US envoy: Bahrain detainees need rights protection

By REEM KHALIFA and BRIAN MURPHY
Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain — American officials are concerned about claims of abuses against detainees following Bahrain’s crackdowns on Shiite-led protesters demanding sweeping reforms in the kingdom, a top U.S. rights envoy said Wednesday.

The State Department official, Michael Posner, also expressed hopes for proposed talks next month between Bahrain’s Sunni rulers and opposition groups.

At least 31 people have died since the unrest began in February – inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the region – yet Washington has made no moves to punish Bahrain’s monarchy.

Bahrain’s rulers have waged a harsh campaign to crush dissent but also play host to the highly strategic U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet.

“The challenge now is how to initiate dialogue with representatives of all sides and to ensure that this dialogue will address and resolves divisive issues,” said Posner, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor.

Bahraini authorities detained three women activists who staged a sit-in Wednesday at a U.N. office in the capital Manama to call for the release of family members held in custody, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

Bahrain and its Gulf Arab allies are deeply concerned over expanding influence by Shiite power Iran and view any gains by Bahrain’s Shiite citizens as a possible new foothold for Tehran.

This leaves Washington caught between backing its traditional Gulf partners – led by Saudi Arabia – and expressing support for the greater political openness and rights pushed by the demonstrators in Bahrain.

Shiites comprise about 70 percent of Bahrain’s population, but claim they face systematic discrimination such as being blackballed from top government or military posts. …more

Retired Admirals and Generals to Senate: No Torture, No New War Authority, No Expanding Guantanamo
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2011

Washington, D.C.—Today, members of a non-partisan group of forty retired generals and admirals addressed a letter to Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) urging the Senators to oppose several controversial provisions to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that may appear in the upcoming mark up by the Senate Armed Services Committee today and tomorrow. The members believe that the United States’ national security policies should adhere to our domestic and international legal obligations.

The letter asks Senator Levin and Senator McCain to oppose any effort to return to torture of terrorism suspects, or so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques”, which are “counterproductive, unreliable, immoral and illegal.” The signatories also oppose the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that passed in the House of Representatives’ National Defense Authorization Act, which expands the war on terror worldwide and cedes Congress’ war making decision authority to the President. Members also oppose provisions that passed in the House NDAA that would require that all future foreign terror suspects be sent to Guantánamo or tried before a military commission.

“There are several provisions of the NDAA that may significantly weaken our counterterrorism operations and undermine our national security. Strong policies adhere to the rule of law and American values,” said Human Rights First’s C. Dixon Osburn. …source

U.S. Lists Ally Bahrain With Human Rights Violators Iran, Syria
By Nicole Gaouette – Jun 15, 2011 4:45 PM MT

The United States put Bahrain, a Persian Gulf ally, in the company of Iran, North Korea, Syria and Zimbabwe on its list of human rights violators presented to the UN Human Rights Council.

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has tried to crush protests that have wracked the country since February, as the Shiite majority population has agitated for the Sunni Muslim monarchy to allow greater economic opportunities and freedoms.

“The Bahraini government has arbitrarily detained workers and others perceived as opponents,” said Eileen Donohoe, the U.S. ambassador to the council, in a statement to the council today. “The United States is deeply concerned about violent repression of the fundamental freedoms of association, expression, religion and speech of their citizens.”

The U.S. notes “signs of hope” in the Bahraini government’s recent moves to lift some restrictions and to launch a national dialogue on reforms, she added.

Bahrain’s crackdown has put the United States in the position of speaking out against a country that is both a close ally and which received security assistance from Saudi Arabia in putting down the protests.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly called on Bahrain to exercise restraint amid reports that it has detained doctors for treating injured protesters. President Barack Obama welcomed Bahrain’s crown prince last week and praised news that the country will lift the martial law declared in March.

Donohoe’s statement also listed Belarus, China, Cuba, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen for council attention because of human rights abuses. …more

Even in Custody, Bahrain Activists Use Twitter to Protest
By ROBERT MACKEY

After their arrest during a protest in Bahrain on Wednesday, Zainab Alkhawaja, left, and Sawsan Jawad filed updates to Twitter from a detention center. This photograph was taken and posted online by another activist, Asma Darwish, who was also detained.Asma Darwish, via YfrogZainab Alkhawaja, left, and Sawsan Jawad, two of the three Bahraini activists who used Twitter to document their detention on Wednesday.

Three women who were arrested in Bahrain on Wednesday as they tried to stage a sit-in at a United Nations office turned to Twitter to explain and document their protest, continuing to file updates even after they were taken into custody.

The women, Zainab Alkhawaja, Asma Darwish and Sawsan Jawad, who are all closely related to men who were detained during the recent protests, were finally released at about midnight local time. Throughout their seven hours in captivity, they managed to hold onto their phones and called on their followers on the social network to apply pressure on Bahrain’s government and on the United Nations.

I think the UN might have misunderstood, we wanted the release of political prisoners, not to join them ;)Wed Jun 15 18:52:03 via Twitter for BlackBerry®angry arabiya
angryarabiya

Ms. Alkhawaja, who writes as @AngryArabiya on Twitter, is the daughter of one of Bahrain’s leading human rights activists, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who is currently on trial in a military court. Her husband, brother-in-law and uncle are also in detention. Ms. Darwish, who writes as @Eagertobefree, is the sister of a photographer who has been detained. Ms. Jawad, who writes as @sparweezj, is also the daughter of a detained human rights activist.

As their Twitter feeds make clear, the protest began on Wednesday afternoon, when the women presented United Nations officials with a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in which they urged the international body to ask Bahrain to release all political prisoners and investigate allegations that detainees have been tortured. (The full text of the letter is embedded at the end of this post.) …more

Jun 16, 2011
Bahrain women arrested in sit-in released, says UN

UNITED NATIONS – THREE young women arrested by Bahraini police while holding a sit-in protest on Wednesday at the UN offices in Manama have been released, the United Nations said.

‘The United Nations Development Programme in New York has been advised that three women who conducted a peaceful protest at the organisation’s offices in the capital Manama have been released by police and that charges will not be pressed,’ the UNDP said in a statement.

It said the UNDP had made ‘urgent representation to Bahrain’s authorities to release the three women,’ and that the UN agency has ‘launched a formal investigation into how the incident at its office was handled’.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights had said on its website that the women, including Ms Zaineb al-Khawaja, daughter of activist Abdelhadi al-Khawaja, were detained three hours into their sit-in.

They were protesting against the arrest of family members and delivered a letter to UN chief Ban Ki Moon calling for their release, it said.

Bahraini authorities in mid-March crushed a month-long protest movement on the streets led by Shi’ite demonstrators calling for democratic reform in the Sunni-ruled state. — AFP ..source

US-backed Bahrain regime stages military trial of doctors and nurses
By Bill Van Auken
15 June 2011

The US-backed dictatorship of the al-Khalifa dynasty in Bahrain proceeded this week with the military trial of 47 doctors and nurses rounded up during mass protests last March.

This judicial travesty, which is emblematic of the ferocious repression unleashed by the regime of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa against the demonstrations that swept the country last February and March, has elicited no word of protest from Washington.

While the Obama administration has daily demanded “regime-change” in Libya and questioned the “legitimacy” of the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, it last week welcomed a Bahraini crown prince to the White House and praised the regime for its commitment to “reform” and “dialogue.”

Bahrain is the site of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters and is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which sent troops to assist in the crackdown against the protests.

The hearing in the military court in the Bahraini capital of Manama had to be adjourned Monday after defendants rose to denounce the fact that they had been tortured during the 90 days they were held without trial. …more

U.S. Says Concerned By Bahrain Detentions, Urges Dialogue
June 15, 2011

The United States says tensions in Bahrain are very high ahead of a planned national dialogue after weeks of pro-democracy protests and urged the authorities to encourage people to speak out.

Visiting the Bahraini capital, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner said Washington remained concerned about the detention of Bahrainis without charge and reports of torture during interrogations.

He voiced support for the dialogue proposed by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa but called for transparency during the forthcoming trials of dozens of people charged with illegal activities during this year’s protests.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s regionally strategic Fifth Fleet, quashed weeks of protests in March.

It called in troops from neighboring Gulf Arab countries and imposed emergency law, which it lifted just last week.
…source

see it here Kuwait self appointed GCC Twitter Police

Kuwait wins UN rights seat after Syria withdraws
AFP

Kuwait wins UN rights seat after Syria withdraws AFP/File – A general view shows the assembly hall during the opening of the 16th session of the United Nations Human …
– Fri May 20, 2:09 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Kuwait secured a seat Friday on the UN Human Rights Council after Syria’s withdrawal following international pressure over its crackdown on opposition protests.

Rights groups quickly turned their attention to Kuwait’s record and said it must improve.

Kuwait was among 15 new nations to secure seats on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council following a vote at the UN General Assembly. The others include India, Indonesia, Philippines for Asia, along with Italy and Austria from Europe.

Syria withdrew from the race for a seat last week after coming under intense international pressure. But it has indicated plans to run for a seat again in 2013. Syria had been planned to be part of an agreed Asian slate of candidates for four available seats. …more

Kuwait: Free Speech and Assembly Under Attack
Some Protections Promised for Non-Citizens
January 31, 2011

This year, Kuwait’s government grew more and more comfortable harassing Kuwaitis who dared criticize the government. Watching what’s happening in the streets of Egypt and Tunisia, the Kuwaiti government should think long and hard about depriving people of their basic human rights to free speech and assembly.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch

(Kuwait City) – Kuwait carried out a major crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly during 2010, Human Rights Watch said today, in issuing its World Report 2011.

The 649-page report, the organization’s 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights issues in more than 90 countries worldwide. During 2010, the government tightened restrictions on public gatherings and began using violent methods of enforcement, Human Rights Watch said. Kuwait should allow activists to assemble peacefully and halt both state security cases and criminal defamation prosecutions against peaceful political activists, Human Rights Watch said.

“This year, Kuwait’s government grew more and more comfortable harassing Kuwaitis who dared criticize the government,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Watching what’s happening in the streets of Egypt and Tunisia, the Kuwaiti government should think long and hard about depriving people of their basic human rights to free speech and assembly.” …more

Kuwait: Dozens Injured, Arrested in Bidun Crackdown
State Security Disperses Hundreds of Stateless Residents
February 20, 2011

Kuwaiti authorities should look around the neighborhood to see that violent attacks on demonstrators only fuel the protests. The government should allow demonstrators to speak and assemble freely – as is their right.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch

(New York) – Hundreds of stateless residents of Kuwait took to the streets on February 18, 2011, to demand their rights, with dozens seeking treatment for injuries in local hospitals and dozens more detained by state security, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch called on Kuwaiti authorities to release the “Bidun” protesters or charge them with a criminal offence and bring them immediately before an independent judge.

The Kuwait government has issued repeated warnings that people should not gather in public, despite the country’s commitment under international law to protect the right to peaceful assembly.

Kuwait: Stateless ‘Bidun’ Denied Rights
Fifty Years of Waiting, but Government Offers Only Handouts
June 13, 2011

During February and March 2011, hundreds of stateless Bidun took to the streets in Kuwait to demand government action on their claims for citizenship, as well as access to other rights.

For 50 years, Kuwait has dawdled in reviewing Bidun citizenship claims, while creating a straightjacket of regulations that leave them in poverty and extreme uncertainty. Kuwait has every resource it needs to solve this problem, but chooses to stall instead.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch

(Kuwait City) – Kuwait has not made good on its decades of promises to address citizenship claims for more than 106,000 stateless Bidun residents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 63-page report, “Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness,” describes how in Kuwait, one of the world’s richest countries, the Bidun live under the radar of normal society, vulnerable and without protection. Many live in poverty. Kuwait considers the Bidun “illegal residents.” The government has denied them essential documentation, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, as well as access to free government schools and legal employment opportunities. …more

Kuwait Workers death due to heat stroke; Human rights request investigation
Posted on 6/14/2011

Chairman of the basics of Human rights committee Dr Adel Al-Damkhi has requested to open an investigation into the death of an unidentified worker who allegedly feel down from atop a telecommunication tower in Ahmedi due to heat stroke so that officers responsible for his death are punished, reports local daily.

Al Damkhi added the death of the worker proves human rights of workers are still being violated.

It also proves the law issued by ministry of social affairs and labor to prevent people working under direct heat of the sun between 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm is not being implemented by some companies. …source

Kuwaiti Twitter user arrested for criticizing Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
Nasser Abul, a Shi’ite Muslim, tweeted information about anti-government protests in Bahrain; this is not the first time a blogger has been detained in Kuwait.

A young Kuwaiti man was detained recently for his criticism of the Bahraini and Saudi royal families.
Bahrain mosque – AP – June 10 2011

Nasser Abul, a Shi’ite Muslim, published the critical remarks via his Twitter feed, at a very high frequency, until June 7. Notable among his tweets was information about the recent anti-government protests in Bahrain. He also uploaded photographs of people killed in the protests. In most of the cases, he re-tweeted other users’ messages via his own feed.

This is not the first time that a blogger has been detained in Kuwait. Three months ago, a local blogger was released from a two-month stint in prison for slandering the name of the prime minister. ...more

[success!!! – Zainab tweets – @angryarabiya: We have been released!!! :) ]

[latest update – The three girls have now been moved to the public prosecution’s office. On Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 6:41 PM]

[follow-up, Asma Darwish,Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja – Sit-in – see previous post]
This is the statement by the Ministry of Interior saying:

Following a tip-off by Bahrain-based UN office, legal measures have been
taken today against three women who entered the UN premises after the
official work time and refused to leave when asked to do so, the Director
General of the Capital Governorate Police Directorate said.

A police report has been written about the incident which is considered as a
crime punishable by the law, he added.

URGENT APPEAL: relatives of the detainees in Bahrain protesting inside the UN building
June 15th, 2011

Families of detainees in Bahrain, told Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) that they are now ( 1 pm – Bahrain Time- 15 June 2011) sit in the United Nations building to demand the release of detainees and urgent investigation into violations of human rights.

Asma Darwish,Sawsan Jawad and Zainab Alkhawaja, sent to the BYSHR the letter, which will be handed over to the UN office in Bahrain. ( Attached )

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) calls for urgent actions to protect the families of detainees by the United Nations. …more