Posts from — July 2011

Editorial
Unsung Heroes
Published: July 2, 2011

A small gesture can mean a lot. That is the simple but compelling idea animating a drive to gain official honors for the patriots, both civilian and in uniform, who stood up against the Bush administration’s immoral torture policies.
Related – Times Topic: Antonio M. Taguba

The idea of bestowing honors on these heroes was raised in an April 28 Op-Ed article in The Times by Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union and Larry Siems of the PEN American Center. They said that while senior Bush administration officials approved egregious interrogation and detention practices, including torture, there were dissenters throughout the government.

“Those who stayed true to our values and stood up against cruelty are worthy of a wide range of civilian and military commendations, up to and including the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” they wrote.

Worthy candidates include Alberto Mora, the former Navy general counsel who waged a lonely battle to revoke Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s interrogation directive authorizing abuses at the Guantánamo Bay prison; and Antonio Taguba, the Army major general who says he was forced to retire after his frank report on the sadistic treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib. There are others. …more

Egypt – Addressing the new Foreign Minister: CIHRS calls for respect of human rights and an end to supporting dictatorships | 29/06/2011

Addressing the new Foreign Minister:
CIHRS calls for respect of human rights and an end to supporting dictatorships and continued commitment to join the International Criminal Court

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is closely monitoring developments after Mohamed al-Urabi was appointed to replace Nabil al-Arabi as Foreign Minister, hoping that Egypt’s foreign policies will evolve in the coming period to be more in keeping with the new reality following the January 25 revolution and that they will continue of the developments set in motion by Nabil al-Arabi. CIHRS also hopes that human rights principles will constitute the foundation of Egypt’s foreign policy and that the country’s policies will be based on a single standard that respects human rights. Restoring a moral basis to Egypt’s foreign policy will prove to shore up Egypt’s regional and international position.

In this context, CIHRS stresses that the foreign policies adopted prior to January 25 be reassessed, particularly the way they were harnessed to weaken international human rights mechanisms in Egypt and the world. Diplomats who played leading roles in these destructive policies should also be reevaluated, as they had a negative impact both on international instruments for the respect of human rights and Egypt’s regional and international status. It is imperative to select diplomats who are suited to the new tasks and policies of the coming era and to establish a definite time frame to guarantee the effectiveness of the desired reforms and changes.

CIHRS further urges the Foreign Minister to reconsider Egypt’s connection to several international coalitions that are hostile to human rights, in addition to the Egyptian diplomacy’s continued political support for some of the worst dictatorships in the world. The collusion with these regimes against their victims, especially from the Arab countries, whether active or implied through Egypt’s silence, is a grave insult to the martyrs of the January 25 revolution. …more

Letter to Egypt PM Sharaf ahead of his official visit to Bahrain
3 July 2011

Excellency,

In view of the official visit that you will pay to the Kingdom of Bahrain on July 4, 2011, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), together with its member organizations in Egypt, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) would like to bring to your attention their great concern about the current critical situation of human rights defenders and political opponents in Bahrain, in the aftermath of the violent and bloody repression of the popular upraising that erupted in February 2011.

On June 22nd 2011, 21 prominent Bahraini human rights activists and opponents to the regime were given harsh sentences by the special military court which was set up to prosecute those who have voiced their opinion and demanded their basic human rights. 8 of them were given life sentences while 13 were given two to fifteen years in prison. The charges given to the activists seem to be an attempt to punish them merely for their political activities.
FIDH, EOHR and CIHRS are deeply concerned by the reports of torture and ill-treatment of those arrested and detained.

Our organizations have documented the case of Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, former Director of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), who was beaten severely and had to undergo major surgery du to his injuries. Despite the heroic display of Mr. Al Khawaja during his hearing, the judges refused to acknowledge his claim of having been subjected to torture. These acts of torture and ill-treatment are not limited to detention centers, but have managed to infiltrate hospitals as well. According to the information we received, in Salamiya hospital, many of those wounded were beaten three times a day.

Disturbing wave of prosecutions on eve of national dialogue
Published on Thursday 30 June 2011.
Reports without Borders

Reporters Without Borders accuses the authorities of continuing to crack down on journalists and media freedom in violation of the spirit for the national dialogue that King Hamad Ben Issa Al-Khalifa wants to begin tomorrow with the aim of relaunching political reforms after the unrest that began last March[February] and the ensuing repression.

Journalists and media are still being prosecuted before military courts, although the state of emergency was lifted on 1 June. The authorities are also maintaining strict control over the circulation of news and information and are pumping out propaganda aimed at both Bahraini and foreign media.

Reporters Without Borders calls for a response from the international community that includes the dispatch of a United Nations special rapporteur to Bahrain.

Bahrain Society of Photography president Mohamed Salman Al-Sheikh, a freelance photographer who was arrested on 11 May, was brought before a military court in Riffa, the second largest city, on 28 June. His family was not told about at the hearing and therefore was unable to organize his defence. No information has been released about the charges being pressed against this journalist, who has won many international awards.

Abbas Al-Murshid, a freelance journalist and writer who was arrested on 16 May, was brought before a judge on 27 June and was told that he was charged with participating in illegal demonstrations, disseminating false information on online forums and inciting hatred against the government. His request to be freed on bail was denied. Security officers present in the courtroom refused to let his wife and lawyer talk to him although the judge had given his permission. He is to be tried by court martial on 7 July.

Abdullah Alawi and Jassem Al-Sabbagh, two journalists who were arrested after being forced to resign from the newspaper Al-Bilad, are being prosecuted on charges of publishing false information and photos, and participating in illegal demonstrations. The second hearing in their trial was held on 23 June.

As already reported, a military court imposed jail sentences on 22 June on 21 people accused of belonging to terrorist organizations and trying to overthrow the government. Eight of them, including the human rights activist and blogger Abduljalil Al-Singace, were given life sentences. The other 13 got sentences ranging from two to 15 years in prison. The blogger Ali Abdulemam, who was tried in absentia, got 15 years (http://en.rsf.org/bahrain-one-blogg…). …more

Bahrain: Leaders of revolution vow to upstage protests to bring down the Al Khalifa
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 01/07/2011 – 10:32 p | Hits: 79

The revolutionary zeal in Bahrain proved to the world that it is still able to drive the youth towards the final victory of the revolution and the downfall of the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship. As more martyrs fell in the past few weeks, the horizons of change appear to be widening despite the regime’s attempts to contain the people’s willingness for more struggle and sacrifice. …source

Bahrain riot police fire tear gas at protesters
Posted 2h 30m ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas at anti-government protesters denouncing reconciliation talks between the Gulf kingdom’s rulers and the Shiite-led opposition on Saturday just hours after the dialogue began.

The renewed unrest — described by witnesses — underlines the deep tensions on the island nation after more than four months of harsh security crackdowns by the Western-allied monarchy.

It also points to the political risks for Bahrain’s biggest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, which decided to join the U.S.-encouraged talks despite widespread anger among the majority Shiites — who claim they suffer systematic discrimination at the hands of the Sunni dynasty ruling Bahrain.

The protesters gathered near a landmark square in Manama, which was the epicenter of the Shiite uprising for greater rights that began in February. The witnesses said several hundred marchers chanted “No dialogue” just hours after a ceremony to open the talks in the strategic nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment by authorities.

There were no immediate reports of injuries during the demonstrations that started after a funeral for a protester, who died on Thursday in a military hospital from injuries sustained during the unrest in March.

The death of 30-year-old protester, Majid Ahmed Mohammed, brings to 32 the number of those killed since February. Bahrain’s Shiites account for 70 percent of the population, but say they face second-class status such as being effectively frozen out of top political and military posts. …more

Hardliners clash with police in Bahrain

By Simeon Kerr in Manama
The Financial Times

Hundreds of Shia youths clashed with security forces in Bahrain as opposition hardliners gave their verdict on the national dialogue launched by the king on Saturday.

In the worst clashes since the authorities launched a crackdown on largely Shia pro-democracy protesters in March, scores of protesters engaged in close-quarter clashes with security forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets. …source

Maryam AlKhawaja: Exile or Opportunist?
Bahrain Independent

While Maryam Al Khawaja vacations worldwide spending khums and American taxpayer’s money, she spends a few hours of her day to corrupt Bahraini minds and incite unrest while she sips hot chocolate in Trafalgar square and enjoys a luxury lifestyle in Europe. Al Khawaja’s latest… …more

Not so random tweet: Protest in Sanabis against the Dialogue “Your Dialogue is all lies, the ppl are tired of you”

Bahrain: Sides talk on political unrest
Published: July 2, 2011 at 9:01 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain, July 2 (UPI) — Talks began Saturday in Bahrain between the Sunni Muslim-led government and majority Shiites calling for proportional representation, officials said.

King Hamad Bin Issa Al Khalifa ordered the talks days ago in a bid to put down demonstrations that have resulted in at least 30 deaths since February, the BBC reported.

The nationally televised talks in Manama involved 300 delegates, only about 50 of which were from the Shiite al-Wifaq opposition party, The Wall Street Journal said.

When protests began sweeping Arab countries in the Middle East and Africa early this year, 18 Wifaq Shiite parliamentarians quit in protest and eight senior party members were sentenced to life in prison, the Journal reported. The party is calling for their release, along with hundreds of others jailed for protesting.

The king called in troops from neighboring Sunni Gulf states to suppress the rebellion, although most have left in recent days as the monarch has made conciliatory gestures, including the creation of a committee to investigate allegations of brutality by security forces.

Regardless of the outcome of the talks scheduled to last a month, the BBC said Bahrain’s appointed senate called the Shura Council can overturn any commitments. …source

Kuwait Ends Bahrain Naval Mission: State Media
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE – Published: 2 Jul 2011 10:41

KUWAIT CITY – Kuwaiti naval forces on July 2 ended a mission to secure Bahrain’s maritime border they began in March amid a crackdown on Shiite protesters, the official KUNA news agency reported.

“The Kuwaiti naval task force in the Kingdom of Bahrain ended today (July 1) its mission to contribute to the protection of the maritime border of Bahrain and securing it in cooperation with the Bahraini navy, which began in March,” KUNA said.

The announcement came the same day that Bahrain opened a national dialogue said to be aimed at relaunching political reforms.

Saudi Arabia deployed about a thousand troops to Bahrain in March while the United Arab Emirates sent some 500 police – deployments that freed up Bahraini security forces to crush a month-long Shiite-led protest movement calling for reforms in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority kingdom.

A Saudi official said on June 28 that the Peninsula Shield force of Gulf troops sent to Bahrain were to be “redeployed” but will not withdraw completely.

Kuwaiti Sunni Islamist MPs had announced before the naval deployment that they would move to question the prime minister in parliament for not sending troops to Bahrain. …source

“Healing process” is aim of Bahrain dialogue
Bradley Hope and Asa Fitch – Jul 3, 2011

MANAMA – Bahrain moved cautiously forward on a path towards reconciliation yesterday with the inauguration of a “National Dialogue” about the country’s future.

The dialogue was a “healing process” for the country, said Khalifa Dhahrani, the parliament speaker and chairman of the dialogue. While there would be “no preconditions and no ceiling” to the principles submitted to King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa at the end of the process, he emphasised that the dialogue was about ideas, not immediate change.

The discussions would be broken down into four main categories: political, social, economic and legal, officials said. There would also be an extra session for issues concerning expatriates.

“This dialogue is not resulting in solutions or decisions,” said Isa Abdulrahman, the spokesman of the National Dialogue. “It will be visions.”

He said that topics with a consensus would be submitted to the king, as would those where no agreement could be reached and the reasons why.

New billboards were raised across the city to promote the dialogue with the slogan: “Our Bahrain, Our Unity”. It was a marked contrast from the pitched battles that took place between protesters and the police in March on the streets of Manama.

At least 30 people died during the protests, including a 30-year-old man who succumbed to a head wound on Thursday. …source

Bahrain releases more than 100 detainees
By shiapost – July 2, 2011Posted in: Bahrain
palatable
Manama: Bahrain on Saturday released more than 100 people who were detained on security-related charges.

No official statement has been issued about the number or names of those who have been allowed to go home.

The release coincides with the launch of the national dialogue, a forum for more than 300 Bahrainis from political societies, NGOs, the media, the parliament, the municipal councils, the trade unions and the business community, to discuss the future of Bahrain following weeks of deep divisions sparked by the country’s worst crisis in its modern history. …more

Protests against Bahrain ‘national dialogue’
Reports that police have fired tear gas at protesters denouncing reconciliation talks between government and opposition.
Last Modified: 02 Jul 2011 15:38 – AlJazeera

Witnesses in Bahrain say riot police have fired tear gas at protesters who were denouncing reconciliation talks between the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers and the Shia opposition.

The renewed violences came late on Saturday, hours after opposition and pro-government groups began talks aimed at healing the deep rifts caused after protests earlier this year were brutally repressed.

The protesters gathered near a landmark square in the capital Manama, that had been the epicentre of the pro-democracy uprising that began in February.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment by authorities.

Scepticism over national dialogue

The opposition has expressed scepticism over whether the national dialogue, decreed by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, can accomplish anything, noting that it only has 35 of the 300 seats at the bargaining table.

“We start without conditions or limits, our only condition is accepting one another,” Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Dhahrani, chairman of the dialogue and also a speaker of parliament, said on Saturday.

Isa Abdulrahman, a government spokesperson, said the environment in Bahrain is conducive to fruitful negotiations between the Sunni ruling elite and the opposition.

He described the “the high turnout” to the talks as a testament to the absence of concerns for participants.

“When you reach a percentage of 94 per cent of the people that you have invited to attend the dialogue, they have accepted, willingly, to take part in the dialogue,” he said.

Abdulrahman said around 80 per cent of participants have submitted proposals that will be discussed over the coming month.

The Gulf Arab kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia is strategically important, hosting the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Washington was encouraged by “the decision of Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest opposition political society, to join the national dialogue recently announced by King Hamad,” Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the US state department, said.

Inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that toppled rulers in the two countries, Bahrain’s Shia, who say they are discriminated against, took to the streets in February and March to demand political reforms.

The nation’s Sunni rulers crushed the movement with martial law and help from security forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

An estimated 30 people died, hundreds were arrested and thousands of Shias lost their jobs. …more

Bahrain riot police fire tear gas at protesters

World Jul. 03, 2011 – 05:52AM JST ( 0 )

DUBAI —

Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas at anti-government protesters denouncing reconciliation talks between the Gulf kingdom’s rulers and the Shiite-led opposition on Saturday just hours after the dialogue began.

The renewed unrest—described by witnesses—underlines the deep tensions on the island nation after more than four months of harsh security crackdowns by the Western-allied monarchy.

It also points to the political risks for Bahrain’s biggest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, which decided to join the U.S.-encouraged talks despite widespread anger among the majority Shiites—who claim they suffer systematic discrimination at the hands of the Sunni dynasty ruling Bahrain.

The protesters gathered near a landmark square in Manama, which was the epicenter of the Shiite uprising for greater rights that began in February. The witnesses said several hundred marchers chanted “No dialogue” just hours after a ceremony to open the talks in the strategic nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment by authorities.

There were no immediate reports of injuries during the demonstrations that started after a funeral for a protester, who died on Thursday in a military hospital from injuries sustained during the unrest in March. …more

Talks Begin in Effort to Repair Bahrain Rift
By REUTERS – Published: July 2, 2011

The opposition has expressed skepticism that the reconciliation talks, ordered by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and scheduled to last weeks, can accomplish anything, noting that it has only 35 of the 300 seats at the bargaining table.

“The agenda has been previously set by the government in order to exclude talks about critical issues,” one opposition delegate, Bushra al-Hindi, told The Associated Press, “such as moving along with a process that will reshape the country into a constitutional monarchy.”

Mr. Hindi is one of the delegates from Al Wefaq, the largest Shiite party, which decided only at the last minute to take part but threatened to pull out if the talks did not move toward greater representation in the government. Bahrain has an elected assembly, but the ruling Khalifa family appoints cabinet ministers and the upper house. …more

IslamicActionSociety
On Thursday 16th June 2011, @AmalSociety said:
#Bahrain Statement: provision of “Amal” staff to trials and the desire of tens of international lawyers to defend
——————————————-
In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most graceful,,

Islamic Action Society announces, according to the information issued by some human rights organizations and innocent detainees’ families, that the authority is to provide Islamic Action Society’s staff headed by the Secretary General Shaikh Moh’d Ali Almahfoodh to military trials within next week and to accuse them with fabricated charges that authority used to fabricate to other honorable strivers from the sons of this country.

In this context, many lawyers from different countries announced their readiness to defend the Secretary General and his faithful brothers from the Society’s staff, who were arrested during the last period of nightly raids on their houses or by the arrest of their loved ones as hostages until they surrender themselves to police.

Shaikh Moh’d Ali Almahfoodh and his friends and many other innocent citizens and leaders of this people are paying the cost of their defense of Bahraini people and not keeping silent on the unjust, the violations and the blatant suppression. What Sh. Almahfoodh did and stand for of moral principles toward the hardship of this great people, that are declared and undeclared, is the main reason for throwing the honorable such his eminence into detentions, and these stands are stemmed from deep faith in his eminence of religious, moral and historic responsibility that lying on his shoulders toward the people which matches with his principles and his jihad and sacrificing biography in which he bear the pain of detention, emigration and staying away from his family and homeland for many years ago.

Along four decades of his age, Sh. Almahfoodh sought with his companions to demand a democratic and just regime that is accepted by people and established on the bases of equality and freedoms respect which result from a real people participation in drawing their present and future, a regime in which people are treated on the bases of their efficiency and faithfulness, not on their sectarian affiliation or relations with corrupters, so Sh. Almahfoodh sought to a regime that rewards the good man on his goodness, and punishes the abusers who steal the country and use it for their interests, who arrested and tortured and killed the sons of this people in order to save their privileges at the expense of the homeland and citizens.

That is why today he is bearing the tax of this seek and this national brave stand toward his own people to confirm to us that defending the suffering of Bahraini people is an essential and urgent issue that cannot endure the delay, because every day more on this suffer, it means more victims fall and tortured, tried and imprisoned and possibly killed.

The trial of such ones like Sh. Almahfoodh is a trial of the people’s conscious and all that is clean and honor and national and faithful by the staff of corrupts and torture and violations that control the people’s and country’s fate. At a time when the American delegation visits Bahrain, it turns blind eye on the detention of the societies’ and movements’ leaderships in a clear reference to the US double standards in dealing with the political forces in Bahrain through separation and sorting.

Freedom to honorable, and the victory from Allah, and freedom to this great people,,
No right lost as long as demands behind it,,,

Islamic Action Society – Amal
Manam – Bahrain
16th june, 2011
…source

IFEX calls on Bahrain’s rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves

28 June 2011
(IFEX) – The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) is deeply alarmed at the recent life sentences given to eight Bahraini human rights and political activists and bloggers, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a founder and former head of IFEX member group the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and renowned blogger and activist Abduljalil Al-Singace. The two men were given life sentences on 22 June by a military court, which found them guilty of plotting a coup against the government during two months of unrest earlier this year. Another 13 protesters were sentenced to between two and 15 years in jail. They include blogger Ali Abdul Imam of popular news portal Bahrain Online, who was sentenced to 15 years, among seven people charged in absentia.

Other journalists are in jail or in hiding or facing charges, simply for reporting the news. A brave young woman, poet Ayat Al Cormozy, was sentenced to one year in prison on 12 April for reading poems at a demonstration. (Read her poems posted by PEN International in a take action. Numerous websites have been blocked and independent newspapers have been penalised, notably through charges facing Mansoor Al-Jamri, chief editor of “Al Wasat”, and editors Walid Nuwayhid and Akil Mirza, all accused of “publishing fabricated news and made up stories . . . that may harm public safety and national interests.” Two journalists have died in prison, likely as a result of torture.

IFEX once again expresses support to our member and partners in Bahrain, particularly those who have been sentenced to life in prison for expressing themselves during protests in favour of democracy in Bahrain. All were sentenced during special military court proceedings, which do not comply with international standards of law. IFEX members have recorded numerous incidents of torture in Bahraini prisons. Al-Khawaja was taken to the Bahrain Defense Force hospital as a result of beatings he received after his sentence was pronounced. (The appeal is scheduled for 29 June.) …more

Bahrain’s biggest Shiite party to join talks with Sunni rulers despite crackdown on dissent
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, July 1, 11:48 AM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain’s biggest Shiite bloc will join reconciliation talks with Sunni rulers despite a harsh crackdown on pro-reform protests in the Gulf kingdom, the party’s leader said Friday on the eve of the government-led dialogue.

The decision by the group, Al Wefaq, lends important credibility to the U.S.-encouraged talks after more than four months of Shiite-led protests for greater rights and harsh crackdowns. But Wefaq also could bring divisions within Bahrain’s Shiite majority as many insist that negotiations are futile until the government frees detainees and halts trials links to the protests.

Washington has strongly pushed for talks between the opposition and the rulers in the strategic island nation, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The Sunni monarchy has made concessions in advance of the so-called “national dialogue” set to begin Saturday, including sanctioning an international investigation that will include probes into the conduct of security forces.

But the government has not relented on opposition demands to free all detainees and clear others convicted of protest-linked charges, including eight activists sentenced to life in prison last month.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain’s 525,000 people, but claim they face systematic discrimination such as being blocked from top government and political posts.

The head of Wefaq, Sheik Ali Salman, said delegates from his group will join the talks but will stick to its calls to loosen the Sunni monarchy’s grip on power.

“We are heading to the talks, but we will not give up our demand for a government that represents the will of the people,” Salman told thousands of supporters during a rally in Diraz, an opposition stronghold northwest of the capital Manama. …more

Bahrain to citizens living abroad: Spy on countrymen, no protests permitted
Gulf kingdom’s alleged campaign of intimidation extends thousands of miles beyond its borders

LONDON — Bahrainis living abroad have been ordered to spy on their countrymen in the wake of a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

Documents containing “loyalty pledges” — which also require expats to promise they will not protest against the tiny Gulf state’s government — have been sent to students attending university in the U.K.

Some Bahrainis told msnbc.com that they feel abandoned by Western leaders in the face of an alleged campaign of intimidation that extends far beyond the country’s borders.

Human Rights First Applauds President Obama’s Nomination of a U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2011

Washington, D.C.— Human Rights First applauds President Obama’s nomination of an ambassador to Bahrain. This has been a critical request from the Bahraini human rights community since the absence of a high level diplomatic envoy from the United States has hampered the USG’s ability to address the ongoing crackdown against human rights defenders in the home of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

President Obama announced Tuesday the nomination of Thomas C. Krajeski as ambassador to Bahrain. “This nomination satisfies a major demand of the human rights community by adding accountability and weight to U.S. foreign policy-making in Bahrain,” said Human Rights First’s Quinn O’Keefe.

The President’s announcement is especially important on the eve of a national dialogue that many in the human rights community doubt will be real and productive.

“The Bahraini government’s continuing violent attacks on peaceful protesters and its intimidation and detention of human rights defenders call into question the Bahraini government’s good faith,” added O’Keefe. “As President Obama said in his May 19th speech on the Arab Spring, Bahrain cannot have a real dialogue if the opposition is in jail.” …more

Criminalising Palestinian solidarity
by News Source on July 1, 2011
Maureen Murphy writes:

The United States government has criminalised the Palestinian people, and now it is increasingly treating US citizens who stand in solidarity with Palestine as criminals as well – including those courageously putting their lives on the line to break the siege on Gaza.

I am a Palestine solidarity activist in the US, and one of 23 US citizens who have been issued with a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury as part of what the government has said is an investigation into violations of the laws banning material support to foreign “terrorist organisations”.

None of us have given money or weapons to any group on the State Department’s foreign terrorist organisation list. But what many of us have done is participate in or help organise educational trips to meet with Palestinians and Colombians resisting the US-funded military regimes they live under.

The goal of these trips is to learn about the human rights violations happening in these places and to bring those stories back home to the US, to educate people and to organise to change US foreign policy for the better.

Travel for such purposes should be protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But a year ago the US Supreme Court decided in Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project to dramatically expand the government’s definition of what constitutes material support for a foreign terrorist organisation.

Now the government considers travel to places like the West Bank and Colombia to be a predicate or justification for opening up an investigation and issuing search warrants to raid activists’ homes and seize their belongings. Political speech if made in a “coordinated way” can be construed as material support. …source