Posts from — June 2011

15 Child Prisoners of Guantánamo Thursday, June 09, 2011
Mohammed Ismail Agha

It turns out that more children were detained at Guantánamo than the U.S. government previously admitted.

Based on documents newly released by WikiLeaks, the Center for the Study of Human Rights in Americas at the University of California Davis found at least 15 prisoners who were children (17 years old or younger) at the time of their arrival in Cuba.

Prior to this disclosure, the State Department had acknowledged the presence of only 12 non-adults at Guantánamo. In an earlier report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, State Department officials admitted to only eight juvenile detainees.

Thirteen of the 15 were eventually released by U.S. authorities. Of the remaining two, one, Omar Khadr of Canada, became the first child in history convicted of war crimes. Khadr was 15 years old when, during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002, he allegedly threw a grenade that killed U.S. soldier Christopher Speer.

The other child, Yasser Talal al Zahrani of Saudi Arabia, was 16 years old when he was captured in Afghanistan and accused of fighting for the Taliban. He reportedly hanged himself in his cell at the age of 21 in a case that is still considered controversial.

The youngest child held in the prison was Mohammed Ismail Agha of Afghanistan, who was 13 at time of his detainment. He was apparently trying to find construction work when a local militia tried to recruit him. He refused and the militiamen told U.S. soldiers that was a Taliban fighter. Agha spent 14 months in custody before being released from Guantánamo, at which time he shocked human rights advocates by claiming to have enjoyed his time in the camp and thanking American soldiers for having taught him some English and finding him books to read in his native Pashto. He was, however, critical of U.S. authorities for waiting ten months to tell his father (through the Red Cross) that he was alive. …more

Iranian blogger sentenced to 20 years in prison
09 Jun 2011

Sakhi Rigi was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for critiquing the 2009 Iranian presidential elections on his blog. He was arrested in 18 June 2009 and has received the longest sentence given to an Iranian blogger. Yesterday (8 June) Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan lost his appeal against a 19-year prison sentence. Known as the “blogfather,” Derakhshan championed the internet as a means of social reform. He has been in prison since his arrest in 2008 for making disparaging remarks about important Shiite leaders. Both Derakhshan and Rigi were convicted of “aiding enemy states and propaganda against the Islamic system.” …more

Friday, Jun 10, 2011 12:44 ET
DC law firm defends Bahrain on human rights crackdown
A top law firm will be paid $550 per hour to help Bahrain respond to allegations it fired trade unionists
By Justin Elliott

The Bahraini government’s brutal crackdown on a Shiite protest movement has shifted from the public scenes of police attacking protesters in the streets to the detention and prosecution of opposition figures and doctors.

And now the Bahraini regime has inked a contract with a high-priced Washington law firm to help fight a labor complaint filed by the AFL-CIO about an under-reported aspect of the crackdown: the firing of hundreds of workers and union leaders for participating in strikes and other pro-democracy actions. Sorini, Samet & Associates will be paid at a rate as high as $550 per hour, plus expenses, to help Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lobby against the April complaint submitted by the AFL-CIO under the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement. …more

Bahrain Shiite cleric says no dialogue with Gulf nation’s Sunni rulers under crackdown climate
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, June 10, 9:16 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s most senior Shiite cleric said Friday there is no chance for talks with the Gulf nation’s Sunni rulers while security forces maintain their clampdown on protesters calling for equal rights and political freedoms.

The sermon by Sheik Isa Qassim underscored the deep discontent among Bahrain’s Shiite majority despite the lifting of martial law-style rules earlier this month and appeals for dialogue by the Sunni monarchy. It also marked another blow to the ruling establishment after organizers of Bahrain’s prestigious Formula One race called off efforts to reschedule the 2011 event, which was canceled in March amid the unrest..

“We cannot negotiate in such conditions,” Sheik Qassim told worshippers in a mostly Shiite area outside the capital, Manama.

Sheik Qassim, who was joined by other Shiite clerics in a display of solidarity, denounced what he called “daily security harassment” in the form of checkpoints, arrest sweeps and other measures imposed to quell the protests that broke out in February.

He said the pressures were “building hatred among the people.”

Shiites represent about 70 percent of the population in the strategic island kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. But Shiites have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the ruling Sunni dynasty.

The internal battles also have become a showcase of Arab fears over widening influence by Shiite power Iran.

Sunni Gulf leaders, especially in nearby Saudi Arabia, have strongly rallied behind Bahrain’s monarchy, which has accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Shiite groups of aiding the protests. …more

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Meets with Defenders from the Arab World | 09/06/2011

On June 7, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) met with Ms. Navanethem Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and members of her office.

The meeting brought together human rights defenders from across the Arab world, who expressed appreciation to the dedicated efforts and consistent response of Ms. Pillay and her office to the situation in their countries since the beginning of the year. The delegation also presented the human rights situation in their respective countries and discussed further steps and ways to move forward.

Countries covered in the meeting were Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, and Lebanon.

The delegation was composed of Ms. Sihem Bensedrine of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia, Mr. Nadeem Mansour of the Egyptian Centre for Social and Economic Rights and the Front for Defense of Egyptian Protestors, Ms. Maryam Al-Khawaja of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Ms. Elham Saudi of the Lawyers for Justice in Libya, Mr. Majid Mastoor of the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies in Sudan, Ms. Rola Bardan of the Palestinian Human Rights Organization in Lebanon, and Ms. Sohair Riad, CIHRS researcher on Yemen.

The Arab NGO delegation also met with Ms. June Ray, OHCHR Chief of Civil Society Unit; Mr. Frej Fenniche, OHCHR MENA Department Chief, and several desk officers for the countries represented. ..more

Israeli police fire stun grenades in Al-Aqsa Mosque
Published yesterday (updated) 10/06/2011 21:11

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces fired stun grenades at worshipers in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque after prayers on Friday, police and Palestinian officials said.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation said forces raided the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, from the Bab Al-Maghariba entrance and clashed with Palestinian worshipers.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said forces entered the holy site after Palestinians threw stones at officers near one of the gates, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Rosenfeld said police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

A Jerusalem police spokeswoman said officers fired tear gas and one person was arrested.

A spokesman for the Islamic authorities that run the mosque said one or two youths had been throwing stones, but the incident ended quickly. …source

Lebanon fears being drawn into Iran-Saudi cold war
April 12, 2011

BEIRUT: A war of words between Lebanon’s pro-Western and Iranian-backed camps has sparked fears of a backlash in the Mediterranean state over a “cold war” between Shia Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.

“This war of words is further evidence that the Lebanon’s internal crisis is intrinsically linked to a regional showdown,” said Fadia Kiwan, head of the political science department at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

She said that as Lebanon enters its fourth month without a government, the country “will only become increasingly mired in crises.” Riyadh, which backs the pro-Western camp led by caretaker premier Saad Hariri, has accused Iran of rousing anti-monarchy protests in Bahrain, a majority Shiite country ruled by a Sunni dynasty.

And Tehran, which along with Syria is a major supporter of Lebanon’s Shia militant group Hezbollah, has slammed back with accusations that Saudi sent its troops into the tiny kingdom to contain a legitimate popular uprising.

Experts say that with regional tensions on the rise, a protracted political crisis in Lebanon could take yet a turn for the worse as Hariri and Hezbollah trade increasingly harsh accusations.

“We have not yet reached the height of the crisis,” said Imad Salameh, political science professor at the Lebanese-American University. “We are only at the tip of the iceberg.” Saudi-backed Hariri, a US ally, has accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon’s affairs and taking Arab societies “hostage,” sparking a harsh rebuke from Hezbollah.

“Lebanon and a number of Arab countries… are suffering politically, economically and in terms of security from blatant Iranian interference in the Arab world,” Hariri said on Thursday.

Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist group by Washington, was quick to respond and in a rare move, Iran also reacted to Hariri’s accusations, calling them “unfounded” and saying they served “US-Zionist” interests.

“Hariri’s position… is an open attempt to mask US interference in the region and the confiscation of the will of the people, who seek freedom and the end of American hegemony,” a Hezbollah statement said. …more

A US Embassy cable from Bahrain released by Wikileaks.
Volume 02, Issue 49 – Monday, 21 February 2011 23:25
Crown Prince Shaikh Salma Bin Hamad al Khalifa calls Iran a threat bigger than Israel. Here is verbatim of the us cable.

SUMMARY: During USAFCENT Commander Mike Hostage and CDA’s October 12 meeting with Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa, the CP assured them that Bahrain would keep the pressure on Iran to live up to the commitments it made in Geneva (reftel). Lt Gen Hostage explained that the threat posed by Iran was leading the U S to pursue a Regional Integrated Air and Missile Defense (RIAMD) strategy with GCC countries. Shaikh Salman welcomed this and stressed that Bahrain wanted to be part of the solution to the GCC’s defense integration challenges. Lt. Gen Hostage and the Charge thanked him for Bahrain’s commitment to contribute a small contingent for the effort in Afghanistan. …more

West must find moral compass over Bahrain
10/06/2011 – 3:15 p | Hits: 25

After a week of condemnation in which even Bernie Ecclestone cowed, the Bahrain Grand Prix again looks doomed.

FIA chiefs met in Barcelona last week with a human rights report on the kingdom that might have been written by the Bahraini Government, for all the light it shone on the fractured society. The event has been restored to the calendar in murky circumstances but the teams are refusing to race. Belatedly, the sport has rediscovered its moral compass. Western governments are having trouble locating theirs.
The Bahraini Crown Prince arrived in Washington this week as part of a charm offensive that has included an ill-advised handshake on the steps of No 10 with David Cameron, right Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has been chided for his Government’s crackdown on protesters but Bahrain’s Western allies still appear unwilling to demand concrete action.
Bahrain remains a key strategic ally in the Gulf and the family provide a bulwark against Iranian expansionism. Britain also has a cosy relationship with the regime. In April a new generation of Bahrainis graduated from Sandhurst military academy, including Sheikh Salman’s son.
The trials at Bahrain’s military court however, are an affront to the Prince’s fine words on universal rights.
London and Washington must demand that the court be disbanded. Without this talk of reconciliation is futile. Sheikh Salman must also demand it. Among opposition groups he is seen as the country’s only hope.
Instead of reassuring the White House and No 10 of his commitment to human rights he must prove it to his people. …more

Shi’ite cleric warns Bahrain nearing “abyss”
June 10, 2011 1:30 PM EDT

A top Bahraini Shi’ite cleric said trials of dozens of people and the breaking up of Shi’ite religious marches were dragging the country towards destruction, not reconciliation, ahead of a planned national dialogue.

State officials have promised the talks, which King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said would start on July 1, can discuss all types of democratic reforms in the country, rocked by anti-government protests that were quashed by security forces in March.

But Sheikh Issa Qasim, the most revered Shi’ite cleric in Bahrain, told a crowd of hundreds in his Friday sermon that current conditions did not match government rhetoric.

“This country is being brought closer to an abyss of terrifying destruction unless quick reforms are offered to satisfy the people,” he said.

Opposition groups say hundreds of people, most of them Shi’ite, have been put on trial on charges ranging from illegal gatherings and fabricated news to plotting a coup with foreign terrorist organisations. They say over 1,000 people remain in detention. The government says the numbers are much lower.

Bahrain’s Sunni rulers said the democracy protests earlier this year, led mostly by the country’s Shi’ite majority, had a sectarian agenda and help from Iran. The opposition denies this.

Emergency law was lifted last week, and since then small protests have broken out daily in Shi’ite neighbourhoods that are quickly broken up by riot police.

Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Senior International Counselor from the Information Affairs Authority, has encouraged protesters to stop and instead focus on national dialogue. “We hope people will channel their energy in a more positive direction,” he said. …more

Time to disband the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet

by News Source on June 10, 2011

Toby Jones writes:

After months of popular protests against the regime, Bahraini officials are desperate to convince anyone who will listen, and most importantly to their long time allies in Washington, that the Persian Gulf island nation is returning to normal. On Tuesday Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa visited the White House, where he offered assurances that the regime is serious about political reform and engaging in a “national dialogue” with the country’s beleaguered opposition. Although it has directed muted criticism toward the Bahraini government, the Obama administration has offered repeated reassurances that it intends to stand by the ruling family. The White House appears to believe, or is banking on hope, that the Crown Prince is both willing and able to shepherd the country through the current crisis. But it may be time for the U.S. to reconsider its largest commitment to the Bahraini monarchy — the massive U.S. Fifth Fleet docked on the island — and the complicated relationship of mutual dependency that got us here in the first place.

Whatever opening there was for real dialogue in Bahrain, it appears to have closed. While the Crown Prince is busy touring Europe and the U.S. promoting himself as a force for moderation, it’s the hardliners in the royal family who currently hold power. Rather than reconciliation, their priority continues to be to oppressing — and often punishing – the protesters calling for a more representative government. The regime has taken extreme, frequently violent measures to destroy the country’s political opposition and defeat the forces of democracy. …more

Bahrain: Targeting Cyber Activist to prevent the broadcasting of news and information
June 10th, 2011

Mr. Hussein Ali Makki – Cyber Activist, better known as “Hussain Bahrain” on Facebook.He was arrested on Thursday, June 9th 2011.

Security forces stormed his house and confiscated a computer.

Mr.Makki, Administrator of the Pages ( RASAD NEWS) on Facebook and Twitter.

“RASAD NEWS” is broadcast news and information about human rights violations in Bahrain, publish images and video of events and is considered an important source of information.

After the arrest of Mr.Makki, security forces have confiscated the pages password’s and broadcast news against the demonstrators and support Bahraini authorities actions against the protests.

On 9th April 2011, Mr. Zakariya Rashid Alashiri, 42 years who had died in police custody, was a cyber activist and was running the Aldair website. This website included forums that dealt with political discussion and developments.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its concern about the arrest of Mr. Hussein Ali Makki and demanding that he be released immediately. …source

Sports Briefing | Auto Racing
Bahrain Race Is Canceled
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 9, 2011

Organizers of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix said they would not pursue plans to reschedule the race and stage it in October. The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled to open the Formula One season in March, but was scratched because of political unrest.

Last week, Formula One’s world governing body announced a date for the race in October, sparking criticism by fans, some administrators and a driver, Mark Webber. …source

Bahrain Workers’ Rights
8 June, 2011

The more you become involved in the complexities of politics, even within a relatively small country like Bahrain, the more you see the fallacy of that maxim of natural law which states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”[1] . If only this were true. Sadly, it is because we are not all born free and equal that we must fight to claim the rights that we are all supposed to have. It is not enough to sit back and watch as supposedly ‘inalienable’ rights are taken away from others.

The International Labor Organisation know this, and while they may not have as much influence over western governments as they once did, supra-national organisations like the ILO are central in raising awareness about the abuse of labor rights in authoritarian states like Bahrain. From a legal perspective, it is important to note that it is not just ‘abstract’ multilateral treaties that Bahrain ignores when forcing the sacking of hundreds of workers for their political and religious beliefs, but also bilateral treaties which it has signed such as the 2006 US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.[2]

Many international organisations have been alarmed that the current repression in Bahrain undermines all of the hard work that reformers on all sides of the political spectrum have done to modernize Bahrain’s anachronistic political system. The American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) noted in a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the General Federation of Bahraini Trade Unions (GFBTU), created during the reforms of the 1990s, has been targeted by the government, with more than half of its elected leadership sacked. …more

Bahraini medical staff charged
6 June 2011

Dozens of doctors and nurses who treated injured protesters in Bahrain have appeared in court charged with attempting to topple the monarchy. The 47 medics appeared in a special military court in Manama. They have been held since March, when Bahrain declared an emergency law, which was only lifted last week.

Bahrain‘s mainly Shia protesters have been calling for democratic reforms and more rights for the country’s Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Hundreds of opposition supporters have been detained since March, when Bahrain‘s rulers called in military support from its Gulf Arab neighbours – mostly Saudi Arabia and the UAE – to suppress the protests.

More than 20 people were killed during the government’s campaign to stifle the demonstrations. Two people have been sentenced to death for their part in the protests. Four have died in police custody.

Court restrictions

Only select journalists are allowed to cover the latest trials from inside the special security court, which has military and civilian judges.

In April, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) expressed concern about attacks on physicians, patients and unarmed civilians since protests began in February. It said dozens of medics have been arrested – some by masked men in the middle of the night.

The Bahraini authorities have denied targeting medics, saying some of Bahrain‘s main medical facilities “had been overrun by political and sectarian activity”. Since the lifting of the emergency law, small protests have been held in Shia villages, but they have been quickly dispersed by police using tear gas, rubber bullets, sound grenades and birdshot (small metal pellets), videos on YouTube appear to show.

Bahrain’s Shiite clerics criticize police
Tue Jun 7, 10:59 AM EDT

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s Shiite clerics on Tuesday criticized the Gulf kingdom’s police for attacking religious processions just days after emergency rule was lifted.

Five clerics said in a statement that the force police committed “a flagrant violation of freedom of religious practice” against Shiite pilgrims on Sunday, when they attacked a procession commemorating the death of a revered saint, when Shiites were marching around the tiny island and thumping their chests in mourning.

Bahrain’s majority Shiites were complaining of discrimination by the nation’s Sunni rulers long before they started a wave of protests earlier this year, demanding greater political freedoms, more rights and an elected government in Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Bahrain imposed martial law in March to quell the revolt that was inspired by uprisings against autocratic rulers around the Middle East. Hundreds of opposition supporters, political figures and Shiite professionals like doctors and lawyers were arrested during the emergency rule that expired last week.

“The targeting of processions … forces us to express our strong rejection and to assert that there is no justification whatsoever for the practice,” the clerics’ statement said.

The head of Bahrain’s Public Security, Brig. Gen. Tariq bin Mubarak bin Dayna, defended the action, saying the police advanced on several processions because some pilgrims broke the law by chanting political slogans during the commemoration of Imam Hadi’s death. …more

Blood in the Street, Injustice in the Courts, Silence from the US
Posted by: Christoph Koettl, June 8, 2011 at 4:42 PM

While Bahraini authorities are silencing activists, opposition leaders and even medical personnel in military courts, the United States Government remains silent. We have seen the US respond to the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, yet government officials so far have remained relatively silent on the crackdown in Bahrain – imposed on the streets and in the courts.

The most recent indications for this silent acceptance of human rights violations include the (rather secret) meetings of high level US government officials with the Bahraini Crown Prince yesterday, and the recent refusal by the State Department to testify before the Congressional Human Rights Commission.

The United States’ failure to act in Bahrain represents a tragic double standard in US Middle East policies. In Obama’s May 19th speech on the Middle East and North Africa, the President won applause for rhetoric admonishing the Bahraini Monarchy’s repression of dissent, stating that “you can’t have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail.”

Currently, Amnesty has reports of 14 Bahrainis on trial in military court (plus seven in absentia) for organizing and leading recent protests. We believe that many of them are likely to be Prisoners of Conscience.

Beyond Obama’s bold rhetoric, no action from the US has followed, and the unfair trials continue. The newest victims are doctors and nurses, put on trial for helping wounded protesters – and a poet who is on trial for a protest reading! …more

Bahrain needs to adopt reforms or risk interference from Iran, says US
Source: BI-ME with AFP , Author: Posted by BI-ME staff
Posted: Sun March 13, 2011 1:06 am

BAHRAIN. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday that Bahrain’s leaders needed to move quickly to adopt major reforms or else risk interference from Iran.

After talks with Bahrain’s king and crown prince, Gates said he was hopeful the government would take “far-reaching steps” but warned that countries across the region could no longer ignore popular demands for democracy.

Although there were no signs Shiite-led Iran was behind unrest in the Gulf kingdom or elsewhere in the region, Tehran would likely work to meddle in Bahrain’s politics amid sectarian tensions, Gates told reporters on his plane after a visit to Manama.

“I expressed the view that we had no evidence that suggested that Iran started any of these popular revolutions or demonstrations across the region,” said Gates, recounting his talks with the country’s king and crown prince.

“But there is clear evidence that as the process is protracted, particularly in Bahrain, the Iranians are looking for ways to exploit it and create problems,” Gates said.

“So I told them, in this instance, time is not our friend.”

Bahrain, a Shiite-majority state ruled by a Sunni dynasty, has been gripped by protests calling for political change since February 14. The US defence chief, who arrived Friday evening in Bahrain amid rising tensions, said he came away encouraged that the country’s leaders king were prepared to accommodate anti-government protesters.

But Gates said he warned them that minor changes would not be enough.

“And I also said that under the circumstances and with the impulse behind the political and economic grievances across the region, that baby steps probably would not be sufficient… that real reform would be necessary.”

With unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, the United States has struggled to balance its longstanding ties with Arab regimes with support for protests demanding democratic reform.

Gates said that Arab governments needed to recognise the scale of the change shaking their countries.

“I told both the king and the crown prince that across the region I did not believe there could be a return to the status quo ante,” he said. “That there was change, and it could be led or it could be imposed.” “And obviously leading the reform and being responsive is the way we’d like to see this move forward,” he said. …more

MIDDLE EAST– Kingdom of Bahrain
Analysts: Chuan Shyang Lin , Hafiza Abdul Rashid

Summary
The socio-political turmoil in Bahrain, which broke out in February 2011, obscures its economy’s near- and medium-term prospects. Amid the unrest, economic activities will be predisposed to disruptions, if not already; perhaps more so following the declaration of martial law by the government in mid-March 2011. Meanwhile, the impact of the unrest on Bahrain’s reputation as a stable and liberal financial centre could have adverse medium-term implications for its economy. Notably, the financial- and banking-services sector is the single largest economic sector in Bahrain, accounting for about a quarter of its gross domestic
product (“GDP”).

We believe that the Bahraini government’s net-asset position could help shield its fiscal health from short-term economic shocks, even as it provides the government with the flexibility to extend fiscal support to the economy. We believe, however, that the positive implication of this cushion may also struggle to find a voice amid the uncertainties surrounding the social, political and economic landscapes in Bahrain.

Economy
Recent political upheaval casts cloud of uncertainty over prospects of Bahrain’s small, external-sector-driven economy. Concern lies in the longer-term impact on Bahrain’s reputation as a relatively stable financial centre in the region.

Critical issues
The political turmoil and violent clashes in Bahrain have negative implications for its position as a regional financial hub, as well as for its economy in general. The financial- and banking-services sector is a major contributor to Bahrain’s economy, accounting for about a quarter of its real GDP. Amid the tension, we believe that foreign and offshore banks operating there may consider relocating to an alternate base in the near to medium term, especially if the situation is prolonged. Economic uncertainties and the repatriation of foreign assets out of Bahrain could pose challenges on both the fiscal and monetary-policy fronts. …more

Bahrain Targets Freedom of Expression and Suppressing Truth by Intensifying Crackdown on Photographers
Thursday, June 2, 2011

Ahlul Bayt News Agency

“A picture is worth a thousand words” a saying proven true once again by Bahrain’s uprising; since February 14, photography spoke out of the peacefulness and nonviolent nature of the Bahraini protesters in pearl roundabout and revealed the legitimacy of their demands for political reforms to the world. It, also, exposed the brutality of the Bahraini government through photos of killing, arresting, torturing and terrorizing civilians.

Photographers, both professional and amateur, have had a vital role in documenting pro-democracy protests in Bahrain. During the first days and through their photos they were able to educate and inform the public of the demands of the protesters by covering their peaceful rallies[1] , events calling for unity like the human chain[2] and informative and educational speeches by Bahraini intellectuals held every night in the pearl roundabout. Bahraini photographers were also active protesters with their own demands which they expressed in the photographers’ rally on 28 Feb 2011; they held signs saying “A Picture delivers an effective message of Justice” and “No for arresting photographers”[3] . Whilst, international media was either banned from entering Bahrain or did not give any priority to covering Bahrain’s events, it was the Bahraini photographers who have covered the violent crackdowns on the protesters by the pearl roundabout, in front of Salmaniya Medical Center[4] , and by Bahrain Financial Harbor[5] by using tear gas canister, rubber bullets and live ammunition against unarmed protesters. Also, their covering exposed the role of the thugs protected by the security men in the attack on the University of Bahrain[6] . These photos and videos were soon distributed via the social networks and some of the media channels.
Their role became even more critical especially after imposing the Martial law on March 15, 2011 which limited media coverage; foreign journalists and photographers have been deported and banned from entering Bahrain and local media coverage was limited to government’s official statements, in order to prevent the dissemination of information about protests. Despite of that, Bahraini photographers continued to cover the atrocities of the Bahraini government by documenting the daily security crackdowns on citizens at checkpoints[7] , vandalizing their cars[8] and exposing the use of army vehicles to seize villages, although, Bahraini officials claimed that their role was to guard the vital institutions of State, not only that but they went as far as demolishing Shiite mosques and places of worship[9] . …more

Debt troubles at Bahrain investment firm GFH

June 9 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s Gulf Finance House GFHB.BH (GFHK.KW) has been badly hit by a regional real estate crash and has struggled to reduce its debt as the repayment of a $100 million loan looms in August.

Its troubles underscore how the financial crisis has challenged banks and regulators in the oil exporting economies of the Gulf, once thought immune from shocks due to energy income, and how far some must go before regaining solid ground.

Below are questions and answers on the risks to GFH, its financial partners and Bahrain’s banking industry.

HOW LARGE IS THE BANK’S EXPOSURE?

The investment house in February narrowly escaped default by striking an eleventh-hour agreement with lenders to roll over a portion of a $300 million loan after massive write-downs on its property portfolio.

GFH has deleveraged its balance sheet over the past months and shrunk liabilities from a peak of $2.6 billion in mid-2008 to $855 million as of March 31.

This includes $169 million in placements from financial and other institutions and $397 million in financing liabilities.

It also includes a $100 million loan arranged by German lender WestLB that is due in August and a $50 million money market placement by First Energy Bank, established by GFH in 2008, which is due in 2011.

It also has an $80 million loan outstanding for which Bahrain’s Liquidity Management House (LMC) acted as lead arranger, maturing in several tranches until 2012.

About $137 million of a GFH sukuk, or Islamic bond, that matures in 2012 was outstanding at the end of the first quarter. …more

Obama Hides Meeting with Top Bahraini Leader—And Mutes Criticism of Ongoing Crackdown
Bahrain_crackdown

Amidst an intensifying crackdown on anti-government protesters in the tiny Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain, President Obama met Tuesday with Crown Prince Salman bin Isa al-Khalifa, a visit that was not announced beforehand. We speak with Nabeel Rajab, president of Bahrain’s Center for Human Rights, based in Manama. “On the ground, we don’t see anything, any signal, that makes us optimistic that the government has the willingness to go for a dialogue with the opposition and to listen to the grievances and the demands of the people,” says Rajab, noting that soldiers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain continue to arrest protesters and the doctors treating those injured during pro-democracy demonstrations. [includes rush transcript]

8 June 2011
Bahrain testimony a highlight of “best ever” IFEX conference

Security forces prevented IFEX member Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), from attending the IFEX General Meeting and Strategy Conference in person in Beirut last week. But they couldn’t prevent him from talking about recent human rights abuses in Bahrain via Skype, nor IFEX members and partners who were listening from initiating an international mission to Bahrain in the coming days. This was just one of the many highlights of the IFEX 2011 conference.

The Bahraini government had prevented Rajab from flying to join his IFEX colleagues in Beirut on 29 May. Maryam al-Khawaja, who heads BCHR’s foreign relations department, cancelled her trip after receiving death threats.

Instead, fellow free expression and human rights defenders gathered for a 40-minute call on 2 June, during which Rajab thanked them for their support and welcomed plans for a mission composed of IFEX members and other concerned groups to Bahrain in the coming months.

Rajab also brought them up to date with the rounds of arrests, detentions, assaults and threats that both preceded and followed 1 June when the King cancelled the state of emergency and called for “national dialogue” on reform.

“How can there be a dialogue when people even this morning are being detained?” he asked. If the government is serious about dialogue, it must “stop persecuting people for doing their human rights work, allow journalists to publish freely, stop the bans on blogs,” he said.

Rajab repeatedly thanked IFEX members for shining a light on Bahrain when other internationals failed to do so: “We are victims of the West who won’t criticise the Bahrain government even though they criticised Libya and supported the revolutions in Egypt or Tunisia. …more

Release My Friend!
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: June 8, 2011

Dear King Hamad of Bahrain,

Among those whom you’re imprisoning in Bahrain is a friend of mine. He is an artist, one of the most gentle souls alive, and my deepest fear is that your government may be brutalizing him because of his friendship with me.

Your Majesty, I’m speaking of Hassan al-Sahaf. Now 57, he studied in Britain and then in Los Angeles, Boston and in Oregon, where my mother taught art history — and Hassan became one of my mother’s all-time favorite students. That was 30 years ago, but we have remained in touch ever since.

King Hamad, you present the crackdown on the democracy movement as an effort to restore order. But Hassan is not some teenage firebrand hurling rocks; he’s a slight, graying scholar committed to peace. That’s the pattern: So many of the people in your jails are doctors and intellectuals whose only offense is to dream of democracy. …more

FEATURE-Sectarian divide widens after Bahrain unrest
Thu Jun 9, 2011 8:00am GMT
By Andrew Hammond

MANAMA, June 9 (Reuters) – Sectarian tension between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims has reached new heights in Bahrain after pro-democracy protests that the Sunni minority government crushed with martial law and foreign military forces.

Inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Sunni and Shi’ite Bahrainis took to the streets in early February to demand political reforms in a country where the ruling Al Khalifa family appoints cabinet ministers and an upper house of parliament, neutering the powers of the elected assembly.

An idealistic movement began with slogans such as “No Sunni, No Shi’ite — Just Bahraini”, but now sectarian fear and anger are uppermost on this small island state where Saudi Arabia and Iran are playing out a proxy contest for regional supremacy.

Sunnis and Shi’ites talk of friends lost and of a rift that once seemed manageable. Sunnis feel threatened, Shi’ites abused.

Fatima, a Shi’ite accountancy graduate, recalled past tensions, when Shi’ites clashed with police and faced trials in the 1990s, but said the government response was harsher this time because the protest movement was so large and unexpected.

“It hurts me. I have very close Sunni friends. People inter-married and had close personal relations,” she said. “Even if the government took a step back now, the Sunnis have been convinced that we are criminals.”

Shi’ites have long complained of discrimination in Bahrain, saying the government distributes jobs and housing on a pro-Sunni sectarian basis, to the extent of giving nationality to Sunnis from other countries to offset Shi’ite numbers.

There are few Shi’ites in the army and their number in the state bureaucracy has steadily dwindled since independence from Britain in 1971, Shi’ites say. The government denies this.

Sunnis often point to the wealth of many Shi’ites and accuse them of clannishness in business.

Thousands of Shi’ites were detained, fired or suspended from work under martial law — 21 rights activists and political figures face military trial for trying to overthrow the system and 48 doctors and nurses are on trial for storing weapons, seizing control of a hospital and anti-government incitement. …more