Posts from — August 2011

Obama Refuses to Release Bush’s Legal Excuse for Illegal Surveillance
Monday, August 29, 2011 – AllGov – Noel Brinkerhoff

The Obama administration has refused to declassify a secret memo from the George W. Bush presidency that justified the warrantless spying conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Matthew Aid, a writer who’s covered the NSA and surveillance policy, requested a copy of a 2001 Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion by John Yoo that discussed the legal grounds for electronic spying without permission from a special federal court. The Department of Justice mostly denied Aid’s Freedom of Information Act request, saying the redacted information in the OLC opinion was “classified, covered by non-disclosure provisions contained in other federal statutes, and is protected by the deliberative process privilege.”

One thing from the memo that was released by the Justice Department was a brief assertion involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which dictates when the government can snoop on those deemed a threat to the nation. The statement read that “unless Congress made a clear statement in FISA that it sought to restrict presidential authority to conduct warrantless searches in the national security area—which it has not—then the statute must be construed to avoid such a reading.”

As noted by Steven Aftergood in the Secrecy News blog, some members of Congress have taken exception to the Bush administration’s insistence that FISA does not restrict the White House, unless specifically stated.

“I cannot reconcile the plain language of FISA that it is the exclusive procedure for electronic surveillance of Americans with the OLC opinion saying Congress didn’t say that,” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) was quoted by the Washington Post in a May 23, 2008 story. “Once again, behind the veil of secrecy, OLC appears to have cooked up extravagant or misguided legal theories which would never survive the light of day.” …more

New Report Identifies Organizational Nexus of Islamophobia
by Jim Lobe, August 27, 2011

A small group of inter-connected foundations, think tanks, pundits, and bloggers is behind the 10-year-old campaign to promote fear of Islam and Muslims in the U.S., according to a major investigative report released here Friday by the Center for American Progress (CAP).

The 130-page report, “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” identifies seven foundations that have quietly provided a total of more than 42 million dollars to key individuals and organizations that have spearheaded the nationwide effort between 2001 and 2009.

They include funders that have long been associated with the extreme right in the U.S., as well as several Jewish family foundations that have supported right-wing and settler groups in Israel.

The network also includes what the report calls “misinformation experts” – including Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), Daniel Pipes of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum (MEF), Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence, and Robert Spencer of Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) – who are often tapped by television news networks and right-wing radio talk shows to comment on Islam and the threat it allegedly poses to U.S. national security.

“Together, this core group of deeply intertwined individuals and organizations manufacture and exaggerate threats of ‘creeping Sharia’, Islamic domination of the West, and purported obligatory calls to violence against all non-Muslims by the Quran,” according to the report whose main author, Wajahat Ali, described the group as “the central nervous system of the Islamophobia network.”

“This small band of radical ideologues has fought to define Sharia as a ‘totalitarian ideology’ and legal-political-military doctrine committed to destroying Western civilization,” the report said. “But a scholar of Islam and Muslim tradition would not recognize their definition of Sharia, let alone a lay practicing Muslim.”

Nonetheless, the group’s messages receive wide dissemination by what the report calls an “Islamophobia echo chamber” consisting of leaders of the Christian Right, such as Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson, and some Republican politicians, such as presidential candidates Representative Michele Bachmann and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.

Other key disseminators include media figures, especially prominent hosts on the Fox News Channel and columnists in the Washington Times the National Review; as well as grassroots groups, such as ACT! For America, local “Tea Party” movements, and the American Family Association, which are behind current efforts by Republican-dominated state legislatures to ban Sharia in their jurisdictions. …more

The War on Drugs and the Mexican Movement to End It
“It’s a Welcome Escape From the Seemingly Insurmountable Sectarianism that Has Plagued Social Movements for Centuries”

By Quincy Saul – Special to The Narco News Bulletin – August 6, 2011

The forty year anniversary of the war on drugs came and went this summer without any mention of the most significant movement to end it.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report in June with a clear and succinct conclusion: “The global war on drugs has failed.” The US government has now spent about a trillion dollars on this war, but drug consumption has increased and drug-related violence and incarceration have spiraled ever further out of control. Signed by a wide diversity of prominent names such as Paul Volcker, Ernesto Zedillo, Carlos Fuentes and Kofi Annan, the report went on to accuse the United States of “drug control imperialism.”

More than any other country, Mexico is dying from the sins of the war on drugs. As the bottleneck of the drug trade for all of the Americas, almost 50,000 have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico in the last six years alone, with the numbers of dispossessed and disappeared mounting ever higher. It is not entirely surprising then, that the first mass movement to end the drug war has arisen in Mexico. More surprising is the almost total boycott in the United States and international media of this movement.

The Movement

Seen from the outside, the current movement to end the war on drugs in Mexico began suddenly. The brutal murder of the son of a prominent poet named Javier Sicilia prompted him to write a call to action urging all Mexicans to take to the streets to end the drug war. His voice reached and touched millions. Within days, tens of thousands had filled the centers of forty major cities, calling for the legalization of drugs and the demilitarization of their country.

Popular mobilization has been sustained since then through two major actions involving all demographics of Mexican society. Led by Sicilia, a week-long march to end the drug war from the city of Cuernavaca to the nation’s capital culminated on May 8th when 100,000 people filled the central square of Mexico City. That same weekend, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation led a silent march of tens of thousands out of the mountains, occupying the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Several weeks later, the mobilization continued with a “caravan of solace,” in which tens of thousands more participated. The caravan traveled from Cuernavaca through a dozen major cities, for the first time sharing and organizing the pain which until now most Mexicans have suffered in fear and isolation. The caravan culminated in the infamous Ciudad Juárez. Renowned as the most violent city in the world, the caravan inscribed a fresh, new and indelible chapter in the city’s history. In the words of Antonio Cervantes, a participant in the caravan, on the eve of its arrival, “we are going to occupy Ciudad Juárez peacefully… We are going to fill the most violent city on earth with humanity and desire for life.” The nonviolent occupation of Juarez concluded peacefully with the reading of drafts of a pact which includes demands and a program of action.
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At present, the Narco News Advance Team is in the Mexican Southeast, preparing our coverage of the upcoming second stage of the Caravan of Solace and the movement against the drug war inspired by Javier Sicilia. From September 8 to 18 we’ll be accompanying Sicilia and other family members of drug war victims and martyrs through the states of Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, crossing the border into Guatemala – where Sicilia tells Narco News he plans to offer an apology to the people of Central America for the maltreatment of their immigrants in Mexican territory – then through

Zapatista territory, and the states of Tabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, the state of Mexico and, finally, in Mexico City. These are lands from where we’ve reported extensively for the past 14 years (11 of them via Narco News) and we can report to you already that there is a palpable excitement among many of the movements in the Mexican South for this upcoming visit, including yesterday’s communiqué from Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos reiterating “total support” for Sicilia and the movement (a statement that ought to be humbling to some who have accomplished far less yet who behave as more-radical-than-thou armchair critics of the world’s first ever mass movement to end the war on drugs).

How many news stories, essays, videos and other reports have you seen about the Egyptian Revolution that “began,” according to many breathless reports, on January 25 of this year and culminated in the February 11 resignation of the three-decade dictator Hosni Mubarak? And how many of those reports spoke in fearsome terms about an organization called the Muslim Brotherhood as if it were some monolithic force aspiring to impose an Iran-style theocracy on the country?
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The Revival of Shi’a Militancy in Iraq
By Ramzy Mardini

The U.S. military is required to completely withdraw its forces from Iraq no later than December 31, 2011, in accordance with the bilateral U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement signed in December 2008 by outgoing President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. As Iraq struggles to normalize its institutions and international relations, renewed efforts by various insurgent groups have sought to showcase their influence on the backdrop of the U.S. withdrawal. In late July 2011, a report released by the U.S. inspector general for Iraq reconstruction asserted worsening security conditions as compared to the previous year, and a higher risk for U.S. personnel. Indeed, for the entire year of 2010, the U.S. military suffered 22 fatalities due to hostile fire. This year, and only as of July 2011, 31 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, mainly at the hands of Shi`a militants backed by Iran.

The severe political impasse in Baghdad, an increasingly frustrated population, and an unpopular and ineffective central government are contributing to anti-regime violence in Iraq, especially among Sunni insurgents such as al-Qa`ida in Iraq (AQI) and the Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi (JRTN) movement. These factors, however, are not underlying the revival in Shi`a militancy in the country. Instead, the fundamental principle driving the unstable environment is the heightened level of uncertainty, both on the local and regional stage. The national debate surrounding the continuance of the U.S. presence dominates the local environment, while the regional factor is driven by the uneasiness ushered in by the upheavals of the “Arab Spring.” In the final analysis, both make available a strategic logic for Iran and its Shi`a proxies to exploit the Iraqi scene in hopes of influencing a particular outcome that favors their interests. …more

by, Samer Araabi -August 23, 2011
Right Web – Tracking militarists’ efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy

At the end of February 2011, it looked as though the old order was crumbling across the Arab world. Inspired by the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor, massive popular demonstrations ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was not long to follow. Similar uprisings began to swell in Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, and Yemen, and the anciens regimes appeared helpless against the rising tide of popular anger and nonviolent resistance.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, actively worked to encourage the forces of counter-revolution throughout the region. From Morocco to Bahrain, Saudi financing, support, and intelligence has sought to prevent political turmoil, reinforce existing dynasties, and crush nascent democratic movements before they could reach critical mass. This reactionary tide has been supported by some ideologues in Washington, who worry that Arab democratization would be detrimental to U.S. policy objectives.

Though allowing Saudi Arabia to stifle change and suffocate democratic aspirations within the region may appear to serve U.S. interests in the short term, it will certainly have blowback down the road. At a watershed political moment, the United States has failed to act in accordance with its stated principles, and as a result, popular anger towards Saudi Arabia’s counter-revolutionary campaigns is causing increasing numbers of Arabs to turn against the United States as well. The fallout from Washington’s support for the Arab counter-revolution could haunt U.S. policy for decades to come.

The Wrong Side of History

The reaction of U.S. elites to the wave of Arab democratization has been lukewarm at best. While paying lip service to self-professed ideals of democracy and self-determination, government officials and policy analysts have expressed reservations about the long-term implications of Arab democracy to U.S. strategic interests.

Some pundits, like Daniel Pipes, the neoconservative director of the Middle East Forum, have worried about losing “our bastards” in the Middle East and the damage new regimes could do to themselves and their neighbors.[1] Others have been busy wringing their hands about volatility in energy markets, reduced access to oil and natural gas reserves, and the potential nationalization of corporate holdings.[2] There is little doubt, however, that one of the main strategic concerns is the potential damage that a new power dynamic could inflict on the two key U.S. regional allies: Israel and Saudi Arabia.[3]

Israeli fears have been apparent from the very beginning, which is not much of a surprise considering the anti-Zionist messages emanating from Egypt and Tunisia.[4] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visibly distraught over the loss of a key regional ally in Hosni Mubarak, and Israeli entreaties have likely contributed to the lukewarm U.S. response to other uprisings.[5] However, Israel was helpless in stemming the tides of change in Egypt, and initially watched with trepidation as the unfriendly but reliable regime of Bashar Al-Assad has teetered on the brink of collapse.[6] Because of its limited regional reach, Israel has focused much of its energy on the halls of the U.S. Congress, counting on the faithful support of like-minded U.S. think tanks, journalists, and pundits.

The dirtier work of counter-revolutionary action, meanwhile, has fallen to the Saudi Arabian government.

Turning the Tides: Bahrain and the GCC Counter-Revolution

Nowhere has the outsized importance of Saudi interests been clearer than in the Obama administration’s response to the uprisings in the small island kingdom of Bahrain. Despite the apparently democratic, non-sectarian intentions of the protestors, both Riyadh and Washington were quick to play the sectarian card, inaccurately framing the conflict as one between Sunni and Shi’a, rather than between an entrenched regime and disillusioned citizenry.[7] As a result, the United States has significantly stepped back its support for Arab revolutions. “Not only is the U.S.—not to say the rest of the West—effectively deferring to Saudi policy, particularly in the Gulf, but it also appears to be hedging its bets against truly democratic change elsewhere in the region,” says Jim Lobe, Washington Bureau Chief of the Inter Press Service.

By rebranding the protestors as Iran-affiliated sectarian zealots, the Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council used a shared defense clause as a pretext to militarily assault the democratic movements.[8] On March 14, its Peninsula Shield Force moved thousands of troops into Bahrain in response to a rapidly-escalating protest movement. Despite assurances by Peninsula Shield force commander Mutlaq Bin Salem al-Azima that the military deployment intended to “bring goodness, peace, and love to Bahrain,” video footage and eye witness accounts detailed a grim scenario of mass arrests, beatings, and dozens of deaths.[9]

Though the Arab world, along with much of the international community, was visibly outraged at the invasion, Washington remained hesitant to interfere. At a press conference held during some of the worst violence against protestors, President Obama refused to openly condemn the Saudi offensive, stating instead that “each country is different, each country has its own traditions; America can’t dictate how they run their societies.”[10]

A week later, a spokesperson for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen praised the Bahraini government “for the very measured way they have been handling the popular crisis here.”[11] Many Washington insiders applauded the decision to defend the Bahraini monarchy, secure the U.S. naval base, and guarantee stability for the Saudi regime. Michael Rubin, a self-professed “Arab democracy expert” at the American Enterprise Institute, argued that Obama must “preserve the monarchies,” offering only enough reform to guarantee “renewed stability and preservation of regimes that are essential to U.S. national security.”[12]
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Iran releases jailed HIV doctor: family source
By Kerry Sheridan (AFP) – 28 August

WASHINGTON — Iranian HIV doctor Arash Alaei has been released from jail in Tehran after spending more than three years behind bars for allegedly conspiring against the regime, his US-based brother said Monday.

“He got released today,” Kamiar Alaei told AFP in an email. “He was among 100 Iranian political prisoners who got a pardon today due to the coming end of the Ramadan religious holiday, Eid al-Fitr.”

Alaei also posted on a statement on his Facebook page, thanking his friends, colleagues and family for their “tireless help and support.”

The two brothers were arrested in June 2008 and accused of communicating with the United States in a bid to unseat the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Kamiar, 37, was released from Tehran’s Evin prison earlier this year and returned to Albany, New York where he is completing a doctoral degree in public health.

He and Arash, 42, who was initially sentenced to six years in jail, were in June awarded the Global Health Council’s Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights.

Kamiar said he was detained when he took a summer break from his US studies and went to work in Iran for a few months.

He served two and a half years — a term he told AFP he remembered as “870 days, 20,800 hours” — and said upon receiving his award that he hoped Arash would be released soon because his elder brother had served half his sentence.

The pair are known for their efforts to help drug addicts infected with HIV and improve conditions for sick prisoners, and are regarded as pioneers of AIDS treatment in Iran, where discussions about sex and drugs are often taboo.

Data is scarce about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Islamic republic, but according to UNAIDS there were 5,000-10,000 infections in 2009 and about nine percent of people with advanced HIV infection were being treated with antiretroviral drugs.

The brothers began treating HIV-positive patients in the late 1990s, and they developed a three-pronged program that integrated prevention, care and social support.

This “triangular” approach to AIDS care was first tried in a prison in their hometown of Kermanshah and later became recognized as a best practice model in the Middle East.

The duo were also featured several years ago in a BBC documentary, “Mohammad and the Matchmaker,” which showed how the doctors became closely involved in their patients’ lives and even helped introduce HIV-positive singles seeking marriage.

Physicians for Human Rights helped organize a letter-writing campaign across 80 countries urging the brothers’ release.

Kamiar said his brother ended up serving three years and two months in jail, and was now with their mother at the family’s home in Tehran.

“He is happy since his other political cellmates got released, too,” Alaei told AFP.

Bahrain: Authorities block website broadcasts live events on Twitter
August 29th, 2011 – BYSHR

Bahraini authorities have blocked a website that broadcasts live events on Twitter (http://twitcam.livestream.com/), after signing up on the site, it provides a link that the user can use to broadcast live events on the Internet and the broadcast is viewed on Twitter pages.

Bahrain Youth Society For Human Rights (BYSHR) believes that blocking the site because that the protesters in Bahrain broadcast live events on Twitter, especially the events of repression of the demonstrators demanding political reforms.

Since the protests in Bahrain (14 February), the demonstrators have used social networking websites extensively to call for the protests in the areas and the authorities have arrested many of the users of those social networking websites. The authorities have dismissed many of the students for expressing their political opinion on those sites.

BYSHR expresses its deep concern about blocking popular websites by Bahraini authorities to prevent exposing human rights violations. …source

Bahrain troops attack protesters
Mon Aug 29, 2011 3:13PM GMT

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked anti-government protesters after the demonstrators took to the streets across the Persian Gulf sheikdom to protest a speech by the Bahraini king.

Thousands of anti-regime protesters took to the streets across Bahrain on Sunday shortly after the country’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa delivered a televised speech calling for national unity in a bid to bring normality back to the country.

The protesters rejected the king’s decision announced by him during his speech to pardon some of the anti-government protesters detained during the popular uprising in the country.

The anti-government protesters also accused the Bahraini king of ordering the brutal crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations in Bahrain, demanding an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.

Activists said the protests lasted into Monday morning and that regime forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds in several regions including Sitra, where several people were also injured by the forces.

During his Sunday speech, the Bahraini king also said that he would “allow compensation to prisoners abused by security forces.”

The Bahraini ruler promised to reinstate employees and students who were dismissed for taking part in anti-regime protests.

He said, however, that the protest-related trials will continue in the tiny Persian Gulf sheikdom.

King Hamad’s remarks come more than six months after the Manama regime launched a brutal Saudi-backed crackdown on protests, killing scores of demonstrators and injuring hundreds far. …source

Top petrochem firm sets up base in Bahrain
Manama: Mon, 29 Aug 2011

Mena Energy DMCC, a major regional petroleum and chemicals products company has selected Bahrain as the headquarters for its new ‘Pörner Bitumen Packing System project in the Mena region.

Following support from the Economic Development Board (EDB), Mena Energy DMCC, has chosen the Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ) as the base for its project, with a view to gaining access from Bahrain to Africa, India and Asia.

The project is also expected to create around 40 new job opportunities in the kingdom, as well as potentially increasing cargo and load movements at Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

It has the potential to be a key customer for Bapco which has a strong working relationship with Mena Energy DMCC, as it will allow the development of more efficient bitumen production and transportation.

‘The EDB support for setting up new project by Mena Energy DMCC is part of the overall strategy to increase the role of private sector as an engine for growth,’ said EDB chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa.

‘However, it also demonstrates the benefits of doing business in Bahrain with an established infrastructure, offering access to the trillion dollar Gulf market and other international locations as well as wide-ranging commercial and operational benefits.’

‘This key tenancy at the BLZ represents a milestone in the kingdom’s efforts to leverage our position as a multi-modal logistics leader serving the subcontinent, India, Africa and the northern Gulf countries,’ General Organisation of Sea Ports chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa.

‘We are seeing an increasing number of regional and international logistics organisations establishing their commercial bases here, and GOP are focused on facilitating this set up process for global companies.

‘Bahrain has not only geographical advantages, our set up costs are also lower than those of other Gulf countries, and the EDB is a unique body that supports and aids foreign investment.’ …more

EU May Probe Bahrain Spy Gear Abuses
By Vernon Silver – Aug 24, 2011 9:59 AM MT – Bloomberg

European Union legislators asked the EU to investigate whether companies have aided human rights violations by selling surveillance gear to repressive governments.

Marietje Schaake, who is a Dutch member of the European Parliament, and five of her colleagues in the assembly, requested the probe today after Bloomberg News reported that a monitoring system sold and maintained by European companies had generated text-message transcripts used in the interrogation of a human rights activist tortured in Bahrain.

The legislators made their request in writing to EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is also vice president of the European Commission, the 27-nation EU’s executive body in Brussels. The probe would determine whether any European security and communications companies contributed to “human rights violations, in particular in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and Iran,” the request says.

The surveillance technology in Bahrain was sold by Siemens AG (SIE), and later maintained by Nokia Siemens Networks, followed by NSN’s divested unit, Munich-based Trovicor GmbH, Bloomberg reported yesterday, citing Ben Roome, a Nokia Siemens spokesman. Egypt, Syria and Yemen also purchased monitoring centers from the business now known as Trovicor, according to two people familiar with the installations. The equipment plays a surveillance role in at least 12 Middle Eastern and North African nations, they said.
Supporting Export Ban

Barbara Lochbihler, a German member of the EU Parliament who signed the letter and sits on the Subcommittee on Human Rights, said she plans to speak with company officials about the uses of their products. She supports a European export ban of such technology to regimes that could abuse it, she said.

“As a deputy from Bavaria I´m very interested in the follow up of what happens with the company Trovicor and also with Siemens,” she said in an e-mail. Munich, where Trovicor and Siemens are based, is the Bavarian capital. The other legislators asking for an inquiry are the Netherlands’ Hans van Baalen, Estonia’s Tunne Kelam, the U.K.’s Sarah Ludford and Slovenia’s Ivo Vajgl, according to a copy of the letter provided by Schaake’s office.

The European Commission will revisit the EU’s corporate responsibility strategy this fall, said Cristina Arigho, a spokeswoman for the commission. She said the EU is also considering how to support the implementation of United Nations principles on business and human rights, passed in June, which say corporations have a duty to respect human rights.
For Law Enforcement

Monitoring centers are sold around the globe by many suppliers, and form the heart of what the industry refers to as lawful interception surveillance systems. The equipment is marketed largely to law enforcement agencies for tracking terrorists and other criminals. The clusters of computers typically tap into communications networks, scan and sort calls and data — sometimes by keywords or voice recognition — and send the results to operators at police and intelligence agencies. The company behind the Bahraini monitoring center started in 1993 as the voice and data-recording unit of Siemens. In 2007 it became part of Nokia Siemens Networks, the world’s second biggest maker of wireless communications equipment.

NSN, a joint venture with Espoo, Finland-based Nokia Oyj (NOK1V), sold the unit, known as Intelligence Solutions, in March 2009. It’s now called Trovicor.

Sold to Iran

Siemens and Trovicor declined to comment for the Bloomberg investigation; Siemens said it no longer had records of the business, while Trovicor said contracts prevented it from disclosing clients or countries where it does business. NSN said a major reason it sold the business was the risk of human rights abuses. The company has since established a human rights policy and due diligence program, Roome said. In 2009, the company disclosed that it delivered a monitoring center to Iran, prompting hearings in the European Parliament, proposals for tighter restrictions on U.S. trade with Iran, and an international “No to Nokia” boycott campaign.

NSN issued a statement yesterday reiterating its concern for human rights.

“Nokia Siemens Networks has stated clearly that such abuse, if it has occurred, is wrong and is contrary to its Code of Conduct and accepted international norms,” the statement said.
Tracking Terrorists

“Partly as a result of the issues raised by the potential for misuse of its technology, Nokia Siemens Networks is the first telecommunications equipment provider to adopt a human rights policy specifically addressing the issues of new technologies and privacy, access to information, and freedom of expression,” it said.

NSN’s Roome and Siemens spokesman Wolfram Trost declined to comment on the inquiry request. Birgitt Fischer-Harrow, Trovicor’s head of marketing communications, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. There was no response at her office phone.

The Netherlands’ Schaake helped sponsor and pass a nonbinding parliamentary resolution in February 2010 that called for the European Commission to ban exports of such technology to regimes that could abuse it. The Bahraini government said it is taking allegations of abuse seriously and an independent committee is investigating alleged torture. “The Kingdom of Bahrain does not advocate the abuse of human rights,” Luma Bashmi of the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority wrote in an e-mail yesterday to Bloomberg.

“The committee will investigate any allegations regarding the Bahrain Defense Forces” and security operations and submit its report by October 30, she wrote. “At that point the government of Bahrain can and will address all of these issues in a just manner.” …source

Bahrainis reject king’s speech
shiapost – August 29, 2011

Bahraini anti-regime protesters have rejected King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s decision to pardon the demonstrators who were arrested during the country’s popular uprising.

The protesters took to the streets immediately after the king’s televised speech on Sunday, blaming him for the brutal crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations. King Hamad said in his speech that he would “dismiss charges against some of the detained protesters and allow compensation to prisoners abused by security forces.” He also promised to reinstate employees and students who have been dismissed for participating in anti-regime protests.

Thousands of employees lost their jobs in punishment for supporting the protests. Some of the students were denied scholarships to study abroad. The Bahraini king’s remarks come more than six months after his regime launched a Saudi-backed crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

Meanwhile, a special security court on Sunday resumed the trial of 20 doctors and nurses accused of treating injured anti-government protesters. The court adjourned until September 7, when it will begin hearing defense witnesses.

Thousands of anti-government protesters in Bahrain have been holding peaceful demonstrations since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty.

Potential Demonstrations in Bahrain 30 Aug. – 02 Sep.
by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet on Monday, August 29, 2011 at 5:29am

The following potential or planned demonstrations in Bahrain should be avoided by all U.S. Forces, DOD civilians, DOD contractors and family members.

Tuesday, 30 AUG 0600-0900 in the vicinity of Sanabis.
Tuesday, 30 AUG 0600-0900 in the vicinity of Hamad Town.
Tuesday, 30 AUG in the evening in the vicinity of Sanabis.
Wednesday, 31 AUG, in the vicinity of Seef.
Thursday, 01 SEP, in the viciinity of Nuaim, Ras Ramman, Sanabis, Diah and Karbabad.
Friday, 02 SEP, in the vicinity of Farooq junction (aka GCC Circle or former Pearl Roundabout).

…more

Bahrain’s Military Trial of Doctors a Travesty
August 28, 2011- Human Rights First

Washington, DC — Today’s trial of doctors and other medics in Bahrain’s military court exposes that the country’s judicial process is a farce, Human Rights First said. The authorities reintroduced the military courts last week after having said they would abolish them and in today’s proceedings adjourned the health professionals’ case until September 7. It will resume again in the military court on that day.

“To hear the cases of civilians in a military court that falls far short of international standards of justice is totally illegitimate,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “When the Bahraini authorities announced on June 26 that they were transferring all cases from military courts to civilian courts they lied to the defendants, to their families and to the world.”

The return to military trials undermines the Bahrain Government’s claim to take human rights violations seriously. The King of Bahrain appointed a commission, headed by Cherif Bassiouni, to investigate abuses. But the reversion to military courts exposes the monarchy’s real intentions to continue its crackdown on peaceful activists. The United States Government should publicly condemn these trials as shams and ask the Bahraini government to drop charges against those prosecuted for the peaceful expression of their opinions.

More than a dozen doctors and other medical professionals appeared before the military court today, including Roula Al-Saffar, the head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, who spent over four months in custody. She studied at Widener University in Pennsylvania and at the University of North Texas, and worked for many years as a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

“I met some of those on trial today when I was in Bahrain last month, “ said Dooley. “They told me credible and consistent stories of having been tortured in detention. The U.S. government should make clear that continuing with discredited military courts to try pro-democracy activists will have consequences for the relationship between the United States and Bahrain.” …source

Mexico: Abducted journalist found shot dead, second murder in past month
Published on Friday 26 August 2011. – Reporters without Borders

Reporters Without Borders firmly condemns the murder of Humberto Millán Salazar, a journalist based in Culiacán, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, who edited the online newspaper A-Discussion and presented a programme on Radio Formula. His body was found yesterday, a day after his abduction in Culiacán. He had been shot in the head.

Gunmen kidnapped Millán on 24 August together with his handicapped brother, who was released at Millán’s request. His body was discovered yesterday morning in Campo Morelia, 10 km north of the city. The Sinaloa prosecutor’s office said measures have been taken to protect his relatives and some of his colleagues.

The murder is being investigated by a team set up by Sinaloa state prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera Gómez in coordination with the federal prosecutor-general’s office. The state prosecutor’s office confirmed that an investigation was under way but declined to say what hypotheses it was working on.

Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities not to rule out the possibility that Millán was killed in connection with his work. He was frequent critic of the local authorities and, on the eve of his abduction, had published an article about the municipal government’s management of its accounts in A-Discusión.

He was the second journalist to be murdered in Mexico in the past month. …more

The Upcoming Palestinian Uprising
By Adil E. Shamoo, August 23, 2011

If conditions do not change quickly by the time of the U.S.-promised veto of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly on September 20, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could explode into a new uprising with hundreds of deaths. The recent attack of Palestinian extremists on a bus in the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat and the eager over-reaction of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu is a harbinger of what is to come.

The uprising will bring the United States into sharp conflict with not only the Palestinians but also the rest of the Arab world. A new Arab spirit is demanding that the rest of the world, especially the United States, treat Arabs with equal respect and dignity.
The Palestinian Struggle

The Palestinians will ask the upcoming UN General Assembly to vote for “non-member state” status for the Palestinians on September 20. Since this resolution bypasses the Security Council, the promised U.S. veto will not be operative. The least desirable choice for the United States is to vote no in the General Assembly. It would isolate the United States from the rest of the world community, which is expected to agree to the Palestinians’ sought-after status. With the United States at its lowest popularity in the Arab world, this further isolation would only create additional challenges as the Arab Spring turns cloudy and many long-term challenges complicate U.S.-Arab relations.

The Palestinians have struggled for over 60 years to regain their rights, economic justice, and dignity. They have tried peaceful confrontation, military action, terrorism, and negotiation — without any success. The 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza live in an open-air prison with the highest unemployment (45 percent) in the world, near-starving conditions, and little or no medical care. Israel even stops humanitarian flotillas from reaching Gaza. Another 1.5 million Palestinians live in Israel as second-class Israeli citizens. Do the Israelis consider the Palestinians as equal human beings?

The Israelis paint the conflict at every step as an existential threat. Israel has legitimate security concerns, which have been addressed as part of successive deals. The existential threat may have been true in the first few decades of Israel’s existence. However, most reasonable observers and many Israelis know that a demilitarized Palestinian state is not an existential threat. Israel has the upper hand militarily, and it has used it with a vengeance to suppress Palestinian aspirations. The Israelis are engaged in a policy of open-ended negotiation while confiscating and resettling Palestinian land.

President Obama has attempted to move the negotiations forward slightly by endorsing the blueprint used by previous administrations, namely the 1967 borders with mutually agreed land swaps. But the Obama administration remains as reluctant as its predecessors to pressure its Israeli ally to negotiate in good faith. The Israeli lobby remains powerful on Capitol Hill, the State Department is staffed by strong supporters of Israel, and the U.S. media features a very few voices representing Arab concerns. It’s no surprise that U.S. policies rarely reflect Arab views. …more

Egypt – In a press conference at CIHRS, 36 NGOs condemn the campaign waged by Egyptian authorities against civil society organizations

Human rights NGOs demand the dismissal of the Ministers of Solidarity and of International Cooperation
Cairo – 24 August 2011 – CIHRS

In a press conference sponsored by 36 Egyptian human rights organizations this morning at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the NGOs announced their condemnation of the fierce campaign waged by the government and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on civil society organizations and human rights groups.

Human rights organizations presented their statement at the press conference declaring their position towards these infringements, and voicing their demands to competent authorities, on top of which is the dismissal of the Minister of Solidarity Gouda Abdul-Khaliq and the Minister of International Cooperation Faiza Abul-Naga. The organizations further presented a complaint that they have raised to the relevant Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations and the African Commission for Human Rights in this regard.

The conference was attended by a large number of journalists, media professionals and artists concerned with the role of civil society in Egypt.

Mr. Bahey El-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, presented the NGOs position towards the military council’s and the Egyptian government’s recent attacks against civil society, expressing resentment regarding the ways in which SCAF and the Cabinet have been dealing with these organizations recently. The statements highlighted the restrictions imposed on the activities of civil society organizations, and denounced accusations to NGOs of being foreign agents implementing foreign agendas. Such accusations are seen as a direct response to independent human rights organizations’ criticism of the human rights violations occurring in post-Mubarak’s Egypt. .

Ahmed Ragheb, director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, declared that the number of military trials of civilians that were held since SCAF took office reached 12,000 for the past 6 months alone, noting that during the 30 years of Mubarak’s rule they were 10,000. He further stated that violations being committed now will dictate Egypt’s future and whether it would find its way towards a true transition to democracy or back to a situation worse than before. …more

Human Rights Activist González Arrested in Colombia
For Immediate Release: August 23, 2011 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC – Human Rights First condemns the ongoing harassment and persecution of Colombian human rights defender Principe Gabriel González, who was arrested last Friday to serve seven years imprisonment on trumped-up charges.

“As a prominent student activist and the Regional Coordinator for the Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee, González was instrumental in exposing the ill treatment of Colombian political prisoners. This advocacy led to his own arrest in 2006 when he was detained on politically motivated charges of rebellion and association with the FARC guerrilla group,” said Human Rights First’s Quinn O’Keefe.

After González was detained for 15 months awaiting trial, a judge acquitted him of all charges, finding them entirely baseless. The prosecution appealed the court’s decision. In March 2009, the Superior Tribunal of Bucaramanga overturned the acquittal and sentenced González to an additional seven years imprisonment.

“The prosecution relied on false accusations from two witnesses to impede González’s human rights work and secure a conviction. The first witness couldn’t identify or even name González before he was detained, and the second witness actually admitted to providing statements under duress from the prosecutors,” added O’Keefe.

In December2010 the Supreme Court declined to hear González’s appeal, and he was arrested last Friday in Pamplona. He had been living in exile, but returned to Colombia to visit his ailing mother.

In 2009, Human Rights First released In the Dock and Under the Gun: Baseless Prosecutions of Human Rights Defenders in Colombia, a comprehensive report that documents the widespread use of trumped-up charges to silence Colombian human rights activists. A year later, in 2009, Human Rights First celebrated González’s human rights work with its prestigious human rights award. …source

Bahrain: Medical staff trial- The case has been adjourned till 7 September, 2011
August 28th, 2011 – BYSHR

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is deeply concerned about the trial of the Medical staff before a military court.

The BYSHR lawyer said that:” The lawyers were presented Statement on the unconstitutionality of Decree no “28″ 2011 (Trial of civilians before a Military courts) and the judge refused a request to release them”

The case has been adjourned till 7 September, 2011 for defense witnesses. …source

Attached : The list of Medical Staff undergoing trial (click Here)

Bahrain: The Teachers before a Military court
August 28th, 2011 – BYSHR

Lawyer informed the BYSHR that the Teachers will be presented before a military court on 29th Aug, 2011.

The defendants:

1- Mr. Mahdi Isa Abu Dheeb – Chairman, Bahrain Teachers Society

2-Ms. Jalila Mohammed Ridha Al Salman – Deputy Chair, Bahrain Teachers Society

Charges:

1-inciting others to commit crimes;
2-calling for the hatred and overthrow of the ruling system;
3-holding pamphlets, disseminating fabricated stories and information;
4-leaving work on purpose and encouraging others to do so;
5-taking part at illegal gatherings.

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses deep concern at the targeting of institutions of civil society and calls for urgent action to stop the punishment of civil society institutions by the Bahraini authorities. .source

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF BAHRAIN’S SPEECH

Manama, Aug 28 (BNA) In a speech marking the final days of the Holy Islamic Month of Ramadan, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain has said that his Government’s aspiration is “for tolerance and for shunning violence, and not for excessive punishment that affects our unity, cohesion and national co-existence.”

In a television address broadcast on Sunday evening on Bahrain Television, and relayed on other television and radio stations, King Hamad spoke of reconciliation. “When we see workers at their places of work and students at their learning institutions, while some other workers are not working and some other students are not studying, we are prompted,” he said, “to look into their situation in order to help them join their colleagues and classmates.”

“Such an accomplishment will benefit the workers, the students, their families and the whole nation, “ said King Hamad. “These are our orders to the concerned institutions and they should implement them more quickly.”

The King’s remarks come as more than 400 Bahraini students, who were suspended during the unrest earlier this year, were this week reinstated.

Referring to those who were charged with crimes in the past, King Hamad said “even though we do not wish to interfere in the process of justice and the application of the law, we stress that all civil cases will have their final ruling issued in civil courts.”

King Hamad noted that the past months of this year have been painful for all Bahrainis, but he said that the Holy Month of Ramadan has contributed to the restoration of cohesion and “made us all recall our traditional interactions, compassion and fraternity.”

Referring to the international commission of inquiry that he set up to look into the unrest of earlier this year, King Hamad said the decision to set up the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was “the best indication of our full commitments to knowing the whole truth and to giving people their rights.”

He also commended the outcome of the National Dialogue. “Your agreements on further reforms are highly appreciated, deeply welcomed and greatly supported,” said King Hamad. Congratulating Bahrainis on Eid Al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, King Hamad said he hoped Bahrain now “will witness a new stage of outstanding productivity, cohesion and stability as our reforms move forward. …dead end

Calls for international role in support of Bahrain’s revolution
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 25/08/2011 – VOB

A seminar on Bahrain’s independence was held at the House of Lords at the invitation of Lord Avebury on Tuesday 23rd Agust 2011. Several people took part in it including two former prisoners from Bahrain who addressed the seminar by Skype. Here is a brief of the proceedings

Lord Avebury: I have been corresponding with our ministers for years. In 1993 Bahrain’s minister of interior was referring to a human rights committee as terrorist body. We know that Ian Henderson had been engaged in torture for years before. Today, the Al Khalifa assume absolute power; they arrest, abuse, torture and other violations. They added two more practices; systematic dismissal and recruitment of mercenaries. To protect himself the king appointed a committee to investigate the abuses that took place in February and March. It is a mistake to accept investigation by royal commission. Proper investigation should be held by an international commission sent by Navi Pillay. There is a common perception that the royal commission is susceptible to influence. Bissiouni has already exonerated the king, his sons and the military prosecutor. He is reported to have said that there were no signs of torture. Bissiouni knows that there are torture methods that leave no marks. He may have been misquoted but he is naïve to speak to the local media in the way he did. There was a demonstration at the commission’s office. I must emphasise that the commission must be given space to operate. It is my hope that grievances of victims are addressed. The regime is still holding senior figures such as Hassan Mushaime, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, Abdul Jalil Al Singace and others, some of whom had been with us before. Trade unions are also behind bars. More than 2600 people have been dismissed from their jobs and the number is likely to be over 3000. This means that at least 15000 people are destitute. Bissiouni has given the impression that these will be reinstated. The military court has been re-convened and more trials will be held in October while demonstrations have continued to protest the outrages of the regime. How can Bahrain be excluded from change while other countries are allowed to have regime changes. Our task is to wake up the media to the injustice in the Gulf. Let us mobilise our efforts to achieve this.

Sandrine Tiller of the Doctors Without Borders, the UK office, spoke briefly about the experience of her organization in Bahrain especially the attack last July on their personnel who were treating the injured Bahrainis. We found it difficult to register officially although the ministry of health knew of our presence. Most important event was on 27th July when our offices were raided violently. The door was smashed and property was taken and one member of our staff arrested. He was subsequently release but is awaiting trial.

Lord Avebury: This is humanitarian work, yet they were raided.

Mohammad Al Tajir (a lawyer who had defended many prisoners before): I was detained on 15th April when twenty people came to my house, confiscated my computers and other papers. They could not charge me for any offence and my only guilt was defending the defenceless. I gave a speech at the Pearl Roundabout. I was accused of inciting against the regime. My speech was a normal one. I was tortured for three weeks and was held in solitary confinement from 15th April until 9th June. I was taken to the military court on 12th June. I was released 7th August. I am suffering now as a result of the solitary confinement. I felt the experience of what had happened to the others before. Today there has been a decree to refer political cases to the military court once again. All detainees are civilians, yet they are tried by military courts which will start from the beginning. The doctors will be tried tomorrow by the military court. We could not reach Bissiouni despite several attempts. The reason is that he has an agenda that he is pursuing. I was sent to the Grane Prison which is run by the military. My neighbours were Sheikh Abdul Jalil Al Singace, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, Abdul Jalil Al Singace, Hassan Mushaime, and Sheikh Al Miqdad. I net them one week before my release. I heard their cries day and night. Abdul Hadi was severely Jawad and so was Mohammad Hassan Jawad. I also saw how Mahdi Abu Deeb, the President of the Teachers Association was tortured. I saw Sheikh Mohammad Habib Al Miqdad repeatedly because he was taken to the military court and had nine cases filed against him. I saw torture marks on his knee and legs. The worst times were when I saw Mr Al Khawaja being tortured. Sheikh Al Miqdad told us that he was tortured by a senior Al Khalifa figure at the Grain prison. We were threatened that we would get an order from “the Sheikh” to be handed to the Saudis. I can confirm that I had seen Yemenis, Pakistanis and Jordanians working with the security forces and torturing people. I was blindfolded for three weeks. I like to thank Pete Wetherby and Joshua Collingulu whose work played a role in our release.

Ayat Al Qurmuzi: (a female poet who had been imprisoned and tortured)
[Read more →]

Bahrain king pardons some protesters
King Hamad offers compensation to victims of February crackdown, but says protest-related trials will continue.
28 Aug 2011 – AlJazeera

Bahrain will dismiss charges against some people detained during a deadly government crackdown against pro-democracy protests earlier this year, the Gulf nation’s king said in a televised speech to the nation. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa made the pledge in an address on Sunday to mark the approaching end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan – more than six months after his government launched its crackdown.

“There are those who are charged with abusing us and senior officials in Bahrain, we today announce that we forgive them,” he said. “Although I do not like to interfere in the course of justice, I would like to confirm that all the cases of civilians will have their verdicts issued by a civil court,” he said.

No clear concessions

However, he offered no clear concessions towards Bahrain’s majority Shia population, who helped lead the protests and whose demands include an easing of the Sunni dynasty’s hold on power, setting policies and hand picking government officials.

Bahrain’s Shia make up about 70 per cent of the island kingdom’s 525,000 citizens, and complain that they face widespread discrimination, such as being excluded from top political and security posts.

Rights groups say at least 32 people have been killed and hundreds arrested since the protests began in February, inspired by other Arab uprisings.

After the protests, thousands of employees lost their jobs in apparent punishment for supporting the demonstrations, while students were dismissed from schools and universities.

King Hamad said that he had given orders to solve the problem of employees and students who were dismissed.

“When we see workers at their work places and students at their learning institutions, while some other workers are not working and other students are not studying, we are prompted to look into their situation in order to help them join their colleagues and classmates,” he said.

“These are our orders to the concerned institutions and they should implement them more quickly,” he added.

Compensation claims

King Hamad urged those who had been mistreated in custody in the aftermath of the crackdown to file a complaint, saying that the law allows compensation for them.

“The recent period was painful to all of us. Although we live in one country, some have forgotten the inevitability of co-existence. Therefore, we should not abandon our belief in having the same and common future, and should not lose trust in each other as brothers, colleagues and citizens,” he said.

The Bahraini security forces, boosted by Saudi led troops from elsewhere in the Gulf, crushed the protests in March after allowing demonstrators to camp in central Manama the capital, for about one month.

Bahrain’s crackdown on protests earned the staunch US ally criticism from human rights organisations, but the international community did not show the support for the protests as it did in other countries, as the West blamed Iran for instigating its co-religionists in the small kingdom to cause dissent – a claim Bahrain’s Shia deny.

In July, Bahrain’s leaders opened reconciliation talks, but the country’s main Shia party walked out and threatened to stage further protests.

An independent fact finding panel is investigating alleged rights abuses in Bahrain and is expected to release its findings at the end of October. …source