‘Bahrain probe does not follow protocol’

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa’s probe on the Saudi-backed regime’s crackdown of protesters may not be effective because it doesn’t follow usual protocol, says an activist.

In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Zainab al-Khawaja, Bahraini activist, tells us that the probe is not effective because “usually what happens is that the governments stop the violations, show regrets about the violations that have happened, and they bring a commission to investigate.”

“What’s happening in Bahrain is actually not like that – it’s very strange – at the same time that they created the commission to investigate the violations that happened in February and March, the same time the violations have happened,” al-Khawaja said.
“That makes a big question mark in the minds of Bahrainis as to how independent they really are, how far they can go speaking about the violations that have happened, and who is responsible for those violations,” she added.

The panel, which consists of a team of six non-Bahraini investigators, will examine the controversial role of security forces during popular demonstrations that have rocked Bahrain in recent months, along with investigations into allegations that opposition activists and protesters have been tortured by the Saudi-backed regime’s forces.

The anti-government protesters have been rallying in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the Persian Gulf Island for over 40 years. …source

‘No solution in sight for Bahrain’
Interview with Nabeel Rajab, head of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:29AM GMT

Bahrain’s opposition figures have voiced frustration at the “National Consensus Dialog” with the government after the Middle Eastern country’s largest opposition party, al-Wefaq, left the negotiations.

In an interview with Press TV, Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, shared his insights on the latest developments in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

The following is a rush transcript of the interview:

Press TV Bahraini ruler, King Hamad [bin Isa Al Khalifa], talked about the success of his reforms in his new speech. Do you have any idea what reforms he is talking about?

Rajab Well, anyone who has witnessed and monitored the situation in Bahrain will realize Bahrain is in a political crisis. There is no such a reform and there is no such a dialogue.

As you know, the dialogue has failed from the day it started because the government, instead of having a dialogue with people they have differences with, they brought groups and organizations and political Islamist groups that was created by the royal court and by the government and intelligence and security institutions – to look like it is a dialogue between the people of Bahrain and with the Bahraini government. But it is not at all.

We think the dialogue should have been with the people who are inside the prisons now. We think that people should be represented in a fair manner. We know that the actual problem in Bahrain is between the people of Bahrain and between the ruling family or the royal elite who are ruling the country, in terms of the rights and elected government or wealth or distribution of power, distribution of wealth. A dialogue [in which] the government is represented or the ruling family is presented, you cannot call it a dialogue.

Here the only decision maker in the country is the ruling family, is the king and the prime minister and the crown prince and not the government at all. Government is only something like very close to puppet [following] the ruler’s decision. So in this dialogue, the government was represented, the ruling family was represented – the representatives of people were not there.

So that is why it has gone to nowhere and in the same way we started, we end this dialogue. We have still hundreds of people behind bars and in prisons: leaders of opposition, human rights defenders, doctors and bloggers and all. We still have more and more people who are fired from work.

On the one side, the government tries to show that they are heading towards reconciliation by forming a commission to do an investigation and inquiry into human rights crisis. On the other side, we see more villages being raided, more people being fired. Today [July 28] the flat of the Doctors without Borders **were raided. Things were taken from there by the security institutions and intelligence institutions. We do not know what happened for the staff of the Doctors without Borders. At least one of them was arrested so far. So the repression, violation, crimes against humanity is continuing on a daily basis. People are being targeted in their life, in their jobs. More teachers, more doctors have been fired today, yesterday, the day before yesterday. The crisis is getting deeper and deeper.

The government yet has no a real political willingness to solve their [Bahraini people’s] problem because they [Manama regime] are backed by the Saudis and they see that the Saudis are backing the government, once they see that the Saudis could fill up the financial gap that has been caused by the crisis, then they think they could continue with their repression. …more

‘Bahrain regime – lose-lose situation’
Interview Syed Ali Wasif, Professor of International Law and Politics. PressTV

There were expectations that the Bahraini regime would make changes, some concessions, and try to work with the opposition. Are those expectations being met?

Press TV interviews Syed Ali Wasif, Professor of International Law and Politics, about the revolution in Bahrain and the Saudi role in the regime clampdown on the people of Bahrain.

Press TV What about this, Mr. Wasif our guest said he would have thought that the regime would have tried to make some changes. Why didn’t the regime try to work at all with the opposition? Did they think that by not working together, that the opposition was basically going to go away? How do you see the line that Bahraini government has taken in all of this?

Wasif Simply bad intentions, the government of Bahrain is not sincere with its people, with the opposition, and with the international community. The only thing that the government of Bahrain did, in the name of reform, was a sham reform, and to let out the pressure from within, and from outside.

It was the international pressure from international human rights groups, international human rights organizations, from the international community, so that is why they allowed some kind of demonstrations today, and earlier.

They release couple of prisoners, but still how could you have reforms, or meaningful dialogue, without the presence of the leadership of mainly al-Wafaq and other opposition groups?

Secondly in the presence of the military intervention of the Saudi occupying forces. And thirdly without giving a huge share of political space to the opposition, in Bahrain, so I think that is totally sham.

And the Bahraini government seems to be buying some more time in order to ease some tensions, in order to ease the pressure it has been going through for a while.

Press TV Let me jump in here, you said ; they are trying to buy some more time, buying more time to accomplish what with this type of tactic that is being used?

Wasif Buying time to accomplish – to crush the opposition, to appease the American government, and the White House Administration, to appease the international organizations, especially human rights organizations, and that is how they are doing it.

The problem is, they basically are under the pressure from the US Congress and the US different departments. I am asking the US departments and the US Congress that if they allowed the Polish Catholic clerical intervention in the movement for democracy in Poland, and in Nicaragua, why are they wary of the involvements of the Bahraini clerics in this movement? It has nothing to do with a negative aspect there.

So if they could allow Catholic clergy to participate in politics in the Philippines, in Nicaragua, in Poland, then why are the Americans wary about the participation, and involvement of the clerics in Bahrain? So that is why I think the Bahraini government is taking advantage of, and trying to buy more time for that.

Press TV What about that – that Washington is basically reassessing their priorities, not only in Bahrain, but it appears that in countries where the Arab revolutions are in progress, now the protestors more and more are chanting anti US slogans, and demanding Washington to stop interfering in their affairs. However, it was not the case at the beginning of any of these revolutions. Why do you think that is the case right now?

Wasif Paranoia, the specific mind set of the White House administration, which sees different events in different parts of the Middle East, with a specific goggle, with a specific perspective, that is the perspective of supporting despotic dictatorial and brutal regimes in that region.

So this is the main focus of those sitting in the White House, and the aides to the White House – to the President of the US.

Press TV What about the people themselves I am talking about, at the beginning of these revolutions, even we saw in Egypt, we see in Yemen, and Libya, and Bahrain.

That at the beginning the people really did not start off with anti-American slogans, but more and more in all these movements, we are starting to hear more and more anti-American slogans. Why do you think that is the case?

Wasif Simply, every now and then I meet with the so called “specialist on the Middle East” here, in the Washington D. C. area. They don’t know the language of the region, they have never been to that region, they do not know the political dynamics of that region, and still they are recognize as an expert in the Middle Eastern affairs.

So is the case with Obama aides, and different administration people there in the Obama Administration and the White House as well. This is the problem, they cannot conceive a Middle East without the support of a dictator.

And that is why in the short run they are doing okay, but in the long run, it’s a total loss-loss, situation, to the US foreign policy and to the US national interests in that region.