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

Geneva conference: Russia to put an end to American illusions
21 February, 2014 – Ghaleb Kandil – Volrairenet.com

U.S. bets to initiate Russian pressure on the Syrian delegation at the Geneva Conference, to bring it to change its principled positions have failed. The disappointment of Washington appeared in the results of the tripartite meeting in Geneva on Friday between Russia, the United States and Lakhdar Brahimi. At this meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Gennady Gatilov, showed great firmness in opposing the Americans and the bias international envoy.

The negotiations in Geneva proves the absence of any compromise already agreed, as some political and diplomatic circles believed at the beginning of the conference. It should be clear to all analysts that the relationship between Russia and the Syrian state is built on a strong partnership and alliance, and not on orders, as is the case in the relationship between the Syrian opposition and their American, Arab and Western masters.

The Syrian crisis is the space in which the partnership between Russians and Americans is being formed. In its efforts to regain its place in the international scene, Russia is based on a solid rock: the resistance provided by the Syrian state, the advance of his troops on the ground and broad popular support that even the worst enemies of Syria can no longer deny.

In its efforts to build this new international partnership, Russia is equal with the West, even if at the beginning of the conference, she closed her eyes to the withdrawal of the invitation to Iran and limiting the representation of the Syrian opposition to the only delegation of the National Coalition. The Russians put an end, Friday, to the U.S. illusions, by fully supporting the position of the Syrian government delegation is uncompromising in priorities: the fight against terrorism must come before any other political issue, because it is the pillar of any future inter-Syrian agreement.

Washington is trying to impose the concept developed by Richard Haass of an international partnership… led by the United States! This is what the Americans are trying in Syria. But this attempt goes against the current balance of power on the ground, which allow the Syrian government, which draws its strength from its army and the support of a large part of the population, to put the world before two alternatives: a compromise built on a partnership in the fight against terrorism, supported by strong international resolutions against all states involved in supporting terrorist movements; or a military solution with the own resources of the Syrian state, which would impose a fait accompli on the field.

Through its information and opinion polls, the West knows that the popularity of President Bashar al- Assad is unwavering. The fact that the Syrian president is the target of the United States has only reinforced his popularity and his image of a Syrian popular leader who resists terrorism and defends the independence and sovereignty of his nation.
Russia wanted to send a strong message of solidarity with Syria, its people and its leader, which has attracted the admiration of the free men of the world with his will to resist. …more

Valued ‘Ally’ Saudi Arabia Supports Terrorism, Urges US War in Syria
John Glaser 18 February, 2014

Saudi Arabia, the brutal authoritarian theocracy that the democracy-promoting Washington claims as one of its closest allies, has a bit of a history of pressuring the U.S. into Middle East wars. The 1991 First Gulf War to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait was fought largely in defense of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom also encouraged the Bush administration to invade Iraq in 2003. And the Saudi king has repeatedly urged Washington to attack Iran to secure Saudi interests in the Sunni-Shia regional divide.

Saudi Arabia also has a rather incriminating and duplicitous history of harboring Islamic extremists of the al-Qaeda, jihadist type. They helped the U.S. fund the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis (and they were directed by a Saudi, named Osama bin Laden). There is even a classified record that members of Congress have claimed indicates the Saudi government’s role in the 9/11 attacks.

Since the start of Syria’s civil war, foreign jihadists have been flooding the country – many of them coming from Saudi Arabia. Al Monitor reports:

Estimates of the number of Saudis fighting in Syria range as high as 2,500. Some are hardened veterans of earlier jihads in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq. A few are compatriots of Osama bin Laden. Others traveled to Syria from the kingdom, despite individual travel bans imposed for dissident activities at home. Some traveled directly through major Saudi airports, leading many observers to conclude they were encouraged by the authorities to leave the kingdom and go fight Assad. For over two years, the Saudi government seemed to turn a blind eye to travel by its citizens — even political dissidents — to Syria.

Kuwait, which has close ties to the Saudi government, “is a major source of private funding for Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s official arm in Syria,” Al Monitor reports.
[Read more →]

Bahrain opposition calls for action on notorious prison
23 February, 2014 – Theran Times

Bahrain’s main opposition party has called on human rights organizations to take immediate action on Bahraini political prisoners who are on hunger strike.

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the Red Cross to look into the situation in the Dry Dock prison, located on the island of Muharraq, Al-Alam reported.

Around 500 prisoners are on hunger strike in the notorious prison in protest against the mistreatment of inmates.

The prisoners say they are subjected to torture during interrogation.

At least 3,000 detainees including women and children are being reportedly held in the Dry Dock prison.

Meanwhile, Bahraini regime authorities arrested the representative of Wefaq association in meetings with an international delegation visiting the country, Al-Alam reported.

A delegation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations started a two-month visit to Bahrain in order to meet the different Bahraini factions and the civil society institutions as well as the government before it reports all its findings.

The Bahraini Observatory for Human Rights met the international delegation and called on a permanent existence for the Commissioner in Bahrain, what would help in protecting the human rights in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s human rights record has come under scrutiny over its handling of anti-regime protests that erupted across the country in early 2011.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahraini cities and villages, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the U.S.-backed Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters. …more

Thousands rally demanding stringent punishment to perpetrators
23 February, 2013 – DT News

Citizens in thousands gathered in Riffa yesterday to demand implementation of stringent punishments to terrorists and killers. Over 3,000 people took out a licensed rally along Al Muaskar Highway till Awali roundabout. Organised by civil women coalitions, the peaceful march was headed by families of martyred policemen, with participation of citizens from all walks of life.

Stating that they were not associated with any political party, representative of Hafeedaat Aisha Umm Al Mumineen and Hafeedaat Bilal bin Rabah Women coalitions said, “The rally consists of the people of Bahrain who are fed-up with the persistence of terrorism in the Kingdom.” “We are basically mothers, sisters, wives and daughters and we all see the martyrs as our own family members,” said an Organising Committee member, who preferred anonymity, stating that organising the rally was a collective effort. She continued, “Nothing can compensate a brother, a father, a son or a husband who sacrificed their lives for their country and our safety.”

“We are taking out the march to remember the blood that was shed to protect Bahrain and we hope to deliver several messages. We want security personnel to know that we appreciate and support all their efforts to maintain public security and we demand the punishment of terrorists and killers,” she said. The organiser added, “Today we have MPs, councilors, activists, journalists and more taking part.” Parliamentarian Mohammed Buqais explained, “We stand here today to insist on our demand to apply the laws to all.” Family members of the martyred policemen, in unison, opined that their lost ones gifted their lives to their country. …more

Bahrain: Dictator decides to execute Bahaini youth after 3rd anniversary protests
By davidswanson – 21 February, 2014 – warisacrime.org

In a dramatic escalation of Alkhalifa enmity towards Bahrain’s people, the dictator and his entourage decided to execute a young Bahraini man. Maher Abbas Al Khabbaz on trumpeted charges. He is linked to alleged bomb making and activities that led to the death of a policeman. Five others accused in the case have received five years prison sentence. One Bahraini has also been sentenced to six years imprisonment. This case resonates with that of Isa Qambar who was executed by the regime in 1996 on unproven charges. Despite the killing of more than 150 Bahrainis no person has been executed or properly jailed.

Bahrainis and their supporters are planning big campaign next month to call for an immediate end to the Saudi military occupation of Bahrain. This will include protests inside and outside Bahrain, seminars and press conferences, public meetings with participation from anti-war campaigners and lobbying of Western governments to stand up against this evil occupation and demand the immediate withdrawal of Saudi troops from Bahrain. They will also call for removal of Alkhalifa regime which had sold the country and compromised its sovereignty. The Saudis had invaded Bahrain in mid-March 2011 and participated in atrocities against Bahrainis, their mosques, doctors, athletes, teachers, men, women and children.

Following the successful campaign to reinvigorate the third anniversary of the 14th February Revolution the Alkhalifa regime has intensified its repression and crackdown against Bahrainis. On 13th, 14th and 15th the people showed the world that their Revolution was here to stay and that the ruling clan was completely isolated. On 13th February, the people observed a general strike, with most shops closed and attendance at government’s offices at its lowest. Most parts of the country came to a standstill while protests spread to more than fifty areas. On Friday 14thFebruary there were many demonstrations as many people marched to the iconic site of the Pearl Roundabout. There were skirmishes with the foreign-staffed riot police. The regime’s Death Squads fired shotguns at the peaceful protesters, causing many injuries. On Saturday 15th February, one of the largest demonstrations ever seen in the country was staged. The political societies that had organized it esti mated the participants at more than quarter of a million people. The regime’s forces attacked the peaceful protesters and battles were fought between the Bahrainis and the foreign forces until late at night. …more

Saudi ‘seeking Pakistan arms for Syrian rebels’
23 February, 2014 – Agence France Presse

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is in talks with Pakistan to provide anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets to Syrian rebels to try to tip the balance in the war to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, a Saudi source said Sunday.

The United States has long opposed arming the rebels with such weapons, fearing they might end up in the hands of extremists, but Syrian opposition figures say the failure of Geneva peace talks seems to have led Washington to soften its opposition.

Pakistan makes its own version of Chinese shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, known as Anza, and anti-tank rockets — both of which Riyadh is trying to get for the rebels, said the source, who is close to Saudi decision-makers, requesting anonymity.

The source pointed to a visit to Riyadh earlier this month by Pakistan’s army chief of staff, General Raheel Sharif, who met Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

Prince Salman himself last week led a large delegation to Pakistan, shortly after Saudi’s chief diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal visited the kingdom’s key ally. …more

Policeman’s death calls for international co-operation
22 February, 2014 – Gulf Daily News

Apart from the street thugs, opposition figures living outside the kingdom are seriously compromising the security and integrity of Bahrain. Those countries harbouring extremists and radicals should do their international obligation of stopping or extraditing them.

Last week’s violence claimed the life of a policeman and severely wounded another officer in a bomb explosion in Dair. This heinous crime, perprtrated by the opposition is yet another sign of the policy of violence and vandalism they have been following for ages as a pretext for ‘democratic reform’.

Those opposition figures who called for the illegal rallies and the concomitant violence and vandalism are responsible for the death of the policeman. Thus they have blood on their hands.

The incident was condemned by both the government and by Western governments. The social media show that most of the condoning and agitating of violence was promoted by opposition personalities living abroad including the UK, Lebanon and Iran.

Save Lebanon and Iran. Given the Bahrain-UK long-standing relations and cooperation in almost all sectors from trade to security, the UK should help track down the perpetrators of violence in Bahrain while living abroad. They are exporting and campaigning terrorism against a sovereign nation. As it is not expected to harbour terrorists, the UK should play an active role by stopping the heinous crimes manufactured in its soil by bringing the suspects to justice.

The death of the policeman is one of courage, patriotism and heroic duty. As Ash Sweeney quotes “I have learnt that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done regardless of the consequences”.

The incident is a reflection of the degree of restraint the police forces are showing during their operations, the police being the prey rather than the predators.

On the other hand, the street thugs who have grown violent of late and use whatever means at their disposal to target security forces, including live ammunition in some instances, are becoming more sophisticated both in tactics and the forms of weapons used.

This calls for an urgent shift in the tactics and techniques used in crowd-control mechanisms and during confrontation with thugs. The use of tear gas or bird shots may not work in the future. The police need to be equipped properly, at least to protect themselves. …more

Saudi forces Attack & Beat 2 Protesters to Death in Qatif
23 February, 2014 – Jafria New

Saudi forces arrest some 150 protestersJNN 22 Feb 2014 Riyadh : Saudi regime forces have attacked and killed two anti-government activists at their home in the Qatif governorate of Eastern Province.

The two were killed when regime forces supported by armed vehicles stormed their house the town of Awamiyah. The town has been the scene of violent clashes between anti-regime protesters and Saudi forces for three years.

Witnesses said the two were harshly beaten by the regime forces and taken to hospital, where they died.

The move is considered as part of a fresh crackdown on anti-regime protests in Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, a Saudi court in Qatif sentenced seven people to jail terms of up to 20 years for taking part in protests in Qatif.

The men were also convicted of chanting slogans against the government as well as possession and making of petrol bombs and throwing them at the security forces.

Saudi security forces have attacked anti-regime protesters in the Qatif region of Eastern Province.

Security forces used live fire to break up anti-government protests in the town of Awamiyah on Friday.

In reaction to the attack, protesters set fire to an armored police vehicle during the clashes.

The move is considered as part of a fresh crackdown on anti-regime protests in Saudi Arabia.

On February 20, two anti-government activists were killed when regime forces supported by armed vehicles stormed a neighborhood in Awamiyah.

One day earlier, a Saudi court sentenced seven people to jail terms of up to 20 years for taking part in protests in Qatif. …more

Open Letter to President of Venezuela

Soon, the Battle for Venezuela
by ANDRE VLTCHEK – 21 February, 2014

They are already sewing your funeral gown, Venezuela. They are now ready to welcome you back to that world of the lobotomized, destroyed nations that are fully submissive to Western political and economic interests – Indonesia, Philippines, Paraguay, Uganda, Kenya, Qatar, Bahrain, and almost the entire Eastern Europe. There are so many places like that – it is impossible to list them all.

They want you back in their deadly embrace; they want you to be corrupt and hopeless, as you were before the “Bolivarian Revolution”.

They want you to be the top oil exporter, but with all those horrific slums hanging, like relentless nightmares, over your cities. They want your elites and your military top brass to speak English, to play golf, to drive luxury cars and to commit treason after treason, as they used to commit treason for decades, before your brave predecessor, President Hugo Chavez, began serving and literally saving the poor, in Venezuela and all over Latin America.

Those who are planning to destroy you, those who belong to the so called ‘opposition’, in their heads, are already portioning you; they are dividing your beautiful body – fighting over which parts should be taken where and by whom. They are arguing which pieces of you should stay at home, and what should be taken abroad – a leg, an arm, and your deep melancholic eyes, the color of the profound pools under the mighty waterfalls of Canaima. They want to sell your jet-black hair, as black as those evenings in the mountains, or like that endless night sky above Ciudad Bolivar.

They want everything, all that is under your skin as well as what is deep inside your body. They want your skin, too, as well as your heart.

They want your dreams, which are almost everybody’s dreams – the dreams of all those people from all over the world, people that have been oppressed, and humiliated, for centuries, up to today. They want to take your dreams and to step on them, dirty them, spit on them and to crush them.

But it is not over; it is all far from being over. You are loved and admired, and therefore you will be defended. By all means – we who love you will not be ungenerous; we will not be negotiating the price!

For many men and women, for millions all over the world, you used to be a girl; a brave, rebellious, wonderful young woman… then suddenly you became a mother and then you turned to a motherland – for all those who lacked one until this very moment. For me, too, you became a motherland… for me too!

***

I am not a Venezuelan citizen. I wish I could be, but I am not. But I have fought for Venezuela, in my own way, through my reports and speeches, through films and in my books. I fought ever since Hugo Chavez became the President, ‘my President’.

And I am proud that I fought. And now, when Venezuela is once again under vicious attack, I want to stand firmly by her side, by the side of her Revolution, by the side of El Processo, and of her great Presidents – both Chavez and Maduro!

And I want to say this, and I will say this loudly, carajo: I don’t care what passport is hanging from my pocket, but Caracas is now my capital, and Caracas is what we are going to defend, if we have to. Because in Caracas, we will be fighting for Havana, for Harare and Johannesburg, for Cairo and Calcutta, for the tiny atoll nations in the Pacific Ocean, for Hanoi, for Beijing, and even for Moscow, Asmara, La Paz, Valparaiso, Quito, Managua and for so many of the other independent, freedom-loving places of this wonderful world.

The violent activities undertaken by those so-called ‘protesters’ in Caracas have to be stopped, immediately, and if necessary, by force.

‘The opposition’ has been paid from abroad, as it has been paid, in the past and now, in China, in Eastern Europe, in Syria, Ukraine and in Thailand, as it has been paid everywhere else in the world, where the West could not manage to easily strip those ‘rebellious’ countries of all their riches, while keeping them humiliated, and on their knees. …more

Formula 1 – Red Bull hit yet more testing trouble in Bahrain
Reuters – 21 February, 2014 – eurosport.com

Australian Daniel Ricciardo managed just 28 laps at the Sakhir circuit before the team decided to suspend running to prepare the car for the final day of the second pre-season test on Saturday.

Red Bull, winners of the last four drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Sebastian Vettel, have struggled to get their Renault-powered car running reliably while Mercedes and Ferrari-powered rivals have been getting in the laps.

Vettel did 59 laps on Thursday, more than twice as many as the team had managed in all five previous days of testing in Spain and Bahrain, but the gremlins returned for his new Australian team mate.

Ricciardo did his best to sound positive, however, and said the car was definitely making progress.

“It’s coming together bit by bit. We’d love a big chunk all at once but obviously that’s not the way these things work, so we have to be a bit patient for now,” he said.

The team’s race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum said the mechanics had their work cut out and explained that the mechanical issue was not one the team had experienced previously. …more

Britain’s Prince Charles to visit Bahrain
Habib ToumiBureau – 20 February, 2014 – gn

Manama: Prince Charles will visit Bahrain and call on the royal family on Friday, the British embassy in Manama said.

“The Prince’s visit will follow his visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which took place from Monday 17 to Friday 21 February 2014,” the statement released on Friday said.

“The Prince of Wales will be welcomed by His Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Prince of Wales will then call on His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa,” the embassy said.

Iain Lindsay, the UK ambassador in Bahrain said that the UK-Bahrain relationship “is a warm, close and long-standing one.”

“Our first agreement of friendship dates from 1816, which is why over the next two years, leading up to 2016, we shall be celebrating the bicentenary of bilateral relations,” he said in the statement. “I am delighted His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales is visiting Bahrain. The British Royal Family has a strong and well-established relationship with the Bahraini Royal Family. This visit underlines the strength of the UK’s bilateral ties with Bahrain,” he said. …source

U.S., allies agree on standards for which opposition groups in Syria will receive aid
By Karen DeYoung – 20 February, 2014 – Washington Post

The United States and its principal European and Arab allies have agreed on a unified way of providing Syrian rebel groups with aid, classifying them into those who should receive arms supplies and other assistance, those who are ineligible because of clear extremist ties, and those whose eligibility requires further discussion, according to U.S. and allied officials.

Along with new initiatives by the United States and others to increase weapons shipments, rebel training, intelligence and other support, the plan — set during a U.S.-led meeting of intelligence chiefs here last week — is designed to overcome divisions among governments that have been deeply split over which opposition groups to aid and what to supply.

“The idea is that no country will act unilaterally and all will abide by the same understanding,” said one Arab official. The official called the listing a “living document” that will be constantly updated as rebel alliances shift.

It is far from the first effort to organize outside assistance over the past two years of Syria’s grueling civil war. Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France and the United States, among those who participated in last week’s meeting, have often disagreed over how to bolster the opposition and undermine Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

But officials from several European and Arab governments represented at the intelligence gathering and at other high-level U.S. meetings in recent weeks — many of whom have complained in the past about a lack of administration leadership — said there has been a substantive shift toward a more aggressive U.S. posture and a willingness by others to follow that lead. …more

Wahabi Terrorist Stone to Death a Young Girl for Operating a Facebook Account in Syria
22 February, 2014 – Jafria News

Fatoum Al-Jassem was taken to One of a Self Made Sharia court after she was caught using the social networking website, in Rakka, Syria. The Sharia court declared that using a Facebook account amounts to adultery and the girl should be punished by stoning, according to a news report published in Iran’s FARS news agency which quoted a report published in Arabic-language Al-Rai Al-Youm.

The members of the Al-Qaeda group in Iraq, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were behind the incident.

The ISIS, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is an Pure Wahabi / Salafi group based in Iraq. They have been fighting an active war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the government forces in Iraq.

The group’s ideology is based on extremely strict Ale Saud’s interpretation of Islam.

Ironically, the Al-Nusra Front operates a Facebook account of its own.

A Girl Strangled to Death as per the Punishment Declared by the Wahabi Terrorist , who rule some parts of War Torn Syria .

But War in Syria has so far claimed over 1,40,000 lives and forced millions of people to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Historians have described the war as one of the most tragic in recent times. …more

Four die in eastern Saudi Arabia police raid
20 February, 2014 – BBC

Two police officers and two men they were trying to arrest have been killed in a gunfight in Saudi Arabia’s restive Eastern Province, officials say.

The interior ministry said the officers came under fire while trying to detain “armed troublemakers” in al-Awamiya, and had “responded to the source”.

It named the civilians who were killed as Ali al-Faraj and Hussein al-Faraj.

However, opposition activists said there had been no exchange of fire and that the two men had been unarmed.

The police officers had burst into the house of a man in search of his wanted brother who was not there, they added.

Ali, the house owner’s 22-year-old son, was shot 11 times while running away, one activist told the Reuters news agency. Hussein, a 34-year-old local photographer, died “as he documented the raid”, the activist said.

The local news website mirataljazeera.net said Hussein had documented anti-government demonstrations and the funerals of the more than 20 people who have been killed in Eastern Province since early 2011.

The oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained of marginalisation at the hands of the Sunni ruling family.

Protests erupted there when the pro-democracy uprising in neighbouring Bahrain, which has a Shia majority and a Sunni royal family, was crushed with the assistance of Saudi and other Gulf troops. …more

UN Human Rights Report on North Korea could be about the U.S. or South Korea
By Stephen Gowans -Global Research – 20 February, 2014

Surely one could be forgiven for thinking that when the Washington Post’s Chico Harlan (February 17) described the conclusions reached by the UN Human Rights Commission’s investigation into North Korea that he was really describing his own country, the United States. Harlan wrote,

“The report makes for devastating reading, laying out the way North Korea conducts surveillance on its citizens (see Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s spying on US citizens…and everyone else), bans them from travel (anyone up for a visit to Cuba?), discriminates against them based on supposed ideological impurities (has the United States ever been kind to Marxist-Leninists?), tortures them (water boarding and Abu Ghraib) and sometimes banishes them to isolated prison camps, where they are held incommunicado” (recently Guantanamo and other CIA torture camps around the world to which opponents of the US regime have been rendered, more distantly, the incarceration of German-, Italian- and Japanese-Americans during WWII.)

The report recommends that North Korea be referred to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, but if the charges against North Korea are true, then surely the case for referring the United States to the same court is at least as compelling. Add the United States’ record of extrajudicial assassination, its world-leading rate of incarceration, its illegal wars, and its support for the most vile human rights violators on the planet, among them Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain, and the case for referring US leaders to The Hague is overwhelming.

The UN report says that North Korea is committing human rights violations “without any parallel in the contemporary world,” a conclusion that could only be reached by wilful blindness to the human rights violations of the United States, its democracy-abominating allies in the Gulf, and its south Korean neo-colony. South Korea, whose affronts against human rights are passed over largely in silence by the Western media (and it seems by the UN Human Rights Commission too), conducts surveillance on its citizens, bans them from travel to North Korea, discriminates against them if they hold views sympathetic to North Korea, its official Juche ideology or Marxism-Leninism, and uses its highly repressive National Security Law to lock up and intimidate anyone who has a good word to say about North Korea. …more

Five Bahraini chanters arrested following mass march
22 February, 2014

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association) – Five Bahrainis have been arrested for leading the gigantic mass prodemocracy march that took place last Saturday afternoon, February 15th. Around 300, 000 Bahrainis participated in the march demanding democratic transition and an end to the current tyrannical rule in Bahrain.

Al Wefaq said the arrests contradicts basic humanitarian principles and reflects the type of doctrine that is controlling the political situation. “Punishing citizens for expressing their opinions is a war on freedom of expression and peaceful political activism”, Al Wefaq added. It also pointed out that these measures reflect the regime’s preference of a security solution over a political one, thereby, further complicating the situation. …more

Saudi Forces Attack Protesters in Qatif Region
22 February, 2014 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi security forces attacked anti-regime protesters in the Qatif region of Eastern Province.

Security forces used live fire to break up anti-government protests in the town of Awamiyah on Friday, press tv reported.

In reaction to the attack, protesters set fire to an armored police vehicle during the clashes.

The move is considered as part of a fresh crackdown on anti-regime protests in Saudi Arabia.

On February 20, two anti-government activists were killed when regime forces supported by armed vehicles stormed a neighborhood in Awamiyah.

One day earlier, a Saudi court sentenced seven people to jail terms of up to 20 years for taking part in protests in Qatif.

Human rights groups have censured the verdicts and called on Saudi authorities to release the detainees.

Activists say there are over 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

The men were also convicted of chanting slogans against the government as well as possession and making of petrol bombs and throwing them at the security forces.

Eastern Province has been the scene of violent clashes between anti-regime protesters and Saudi forces for some three years.

Riyadh has strictly banned any gatherings across the kingdom. Several people have died in the regime crackdown on protests. …more

Bahrain sentences protester to death, jails 8
19 February, 2014 – Al Akhbar

A Bahrain court Wednesday sentenced a protester to death and jailed six others for life after they were convicted of killing a policeman a year ago, a judicial source said.

Two others were sentenced to five and six years in prison respectively on similar charges.

The officer, Mohamed Atef, died on February 14, 2013, after he was hit by a petrol bomb during clashes with protesters in a village near the capital.

In addition to killing the policeman, the nine defendants were also convicted of taking part in an “unlicensed protest”.

Death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment – 25 years – in the Gulf kingdom.

Scores have been tried over unrest in Bahrain that erupted during Arab Spring-inspired protests against the ruling al-Khalifa family in mid-February 2011.

Last year the authorities increased the penalties for those convicted of violence, introducing the death penalty or life terms in cases which resulted in deaths or injuries.

A policeman was killed in similar circumstances on February 14 this year during protests marking the third anniversary of the uprising.

And on Sunday, a Bahrain court handed down 15-year jail terms to two people convicted of trying to kill police officers.

The International Federation for Human Rights says at least 89 people have been killed since the uprising began three years ago.

…source

Obama, Putin speak after Ukraine deal
22 February, 2014 – By Stephen Collinson – Agence France Presse

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama held “constructive” talks Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he pressed for swift implementation of a deal to end Ukraine’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

The phone call came at a prickly time in US-Russia relations with both sides at odds over Ukraine, Syria and other issues, but also after Obama took pains to reject the idea that a new Cold War-style confrontation was brewing.

A senior US official described the call as “constructive,” but also warned that the agreement reached in Kiev between the government and top opposition leaders was “very, very fragile.”

Putin and Obama agreed that the Ukraine agreement needed to be swiftly implemented and that all sides needed to refrain from violence, as they also pressed for the need to stabilize the economy.

The call touched on other issues as well, including Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar al-Assad, and the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Washington had offered staunch support for protesters in Kiev, demanding political concessions from the Moscow-backed government of President Viktor Yanukovych and had warned of “consequences” if violence, which has killed 100 people, did not stop.

The White House gave an initial welcome to the deal and praised European Union diplomats who helped to broker it. …more

Julian Assange on Being Placed on NSA “Manhunting” List & Secret Targeting of WikiLeaks Supporters
19 February, 2014 – By Amy Goodman – Democracy Now!

Top-secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden have revealed new details about how the United States and Britain targeted the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks after it published leaked documents about the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. According to a new article by The Intercept, Britain’s top spy agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, secretly monitored visitors to a WikiLeaks website by collecting their IP addresses in real time, as well as the search terms used to reach the site. One document from 2010 shows that the National Security Agency added WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to a “manhunting” target list, together with suspected members of al-Qaeda. We speak to Assange live from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has sought political asylum since 2012. Also joining us is his lawyer Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Top-secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden have revealed new details about how the United States and Britain targeted the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks after it published leaked documents about the Afghan War. According to a new article co-written by Glenn Greenwald published this morning by The Intercept, Britain’s top spy agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, secretly monitored visitors to a WikiLeaks site by collecting their IP addresses in real time as well as the search terms used to reach the site. One document from 2010 shows that the National Security Agency added WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to a, quote, “manhunting” target list, together with suspected members of al-Qaeda.

AMY GOODMAN: Another document reveals the NSA considered designating WikiLeaks as a “malicious foreign actor.” According to The Intercept, “Such a designation would have allowed the group to be targeted with extensive electronic surveillance—without the need to exclude U.S. persons from the surveillance searches.” In addition, the leaked documents reveal the United States urged its foreign allies to file criminal charges against Assange over the group’s publication of the Afghanistan War Logs.

Joining us now from London is Wikileaks founder and editor Julian Assange, talking to us by the phone from the Ecuadorean embassy where he has political asylum since August 2012. Here in New York, we’re joined by Michael Ratner, the attorney for Julian Assange, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

When you read this, Julian — welcome back to Democracy Now! — what were your thoughts on being put on this “manhunting”—their words—”manhunting” list together with al-Qaeda? …more