Bahrain: A juristic gap between the Military Court and the Civil Court, and an unknown fate for the detainees from the protests of the 14th of February
July 10th, 2011 – BYSHR

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its concern regarding the unknown fate of the detainees from the 16th of March 2011 after the authorities suppressed the protests in Bahrain.

On the 29th of June 2011, the King of Bahrain issued a decision to transfer protestor cases from the Military Court to the regular court.

This decision did not contribute to a fair trial for the following reasons:

1- Transferring the cases from the Military Courts does not mean reinvestigating the cases again by the General Prosecution, where only the files of the detainees will be transferred without a new investigation. The BYSHR has previously questioned the integrity of the evidence that the military prosecution and military court relied on.
2- The convicted in the primary courts and appellants in the Military Courts will be only permitted the Cassation Court, and the Cassation Court in the regular court cannot take the right decision that would contribute to the fairness of the judiciary.

3- The Military Court did not investigate in the torture allegations and did not permit the recording of the claims in the hearings proceedings, and the regular court will not be able to investigate since the marks of torture have disappeared after this long period.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) affirms that the Military Prosecution has violated the legal procedures, especially that there are many detainees whom their detention period has exceeded three month, without charging or releasing them.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) considers that the duration taken for transferring the cases from the Military Court to the Regular Court is an additional punishment against the detainees that have not been charged, and the international human rights law refuses the punishment of any defendant until being charged guilty by an independent and just court. Based on this, the BYSHR demands the immediate release of all detainees, as well as the instant and independent investigation in the arbitrary arrests, the long detention periods with no charges and the allegations of torture. …source

New protests rage across Egypt
Demanding faster reforms and prosecution of Mubarak era officials, protesters gather to put pressure on military rulers.
Last Modified: 08 Jul 2011 12:06

Thousands of demonstrators have flooded Cairo’s now-iconic Tahrir Square and other rallying points across the country to demand immediate reforms and swifter prosecution of former officials from the toppled government of Hosni Mubarak.

Friday’s “March of the Million”, as protesters are calling the new uprising, is expected to be the biggest demonstration since the fall of Mubarak on February 11.

Many Egyptians feel that little has changed since the regime was forced out, and the nationwide protests are the latest calls for the country’s interim military rulers to provide a roadmap towards democracy, jobs and infrastructure improvements.

Most of Egypt’s political parties and coalitions, including the Muslim Brotherhood, supported widespread calls for the protest to be staged across Egypt. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Suez and Alexandria, among other locations.

“The main frustration here is over the release of the officers accused of killing protesters during the revolution is the main focus of the people here,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Sherine Tadros from Suez. “What people here are asking for is justice and faster trials of those responsible for the killings of protesters.

Tadros added that the military is trying to maintain control and show a visible presence in Suez.

“However, they are careful not to overshadow the protesters to make it out in many ways that they are here to stop the protest,” Tadros said.

Five months after the revolution, many activists behind Friday’s protest say few of the goals of the original uprising have been achieved. One rallying point is the claim that military rulers have failed to provide justice for the victims of the former regime.

Call for action

“Punishment for the killers of the martyrs,” read one banner in Tahrir Square, the focal point for protests that drove Mubarak out of office after 30 years in power.
In video

Shadi Hamid, the Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center, discusses the issues behind the protests

Another placard read “Down with the field marshal”, referring to the military commander, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council which took over after Mubarak.

Tantawi was Mubarak’s defence minister for two decades, and some Egyptians believe he represents the continuation of Mubarak’s lingering power structure that includes the judiciary, police and civil service. …more

Blackwater Founder Assembling Secret Mercenary Army for UAE
UAE Confirms Hiring Erik Prince, Declines to Offer Details
by Jason Ditz

For the second time this year, Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince has been tapped as the leader of a secret military being formed in the desert. In January he was reportedly at the head of a “anti-piracy milita” in northern Somalia. Now, he is in the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE confirmed Prince’s hiring, saying he was providing “operational, planning and training support” for them, but offering no additional details. Documents leaked regarding the deal with Prince’s new company, Reflex Responses, confirm that he is building up a new mercenary army for the emirates.

The mercenary force is largely composed of Colombians and reportedly also features a number of South African mercs who were involved in the Executive Outcomes corporate army of the 1990′s.

Officially the reason for the new mercenary army is “anti-terrorism” operations, but the force is also confirmed to be created to deal with “internal unrest.” A number of other nations in the region have faced pro-democracy uprisings in recent months, and the United Arab Emirates even provided troops to help Bahrain crush theirs. The UAE itself, however, seems to be taking no chances that its own military won’t be willing to crush similar demonstrations, and is preparing the mercenaries primarily as a force with no local ties which would have no qualms about opening fire on demonstrators to secure the regime’s control. …more

Bahrain’s soccer stars tortured in custody
The Times – July 09, 2011 12:00AM

BAHRAINI footballers, including stars of the national team, were tortured while in custody during a crackdown on anti-government protesters this year, The Times has learnt.

The testimony given to The Times directly contradicts assurances given to FIFA, football’s governing body, by the Bahrain Football Association that no players had been suspended or mistreated.

In fact, friends and relatives said a number of players were subjected to beatings in prison after they were arrested for taking part in a demonstration against the ruling al-Khalifa family in March.

Other sportsmen have told of long interrogations and ritual humiliation in jail. The victims included A’ala Hubail, a striker, his brother Mohammed and goalkeeper Ali Saeed, all members of the Bahraini football squad.

Sitting in a community centre in the Shia village of Sitra, near the capital, Manama, they were too afraid to speak about their treatment and would say only that they did not know whether they would be allowed to play football again. The Hubail brothers had had their heads shaved. Mohammed had bruises on his feet.

Friends and relatives said the men had been threatened with further abuse if they spoke out, but gave details of what they knew of the men’s treatment in jail.

“The first two weeks after they were arrested were the worst. They were beaten all the time. They still have marks on their bodies,” said one close relative, who did not want to be named.

When the brothers appeared in court, military police officers on duty went up to shake their hands, some asking for autographs.

“But the men who were beating them were not Bahraini. They didn’t care who they were,” said a friend of the players. “These men are loved by the people, Sunni and Shia. You are British: imagine David Beckham gets arrested and tortured. It’s unthinkable.” …more

Bahrain doctor claims beatings and abuses against ‘Shiite traitors’ by Sunni jailers
By Associated Press, Updated: Saturday, July 9, 6:07 AM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — During more than two months in a Bahrain prison, the routine rarely varied: Alleged abuses by day such as beatings with a rubber hose, and then being blindfolded and dragged into a corridor at night to lie on cold tiles with others arrested in the Gulf kingdom’s crackdown on pro-reform protests.

The account — recounted to The Associated Press by a surgeon from Bahrain’s main state-run hospital — is among many claims of rights violations as authorities crushed the Gulf’s main Arab Spring uprising. It also shows the huge challenges for Bahrain’s Western-backed rulers to rebuild their image and lead reconciliation talks that began this month.

The allegations by the surgeon and other medical personnel remain some of the most politically sensitive between Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy and the majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice in the strategic island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

“They insulted us as ‘Shiite traitors,’” said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals and worries about jeopardizing his defense in court. “They kept saying we were ungrateful to the (Sunni) king and what he did for us. ‘You don’t deserve to stay in Bahrain,’ they said.”

The state hospital became contested ground after the uprising began in February as it was flooded with injured protesters — some wounded by live ammunition — and authorities conducted arrest sweeps in the wards. A total of 48 Shiite doctors and nurses, including the surgeon, still face a range of charges from supporting the protests to trying to overthrow the state.

But the claims of abuses while in custody could bring further international scrutiny on Bahrain’s harsh tactics against demonstrators and are among the many bitter and unresolved tensions that could unravel the U.S.-encouraged talks between the leadership and opposition. …more