Egypt Military Moves to Cement a Muscular Role in Government

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: July 16, 2011

CAIRO — The military council governing Egypt is moving to lay down ground rules for a new constitution that would protect and potentially expand its own authority indefinitely, possibly circumscribing the power of future elected officials.

Protesters unhappy with the military council have returned to Tahrir Square with increasing frequency to voice their demands.

The military announced Tuesday that it planned to adopt a “declaration of basic principles” to govern the drafting of a constitution, and liberals here initially welcomed the move as a concession to their demand for a Bill of Rights-style guarantee of civil liberties that would limit the potential repercussions of an Islamist victory at the polls.

But legal experts enlisted by the military to write the declaration say that it will spell out the armed forces’ role in the civilian government, potentially shielding the defense budget from public or parliamentary scrutiny and protecting the military’s vast economic interests. Proposals under consideration would give the military a broad mandate to intercede in Egyptian politics to protect national unity or the secular character of the state. A top general publicly suggested such a role, according to a report last month in the Egyptian newspaper Al- Masry Al- Youm. The military plans to adopt the document on its own, before any election, referendum or constitution sets up a civilian authority, said Mohamed Nour Farahat, a law professor working on the declaration. That would represent an about-face for a force that, after helping to oust President Hosni Mubarak five months ago, consistently pledged to turn over power to elected officials who would draft a constitution. Though the proposed declaration might protect liberals from an Islamist-dominated constitution, it could also limit democracy by shielding the military from full civilian control.

The military is long accustomed to virtual autonomy. Its budget has never been disclosed to Parliament, and its operations extend into commercial businesses like hotels, consumer electronics, bottled water and car manufacturing. …more

Civil society organisations urge Human Rights Council to condemn crackdown in Bahrain and Yemen | 07/06/2011

Geneva. 7 June 2011. Silence by the international community in the face of the massive crackdown on protestors, civil society and the media in both Yemen and Bahrain makes it complicit in these actions said CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) today. Echoing civil society representatives at a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday, CIVICUS and CIHRS call on the international community to condemn the on-going repression in both countries.

“Civil society activists and citizens have been peacefully protesting for their rights in Yemen and Bahrain, yet they’ve been met by repression from their own governments and silence from the international community,” said Adam Nord, Lobbying and Engagement Manager at CIVICUS. “The international community and the UN Human Rights Council in particular need to be explicit in their support for the peaceful pursuit of human rights in both countries and insist on the immediate end to violence.”

The side event, entitled ‘The Arab Protest Movements: Bahrain and Yemen in Focus’ and attended by over 60 participants, emphasised the silence of the international community in the face of widespread violations of human rights in both countries. According to Sohair Riad, a researcher on Yemen with CIHRS, around 200 protestors have been killed since the protests started in February 2011 and there is a widespread crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders and the media in the country.

Similarly, Maryam Al-Khawaja, Head of the Foreign Relations Office at the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, described the crackdown on all who supported the protests in Bahrain, from prosecution of doctors and medics who treated protestors, to the expulsion of university students who participated in protests, to a widespread clampdown on the media and civil society organisations. So far the international community has been mostly silent on the situation in Bahrain and Yemen.

“Governments often repeat that a certain threshold needs to be passed before the UN Human Rights Council should act, but the Council must not passively wait for a massacre while well documented and widespread human rights violations continue to escalate,” said Laila Matar, UN Advocacy Representative with CIHRS. “The crackdown on the rights of Yemeni and Bahraini citizens is already extreme – condemnation and political isolation from the UN Human Rights Council and foreign governments has the potential to have real impact in this situation.”

CIVICUS and CIHRS call on government members of the UN Human Rights Council to take immediate action by adopting a strong Council resolution condemning the ever increasing government attacks on civil society and human rights in Yemen and Bahrain. “The Council should also request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to brief the Council on the situation in these countries. It is not too late to exert political pressure to reverse the repression of human rights,” said Nord. …source

Bahrain: Vicious attacks on protestors as resistance solidifies
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 15/07/2011 – 11:25 p | Hits: 215

Peaceful demonstrations were attacked this afternoon by the Saudi and Al Khalifa forces and Death Squads in the towns and villages of Sitra. Bahrainis have called for today’s protests calling for the right of self-determination for the citizens and an end to the hereditary dictatorship that have plagued Bahrain for decades.

The regime’s forces, many of whom are hired mercenaries, used chemical and tear gases to subdue the youth who reacted by erecting barricades and shouting slogans against the Saudi and Al Khalifa occupiers. Several Bahrainis were injured in these vicious attacks by foreign forces. One woman had her car destroyed by these mercenaries and fire was seen bellowing. Running battles are still raging between the two sides while the area has been hit hard with these poisonous gases. Several houses were attacked by the Al Saud and Al Khalifa forces. The main slogan was: “Down with Hamad” referring to the dictator who has now become symbol of hatred in the country for his role in the bloodbath in the past few months. He is now held responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The town of Ekr, Mhazza, Ma’amir and Outer Sitra have become the main grounds of confrontations.

The Irish former Foreign Minister, David Andrews today said that Bahraini pro-government medics and state media staffers “bullied and intimidated” an Irish delegation of health workers and politicians here to secure the release of more than a dozen Bahraini health workers. He accused the president of the Bahrain Medical Society, Dr. Nabeel al-Ansari, of provoking the incident. “It’s most unfortunate that we were bullied and intimidated by him and his representatives.” “We have not come to save Irish doctors,” Damian McCormack, who led the delegation, told reporters. “We came to Bahrain to help Bahrainis,” said the professor of orthopedic surgery at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin. The delegation arrived on the Gulf island with a letter of support from the Irish foreign minister, Eamon Gilmore. They traveled here as part of an effort to determine the condition of the Bahraini health workers, many of whom had trained in Ireland.

On another level, more arrests have taken place in recent days, provoking more anger and frustration as the people continued their struggle to secure their rights. In the town of Al Ekr in the South East of the country, a Bahraini man was attacked savagely by members of the Death Squads before being snatched to the torture chambers. Jaffar Abbas Abdulla Al Moghanni was attacked as he walked in the street. His wounds were described as serious and he was on the brink of unconsciousness when he was kidnapped by the regime’s agents. Another young man, Sayyed Ahmad Al Wada’ei was arrested in the early hours of today. He had been sentenced by the military court for one year imprisonment for taking part in anti-regime peaceful demonstrations. His image on several TV screens soon after the Saudi aggression in March with blood pouring over his face and soaking his clothes had angered the Saudi and Al Khalifa occupiers. Instead of arresting his attackers, he was treated in this way as the occupiers decided to take revenge from Bahrainis.

The release of the young Bahraini poet, Ayat Al Qurmuzi, has been hailed as a victory for the people over the hereditary dictatorship. Ayat was arrested in March and kept under severe torture throughout. She became a symbol of resistance with many world artists and poets campaigning for her release. She was forced, under physical and psychological torture to “apologise” from the dictator but she has now vowed to continue her struggle until a regime change is achieved. Her testimony is expected to contribute to the indictment of the dictator, Hamad Al Khalifa and both his son and uncle who had given orders to kill and torture Bahrainis. War crimes were committed and torture is still being administered under the instruction of them.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
15th July 2011

…source

NATIONAL SECURITY
What’s The State of Play In Bahrain’s Protests?
National Journal catches up with Maryam Al-Khawaja, one of the few activists able to advocate abroad.

By Sara Sorcher – Updated: July 16, 2011 | 1:23 p.m. -July 16, 2011 | 6:00 a.m.

Maryam Al-Khawaja, the 24-year-old director of foreign relations for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, is one of the few Bahraini activists able to speak about the uprising outside the borders of the tiny, oil-rich island nation. Many of the others, Al-Khawaja says, were slapped with travel bans or have already been arrested.

National Journal caught up with Al-Khawaja on Capitol Hill, in between her meetings with State Department staff, Capitol Hill offices, and nongovernmental organizations to make the case for the United States to step up efforts to convince Bahrain to stop human-rights violations. Last month, she received word that her father Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja—one of Bahrain’s most prominent activists and BCHR’s founder—was sentenced to life in jail by a military tribunal on charges of anti-government propaganda.

In efforts to stem the protests wracking the streets of Bahrain, the Sunni rulers announced a “national dialogue” with the opposition largely comprised of Shi’ites, who make up about 70 percent of the population. (Click for more background on protests in Bahrain. Edited excerpts follow.)

NJ: Delegates of the main opposition party in Bahrain, Al Wefaq, are now threatening to pull out of this so-called National Dialogue. Why is this, and what would it mean for the protests?

MK: Although it seems like a great idea, unfortunately, the way the dialogue is set up means people on the ground in Bahrain were saying it was a failure before it even began. If you log onto Twitter, there’s even a hash tag for “Joke of a Dialogue.” You have 300 people invited to this dialogue to discuss demands with the opposition – who are representing the people on the streets – only representing 25 of the seats. It was an attempt to buy some time and get some positive media attention to what they’re doing. If [opposition parties] withdraw… that would automatically mean that the dialogue was over, and much larger numbers of people on the streets again.

NJ: Is the opposition unified over this decision?

MK: Before February 14, the political parties were the main forces that could [effect change]… But that changed when the youth called for and organized the protests. They put out statements, they use Twitter, Facebook. The reason these youth haven’t been flushed out yet is because the government doesn’t know who they are. Even today it’s still the youth that are in control, who are calling for protests. When Al Wefaq decided to go into the dialogue, they suffered a lot of heavy criticism, and they lost a lot of supporters– especially by the youth who felt they were being betrayed.

NJ: So what’s the end game for the protesters?

MK: The protests to begin with were calling for a new constitution written by the people for the people. People are asking for… a real parliament with legislative power, authority to hold the government accountable for what they’re doing. The protesters had a very serious discussion on the ground about whether they wanted the royal family to step down completely, or whether they wanted a constitutional monarchy. I would always ask the question, ‘Do you really think the government’s going to give you that choice?’

NJ: What makes you think that?

MK: If anything, they’re going to do the exact same thing as they did in 2001, which is make promises of reform [for political freedoms for the Sh’ites], initiate some reforms, but then never institutionalize it. Which basically means in a couple of years we’ll be right back where we are now. This has been the way of the regime since the royal family took over Bahrain, which was [more than 200] years ago.

NJ: Would that work this time?

MK: The regime is going to try and play a very smart game– cracking down as severely as possible, and then suddenly making very artificial progress, which is what they’re doing right now by releasing a few prisoners, stopping the torture, allowing family visitations. But the youth are not buying into it this time. They remember what happened in 2001 – it’s not that long ago. They say, ‘You know what? Even if you’re going to make these artificial changes, we’re still going to protest and demand our rights.’

NJ: What is your message to the U.S. now?

MK: I think it was great they made statements by telling Bahrain that using violence is bad– but it’s now time for something more to stop human rights violations. In no way would I ever endorse any kind of military action in Bahrain now or in the future. But I think that threatening to cut off diplomatic ties, bringing up the issue at the United Nations Security Council, making a referral to the International Criminal Court or International Court of Justice would have a big [impact]. With Bahrain, even the threat of that would be enough for the government to make real changes because the Bahraini government really cares about its international image.
…more

Crackdowns, Torture and Intimidation in Bahrain
Contributed by Stephen Lendman on Sat, 2011/07/16 – 1:25pm

Largely ignored by Washington, Western governments, and America’s media, the ruling Al Khalifa monarchy continues cracking down brutally against nonviolent protesters since civil resistance began last February.

On July 14, UK Telegraph writer Richard Spencer headlined, “Bahraini woman poet tells of torture while in custody,” saying:

Incarcerated after reciting a poem critical of government policies, “Ayat al-Qurmezi (age 20) became one of the symbols of the (ongoing) protests….After she was arrested….she was beaten, electro(shocked) and threatened with sexual assault while in custody.”

On July 11, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) headlined, “Teachers ordeal in Bahrain: arrested, tortured, sacked, suspended and prosecuted,” saying:

Teachers and Bahrain Teachers Association (BTA) members participated in protest demonstrations, demanding respect for human rights and democratic change. As a result, they faced “arbitrary arrests, military prosecution, torture, suspensions, salary cuts, and investigation.”

BTA board members were arrested, held incommunicado with no access to family or lawyers. A month later, some were released. Others are still detained, including BTA President Mahdi Abu Deeb, charged with:

“deliver(ing) speeches haranguing and instigat(ing) protesters and inciting them against the political regime, flouting the real voluntary and lofty goals of the association.”

On June 6, Deeb and BTA Vice President Jaleela Al Salman were tried in military court charged with:

“inciting others to commit crimes, calling for the hatred and overthrow of the ruling system, holding pamphlets, disseminating fabricated stories and information, leaving work on purpose and encouraging others to do so and taking part at illegal practices.”

So far, at least 66 teachers were arrested. In addition, riot police repeatedly targeted 15 or more girls’ schools. Teachers and students were arbitrarily arrested, detained, and “physically abused.”

Other schools were also attacked. Many teachers were arrested, interrogated, intimidated, abused, charged with going on strike, participating in peaceful protests, and inciting anti-regime sentiment.

In custody, they were beaten and tortured. One female teacher said:

“Around 10 policewomen were asking me and beating me at the same time. Then they handcuffed me and kept beating me on the head and back while kicking me and stepping on my feet.”

Others were threatened with rape and beaten. A woman who had major back surgery was repeatedly kicked there after explaining her medical condition. …more

Bahrain Burning: A Fervor for Freedom that Cannot be Denied
written by The Real News

Bahrain and the Democratic Uprising
by TRNN
Born on June 15,1951 into a working class family in the south-western city of Ahvaz in the Khuzestan province of Iran, Hamid Dabashi received his early education in his hometown and his college education in Tehran, before he moved to the United States, where he received a dual Ph.D. in Sociology of Culture and Islamic Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Max Weber’s theory of charismatic authority with Philip Rieff (1922-2006), the most distinguished Freudian cultural critic of his time. He is currently the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York, the oldest and most prestigious Chair in his field. He has also taught and delivered lectures in many North American, European, Arab and Iranian universities. His books include Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, Future (2001), Iran: A People Interrupted (2007), and The Green Movement and the USA: The Fox and the Paradox (2010). …source

Embassy of Bahrain in Islamabad

…source – more

Activist: Bahraini woman dies during protest
Associated Press, 07.16.11, 04:08 AM EDT

MANAMA, Bahrain — A Bahraini rights activist says a woman has died during clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters in the Gulf kingdom.

Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said Saturday that 47-year-old Zainab Hasan Ahmed al-Jumaa suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstration Friday near her home in Sitra, the hub of Bahrain’s oil industry.

Her death brings to 33 the number of those who have died since February when Bahrain’s Shiite majority started protests for greater freedoms in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry denied al-Jumaa’s death was linked to a police operation and said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website late Friday that the woman died of natural causes.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

News Conference Invitation: Bahrain: Targets of Retribution
Attacks on Medics, Injured Protesters, and Health Facilities

Human Rights Watch is pleased to invite you to a news conference in Beirut on Monday, July 18 at 11 a.m. for the release of “Targets of Retribution: Attacks against Medics, Injured Protesters, and Health facilities in Bahrain,” a new report by Human Rights Watch.

Since the start of Bahrain’s political crisis in mid-February 2011, when thousands of Bahrainis took to the streets to demand political reforms, Human Rights Watch has reported on an alarming trend of attacks by Bahraini army and security forces against medical workers, medical institutions, and patients suspected of participating in protests. Violations include attacks on medical providers at the main protest site, the siege of hospitals and medical centers, the arrest and torture of patients with protest-related injuries, and the criminal prosecution of doctors and medical staff. This report documents what appears to have been a systematic government campaign to punish and intimidate medical professionals suspected of sympathies with pro-democracy protesters, and to hinder access to health care facilities for persons wounded by security forces. The report also considers evidence the government has provided to support its allegations that government actions were legitimate responses to wrongdoing by medical professionals.

What: Release of “Targets of Retribution: Attacks against Medics, Injured Protesters, and Health facilities in Bahrain”
Who: Joe Stork, deputy director, Middle East & North Africa division, Human Rights Watch
Faraz Sanei, researcher, Middle East & North Africa division, Human Rights Watch
Omar al-Issawi, advocacy and communications director, Middle East & North Africa division, Human Rights Watch

When: July 18, 2011
11 a.m.

Where: Monroe Hotel
Ain El Mreisse, Beirut

For more information about the press conference or to schedule interviews, please contact:
In Beirut, Rola Awada (English, Arabic): +961-3-062115
In New York until July 15, then in Beirut, Omar al-Issawi (English, Arabic): +1-646-420-8682
In Washington, DC until July 15, then in Beirut, Joe Stork (English): +1-202-299-4925
In New York until July 15, then in Beirut, Faraz Sanei (English, Farsi): +1-310-428-0153

Note to journalists: The report is under embargo until the news conference. Copies of the full report will be available in English and Arabic at the news conference….source – BCHR

Activist: Bahraini woman dies during protest
(AP) – 16 hours ago

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A Bahraini rights activist says a woman has died during clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters in the Gulf kingdom.

Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said Saturday that 47-year-old Zainab Hasan Ahmed al-Jumaa suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstration Friday near her home in Sitra, the hub of Bahrain’s oil industry.

Her death brings to 33 the number of those who have died since February when Bahrain’s Shiite majority started protests for greater freedoms in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry denied al-Jumaa’s death was linked to a police operation and said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website late Friday that the woman died of natural causes. …source