In one of his first public events since being held under house arrest, WikiLeaks Editor-In-Chief Julian Assange appeared in London Saturday for a conversation with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, moderated by Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman. They discussed the impact of WikiLeaks on world politics, the release of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, and Cablegate — the largest trove of classified U.S. government records in history.

“From being inside the center of the storm, I have learned not just about the structure of government, not just about how power flows in many governments around the world that we’ve dealt with, but rather how history is shaped and distorted by the media,” Assange said.

Assange also talked about his new defense team, as well as U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning, the accused Army whistleblower who has been jailed for the past year. Assange is currently under house arrest in Norfolk, outside London, pending a July 12 appeals hearing on his pending extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual misconduct case. He has now spent six months under house arrest, despite not being charged with a crime in any country. Assange was wearing an ankle monitor under his boot and Saturday’s event concluded shortly after 6 p.m. so he could return to his bail address by his curfew. …more

Statement: Barhain’s revolution will continue despite attempts to crush it
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 05/07/2011 – 12:32 p

As we meet here today, there are hundreds of our citizens languishing in torture chambers, some of whom having been sentenced in kangaroo military courts, more than two thousand Bahrainis sacked form their jobs for taking part in peaceful demonstrations, and scores of doctors and nurses on trial for treating the injured. Moreover, repression has continued unabated; with members of the Death Squads roaming the streets, blandishing their guns to prevent any sign of protest.

After decades of abuse, torture and dictatorship, time has come for a fundamental change of the regime. Experience has shown that it is wrong to expect dictators becoming democrats, oppressors administering justice or hereditary dictatorship relinquishing power to the masses. Without such transformation democratic change is not expected in our region. Six months into the Arab Spring and the situation has been brought into a stalemate, with Western powers clearly taking firm stands against real change, on the premise that stability is more important than democracy and that change could not guarantee stability. However, these attitudes can only delay the solution and will only cause more misery to the people.

As for Bahrain, the following points are relevant;

1- It is wrong to expect that the Al Khalifa clan could become a democratic regime. Decades of repression have made it impossible for the people to co-habit with this hereditary dictatorship. The 14th February revolution has declared: The people want a regime change. That will remain the principal slogan until real change has occurred. This means new constitution, free elections based on “One man one vote” system, a government formed by people’s freely elected representatives, transformation of the army, security forces, judiciary and media into national bodies outside the control of a clan or a faction. The regime had forfeited its right to rule when it invited foreign forces to invade the country, kill Bahrainis and destroy their mosques. The Saudi occupation is a crime; it must be condemned and ended immediately and unconditionally.

2- The Al Khalifa clan has refused to engage in real and meaningful dialogue in the past and continues to do so. The recent attempt at deception falls short of the dialogue called for by their allies. One of their faithful lieutenants is presiding over a public meeting of more than 300 people who are presenting ludicrous ideas including one that there is a need to curtail the freedoms arguing that they are responsible for the revolution. The crisis is between the people and the ruling Al Khalifa clan; yet they chose not to engage in a dialogue that may discuss their position. This general meeting is doomed from the start. While the leadership of the revolution are outside this public meeting, only 10 percent of the participants are part of the opposition that had worked within the regime, the rest are loyalists. This process of hypnotism takes place as the entire leadership of the real opposition (ie those operating outside the regime) are behind bars and are being subjected to horrific treatment. What a dialogue!

3- When Navi Pillay, the UN Human Rights Commissioner threatened to send a fact-finding mission to Bahrain, Bahrain’s dictator dissuaded her from this idea and proposed to form his own committee. It has been formed by him under the chairmanship of Mr Mohammad Bissiouni and includes five other international figures. However, it has several serious shortcomings; it is formed by the dictator himself thus its independence is questionable; it will be financed by the regime; its findings will be submitted to him first and that several of its employees are supplied by the royal court. Some disturbing indications have emerged from Mr Bissiouni himself who repeated the allegation that the dictator has been unaware of most of the crimes committed against the Bahrainis. Therefore we repeat our call for an international fact-finding mission that operates outside the Al Khalifa jurisdiction. The proposed committee is doomed and its findings will thus be null and void.

4- The revolution, meanwhile, will continue unabated. The 14th February youth are adamant on seeing through the movement for change at any cost. Police repression has continued until yesterday when several protests were staged in several areas at the end of the commemoration of the latest victim of the regime’s brutality, Majeed Mohammad Ahmad who died of his wounds last Friday. His body revealed extensive torture and abuse. The support of the independent-minded, freedom-loving people of the world is needed to ensure that the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship be brought to a prompt end.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
5th July 2011 …source

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

Bahrain opposition fears reform talks not serious
By shiapost – July 6, 2011Posted in: Bahrain

DUBAI: Bahrain’s opposition said on Wednesday the first session of a national dialogue for reforms in the Gulf island kingdom raised questions over whether talks aimed at easing tensions after unrest this year can succeed.

The country’s Sunni rulers crushed mostly Shia-led pro-democracy protests in March. After a four-month crackdown, Bahrain hopes to lay the groundwork to heal deep rifts.

But opposition groups said the first working session of the dialogue on Tuesday night left them concerned that their main demand — a representative, directly elected government — would never reach a consensus in break-out groups where some 60 people were allowed only five minutes to present their views.

“To reach a complete solution to the big problems, you have five minutes to speak? What is that?” asked Sayed al-Mousawi of the main Shia opposition group Wefaq. “Is this dialogue?”

The organisers of the national dialogue have said sessions will continue over a two-week period and then convene again if consensus is not reached on specific issues.

Bahrain faced international pressure to begin reconciliation after the fierce crackdown in which hundreds of mostly Shias were arrested in the tiny Gulf island state, a financial hub and host to the Fifth Fleet, the US Navy’s main regional outpost. …more

Bahrain’s main Shiite opposition formation will shun parts of the national dialogue which the authorities say aims to bring forward reforms in the restive kingdom, a member said on Thursday.

“We will boycott the meetings of the economic and social committees but will continue to attend the meetings of the political and rights committees,” Khalil al-Marzooq a leading member of the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), told AFP.

Bahrain’s Al-Wefaq to shun part of dialogue
AFPBy Joseph Eid | AFP – 9 hrs ago

“We believe the dialogue should discuss major political and security issues,” Marzooq said.

“This dialogue will not lead to a solution … and it does not fulfill the needs to pull Bahrain out of its political crisis,” Marzooq said.

Al-Wefaq’s former MP said that the dialogue participants do not fairly represent society and that those participating are not being given chance to speak during the sessions.

Bahrain on Tuesday held the first session of its national dialogue, which is attended by about 60 participants each in simultaneous sessions on politics, the economy, human rights and social issues — the four axes on which the dialogue is to focus.

The sessions are scheduled for three times a week — on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The dialogue comes after Bahraini security forces carried out a mid-March crackdown on Shiite-led protesters who had been demonstrating for reforms in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority kingdom since February 14. …more