Posts from — August 2011

Bahrain Government Makes U—Turn on Military Court – August 22, 2011
CONTACT: Brenda Bowser-Soder, Human Rights First
202-370-3323 – BowserSoderB@humanrightsfirst.org

Washington, DC – Human Rights First today criticized the Bahrain government’s sudden decision to bring back military courts to try pro-democracy activists. The group called the development as shocking as it is duplicitous.

“The world needs to take notice that the government of Bahrain has brought back its discredited military courts, which is further evidence that meaningful reform in that country is an illusion,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “I met with many people in Bahrain last month who had been told their cases would now be heard in civilian instead of military courts. They were lied to.”

More than a dozen doctors and other medical professionals have been summoned to appear before the military court on Sunday August 28, even though the Bahraini authorities announced on June 26 that they were transferring all cases from military courts to civilian courts.

Among those waiting to have their cases heard are medics like Roula Al-Saffar, the head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, who was released from detention yesterday after four months in custody. Roula studied at Widener University in Pennsylvania and at the University of North Texas. She also worked for many years as a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Though she has been released, the charges against her have not been dropped and she has now been summoned with her colleagues to appear before the military court on Sunday.

“The U.S. government has been publicly silent on Bahrain for some time now. It has not disassociated itself from the discredited National Dialogue nor spoken out against the police attacks on peaceful protests over the last few weeks. In light of this latest development, it should say clearly and publicly that any step back to military courts will have consequences for the relationship between the United States and Bahrain,” Dooley concluded. …more

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 39/46
of 10 December 1984 – entry into force 26 June 1987, in accordance with article 27 (1)

Entire Text in PDF Format

PART I
Article 1

1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “torture” means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

2. This article is without prejudice to any international instrument or national legislation which does or may contain provisions of wider application.
Article 2

1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.

2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.

3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.
Article 3

1. No State Party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

2. For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.
Article 4
1. Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law. The same shall apply to an attempt to commit torture and to an act by any person which constitutes complicity or participation in torture. 2. Each State Party shall make these offences punishable by appropriate penalties which take into account their grave nature.
Article 5
1. Each State Party shall take such measures as may be necessary to establish its jurisdiction over the offences referred to in article 4 in the following cases:

(a) When the offences are committed in any territory under its jurisdiction or on board a ship or aircraft registered in that State;

(b) When the alleged offender is a national of that State;

(c) When the victim is a national of that State if that State considers it appropriate.

2. Each State Party shall likewise take such measures as may be necessary to establish its jurisdiction over such offences in cases where the alleged offender is present in any territory under its jurisdiction and it does not extradite him pursuant to article 8 to any of the States mentioned in paragraph I of this article.

3. This Convention does not exclude any criminal jurisdiction exercised in accordance with internal law. …more

Recent Bahrain Investigations are designed to enable Collective Punishment and enforcement of fascist control of Society

[cb editor note: interesting but woefully absent the history of brutality against the people of Bahrain. …would be revealing to see body counts and account of torture and punishment during each of these periods. ]

Bahrian Profile
16 August 2011 Last updated at 04:16 ET

A chronology of key events:

1913 – Britain and the Ottoman government sign a treaty recognising the independence of Bahrain but the country remains under British administration.

1931 – The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), discovers oil at Jabal al-Dukhan and productio begins the following year.

1939 – Britain decides that the Hawar Islands which lie in the Gulf of Bahrain between Bahrain and Qatar belong to Bahrain not Qatar.

1961 – Sheikh Isa Bin-Salman Al Khalifah becomes ruler of Bahrain.
Britain moves bases

1967 – Britain moves its main regional naval base from Aden to Bahrain.

1968 – Britain announces it will close its bases east of Suez by 1971.

1970 – The Administrative Council becomes a 12-member Council of State, headed by a president, the ruler’s brother, Sheikh Khalifah Bin-Salman Al Khalifah.

1970 May – Iran renounces its claim to sovereignty over Bahrain after a United Nations report shows that Bahrainis want to remain independent.
Independence

1971 – Bahrain declares independence and signs a new treaty of friendship with Britain. Sheikh Isa becomes the first Emir and the Council of State becomes a cabinet.

1971 – Bahrain gains formal independence from Britain.

1971 – Bahrain and the US sign an agreement which permits the US to rent naval and military facilities.

1972 December – Elections are held for a Constituent Assembly. Only Bahraini males over 20 can vote.

1973 December – After the constitution comes into force on 6 December, elections are held on 7 December for a National Assembly, an advisory legislative body, with 44 members (14 cabinet members and 30 elected by male voters) . Assembly dissolved

1975 August – Following claims by prime minister Sheikh Khalifah Bin-Salman Al Khalifah that the National Assembly is impeding the work of the government, the Emir dissolves the assembly and rules by decree.

1981 May – Bahrain joins the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, more usually known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which also includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
[Read more →]

Egyptian Civilians Caught in Military Tribunals
Elizabeth Arrott – Cairo – August 17, 2011

Egyptian protesters who ended the presidency of Hosni Mubarak continue to endure one legacy of the past – an all-encompassing emergency law. Unlike Mubarak, who is on trial in a civilian court, thousands of civilians face military tribunals.

The dismantling of Egypt’s emergency law has been a key demand of anti-government protesters, and the current military rulers say they are considering its demise.

But human rights groups argue that actions speak louder than words and note that some 10,000 Egyptians have been put before military tribunals in the months since the January uprising. That is more, they say, than during the whole of Mr. Mubarak’s 29-year rule.

The government counters that the military courts, which under emergency law are allowed to try civilians, are now used only for common criminals who undermined national security during the political unrest. It is a point adamantly rejected by political activists like Ibrahim El Houdaiby.

“Those are not thugs who are being tried via military tribunals,” said El Houdaiby. “Those are our friends, our comrades, our brothers and sisters. People who have been demonstrating on the street. People who have been active and have managed to oust former President Mubarak.”

The secretive nature of the military courts makes it hard to know the exact status of each case. Most defendants have no access to lawyers or others on the outside.

Certainly, criminal acts appear to have been committed during the uprising — an event seen in real time by millions around the world.

But people also witnessed the roundup of political protesters, during raids on Tahrir Square sit-ins in recent months, and at demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy in May.

Political activist El Houdaiby finds the reliance on tribunals for these cases particularly galling, given the treatment of members of the old guard.

“If former president Mubarak, who has allegedly killed over 800 Egyptians, ordered the death of over 800 Egyptians in a few days, not to speak of the 30 years and crimes therein, is now standing in front of a civilian court, it is inconceivable that we would accept civilians standing before a military tribunal,” he said. …more

‘Arab Spring’ Inspires Protests in Europe
Henry Ridgwell – London – August 17, 2011

Mid-January in Tunisia and thousands of protestors throng the street of the capital Tunis. Anti-government demonstrations that began in the small town of Sidi Bouzid culminated in the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Then, similar protests took hold in Egypt, forcing President Hosni Mubarak from power. And as demonstrations gathered momentum, they became known as the “Arab Spring.”

Mary Kaldor was part of the opposition movement in Hungary during the Cold War. She is now professor of global governance at the London School of Economics.

“People assumed that somehow the Middle East was different and that was based on assumptions that somehow Islam is different, ‘It’s not like us.’ And that was an assumption that underpinned the war on terror, too. And I think what’s so wonderful about the Arab Spring is that it’s disproving that assumption. It’s showing that Arabs are just a democratic as everyone else,” noted Kaldor.

Just as the Arab Spring was building momentum, protests also erupted in parts of Europe.

In Athens, thousands of people demonstrated against the Greek government’s package of spending cuts and privatizations – taking over Syntagma Square outside parliament.

“It’s all about, I think, a failure of representation, a feeling that the political class is one class, ‘We can’t influence them, it’s outrageous that they’re suddenly saying that we have to pay for what the banks did.’ And I think that there’s a similar feeling of outrage in the Arab world,” added Kaldor. “So I think there are very many similarities between what’s happening in Europe and what’s happening in the Arab world.”

In London, British protesters railed against their government’s austerity measures. And such scenes played out in other parts of Europe, too. In Madrid, protestors occupied the central Puerta del Sol square, in a self-proclaimed emulation of the demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square a few months earlier.

“I think there are clear differences for what’s going on in different countries,” explained Owen Tudor, international secretary for the Trades Union Congress in Britain. “We’re talking about democracies in Europe, dictatorships across much of north Africa. But many of the causes of what’s happened have been very similar. It’s about the economic crisis.”

Tudor says unions were key in instigating strikes in Egypt that led to the fall of President Mubarak. European trade unions are increasing support for their Arab counterparts, and receiving advice from the Arab street.

“They have also, in their turn, been coming to Europe, talking to trade unionists in Britain, across Europe, and have been an inspiration in many cases to people and saying, ‘You can build support, you can win these arguments,'” added Tudor.

Some observers see the Arab Spring grinding to a halt in Libya and Syria. But Professor Kaldor says the protests have already changed the geopolitical landscape of the Arab world.

“1989 brought an end to the Cold War. I think what 2011 did was to sideline the war on terror. It marginalized al-Qaida. Osama bin Laden may have been physically killed in Pakistan, but he’s been politically killed by the demonstrations in the Middle East,” she said.

The end result of the protests in Europe and the Arab world remains uncertain.

But analysts say 2011 will be etched in the memory as a year of momentous change. …source

In neighboring Bahrain, the Saudis also moved quickly to bolster the Sunni-minority regime against a rising tide of protest led by the island kingdom’s Shia majority. Saudi troops marched into Bahrain under the banner of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Saudi rulers issued clear instructions to adopt an iron-fisted policy with the demonstrators, again arguing that Iran’s nefarious hand was at play in subverting the country.

No doubt, the Saudis believe that a Shia-led Bahrain would lead to Iranian dominance at their very doorstep. Here, too, the Kingdom employed its policy of largesse through the GCC, promising Bahrain $10 billion over the next decade. Other large-scale financial commitments were made to Oman and Jordan, both Saudi allies that have managed to silence early whispers of mass protest.

Saudi Arabia vs. the Arab Spring
JoonggAng Daily IHT – August 19, 2011

For all of their wealth and planning, the Saudis remain vulnerable to the turmoil surrounding them.

Saudi Arabia is widely perceived as leading the counterrevolution against the Arab Spring uprisings. In reality, the Kingdom’s response is centered, as its foreign and domestic policy has long been, on stability. The Saudis don’t want anti-Saudi forces, including such enemies as Iran and Al Qaeda, to increase their influence in the Middle East.

Some of the older Saudi leaders have seen this movie before. The nationalist revolutions of the 1950s and 1960s, inspired and galvanized by Gamel Nasser’s Egypt, nearly toppled the House of Saud. Nonetheless, today’s Saudi princes appear to recognize that something has genuinely changed in the Middle East: The younger generation of Arabs is no longer prepared to accept unaccountable, corrupt and brutal governments.

Saudi Arabia, a self-proclaimed bulwark of Islamic conservatism, where popular democracy has never been considered a legitimate form of rule, has been more aggressive in some arenas than in others. Domestically, the royal family struck quickly, adopting a ban on public demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience. The Kingdom’s traditional interpretation of Islam construes political legitimacy in terms of a ruler’s proper application of Islamic law. In return, his subjects owe him obedience within the constraints of Sharia religious law.

Dissent, should it arise, must always take the form of well-intentioned advice given to the ruler in a private setting. Public demonstrations of dissent are regarded as contrary to Islam, because they foster divisiveness and lead to civil strife. The highest council of Saudi religious scholars recently declared demonstrations to be categorically un-Islamic. Confronted with the possibility of mass demonstrations on March 11 – the so-called Day of Rage on a Facebook page – the Saudi rulers enforced that ruling by deploying massive numbers of security forces in the streets.

They also played the Shia card, an effective trump in Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia. The rulers argued that public protests throughout the region were being orchestrated by Shia Iran, and were anti-Sunni and sectarian. The threat of chaos, evident now in Libya, Syria and Yemen, also weighed in the royal family’s favor. The House of Saud has a long historical claim on rule in Arabia, and its promise of stability remains key to its durability. …more

[cb editor note: please see the article/report that follows this article to gain perspective on the nonsensical and dangerous al Khalifa interpretation of the US Report on Counter Terrorism – though the US report is clearly lacking in it’s rebuke of recent al Khalifa brutality against Bahraini citizens.]

USA hails counter-terrorism measures taken by Bahrain

Manama, August 20 — (BNA) The annual report on terrorism issued from the USA Department of State confirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has efficiently worked to combat the financing of terrorism and boosted its border patrol capabilities and contributed with manpower for international anti-terror operations and conducted successful court trials for a number of cases under Bahraini Anti-Terror Act for the year 2006.
The report has been issued recently from the anti-terror liaison office in the US Department of State and covers the year 2010. The report confirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain worked efficiently in order to combat terrorism financing and hosted the Secretariat-General of the Middle East & North African Finance Task Force. Bahrain also liaised with its banks regarding the cases of money laundering and terrorism financing.

The report stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain, since it had ratified the international anti-nuclear-terrorism initiative in March 2008 has expanded its aviation and marine patrol and increased the number of checkpoints and conducted more drills for internal coordination and stationed more border patrol officers who are capable of identifying nuclear-proliferation-related substances such as centrifuges and commercially-banned components. The report cited the Kingdom of Bahrain’s which had already joined the international treaty for combating nuclear terrorism and the treaty for physical protection of nuclear substances and amendments thereof in the year 2005.

Regarding combating radicalism and terrorism, the report confirmed that the Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs has been exerting its persistent efforts to combat radicalism and extremism. The Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs also organized forums and workshops for Muslim imams (i.e. clergymen) and also expanded its scholarships program and finalized its annual revising of religious education curricula for its schools in order to update the interpretation of Islamic texts. …source BNA

BAHRAIN
Overview: The Bahraini government worked to actively counter terrorist finance, enhanced border control capability, contributed manpower to international counterterrorism operations, realign internal responsibilities, and successfully prosecuted a number of cases under its 2006 counterterrorism law.

Legislation and Law Enforcement: Key to several Bahraini counterterrorism successes this year was a decision by the King to realign internal intelligence, analytical, and counterterrorism responsibilities in various government ministries under the Bahrain National Security Agency, which has resulted in a clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities allowed for greater capacity building and increased interagency cooperation.

Bahraini law enforcement actions included:
• On January 26, the High Criminal Court convicted and sentenced to five-year prison terms two Bahraini citizens affiliated with al-Qa’ida of plotting a terrorist attack against U.S. diplomatic and naval interests. On May 30, the court’s decision was upheld by the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court. Key to the successful prosecution was the digital forensic evidence seized by Bahraini law enforcement.

• On July 5, seven Bahraini citizens were convicted under the 2006 counterterrorism law and sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in the March 2009 death of a Pakistani national who was presumed to be a plain clothed police officer at the time of the attack.

• On July 6, two Bahraini citizens were convicted by the High Criminal Court of plotting an April 2009 terrorist attack with a homemade bomb and were each sentenced to a 10-year prison term.

• During August to November, Bahraini law enforcement arrested at least 200 men, including minors, and held many of them under the counterterrorism law for various offenses. Twenty-five Bahraini citizens (including two in absentia) have been charged and the trial was ongoing at year’s end. The arrests and subsequent prosecutions have been criticized by local and international human rights organizations as being political in nature, and there have been claims of mistreatment and coerced confessions by some of the detainees’ defense counsels.

Countering Terrorist Finance: Bahrain worked actively to counter terrorist finance and hosted the Secretariat for the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. Bahrain worked cooperatively with its banks on anti-money laundering and counterterrorist finance (AML/CTF) issues. Bahraini law enforcement and customs officials also continued to build AML/CTF capacity through extensive training.

In October, Bahrain imprisoned a Syrian national who had been convicted in absentia of terrorist financing by Bahraini courts and sentenced to a five-year prison term in February 2009. Despite progress, Bahrain has yet to adequately amend the law banning money laundering and combating terrorism finance. In addition, Bahrain’s designated non-financial businesses and professions remained vulnerable to terrorist financing, due primarily to the non-issuance of legislation for regulating and monitoring the sector. Bahrain was asked to provide MENAFATF a follow up report in 2011 outlining progress.

Regional and International Cooperation: Since formally endorsing the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism in March 2008, Bahrain has worked to expand air, sea, and causeway border control points through increased training, internal cooperation, and staffing the border with officers capable of recognizing and interdicting nuclear proliferation materials such as centrifuges and commercially banned items. Bahrain acceded to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism as well as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment.

Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: Bahrain’s efforts to counter radicalization and violent extremism have been spearheaded by the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs (MJIA). The MJIA organized regular workshops and seminars for imams from both the Sunni and Shia sects, and expanded its international scholarship program to include religious schools in Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. It also completed an annual review of schools’ Islamic Studies curriculum to evaluate interpretations of religious texts. …source

UAE elections: what substance behind the gloss?
While the UAE increases its electoral base for its semi-parliamentary body, the Federal National Council, analysts see no road to democracy through a toothless “advisory” council

Reuters, Sunday 21 Aug 2011 – In a dark auditorium, rows of men in traditional white robes and women swathed in black watch silently as computer-animated characters take their turn at electronic voting machines in a film aimed at educating them on how to vote.

On 24 September they will cast their votes for half of the United Arab Emirates’ Federal National Council (FNC), a quasi-parliamentary body designed to serve as a link between the country’s rulers and its people to build democratic institutions gradually in the Gulf Arab state.

But given that the 40-member council has no legislative authority, half its members are appointed, and only about 12 per cent of citizens – themselves handpicked by the UAE’s rulers – can vote, critics question how much substance it has.

“It’s theatre,” said a former FNC member, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue. “It looks good, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything underneath.”
The election awareness road show has been to all seven emirates, from Umm Al-Quwain, with its low biscuit-coloured buildings, to the glinting skyscrapers of business hub Dubai, to “strengthen electoral culture”.

Officials have rolled out an election logo, set up a special website, printed explanatory brochures and even installed the Arab world’s first high-tech electronic voting machines to press on with a programme of gradual democratisation.

It is only the second election to be held in the UAE.

“We seek through the current election, a shift in the political environment of the UAE,” Minister of State for FNC Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash said in a statement last week.

At a session in the northern emirate of Umm Al-Quwain, several dozen voters filed into a conference hall where the election logo, a young boy running with the national flag billowing behind him, was emblazoned on booklets and posters.

“We are on the right track and we are in no hurry. What do we lack? … Our state has provided us with everything,” Aisha Rashed Leytaim, an eligible voter who also planned to run for an FNC seat, told Reuters, speaking over the election’s rousing theme song.

The UAE’s oil wealth has so far staved off the kind of popular protests that ousted the veteran leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, but hundreds of signatures on an online petition calling for free and fair elections suggest there are Emiratis who share their neighbours’ desire for a greater role in government.

Even before this year’s unrest across the Arab world, UAE rulers intended to broaden popular participation, but the regional upheaval seems to have accelerated those plans.

Last month, the number of people entitled to vote or run in the September election for the FNC was increased to 129,000, nearly 20 times more than in the UAE’s first election in 2006, in which less than one per cent of Emiratis could take part. …more

URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
Arbitrary arrest and ongoing detention / Disappearance / Judicial harassment
Iran – August 19, 2011

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Iran.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources of the enforced disappearance of Mr. Kouhyar Goudarzi, member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), the summons against Mr. Ali Kalaei, a former member of the CHRR, the arbitrary arrest and ongoing arbitrary detention of Messrs. Ahmad Ghabel, a religious scholar and activist fighting against death penalty and reporting on extra-judicial executions in Iran, Saeed Jalalifar, member of the CHRR and a former member of the Association for Defence of Street and Working Children, and Kayvan Samimi Behbahani, a 67 year-old human rights defender and journalist, and of the ongoing judicial harassment against, Ms. Shiva Nazarahari, member of the CHRR and of the “One Million Signatures” campaign.

According to the information received, around July 30, 2011, Mr. Kouhyar Goudarzi was arrested in Tehran. As of issuing this urgent appeal, his whereabouts remain unknown. In the morning of July 31, 2011, his mother Ms. Parvin Mokhtar’e was arbitrarily arrested at her home in Kerman, by four plainclothes agents, without a warrant. She is currently detained at the Central Prison of Kerman. While in detention, she has been informed that she was accused of “insulting the Supreme leader”, “propaganda against the regime”, and “acting against national security”, whereas she has no political or human rights-related activities. The Observatory believes that her arrest and detention are related to the human rights activities of her son.

The Observatory recalls that Mr. Kouhyar Goudarzi was previously arrested in December 2009 [1] and subsequently sentenced to one year in prison [2] , on charges among others, of “propaganda activity against the regime through effective collaboration with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters website”, “collection and publishing of biased news against the regime and transfer of this information to terrorist organisations based abroad” as well as “interview with foreign media and publishing articles in websites,” pursuant to Iranian Criminal Code. He served the sentence and was released on 14 December 2010.

On July 25, 2011, Mr. Ali Kalaei received a summon order which gave him three days to appear before the Executive Branch of Evin Prison, to serve his seven-year imprisonment sentence. He was sentenced in December 2010 on charges of “propaganda against the system”, “publishing false reports about prisoners”, “giving interviews”, “assembly and collusion with intent to commit crimes through membership of the CHRR”. Mr. Kalaei was previously detained on three occasions, in December 2007, February 2010, and May 2010. [3] No information could be obtained since then as to his situation. …more

Protest Rallies in Saudia for the release of Shia Political Prisoners
August 13, 2011 – by jafrianews

JNN 13 Aug 2011 : Hundreds of Saudi anti-government protesters have poured into the streets in the eastern city of al-Qatif, demanding the release of thousands political prisoners.

The demonstrators also shouted slogans against the ruling regime.

A similar anti-government protest rally was held in the city of al-Awamiyah on Thursday night in which demonstrators condemned the detention of cleric Tawfiq al-Ammer and called for his immediate release.

Al-Ammer, who is known by his followers as the most prominent advocate of civil rights and freedom in the eastern region of the Arab kingdom, was recently arrested after he called for reforms during a speech at a local mosque.

His arrest has triggered protests in the oil-rich east.

Saudis in the eastern province plan to take to the streets again later on Friday. Reports say Saudi security forces have surrounded a mosque and several areas in al-Qatif.

Saudi Arabia’s east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past months.

Human Rights Watch says more than 160 dissidents have been arrested since February as part of the Saudi government’s crackdown on anti-government protesters.

According to the Saudi-based Human Rights First Society (HRFS), the detainees were subject to both physical and mental torture. …source

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260: Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as …any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Bahrain government fires hundreds of employees for political views
By Kristen Chick, Correspondent – August 19, 2011 – Cairo

More than 100 government employees have been dismissed in recent weeks, joining 2,500 workers – nearly all Shiites – who have been fired since Bahrain’s pro-democracy uprising.

They join 600 workers who have already been forced to leave government ministries and universities and about 1,900 workers sacked by private businesses this spring. While the Ministry of Labor has reinstated about a fifth of those fired, the most recent dismissals challenge official portrayals of the kingdom as going back to normal following the government’s brutal crackdown, in which at least 30 people were killed and hundreds detained.

RELATED: Amid unrest, Bahrain companies fire hundreds of Shiites

An independent commission appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to investigate the crackdown could lead to more workers regaining their jobs. But some are losing confidence in the Bahrain Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which has become a focal point for angry protests.

Sayed Salman, head of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBT), says he appreciates the efforts of the Labor ministry so far to reinstate employees who were unfairly fired, but says the proportion of workers reinstated is too small and has taken too long. He also rejects government arguments that dismissals, such as those taking place at government ministries currently, are disciplinary measures carried out according to law.

“When you talk about the dismissal of 10 or 15 people, that is one thing,” says Mr. Salman. “When you talk about the collective dismissal of hundreds of people from different ministries, it is a systematic dismissal to get rid of anyone who is suspected of having supported the political unrest.”
19 Shiite academics fired last week

Last week, 19 academics and 40 staff members were fired from the University of Bahrain, including Abdulla Al Derazi, who has been an English language professor at the university for 20 years and is also head of the Bahrain Human Rights Society. He says the university accused the academics of participating in protests, expressing political opinions critical of the government, and talking to the media. The university also accused Prof. Derazi of civil disobedience for being absent from work during protests – which he denies.

“There’s no grounds for what they did because it’s all unconstitutional,” says Derazi. “The decision was based on political and sectarian reasons.”

All 19 academics are Shiite, as are most of the more than 2,500 workers who have so far been dismissed, according to the count of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions. Bahrain’s population is about 60 percent Shiite.

Though Shiites made up the majority of the protesters demanding democratic reform from Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy, the movement’s aims were democratic rather than sectarian. But the government has largely targeted Shiites in its efforts to quell the uprising, which began in February inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. The government called in Saudi and other Gulf forces to participate in a violent crackdown in March.
‘Is sending an e-mail a crime?’

In recent months, the government has sought to portray the crisis as over. It held a national dialogue billed as a gathering to address political problems, and released some of the hundreds it had detained during the crackdown, including two former members of parliament from the largest opposition bloc, Al Wefaq.

But activists and opposition members say the national dialogue didn’t address Bahrain’s real problems, and point out that those who have been released still face politically motivated charges.

The private sector firings largely took place in April, targeting Shiites and employees who had participated in protests. Many companies attempted to justify the dismissals by saying employees were absent. But some of the government institutions seem to be more open about the political reasons for the dismissals. …more

BYSHR: Bahrain: Injured testimonies confirm that the hospital turned into prison
August 16th, 2011

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights-BYSHR has documented testimonies of some injured of the protests that started on 14 February 2011. BYSHR representatives met with the injured after they had been released from jail. They were arrested from Salmaniya Hospital, the main governmental hospital, and were detained for more than three and a half months.

BYSHR sought the assistance of an independent physician, to examine the patients and report the injuries they suffered.

On 16 March 2011 the army and the National Guard took over of Salmaniya Hospital and arrested the protesters whom gathered in the hospital building. Later a number of doctors were arrested on charges of hospital occupation and the confiscation of Medical equipment.

Salmaniya Hospital is considered one of the witnesses to the human rights violations that took place against protesters since the 14th of February uprising, as thousands of the injured got medical treatment in Salmaniya Hospital due to the suppression of riot police using rubber bullets, tear gas, sound grenades and shot guns. Also, the military used live ammunition to disperse protesters on the 16th of March 2011 – the BYSHR have documented cases where live ammunitions were used.

An injured told the BYSHR: ” I was on the 4th floor in Salmaniya Hospital where I was being treated from a shotgun injury in the head and face – left side – when they transferred me to the 6th floor, and there I was mistreated, insulted, tied to the bed, eye folded and they used offensive words against the Shia and asked us to curse and insult the political opposition leaders”. (1)

And he continues: “I was taken later from the hospital to Noaim Police Station and then to Isa Town Police Station where I was tortured there too.”

Another protestor told (BYSHR)’s representative: “my right eye is injured because of a shotgun explosion besides me; I was taken to the hospital after the army and police took over, I tried to escape but I was arrested in a checkpoint near the hospital gate and I was tortured in an external room – the room of ambulance care assistants and ambulance drivers (attached Picture) – other injured were with me too.” (2)

A wounded by birds gunshots informed BYSHR: “I was injured on 15 March in my back by the ant-riot police. I was transported to Salmaniya Hospital. I was on the fourth floor, afterwards I was transferred to the sixth floor where I was mistreated, tied to the bed, and blindfolded. The doctors avoided talking to us about our cases for fear of the security forces. I was removed in a police car to Isa Town Police Station and was forced to sing the National Anthem and insult the opposition political leaders.”. (3)

The injured refused to mention their names because the charges against them are still valid even after their release.

BYSHR expresses its concern about those allegations and it demands urgent investigation in subjecting the injured to the allegations of mistreatment and torture at Salmaniya Hospital. BYSHR demands the Special Rapporteur on torture the urgent action and investigation of those accusations against the anti-riot police.

(1) Medical examination: Multiple bird shot to the left side of the scalp and face.Cartilaginous damage to the left pinna.Missing segment of upper pinna and scarring and possible retained shot within the ear.Normal ear drum.Unable to fully open jaw due to pain.TMJ appears to be moving in a normal fashion but without full range of movement.

(2) Medical examination:Patient has a bird shot within the upper lid of the left eye on the nasal aspect.Bird shot on the temporal aspect of the upper lid of the right eye.Healing laceration to the right cornea on the lateral border of the iris.Acuity to finger counting only.Fundoscopy looks normal.

(3) Medical examination: Multiple bird shot entry wounds on the back from upper shoulder area to the feet.More evident on the left side of the body.Laparotomy scar.Tenderness on the left mid axilla chest area . …source

Bahrain: Independence Day remembered as royal commission nears collapse
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 19/08/2011 – 12:22 p | Hits: 187

Tension is rising in the country on the eve of Imam Ali’s martyrdom. The regime’s armed militias (Death Squads) have threatened to attack the religious procession in Muharraq tonight and tomorrow night. These squads are responsible for the abduction, torture and killing hundreds of Bahrainis in the past twelve months.

They are run by the royal court and are immune from prosecution. There are hundreds of images of these squads wreaking havoc on the citizens. They often roam the streets wielding axes, swords, wooden sticks or guns. They were deployed last summer after the crackdown on the opposition figures to instill fear in the hearts of the people. Their actions have only solidified the will of the people to oppose the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship. When the 14th February youth declared the revolution these Death Squads were granted extra weapons and powers to attack humans and properties. Bahrainis have appealed to the international community to intervene to stop these thugs before the situation gets out of control. Bahrainis will not allow themselves to be intimidated.

Last night demonstrations erupted in most areas amid massive attacks by the regime’s forces. Bahrainis have celebrated 40 years of independence from the British rule in their own ways. They wanted to tell the world that the struggle of the people had contributed to the independence and that the 150 years British rule was abruptly ended. The message is that regardless of the duration of the occupation, it has to end one day. The Al Khalifa rule is also bound by this fact; it has to end one day. It is not eternal; it is a temporary arrangement that is now doomed due to the excesses of the regime. The people of Dair took to the streets, breaking the siege by the regime’s forces. They marched bare-chested near the main entrance to the town until they were mercilessly attacked by the aggressors who used tear and chemical gases, rubber bullets and shotguns. The Al Khalifa forces also attacked people’s properties and cars.

The people of Sitra marched on 17th August near the main road before they were attacked by the regime’s forces. Moving images show clearly the intensity of the confrontations that had taken place near the police station and the National Bank building. Similar scenes were reported at Mhazza, wadyan, Sfala, El Ekr and Ma’amir. On the same day another demonstration in Dair was attacked near Martyr Zakaria Al Ashiri’s Square. All kinds of repressive measures were used against the demonstrations that have continued in most areas of Bahrain to mark the Independence Day which the regime has refused to recognize. Many casualties were reported and the images of these indicate intentional attacks to suppress the voice of dissent and revenge from those who defy the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship.

Meanwhile it has been reported that Jalila Al Salman, the teacher who began a hunger strike last week has been transferred to hospital after her health deteriorated on Wednesday. She was joined by Dr Rola Al Saffar who is also behind bars for treating the injured in March. Medics have remained in detention ever since as the international community failed to force the regime to release them.

In a separate development the discredited royal commission, headed by Charif Bissiouni to whitewash the dictator and his sons from any wrong doing has shown signs of serious cracks in its membership. The head of the local committee supervising the investigation, Kamran Chaudry, has resigned for “personal reasons” and left the country. The resignation came after it became clear that Bissiouni has sold out to the dictators and betrayed the trust of some of his victims.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
19th August 2011
…source

Bahrain: The Medical staff before a military court again
August 21st, 2011 – BYSHR

Mr. Mohisn Al-Alawi – Lawyer – informed the BYSHR that the medical staff will be presented before a military court on 28th Aug, 2011.

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

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

…source

Bahrain Nursing Official Freed From Custody
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – August 21, 2011

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahraini authorities have released the country’s top nursing official after five months in custody .

Rola al-Safar was detained during crackdowns on Shiite-led protesters demanding greater rights.

Rights groups say the release of al-Safar and another detainee, teachers’ union official Jalila al-Salman, came after jailhouse meetings with the head of an international panel investigating alleged abuses in the Gulf nation’s six-month-old unrest.

Al-Safar is among more than two dozen doctors and nurses facing charges linked to the demonstrations by Bahrain’s majority Shiites, who claim widespread discrimination by Sunni rulers. At least 19 medical personnel remain in custody.

Hundreds of well-wishers streamed toward al-Safar’s house after her release Sunday. …source

Pakistani Veterans Beef Up Bahrain Security Forces
by Gary Thomas – VOA – August 18, 2011

Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, made a one-day visit to the Middle East kingdom of Bahrain this week. Substantive details of his meetings with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa were not made public. But Bahrain has been gripped by anti-government protests, part of the “Arab Spring” sweeping across the region. The Bahraini government has been soliciting help from Pakistan to put down demonstrations.

According to analysts and Bahraini human rights activists, Bahrain’s government has been recruiting former soldiers and policemen from Pakistan at a steady rate to bolster the security forces.

Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel, who has extensive experience in South Asia, says Bahrain has been recruiting Pakistani veterans for decades. But he says the eruption of the pro-democracy demonstrations in the Gulf state in March has sparked a sharp increase in the recruiting.

“This winter, when the very serious demonstrations began and it looked like the regime might even be toppled at a certain point, their hiring of mercenaries went up substantially,” said Riedel. “And they began sending out basically want ads in major Pakistani newspapers advertising well-paying jobs in the Bahraini police and the Bahraini National Guard for any experienced soldier or policeman in Pakistan.”

The ads placed in Pakistani newspapers call for ex-riot police and riot control instructors, military police, non-commissioned officers, and other military and security specialists – as well as cooks and mess hall waiters – for the Bahrain National Guard. The ads were placed by the Fauji Foundation, an organization set up to help veterans and their families. Calls to the foundation seeking comment were not returned. …more

BICI Reiterates Position on Recent Events

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) has been following the information being circulated about its work and the statements attributed to its Chairperson Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni in the local Bahraini and international press. Because this information is either inaccurate or baseless, the BICI is compelled to issue the following statement.

The BICI denies the report being circulated on some electronic social media platforms that its Chairperson or any of its members have resigned their positions. All the members of the Commission continue to discharge their duties. The Commissioners are studying and analyzing the increasingly large amounts of evidence being gathered by its investigators for the preparation of BICI’s final report due on October 30th 2011. …more bullshit

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

Police summon Nabeel Rajab for publishing wrong information
August 19, 2011

MOI: The Director-General of the Northern Governorate Police announced on Friday that it had summoned Nabeel Rajab under a warrant at 8:30pm on that day for publishing and disseminating incorrect news and information through his social media website. He said Rajab had done so in an inciting manner that was likely to disturb public security, promote fear, affect general interests and humiliate public authorities.

The Director-General said that Rajab was instructed to remain committed to facts while exercising his freedom of expression, which was a right protected under the Constitution. He said Rajab was also instructed to follow legal regulations, while a report of procedures taken was prepared.

The Director-General said that the use of social media networks should be within the legal framework and for general interest, as violations could pose a threat to civil peace. …source

Statement of the Bahrain Ministry of Interior on the Questioning of Nabeel Rajab

MANAMA, Bahrain, Aug. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On the evening of August 19, 2011, the General Director of the Northern Governorate Police in Bahrain announced that Mr. Nabeel Rajab had been summoned for routine questioning about false and potentially incendiary information being conveyed through his website in social media. Mr. Rajab was summoned openly and in full accordance with Bahraini law. He was not arrested or detained, and he left the police offices within one hour.

The government of Bahrain has become increasingly concerned that unconfirmed and potentially incendiary information could incite fear and anger that might lead to public disturbances and even violence.

The government of Bahrain supports the freedom of its citizens to express their political opinions and acknowledges that opinions from many different individuals and groups can play a positive role in the national reconciliation process. The government, however, is deeply concerned that unconfirmed rumors or incendiary information issued by any well-known organization or individual could create a dangerous situation in which lives and property are placed at risk.

SOURCE Bahrain Ministry of Interior

German Empire (1871-1918)

With the outbreak of World War I, the military took over the censorship office with the aim of mobilizing German support for the war. A police official was instated in every city for this purpose. Restrictions on materials became much harsher. Materials could be banned because of association with a particular person or country, or simply because the censor felt that the piece was distracting or a waste of time.

Censorship in Nazi Germany

Censorship in Nazi Germany was implemented by the Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. All media — literature, music, newspapers, and public events—were censored. Attempts were also made to censor private communications, such as mail and even private conversation, with mixed results.

The aim of censorship under the Nazi regime was simple: to reinforce Nazi power and to suppress opposing viewpoints and information. Punishments ranged from banning of presentation and publishing of works to deportation, imprisonment, or even execution in a concentration camp. …source

artifacts of hatred from al Khalifa security forces

Credit Agricole will not be last bank to shut shop in Bahrain
Reuters/Bloomberg/Dubai 15 August, 2011

Credit Agricole Bahrain headquarters which is set to shut down. The French lender’s move is a blow for the one-time regional financial hub of the Arabian Gulf

The consequences of Bahrain’s turbulent spring are mounting.

First, the Formula 1 Grand Prix was cancelled, now Credit Agricole has decided to shift its regional headquarters to Dubai.

The French lender’s move is a blow for the one-time regional financial hub of the Arabian Gulf region. But the Shia led protests earlier this year and subsequent crackdown by Bahrain’s Sunni-ruling minority – with the help of troops from its Arab neighbours – is only one reason why financial institutions are saying bye-bye to Bahrain.
International banks are rushing to cut costs as revenue falls and risk grows. That makes it harder for them to maintain their previous practice of keeping multiple bases in the Middle East – a region that still generates relatively little revenue.

The political instability, combined with a growing presence in Dubai, will have made Credit Agricole’s decision easier. …more

U.S. Base In Bahrain In Danger
by James Dunnigan – August 5, 2011

The United States is quietly looking for another country, on the west coast of the Persian Gulf, to host an American naval base. This is because months of political unrest in Bahrain has put the American base there in danger. So the U.S. Navy is looking at the possibility, and cost, of moving the Bahrain base to Dubai or Qatar. The navy is not happy about making the move, as it would be expensive and disruptive. But if the unrest in Bahrain continues, and escalates, there may be no choice.

Over the last few years, the U.S. has been expanding its naval base in Bahrain. The navy has taken over the Mina Salman port, which transferred all commercial operations to the new Khalifa bin Salman port. The navy has leased 28 hectares (70 acres) of waterfront space at Mina Salman. At the capital, the navy has an .4 hectare (one acre) area at the port there, and 17 hectares (42 acres) at a nearby base. The new port is large enough to berth the largest U.S. ships (the Nimitz class carriers.) The port currently supports over a dozen American warships operating in the area.

Thus the U.S. Navy has turned a minor naval station in the Persian Gulf, into one of its most crucial bases for the war on terrorism. The U.S. moved into Bahrain in 1973, when the British gave it up. The Bahrainis, like most of their Arab neighbors, like to have some friendly Western power in residence. This provides some insurance against Saudi Arabia to the west, and Iran to the east.

Before 1918, the British presence helped keep the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire off their backs as well. All the Bahrainis ask is that the foreign troops be quiet, and discreet. Until 2002, the Bahraini base was just a place where U.S. warships could tie up for repairs, or recreation for the crews. About 3,600 American military personnel were stationed there. There was an airbase for navy and air force transports and warplanes. The Bahrainis denied much of this activity, so as to avoid getting pilloried by other Arab states. But Bahrain is a small place (a 655 square kilometer island about 20 kilometers off the Saudi coast, with a population of about 1.1 million), and it’s difficult for things like warships and warplanes to go unnoticed.

In the last eight years, several hundred million dollars has gone into building more permanent facilities. The trailers and other “temporary structures” were replaced by more permanent buildings and facilities. This included a new pier, just for military ships. There is a shopping center just for the military, and a lot of recreational facilities for the troops. Until 2004, some troops could bring their families. But now it’s all military, and the brass try to keep everyone happy on base. It’s a one year tour for most, but Bahrain is pretty popular. Living conditions are good, and the local Bahrainis are pretty mellow and friendly by Middle Eastern standards, at least most of the time. …source