EFF Campaign Increases the Number of Tor Relays by 13.4%
Announcement by Rainey Reitman

Watching the revolutions unfolding in the Arab world this springtime – and learning details first-hand from our friends on the ground – we at EFF struggled to find meaningful ways to support democratic activists and promote online freedom of expression. But we didn’t just want to lend a helping hand –we wanted to create a pathway so that anyone, anywhere in the world, could contribute to making the Internet more private and more resistant to censorship. From these discussions came our idea of launching the Tor Challenge.

We started the Tor Challenge with a simple goal: to launch 100 new Tor relays. Tor is software that individuals –including online activists in authoritarian regimes– can use to mask their IP addresses and proxy out to uncensored networks, helping them dodge network surveillance and elude online censorship. But Tor isn’t merely software – it’s also a network of volunteer computers, each donating bandwidth and acting as a router so that people can bounce their requests through the network, thereby obscuring their digital tracks.

We launched our campaign on May 31, 2011 –and within days surpassed our goal of 100 new relays. Today, we are closing the challenge after adding 549 new relays to the network. This includes:
Exit relays: 123
Middle relays: 299
Bridges: 127
Current bandwidth: 326,084 kb/s
Percentage of Tor network bandwidth: 5.77%

While some of the new relays were later taken offline, the majority of them stayed operational. The total number of public relays in the Tor network has increased by 13.4% during the course of our campaign.

There is an acute need for circumvention technologies in authoritarian regimes – and even activists in many would-be progressive societies may feel safer if they can avoid the electronic gaze of authorities. Jacob Appelbaum, a security researcher and advocate for the Tor Project, recently wrote:

The Tor Challenge is a phenomenal show of support for the Tor network and the network graphs show the results. The efforts expended by EFF supporters around the world have helped to continue the Tor network’s growth in a positive direction. Additionally, the educational efforts made by the EFF have similarly impacted the world; people everywhere understand the need for anonymity as well as how to use Tor to meet their needs in a practical manner.

While EFF’s Tor Challenge may have ended, individuals and organizations that want to create a more private Internet can still run Tor relays. And those who want to support Tor but aren’t tech-savvy can find an ally in TorServers.net, an organization based in Germany that provides technical assistance and support in running Tor relays.

Our gratitude goes out to the hundreds of individuals who set up relays and donated bandwidth to help strengthen the network. They are true defenders of online freedoms. …source build your own TOR network HERE The torproject.org here

Female Teacher Forgotten in Bahraini Prison
20 July, 2011 – By Stephanie El Rayess
Human Rights Defenders

Jalila al-Salman was arrested in March for her alleged role in coordinating a teachers’ strike following the February and March protests that called for government reform.

In addition to opposition members, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters, students and athletes, the Bahraini government is cracking down on its teachers. Teachers like Jalila al-Salman who was arrested in March for her alleged role in coordinating a teachers’ strike following the February and March protests that called for government reform. Over 40 security officers raided Jalila’s home in late March and arrested her in front of her three children. Jalila is still locked up, and her family claims she has been tortured. She may get her day in court, though no exact word on when.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights raised alarm of the government’s violent crackdown on the Bahraini Teacher’s Association (BTA) and the country’s teachers in a recently released report. According to their findings, many have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, military prosecution, torture, suspensions, salary cuts, and investigations due to their support of the peaceful demonstrations. Education International, a global federation of teacher unions, also condemned the Bahrain’s Ministry of Social Development’s decision to dissolve the BTA and to prosecute its leaders in military courts, calling it a “serious assault on teachers’ rights.”

Jalila has devoted her life to education. Her colleagues describe her sincerity, work ethic, and passion for teaching students and helping faculty over her 25 year career as an educator. Because of her years’ long struggle to improve teaching conditions in Bahrain, she faced numerous threats and was passed over for promotion. In addition to her work at Saba Secondary School, Jalila was the Vice-President of the BTA, which was formed as a substitute to the teachers’ union after the government’s 2003 ban on all unions in the public sector. …more

US rebuffs Russian ingenuity on Iran
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Amid ongoing speculation that Israel is preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities this autumn, Russia has stepped in by proposing a “step-by-step” approach to resolve the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Moscow’s solution is worthy of attention by the United States and other “Iran Six” nations (France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany), as well as Iran’s policymakers. Yet the US appears to be dead set on its dual diplomacy-coercion strategy that has escalated tensions with Iran.

At last week’s meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sergei Lavrov, her Russian counterpart, Lavrov
revealed Russia’s intention to distance itself from the US’s coercive diplomacy against Iran that in the recent months has yielded new unilateral sanctions, deemed as covering both nuclear and human-rights violations.

This move makes it doubly difficult to pursue Russia’s proposal for suspension of sanctions in return for Iran’s compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demands, simply because it ignores the fact that the US has imposed sanctions on such Iranian institutions as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for its alleged suppression of pro-democracy activists.

The Russian focus is on inquires put to Iran by the IAEA and seeks to reinvigorate dialogue to address US and European concerns that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at weapons development – a charge Iran denies.

Rebuffing Lavrov, who is understandably worried that Iran could be weakened as a result of the tough sanctions that invite instability in both Iran and the surrounding Caspian Sea/Central Asia regions, Clinton insisted on maintaining a present course of action vis-a-vis Iran that is deemed excessive by Russia and, to a lesser extent, China. …more

Bahrain warned over detentions
shiapost | July 20, 2011

One of the founders of al-Wasat daily, Karim Fakhrawi, died in police detention in April.

An international rights group criticizes Bahrain for suppressing journalists critical of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty, urging Manama to end the harassment and legal proceedings against them.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement released late on Tuesday that it had documented cases of two journalists who died while in police custody and many others being detained or tortured in Bahrain since the beginning of anti-government protests in mid-February.

“Bahrain’s government has a responsibility to protect journalists from those who resort to threats of violence, intimidation, or fabricated criminal charges to influence coverage,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem.

“The government should halt the smear campaign in pro-government publications against critical journalists,” he added.

CPJ said in its statement that it “has documented dozens of cases of journalist detentions in Bahrain the death in custody of two journalists … and a large number of physical assaults against reporters.”

The statement added that in the most recent move against journalists critical of the government, Bahrain’s public prosecutors summoned local journalist Reem Khalifa over accusations that she has hit a woman among pro-government supporters during a news conference held by an Irish delegation investigating rights abuses against Bahraini medics. …more

‘US might redeploy Bahrain fleet’
shiapost – July 20, 2011

The US is reportedly considering redeploying its Navy Fifth Fleet outside Bahrain, due to its alarm at the popular revolution against the country’s Washington-backed regime.

Citing sources in Washington, The Times wrote that there was a groundswell of opinion in favor of the relocation of the fleet, which has been stationed in Bahrain since the 1970s.

Tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-government rallies throughout the country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family.

“There was talk on Capitol Hill about moving the fleet within days of the protests breaking out, and that increased in March and April as people realized that what was happening in Bahrain ran counter to our interests,” one source said.

The paper described the fleet as “a key component of US military power” in the Persian Gulf.

Al Khalifa, which has been ruling Bahrain for over 40 years, came into power with the direct support of the British royal family.

The Bahraini government is being constantly backed by the United States despite its record of human rights abuse and the numerous complaints lodged against it with the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Scores of people have been killed and many more have been arrested and tortured in prisons since the beginning of protests in Bahrain. …source

FIDH Mission in Cairo Discussing its Report “The Price of Hope: Human Rights Violations during the Egyptian Revolution”
18 July 2011

This mission was following the release of FIDH report on human rights abuses committed during the Egyptian Revolution and aimed at discussing the recommendations contained in the report with the authorities, in particular with regard to the prosecution of police officers allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations during the uprising.

In a very cooperative meeting, the Office of the Prosecutor made it very clear that the prosecution of those responsible for serious human rights violations remains a top priority regardless of the personality of the accused. The Office of the Prosecutor stated its focus on prosecuting those accused of corruption and embezzlement of public funds, in addition to the police officers and their superiors who are allegedly accused of the attempted killing and injury of the peaceful protestors during the 18-day revolution. They stressed the importance of accuracy and holistic approach to the investigations to ensure that justice is served properly. …more

POMED Notes: Maryam al-Khawaja – An Update on Bahrain

Notes on the event are located below the break, or can be accessed in PDF form here

On Monday Partners for Democratic Change hosted the Society for International Development, Washington’s Middle East Workgroup for a monthly brown bag lunch entitled “An Update from Bahrain with Bahraini Human Rights Activist, Maryam al-Khawaja.” Monalisa Salib, Senior Manager, Partners for Democratic Change opened the event. Cole Bockenfeld, Advocacy Director for the Project on Middle East Democracy provided background information on events in Bahrain and introduced Maryam al-Khawaja.

Al-Khawaja is the Director of External Relations for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and a former Fulbright Scholar at Brown University. Al-Khawaja was present during the beginning of the February 14th uprising, as protesters demanded democratic reforms, and witnessed a government response that included excessive use of force, widespread arrest, discrimination, and scare tactics to suppress dissent and quell voices for reform. She is also the daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, who was among a group of high-profile human rights activists and opposition leaders recently sentenced to life imprisonment. Although she left Bahrain in early March and has not been able to go back in order to avoid arrest and/or imprisonment, she remains very connected to events on the ground as an advocate and has emerged as a leading voice for human rights. She has been influential in shaping official responses to the atrocities in Bahrain around the world by engaging with prominent European and American policymakers in her advocacy efforts.

Maryam al-Khawaja began her remarks discussing the deep roots of the protests that are currently taking place. There have been anti-government protests in Bahrain occurring nearly every 10 years, for the past century. The current protests began on February 14 and eventually included 250,000 – 300,000 protesters out of a nation of 500,000 citizens. These protests were started by youth, which is different than any other previous protests usually started by political or religious leaders, yet the government’s response has been the same every time. On March 15, after days of the Bahraini security forces violently repressing the protests, the regime invited Saudi Arabian/Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) forces into Bahrain. Al-Khawaja described systematic mass human rights violations including torture, imprisonment, attacks on homes while people are sleeping, and teargas being shot into homes. …more

Tunisia: Joint Statement on Latest Events
Wednesday, July 20,2011 15:23 – IkhwanWeb

Six months after the beginning of the revolution for freedom and dignity on 17 December 2010 in the city of Sidibouzid, a new martyr fell yesterday, 17 July, in the same city, in a protest at conditions in the country. This gives protests in the capital and other regions over the last few days a political character expressing the fears of vast sectors of Tunisians, particularly the youth of the revolution, over the fate of the revolution, the delay in achieving its aims, and attempts to circumvent it.

In response to the above events, interim Prime Minister Mr Beji Kaid-Essebsi addressed Tunisians in a speech on Monday 18 July in which he presented the government’s version of events, its conclusions and its proposed response to them.

The speech was characterised by a tone justifying what has happened and accusing unspecified political parties without presenting any evidence. Furthermore, it was void of any call for dialogue, nor any apology for the attacks on journalists and other citizens, violating their personal safety as well as the sanctity of places of worship, to the extent of using live ammunition and causing death. It also ignored the demands of the protesters and their expressions of dissatisfaction. The government has thus, through the Prime Minister’s speech, abandoned its position of neutrality and its temporary nature as a caretaker government, through its bias towards certain political parties and moving towards a political clash with others.

The undersigned parties wish to clarify the following to Tunisian and international public opinion:

1. Their rejection of the government’s stance and their call upon it to review it and to engage positively with public expressions and the demands of the political elite, and their warning against pushing the country towards an orchestrated state of polarisation that replays scenarios from which the country had suffered immensely and paid dearly, They further call for the adoption of dialogue and consensus-building as the mechanism for resolving disputes in this sensitive phase of our country’s history.

2. Their defense of the right to freedom of expression, protest and sit-ins, considering any violation of that right a contravention of the aims of the revolution, and their condemnation of all acts of violence and attacks on public or private property, such as the events of Menzel Bourguiba. They further express solidarity with all victims, civilian and security personnel, and call for the release of all detainees and those forced to undergo military service.

3. Their commitment to the date of October 23rd as the definitive date for the constituent assembly elections, and their appeal to all parties and political actors to assume their responsibility in protecting the gains of the revolution and enabling a peaceful democratic transition based on open and transparent electoral legitimacy.

Party for Reform and Development
People’s Progressive Unionist Movement
Congress for the Republic Party
Movement of Socialist Democrats
Popular Union Movement
an-Nahdha Movement

Israeli Navy Encircles “Dignity” At Sea
frm: Ikhwanweb

GAZA, — Three Israeli navy ships are encircling the French boat “Dignity” and blocking it from continuing its sail to the Gaza Strip on a humanitarian mission, press reports said on Tuesday.

Al-Jazeera TV channel correspondent Ayash Daraji, on board the boat, said that the Israeli navy was besieging the boat only 70 kilometers away from Gaza, claiming that it carried weapons, a matter which was categorically denied by the solidarity activists on board.

The Israeli officers are contacting the boat’s crewmembers and telling them they should go back from where they came from, yet Daraji said that all on board were determined to go ahead in the voyage to Gaza.

Organizers of the humanitarian mission said on Monday that the boat was approaching Gaza and would dock there within the coming 24 hours. …source

EU Parliament calls for Bahraini medics release
July 20, 2011 By Aoife Connors

The European Parliament has issued a call for innocent prisoners in Bahrain to be released and for parties to engage in productive dialogue, with a view to conflict resolution.

Ireland South MEP Seán Kelly tabled a motion for resolution at the Parliament on July 7 as concerns increased about Irish-trained doctors awaiting a military trial in Bahrain.

During the debate, the Parliament stated that it strongly condemned the disproportionate use of force by the regime against peaceful demonstrators and deplored the large number of persons killed and wounded.

The Parliament heard that 47 Bahraini doctors and nurses have been accused of “incitement to overthrow the regime by force” and are facing trial by a Bahraini military court, whereas the medical professionals treated all injured people equally, in keeping with the ethical code of their profession.

“The aggressive actions taken by the Bahraini regime against its own people is a clear breach of human rights. The detention of 47 medical professionals, including some Irish-trained doctors, is also extremely worrying,” said Kelly.

“Medics around the world need to be assured of their safety as they try to help the sick or injured during times of conflict. The Parliament has condemned the decision to imprison those doctors and is calling for their release.” …more

Saudi Arabia Internal Security Market $10 billion by 2015 – 2011-2011
(March 2011)

Saudi Arabia internal security market. The recent turmoil in the Arab world forced the Saudi Arabian royal family into critical internal security decision junctures. Financed annually by hundreds of billions petro dollars, Saudi Arabia decided to spend $60B for their air force and an additional $30B for their navy upgrade. Now, the Saudis are preparing to pour as much as $40B during 2011-2015 on procurement of equipment and services for their Internal Security. This creates lucrative business opportunities for the international defense and security players.
HSRC’s latest report, presents in 130 pages, including 81 tables and figures, analysis and forecasts of 14 Saudi internal security sub-markets. The report presents SWOT and competitive analysis of the market, companies that are active in Saudi internal security market, and specific business opportunities in the Saudi security sector. …source

Appendix F
Ammunition Identification

Ammunition is identified by markings and color-coding on the items themselves, the containers, and the packing boxes. The markings and standard nomenclature of each item, together with the lot number, FSC, NSN, DODIC, and DODAC, completely identify each item and are used to maintain accountable records. This appendix gives a basic explanation of markings and color-coding. Because color-coding is a more ready means of identification, it is given greater emphasis here.

MARKINGS

F-1. Markings stenciled or stamped on munitions items include all information needed for complete identification. Components in which all explosive, incendiary, or toxic materials have been simulated by substitution of inert material are identified by impressed INERT markings. Components in which all explosive, incendiary, or toxic materials have been omitted are identified by stamped EMPTY markings.

AMMUNITION LOT NUMBER

F-2. Each item of ammunition is assigned a complete round or item lot number when it is manufactured or is at the LAP plant. See MIL-STD 1168-A for a description of the current system. See MIL-STD 1168 for a discussion of the old lot numbering system. Figure F-1 breaks down a typical ammunition lot number showing both the new and old systems.

See more for identification of munitions and markings here

Grenade, Hand, Riot, CS, ABC-M7A2
Grenade, Hand, Riot, CS, ABC-M7A3

FM 23-30: ABC-M7A2/A3
The ABC-M7A2 and ABC-M7A3 riot-control hand grenades contain only CS as a filler. They differ only in the amount of filler and the form of the CS they contain. The ABC-M7A2 grenade has 5.5 ounces of burning mixture and 3.5 ounces of CS in gelatin capsules. The ABC-M7A3 has 7.5 ounces of burning mixture and 4.5 ounces of CS pellets.

The bodies of both grenades are sheet metal with four emission holes at the top and one at the bottom. Both grenades have gray bodies with red bands and markings. These grenades do not have safety clips.

ABC-M7A3 Unit cost: $175 (Fiscal Year 2005).

Grenade, Hand, Riot, CN1, ABC-M25A1

FM 23-30: M25A1
Obsolete. [Still in Use] The ABC-M25A1 riot control hand grenade is a bursting munition with an integral fuze.

All fillers are mixed with silica aerogel for increased dissemination efficiency.

The M25 series of riot-control hand grenades have a radius burst (visible cloud grenade) of about 16 feet (5 m), but fragments of the grenade are occasionally projected up to 82 feet (25 m).

The grenade has a gray body with red band and red markings. Grenade, Hand, Riot, CN1, ABC-M25A2
Grenade, Hand, Riot, CS1, ABC-M25A2

FM 23-30: M25A2 TACTICAL AND MATERIEL INNOVATIONS: ABC-M25A2 CS1
ABC-M25A2 CS1

Obsolete. [Still in Use] The ABC-M25A2 riot control hand grenade is a bursting munition with an integral fuze. The M25A2 grenade is an improved version of the M25A1 grenade. The two grenades differ primarily in body construction.

All fillers are mixed with silica aerogel for increased dissemination efficiency.

The M25 series of riot-control hand grenades have a radius burst (visible cloud grenade) of about 16 feet (5 m), but fragments of the grenade are occasionally projected up to 82 feet (25 m).

…see more weapons here

CPJ calls on Bahrain to end harassment of critical journalists
by: Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, July 19, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Bahrain to end harassment and contrived legal proceedings against critical journalists. Since February, critical journalists have been intimidated, interrogated, smeared in government-owned and -aligned publications, and harassed and sued by government supporters.

Reem Khalifa, a journalist for the much-harassed Arabic-language daily Al-Wasat and a contributor to other local and international media, has been the target of harassment, intimidation, and a coordinated smear campaign; ,most recently she was also charged with verbally abusing and physically assaulting a government supporter, according to local news reports.

“Bahrain’s government has a responsibility to protect journalists from those who resort to threats of violence, intimidation, or fabricated criminal charges to influence coverage,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “The government should halt the smear campaign in pro-government publications against critical journalists.”

Khalifa was at a press conference held by an Irish delegation of medical, political, and human rights practitioners at a Manama hotel on Thursday evening. The press conference ended prematurely after government supporters and journalists with state media outlets bullied delegation members, as well as independent and critical journalists, according to CNN. When Khalifa tried to interview a member of the delegation she was repeatedly interrupted by a small group of pro-government medical practitioners, who followed and taunted her, according to Khalifa and corroborating testimony by other journalists who were present.

An argument ensued and Khalifa reached to take a camera away from a woman who was haranguing and filming her. Described by various news outlets as a physician or a nurse, Hind al-Fayez claimed that Khalifa had hit her. CPJ’s review of the video footage and still shots from it indicate that Khalifa did not strike al-Fayez. On Sunday, Khalifa was summoned by the public prosecutor for questioning and was released pending an investigation, according to local news reports. Khalifa denied all accusations and filed a counterclaim for insult and invasion of privacy.

Meanwhile, state media have engaged in a smear campaign against Khalifa, reporting on the incident as if she had committed a crime and had been found guilty of it. Al-Watan, Al-Ayyam, Akhbar al-Khaleej, Al-Bilad¸and the official Bahrain News Agency all described her as an assailant and most attached misleading still shots from the video that insinuate that Khalifa had struck al-Fayez. …more

Bahrain: Washington and London Endorse Dialogue With Tyrants, War Criminals and Torturers
by Finian Cunningham – Global Research, July 20, 2011

Efforts by the US and British-backed Bahraini regime to repair its international image over human rights violations are in tatters with the revelation that senior members of the oil kingdom’s royal family have been personally involved in torturing hundreds of civilian detainees, including doctors and nurses.

One of the torturers-in-chief is Captain Nasser Al Khalifa, son of the king. He graduated this year “with honours” from the US Marine Corps University at Qantico, Washington.

This criminal rule by inner-circle members of the House of Al Khalifa also exposes Washington and London’s efforts to positively talk up reforms and dialogue by their Persian Gulf ally as a cynical sham. In Libya and Syria, war and sanctions are declared against alleged human rights abusers. But in Bahrain, Washington and London say pro-democracy protesters must embrace the rulers’ so-called initiative for national dialogue.

Revelations of royal family brutality in Bahrain also make a mockery of King Hamad’s announcement last month of an “independent” human rights probe into violations that took place during the Western-backed Saudi-led military invasion of the oil-rich kingdom earlier this year.

Yet again Washington and London had trumpeted this move as a positive step to reform in the Gulf kingdom, where a minority unelected Sunni elite has ruled over a majority Shia population for 40 years since nominal independence from Britain in 1971.

But how can such a regime be taken seriously for investigating crimes against humanity when the perpetrators of those crimes are senior members of the regime? Since the popular and peaceful uprising against the US and British-backed monarchy began in mid-February, nearly 40 unarmed civilians have been killed by state forces. The head of the armed services is Supreme Commander King Hamad. …more