed controversy over the Gulf state’s hosting of the Formula One event.

Bahrain was rocked by month-long pro-democracy protests led by the kingdom’s Shiite majority in early 2011 that were crushed with the help of Saudi-led troops.

Protests have continued in Shiite villages outside the capital. Human rights groups say a total of 80 people have been killed since February 2011.

Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix went ahead against an ugly backdrop as police responded to protesters who were throwing petrol bombs by using tear gas, sound bombs and birdshot. …more

Anonymous to strike as Bahrain backs jail sentences for king insults
15 April, 2013 – RT

The Bahraini government on Monday approved proposals to impose jail terms of up to 5 years for insulting the country’s king and national symbols. It comes amid protests against the coming F1 race in Manama, as Anonymous warns a new OpBahrain is on.

In their latest move against the dissent on the streets and in cyberspace, the Gulf state’s leaders have backed the proposals to prosecute the protesters with real jail terms.

New punishments include a fine of up to 10,000 dinars ($26,500), or sentenced to jail for up to five years for defaming the king of Bahrain, or Bahrain’s flag and coat of arms.

This law can now be widely applied to the anti-government protests taking place in the country, where chants against the ruling royal family can often be heard.

But tightening laws and crackdowns on protests, in which, according to estimates by various rights groups, some 80 protesters have been killed since 2011, and dozens others have been exposed to violence and torture, has not stopped Bahraini protesters from taking to the streets.

Recently, Bahrain has been rocked by clashes and demonstrations by pro-democracy activists against the Formula One Grand Prix race taking place in the country’s capital Manama on April 21. Both Bahraini and international activists voiced their concerns about the venue, saying it is “unethical” for both F1 and the FIA to be holding such an event in a country with political detainees still jailed and reported human rights violations not investigated.

Among those who couldn’t join the protests in person was the jailed human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who’s still serving a two year prison term in connection with the February 2011 uprising in Bahrain. The opposition leader tweeted his support for the Formula One protesters from his prison cell.

Human Rights Watch said that some twenty Bahraini opposition activists have been arrested in towns near the Gulf country’s Sakhir race track since last week. The rights group claimed these arrests without warrants were “intended to intimidate” activists, along with “their families and their supporters.” The Bahraini authorities have denied that any such arrests have taken place.

The Anonymous hacktivist group has also been critical of the situation in Bahrain, and is now threatening to disrupt the anticipated F1 race in support of the protesters – at least on the cyber front.

“Anonymous will not stand by and allow you a race fueled by the blood of our freedom loving comrades in Bahrain… We are coming forward this year to wreck your little party again Mr. Eccelstone,” the group said in a statement addressing the F1 boss Bernnie Eccelstone and marking the launch of a new hacktivist action dubbed ‘Operation Bahrain.’ …more

Bahrain: Regime’s Brutality Continues, 5-Year-Old Loses His Eye
15 April, 2013 – ABNA

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Ahmed Mansour Al Nahham (5-year-old) has had his left eye surgically eviscerated as it had been fired at by regime forces during attacks on his village, Dair. The forces indiscriminately use these firearms against citizens without any supervision nor responsibility.

Al Nahham’s injured eye has been eviscerated in a hospital in Singapore. He suffered from the injury for months, his family searched for suitable treatment to rescue his injured eye. A few bird-shot pellets were previously taken out, in long medical treatment journey. Yet, he is subjected to an extensive therapy for a prosthetic eye fixation, in replace of the eviscerated eye.

Ophthalmologists alerted that his healthy right eye my get gradually side-effected, which made taking him abroad for better treatment a must.

In the mean time, the regime didn’t say a word about this inhumane crime perpetrated by its forces, and has not taken responsibility of the child’s medical treatment.

Al Nahham was shot by regime forces’ firearms while a brutal crackdown against peaceful protesters on Wednesday 13th June 2012 in his village, Dair, north of Muharraq island. It was part of the collective punishment policy adopted by the regime forces who carried him directly after he got shot, providing no further information at that time. Some amateur footages showed him carried in their hands.

Incident details explained how Al Nahham’s father was, as usual, selling fish, sitting on the sidewalk and his son Ahmed came to ask for some money for him and his brothers to buy some sweets. Suddenly, a group of regime forces headed to them and one policeman was pointing his weapon toward the child. Al Nahham’s father felt the danger and shouted, “Stop this, this is a child, this is a child”. But, nobody responded to the father, despite his louder and louder screams. The response was merely more fire. “I said he is a child, don’t you understand?”, the father shouted the loudest he could. Here, they shot at Ahmed’s eye. Hostilely, they continued the cold-bloodedly shooting and fired at his father with 78 pellets riddled all of his body.

“The 5-year-old child injury with the birdshot (Fissile Bullets) highlights the urgent need to hold those accepting such crimes accountable, and draws a big question mark about the legality and legitimacy of this internationally-prohibited usage”, Al Wefaq Liberties and Human Right Department, head, S. Hadi Mosawi said. …more