Bahrain’s Hard Justice: Activists Sentenced to Death and Life
By Karen Leigh Wednesday, June 29, 2011

In February, the wheelchair-bound, gray-haired Shi’a anti-government activist Abduljalil al-Singace was released from a six-month prison stint in Bahrain. He celebrated by joining a Shi’a anti-government rally that marched to the King’s palace in Riffa. There, he was sought out and congratulated by hundreds of admirers. Several weeks later, he was re-arrested in a pre-dawn raid and taken to a prison in the island nation’s capital Manama. After that, news of Singace — one of the island kingdom’s most famous opposition figures — grew scarce.

Then, a week ago, Singace was sentenced to death in a military court, along with seven other prominent Bahraini activists, the highest-profile verdict in the weeks since the regime began trying arrested members of the opposition. Another 13 were handed sentences ranging from two to 15 years in prison. …more

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