Bahrain Grand Prix decision has deadline extended
Monday, 2 May 2011 UK

Fernando Alonso on his way to victory in the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2010
Formula 1 bosses have given Bahrain until June 3rd to decide whether the postponed Bahrain Grand Prix will be rescheduled this year.

The Gulf kingdom was scheduled to host the opening race of the 2011 season but it was called off amid civil unrest.

A spokesman for governing body the FIA said the decision was taken after consultation with the relevant Bahraini authorities and Formula One Management. Bahrain’s race had been scheduled for 13 March but was called off in February because of anti-government protests.
Bahrain’s Crown Prince made the decision to cancel the race, with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone commenting at the time that it was the right choice.

The Gulf state is still under martial law after a month of protests which followed uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Hundreds of people have been detained for protesting. …more

Bahrain May Be Uprising Too Far for Saudis Avoiding Iran’s Grip
By Glen Carey – Mar 4, 2011 7:53 AM MT

Saudi Arabia has watched revolts unfold in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. When it comes to Bahrain, the world’s largest oil exporter may not be a mere spectator.

Protests on the neighboring island, where the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet guards Gulf oil supply, are being overshadowed by the challenge to Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi. Yet they underscore the sectarian divide in the Muslim world between Shiites and Sunnis that puts Iran on one side and Saudi Arabia on the other in a region that holds about 55 percent of the world’s crude.

“Saudi Arabia is concerned about the expansion of the Shiite crescent,” said Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. “The last thing Riyadh would want to see is Shiite rule in Bahrain. At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily.”

Instability in Bahrain might affect oil prices more than the ouster of Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later or the turmoil in Libya, according to Mustafa Alani, a regional security expert from the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.

Mainly Shiite protesters in Bahrain are demanding democracy through free elections from their Sunni monarch. Thousands of demonstrators surrounded the state television headquarters in the capital, Manama, today, shouting slogans against the royal family, after several Shiites were injured in street clashes with Sunnis late yesterday, the Associated Press reported. …more

Bahraini students hounded in Britain
by Siân Ruddick

Bahraini students who study in Britain have had their scholarships and financial support revoked by their government.
They are accused of plotting to bring down the Bahraini regime because they have protested here.
It is part of a systematic attack on Bahraini citizens who support the protests for democracy.

Ahmed and Rashid are students in Britain whose scholarships were terminated by the Bahraini ministry of education. Ahmed told Socialist Worker, “The ministry contacted my family back home to say that the government has taken my scholarship away because I took part in a protest.

“I stand in solidarity with the Bahrani people calling for freedom and justice.

Allowance

“The scholarship pays our fees and a monthly allowance. If they stop the money I won’t be able to carry on. And I can’t go back to Bahrain—if I do, there are concerns I’ll be arrested. “This has put a lot of pressure on my family. They cannot afford to support me.”

Ahmed said that he knows of at least seven students whose funding was cut after they attended a protest in Manchester. Rashid also spoke to Socialist Worker. He said, “Three days after I went on a protest the education minister called my mother. Now they have cancelled everything. …more

Bahrain renews emergency law as repression persists
4 May 2011
AI Index: PRE01/235/2011

The Bahraini government must end its relentless crackdown on human rights, Amnesty International said today after the country’s parliament voted to extend a repressive state of emergency amid continued arrests of dissidents. “The Bahraini authorities must stop detaining anyone who opposes them and release protesters who have been locked up for peacefully demanding reform,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Even since the protests on the streets were violently crushed in mid-March the government’s persecution of dissidents has not abated, while the renewal of the so-called ‘State of National Safety’ will only exacerbate this human rights crisis.” Bahraini media reported that members of parliament yesterday voted overwhelmingly to extend the “State of National Safety” for another three months, even though it is not due to expire for another six weeks.

Emergency law had been used to arrest without judicial warrant and detain incommunicado protesters and political activists, as well as to try civilians before military courts. …more

UN urges Bahrain to free detained activists
UN human rights chief calls for political prisoners be released and for independent probe into allegations of torture.
Last Modified: 05 May 2011 18:23

The United Nations human rights chief has called for Bahrain to free activists it has seized since crushing anti-government protests and for an independent probe into allegations of torture. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s remarks on Thursday were the sharpest international criticism yet of the crackdown in Bahrain where the Sunni-led government has arrested hundreds from its Shia Muslim majority since the protests began.

“All political detainees must be immediately released and all detainees must have prompt access to legal counsel,” Pillay said in a statement. “My office has also received reports of severe torture against human rights defenders who are currently in
detention… There must be independent investigations of these cases of death in detention and allegations of torture.”

At least four people have died in detention, and rights groups have criticised death sentences handed out last week to four men accused of killing policemen in March during protests that began with calls for more political liberties in the kingdom. The defendants in that case were accused of running down two policemen with a car in March. Also on Thursday, one man was sentenced to at least five years in jail and another was acquitted. State media earlier said they were accused of trying to kill security personnel by running them over.

At least 13 protesters and four police died in the unrest. Bahrain has said about 400 of those detained will face prosecution, some in a military court that last week handed down the first death sentence to a Bahraini citizen since the mid-1990s, also a period of sectarian-tinged political turmoil. …more

HRW: Bahrain bent on silencing dissent
Published: May 5, 2011 at 11:21 AM

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) — The ruling Sunni minority in Bahrain is intent on punishing anyone who speaks out in opposition to the government, Human Rights Watch said. Two members of an outlawed Shiite al-Wefaq political party, Jawad Ferooz and Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, were arrested this week. The government banned the Shiite party and the opposition Islamic Action Society in April for breaking the law during mass protests and for inciting violence.

Wefaq in 2009 took 18 seats in the 40-member Parliament. Human Rights Watch notes the arrests are the first in Bahrain that targeted elected officials. Authorities in Manama are also under fire for allegedly targeting medical professionals after seven doctors were arrested during the recent crackdown.

Bahrain in the wake of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt is struggling to suppress a Shiite uprising. Allegations surfaced that authorities are targeting hospitals and healthcare workers to hide the number of dead killed during the unrest.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that the “vicious” attacks by Bahrain authorities are an obvious attempt to silence dissent. …more

Bahrain sentences Shiite activist to 5 years
AP – 1 hr 7 mins ago

MANAMA, Bahrain – Bahrain’s security court on Thursday convicted a Shiite opposition activist and sentenced him to five years in prison for the attempted murder of a policeman during anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom. The Bahrain News Agency said another activist was acquitted of the same charge in the court that was set up after emergency rule was imposed in March. The report said the convicted protester, Abdulla Mohammed Habib, can appeal his sentence.

Bahrain’s king declared martial law March 15 to crush weeks of demonstrations by the island’s Shiite majority, which has campaigned for greater freedoms and an elected government in the Sunni-ruled nation. At least 30 people have died since the protests, inspired by revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, began in February. Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders, athletes, activists and Shiite professionals such as doctors and lawyers have been detained in the past month.

Last week, four Shiite activists were sentenced to death for killing two policemen during the protests. Three others were convicted as the accomplices in the killing and were sentenced to life in prison. On Tuesday, Bahrain’s Justice Minister Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa said 23 doctors and 24 nurses have been charged for their role in the unrest, including for participating in attempts to topple the island’s Sunni monarchy and taking part in illegal rallies.

Bahrain is the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, Washington’s main counterweight against Iran’s expanding military influence in the oil-rich Gulf. …source

Bahrain court convicts Shiite activist, sends him to prison for 4 years over protest violence
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 5, 6:40 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s military court has convicted a Shiite opposition activist and sentenced him to five years in prison for the attempted murder of a policeman during anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom. The Bahrain News Agency says another activist was acquitted of the same charge on Thursday.

Bahrain’s king declared martial law in March to crush weeks of demonstrations by the island’s Shiite majority, which has campaigned for greater freedoms in the Sunni-ruled nation. At least 30 people have died since the protests began in February. Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders, doctors and lawyers have been detained since emergency rule was imposed.

Last week, four Shiite activists were sentenced to death for killing two policemen during the protests. …source

UN rights chief slams Bahrain military trials

GENEVA, May 05, 2011 (AFP) – UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on Thursday condemned death sentences imposed by military courts in Bahrain on protestors accused of killings as well as military trials for civilian activists. “The application of the death penalty without due process and after a trial held in secrecy is illegal and absolutely unacceptable,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

“The defendants are entitled to fair trials before civil courts, in accordance with international legal standards and in keeping with Bahrain’s international human rights obligations,” she added in a statement. Bahraini authorities have referred 47 doctors and nurses to a military court after accusing them of abusing their posts to take part in anti-regime protests that were crushed in March.

The UN human rights office said four protestors were sentenced to death last week and three to life imprisonment for the alleged killing of two policemen. They were reportedly held without access to their families and limited access to lawyers, it added. The Gulf kingdom, which is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, has come under strong criticism from international human rights organisations for its heavy-handed crackdown on Shiites, including medical staff.

Authorities have said that 24 people were killed during the unrest, most of them demonstrators. …source

Urgent from #Bahrain Arrest of Secretary General of the Islamic Action Society Sheikh Mohamed Ali AlMahfoodh

Arrest of Sheikh Mohamed Ali AlMahfoodh
His and all of the detainees lives and safety are the responsibility of the king, his allies and supporters

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, most graceful

The Islamic Action Society declares that the Bahraini authorities have detained Sheikh Mohamed Ali AlMahfoodh, Secretary General of the Society, one of the widely known clergymen around the Islamic world and one of the opposition symbols in the country, a leader of a major civil society organization elected freely by its members. Sadly, the arrest of Sheikh AlMahfoodh falls in the course of a vicious repression campaign and a gag, freedom depriving system, launched by the authorities in response to the peaceful demands of the citizens of Bahrain of freedoms and human rights that are recognized worldwide, as well as the arrest of a religious leadership being a breach of local norms.
His arrest, also falls in a series of arrests of many citizens who compose the constructive fabric of the country and political and social leaders as a clear and frank response from the authorities in Bahrain to the calls of the international community for them to respect the freedoms and basic human rights and respect the right to peaceful expression of opinion.

The Bahraini authorities had already targeted the family of Sheikh AlMahfoodh and severely beat them after attacking his home in Bani Jamra and took his minor 16 year-old son Hassan as a hostage. By arrested Sheikh AlMahfoodh and his two sons, being the leader of the Society, the authorities have eliminated the Society itself, having already arrested most of the board members and over 40 staff members, which is a dangerous precedent, the first of its kind, to completely eliminate a major political society and place it behind bars. …more