Posts from — August 2011

Bahrainis urge release of prisoners
shiapost – August 15, 2011

Bahraini demonstrators have once again held rallies in several villages to demand the release of political prisoners and the pullout of the Saudi forces from their country.

Despite the government crackdown on protests, peaceful Bahraini demonstrators took to the streets on Monday to continue voicing their demands.

Thousands of protesters poured into the streets in the villages of Sitra, A’ali, Sanabis and several other locations on Sunday, calling for the downfall of the Al Khalifa regime.

Anti-government protesters have been holding protest rallies in Bahrain since mid-February.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military forces to Bahrain in mid-March to assist the Manama government in its brutal crackdown on the popular protests.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more arrested in Bahrain since mid-February. Numerous protesters have also been detained and transferred to unknown locations during the brutal onslaught on protesters.

Amnesty International has condemned the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests and detention of Bahraini demonstrators.

According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, there are currently over 1,000 political detainees inside the Middle Eastern country. …source

No crimes against humanity in Bahrain, says fact finding committee
Monday, 15 August 2011 – By Mohamed Al Arab – AL ARABIYA MANAMA

A royal fact finding committee formed to investigate the Bahrain protests reached the conclusion that no crimes against humanity were committed by the government against the protestors.

Crimes against humanity require two factors in order to be proven: they have to be systematic and political. None of those applied to the events that took place in Bahrain, said committee head Dr. Mahmoud Sherif Basyouni.

“There was no proof whatsoever of crimes against humanity and had there been any, I would have definitely written that in my report,” he told the Bahraini newspaper Al Ayam.

Regarding the committee’s involvement in the release of several of the prisoners, Dr. Basyouni stated that the committee would never ask for acquitting people who committed illegal actions.

“The committee responsibility is to make sure the law is being applied.”

Dr. Basyouni explained that the committee’s responsibility is investigating the events and notifying the relevant bodies in case violations are proven so that they can be addressed.

“This means it is not part of our job to call for releasing prisoners since we are not a human rights organization.”

The committee, however, can play the role of mediator in some cases. For example, Dr. Basyouni explained, if some people were fired from their jobs and the committee becomes aware that there is a decree that says they should be back, it tells the relevant bodies to redress this wrong.

“The same is applied to prisoners who are still detained after their time is over. In this case, we notify the prosecutor general or the ministry of interior.”

Regarding torture, Dr. Basyouni said that it is prohibited in Bahrain as stipulated by both national laws and international treaties to which Bahrain is a signatory.

“If the committee finds out about cases of torture, we have to take a firm stance even if we discover that it was a personal action because any kind of torture is a crime.”

When torture is political, he added, it is not only the person involved in the torture act that is held accountable, it is also the political responsibility of the leader of this person.

“The leader is held accountable if he knew about the torture, if he did not take the necessary actions to guarantee it will not be repeated again, and if he did not take the necessary action to penalize the person who did.”

With crimes against humanity, Dr. Basyouni explained, the situation is a bit different because the crime is in this case committed on a systematic and regular basis and towards a particular political goal.

He also stressed that nobody is above the law regardless of their status or profession. He cited the example of doctors who are not allowed to engage in political activities inside the hospitals where they work and that therefore they should be penalized in case of doing so.

Regarding the right to freedom of expression and protesting, Dr. Basyouni pointed out that protests which inflict damage upon public welfare are against the law.

“It is unacceptable that protestors destroy cars or houses and violate the rights of others. In this case, protests become illegal.”

When asked about the complaints that cite torture cases and the level of their credibility, Dr. Basyouni said that investigators and police officers have the expertise that allows them to distinguish between genuine and fabricated complaints.

“Plus, anybody who submits a complaint should have proof so if somebody says he was tortured and there are no signs of torture on his body or no witnesses to the torture, the complaint will not be accepted.”

Dr. Basyouni added that the credibility of complaints is raised when several complaints from different places have the same content.

“This is much different from receiving one single compliment from one single person.”

(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid) …source

Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, “are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Murder; extermination; torture; rape; political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. … wiki

After riots, Britain to push for change in European Convention on Human Rights
REUTERS – Monday 15 August 2011 – By RFI

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday that the UK would use its current chairmanship of the Council of Europe to try to push through changes in the European Convention of Human Rights. Cameron claimed the convention had “undermined personal responsibility”, in a speech which focused on what he sees as the underlying causes of last week’s riots in Britain.

Addressing an audience at a youth club in Witney in southern England, Cameron pledged to reverse what he called a “slow motion moral collapse”, which he blames for last week’s riots in which five people died.

“This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face,” Cameron declared.

The Conservative leader has long preached of a need to re inforce values such as social responsibility, and Britain’s worst civil disorder for decades has led him to return to a favourite theme.

Children as young as 11 joined a four-night spree of looting and arson which began on 6 August in North London and spread throughout the capital and to other English cities, tarnishing Britain’s image just a year before it hosts the 2012 Olympic Games. …more

GCIV, Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.

British Leader Seeks Public Housing Evictions for Rioters and Their Families
By JOHN F. BURNS – NYT – Published: August 12, 2011

LONDON — As Britain begins to weigh the costs of the rioting of recent days and ponder measures to prevent a recurrence, the government of Prime Minister David Cameron put forward on Friday a new way of punishing the looters and vandals who rampaged through many of the country’s cities and towns: kick them and their families out of their government-subsidized homes.

If carried out on the scale Mr. Cameron and his ministers have proposed, the measure would probably be the most punitive of the sanctions that they have said would be considered in response to the worst civil disorder in a generation. More than 10 million Britons, about one in six, live in public housing.

Mr. Cameron took to the television studios on Friday, the third consecutive day of calm after the days of chaos that began last weekend, to broaden the “fightback” he has declared against the rioters, and against those who have argued that the blame should rest less with the rioters than with the abject social conditions in the neighborhoods from which many of them came.

He has described the rioting as “criminality, pure and simple,” with no excuse in social deprivation, and laid out a controversial plan to make much broader use of existing powers to expel not only the rioters but also their families from the free or rent-subsidized accommodations that provide millions with cradle-to-grave homes.

“For too long we’ve taken too soft an attitude towards people that loot and pillage their own community,” Mr. Cameron told a BBC interviewer. “If you do that, you should lose your right to the sort of housing that you’ve had at subsidized rates.” He added that evictions “might help break up some of the criminal networks on some housing estates if some of these people are thrown out of their houses.”

Asked whether that would render them homeless, he replied, “They should have thought of that before they started burgling.” …more

Free AlMahfoodh

Free Alkhawaja

FM affirms security is stable in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Manama, August 14 — (BNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa confirms that the security situation is stable in the Kingdom of Bahrain despite some acts being committed in breach of security and peacefulness that habitually occurred before the Feb-March 2011 incidents.

The minister in a statement published in Al-Hayat newspaper on Sunday said: “The work of independent international fact-finding commission created upon a decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain is important as Bahrain found itself in the aftermath of the incidents victim to an incorrect stereotype.” “There was need to setup a neutral body to carry out the tasks of rectification of any misdeeds,” said the minister adding: “ The recent unfortuate incidents left their impact on many Bahraini citizens.” He also pointed out: “Anyone who abstains from dialogue is mistaken as the process of dialogue should be on-going amongst members of the one family.”

The minister emphasized that the national consensus dialogue attained unanimity on many of the themes debated and even exceeded them. New powers have been vested in the House of Representatives and dialogue amongst Bahraini citizens is a non-stop process. …more

Deputy Premier lauds Bahraini people honourable stances

Manama, Aug 14 (BNA) The Deputy Premier Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa today affirmed that the people of Bahrain continues to exhibit honorable stances that is part of their culture inherited from their forefathers. He said that the people extending their hands to their Muslim brothers and their honourable national stances reflects the nature of Bahrainis.

Shaikh Ali was speaking during his receiving of senior Royal family members, senior officials, Shura and representative council members along with diplomats, journalists and religious scholars at his Ramadan majilis. The Deputy Premier exchanged with the attendees cordial talks during which he affirmed the strong and firm closely-knit family structure existing in the Bahrain community that would continue to strengthen and flourish. He also emphasized the need to utilize such religious days towards further reinforcing this cohesion that is considered a strong and vital point of Bahrain community. …more

Bahrain’s Shame
Mahmood’s Den

I love it when our enlightened officials use the severely broken record of “we’re a democracy” while they literally sign off on the destitution of their own countrymen for daring to exercise their democratic rights. To add insult to injury, even when the land’s King orders, orders their re-instatement, they completely ignore that royal order as if it’s not important and not worth of the slightest consideration. What and whom are they following exactly to be this belligerent?

So far, according to (a much rejuvenated Al-Wasat) 2,593 have been unfairly fired. I say and emphasize the word unfairly as the only reason for losing their jobs was due to their exercising of one of their basic human rights. 2,593 from 199 companies and the public sector. 1,643 from eight entities who have trampled their very own lifelines, their employees in a race the end result of which is to ensure the starvation of the largest amount of families of their compatriots as possible! Those who have excelled at this vocation are now inducted in a particular hall of shame that Bahrain will never forget. That hall of shame belongs to ALBA, Bapco, Ministry of Health, Gulf Air, Batelco, Ministry of Education, Khalifa Port and the Ministry of Municipalities all of whom account for the misery of 63% of all of those unfairly dismissed.

Put in another perspective, according to the secretary general of the Bahrain Labour Unions those despicable 199 entities are directly responsible for the hardships that 13,000 Bahrainis find themselves in with their breadwinners out of a job.

What the hell are they thinking?

Doctors, engineers, teachers, tradesmen and a plethora of other worthy individuals are out of jobs. Do those companies not have any balls whatsoever as to stand their ground and refuse to enact orders relayed by midnight callers? Ok, we know that they don’t, they’re afraid for their own positions and benefits, but why the mad chest beating rush and which-hunts? Don’t they realize the extreme damage that this situation can do to the health of their own companies? What would the remaining employees think of the company and its management? I bet that every single employee within those despicable entities cannot help but think that their own turn will come! It might not be for the same reasons, but if they see that other employees are so summarily and unfairly dumped, regardless of their length of service nor their deserved excellent local and international reputations, how easy would it be to dispense with them too? And for whatever infantile and ludicrous reason?

For those who are dancing on their co-workers’ graves, those who snitched, poked and stabbed their own brothers and sisters to be put in the literal firing line, where is your humanity? Where is your dignity? Where is your self-worth?

13,000 of my countrymen are at the risk of missed opportunities and continuous nightmares for doing nothing but expressing their views.

Know this; though, I bet that when they get used to the nightmares they will turn into a more belligerent and more extreme force that might very well rock the country, even more than what it’s at now, and those 199 entities as well as the government who is complicit in this, are directly responsible for this phenomenon. So thank you for destroying yet another generation.

What’s to be done, then? Like other great events in history, this is the time for a brave and responsible man to stand and take the helm. That man should not wait it out, because time now is the mortal enemy. The future of this country and its people are hanging in the balance and only strong, just and resolute decisions will rescue this country from the brink. This is where actual and much needed political, financial, labour, education and societal reform starts. And they all need a strong man with vision who is not afraid to step up on deck and take the helm in story seas. That journey is long and hard and won’t resolve overnight. But the country and its future children deserve the trouble.

To those 199 entities and the witch hunters. Your legacy will be shame, and you will be forgotten. Parasites that you are. …see charts more…

Bahrain satellite channel jammed, launches on Livestation instead
Sunday August 14, 2011, Nancy Messieh

Livestation, launched in 2008, gives users an easy way to keep up with major news channels including Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN, from their computers, or on the go using the iPhone app or mobile site.

Livestation seems to be earning itself a reputation as the go-to site for opposition groups in the Middle East who want to provide users with an alternative to state-run media.

Much has been made of the Internet’s role in the Arab spring, but the site’s role has largely gone unnoticed. Aside from Al Jazeera, Livestation hosts two channels of great significance to the region. Libya TV, based in Qatar, is described on Livestation as “the first independent satellite channel broadcasting news and commentary about Libya for a Libyan audience with the aim of countering state propaganda and promoting dialogue.” Libya TV is now joined by the London based Bahraini channel, LuaLua TV, launched a couple of days ago.

LuaLua (which literally means pearl) takes its name from the roundabout that was witness to the first protests in Bahrain in February of this year, until it was destroyed by the government barely one month later. A Bahraini expat living in London, Yasser El Sayegh chose the name for what he originally envisioned as a satellite channel, which he intended to use as a platform to broadcast a balanced and fair view of current affairs, exploring both governmental and opposition opinions. …more

What to do About Bahrain? A Headache For Both Obama and Blatter
Written by James M. Dorsey

US president Barak Obama and Sepp Blatter, the head of world soccer body FIFA, share the same headache: what to do about Bahrain?

So far, Messrs. Obama and Blatter have essentially shied away from confronting the issue of the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators, including some of the country’s most prominent soccer players.

The protests in February and March that started with Shiites and Sunnis standing shoulder to shoulder were an expression of frustration about years of failed dialogue over the need for more equitable housing and land policies, fairer representation in parliament and constitutional reform.

The crackdown and the government’s insistence that Iran had instigated the protests aided by a Shiite fifth column transformed the situation into one of sectarian tension. To be sure, there was violence on both sides of the sectarian and political divide during the protests but healing of the wounds is likely to prove difficult if not impossible without a genuine dialogue and members of the security forces being held accountable.

The US has been quietly but unsuccessfully urging King Khalifa for years to engage in a dialogue that would lead to democracy. Mr. Obama in May cautioned that it was difficult to conduct a national dialogue with people who have been incarcerated. Bahrain has since released a number of its detainees, including opposition members of parliament and national team players, but referred some of them to security courts.

Mr. Blatter has questioned the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) about credible reports of retribution against the soccer players and officials who allegedly had participated in the anti-government demonstrations as well as predominantly Shiite Muslim clubs. The FIFA president however appears to have accepted at face value the BFA’s statement that no sports players or officials were disciplined or harassed because of their association with the people power uprising earlier this year that was brutally crushed – a statement that flies in the face of reporting in Bahrain’s state-controlled media and reports by people involved in Bahraini soccer.

For both Mr. Obama and Mr. Blatter, the issue is what is the price of postponing the inevitable?

The widespread sense of discontent remains with a deeper than ever sectarian divide that makes the status quo in Bahrain unsustainable. The crackdown has pushed the uprising out of the capital and reduced it to street skirmishes in villages. A government-inspired national dialogue has all but failed. An independent investigation into the crackdown has yet to prove its integrity and independence but is credited for some of the prisoner releases. …more

Bahrain: The social media battle continues
AlJazeera
The battle over Bahrain’s future is raging online between government loyalists and opposition supporters.

It’s the latest chapter in the on-going protests organised mostly by the country’s Shia majority. That movement — believed to be inspired by popular protests for change in Tunisia and Egypt — began in February with Shia activists urging Bahrain’s rulers to give them greater political rights and freedoms.

Activists say the story is being kept alive by citizen journalists and social media in the face of a media clampdown by the government.

Shia Muslims comprise about 70 per cent of Bahrain’s population and have long complained of persistent discrimination in employment, education and housing.
A number of people were killed in clashes between security forces and pro-reform demonstrators in the capital Manama in February.

But the violence galvanised the movement with protesters demanding an end to the monarchy of the Sunni al-Khalifa family that has ruled the country since its independence from Britain in 1971. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared a state of emergency and appealed for help from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of which Bahrain is a member, along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

In March, GCC forces led by Saudi Arabia rolled into the country to quell the movement and the King said an “external plot” had been foiled. Government loyalists believe Shia-majority Iran may have influenced and provoked the protests in Bahrain. At least 31 people are reported dead since the uprising began. The King announced an independent inquiry to look into the political turmoil and the commission is due to release its report on October 30.

That investigation is being headed by Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian-American, who has led similar UN inquiries in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. He says the Bahrain government is cooperating fully but pro-reform activists dismiss the exercise as flawed.

Last month, a national dialogue backed by the U.S. also hit a snag when representatives of Bahrain’s largest Shia opposition group al-Wefaq walked out of talks with the ruling al-Khalifa family saying “the regime was not interested in political reform.”

As the stalemate continues, the battle for global public opinion is being waged on social media with bloggers and activists from both sides arguing their points of view, here are some of the different efforts being undertaken online: …more

Published on Sunday, August 14, 2011 by the International Business Times
NYU’s Nouriel ‘Dr. Doom’ Roubini: ‘Karl Marx Was Right’
by Joseph Lazzaro

NYU Economics Professor Nouriel “Dr. Doom” Roubini said unless there’s another round of massive fiscal stimulus or a universal debt restructuring, capitalism will continue to experience a crisis due to a systemic flaw first identified by economist Karl Marx more than a century ago. Economist Nouriel “Dr. Doom” Roubini, the New York University professor who four years ago accurately predicted the global financial crisis, said one of economist Karl Marx’s critiques of capitalism is playing itself out in the current global financial crisis.

There’s an old axiom that goes “wise is the person who appreciates candor almost as much as good news” and with that as a guide, place the forthcoming decidedly in the category of candor.

Sees Marx’s Critique Playing Itself Out Now

Marx, among other theories, argued that capitalism had an internal contradiction that would cyclically lead to crises, and that, at minimum, would place pressure on the economic system.

Companies, Roubini said, are motivated to minimize costs, to save and stockpile cash, but this leads to less money in the hands of employees, which means they have less money to spend and flow back to companies.

Now, in current financial crisis, consumers, in addition to having less money to spend due to the above, are also motivated to minimize costs, to save and stockpile cash, magnifying the effect of less money flowing back to companies.

“Karl Marx had it right,” Roubini said in an interview with wsj.com. “At some point capitalism can self-destroy itself. That’s because you can not keep on shifting income from labor to capital without not having an excess capacity and a lack of aggregate demand. We thought that markets work. They are not working. What’s individually rational…is a self-destructive process.”

Roubini added absent organic, strong GDP growth — which can increase wages and consumer spending — what’s needed is large fiscal stimulus, agreeing with another high-profile economist, Nobel Prize-winner Paul Krugman, that, in the case of the United States, the $786 billion fiscal stimulus approved by Congress in 2009 was too small to create the aggregate demand necessary to advance the U.S. economic recovery to a self-sustaining expansion.

Absent additional fiscal stimulus, or unexpected strong GDP growth, the only solution is a universal debt restructuring for banks, homes (essentially households/families), and governments, Roubini said. However, no such universal restructuring has occurred, Roubini said.

Without that additional fiscal stimulus, that lack of restructuring has led to “zombie houses, zombie banks, and zombie governments,” he said. …source

BART Pulls a Mubarak in San Francisco; Shuts Cell Phone Service to Impede Protest
Published on Saturday, August 13, 2011 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation – by Eva Galperin

This week, EFF has seen censorship stories move closer and closer to home — first Iran, then the UK, and now San Francisco, an early locus of the modern free speech movement. Operators of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) shut down cell phone service to four stations in downtown San Francisco yesterday in response to a planned protest. Last month, protesters disrupted BART service in response to the fatal shooting of Charles Blair Hill by BART police on July 3rd. Thursday’s protest failed to materialize, possibly because the disruption of cell phone service made organization and coordination difficult.

Early reports indicated that BART cut off cell phone service by approaching carriers directly and asking them to turn service off. Later statements by James Allison, deputy chief communications officer for BART, assert “BART staff or contractors shut down power to the nodes and alerted the cell carriers” after the fact. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile have not yet made comment as to whether or not they were complicit in the shutdown.

Obviously, we’d like to know exactly what the carriers said to BART, but many other unanswered questions remain as well. Was pulling the plug on people’s phones a quick, on-the-spot decision, or part of a protest-response plan vetted by BART’s lawyers? Who decided that blocking all cellphone calls at these BART stations was the right response to news that there might be a protest? Were the carriers ever in the loop about this plan or action? Who decided that the news of this planned protest justified the shutdown? How do we know this isn’t going to happen again?

Indeed, BART said today that it had instituted the following rules, including:

No person shall conduct or participate in assemblies or demonstrations or engage in other expressive activities in the paid areas of BART stations, including BART cars and trains and BART station platforms.

What does that mean? We can’t talk?

One thing is clear, whether it’s BART or the cell phone carriers that were responsible for the shut-off, cutting off cell phone service in response to a planned protest is a shameful attack on free speech. BART officials are showing themselves to be of a mind with the former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, who ordered the shutdown of cell phone service in Tahrir Square in response to peaceful, democratic protests earlier this year. Free speech advocates have called out British Prime Minister David Cameron for considering new, broad censorship powers over social networks and mobile communication in the UK, and we are appalled to see measures that go beyond anything Cameron has proposed being used here in the United States. …more

Bahrain by-poll to go ahead despite opposition boycott
Khaleej Times Online

14 August 2011, 6:44 PM
MANAMA – Bahrain has confirmed that the planned by-election will take place on time next month despite the decision of some political groups to boycott it.

Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, the largest political group, announced on Friday to boycott the election. The group had won 18 out of 40 seats in 2010 election. Al Wefaq bloc resigned during unrest in protest over the deaths of protesters. Another opposition group, National Action Democratic Society (Waad) also announced that it will not participate in the election.

Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa told the Press on Friday that political groups that decided to boycott election have to deal with the results of such a decision. Participating in the election provides progress to political societies and promotes development, while those who decided to boycott previous elections have been sidelined in terms of the power of decision-making, he said.

The minister revealed that certain procedures would be adopted to prevent misuse of places of worship during the election, warning that the violators would face action. He said this election held would be as usual under judicial supervision to ensure its transparency. …source

‘Bahrain uprising will soon bear fruit’
Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:41AM

A senior Bahraini cleric says the ongoing revolution in Bahamian will soon show results amid anti-regime protests in towns and villages around the Persian Gulf kingdom. Sheikh Abdullah al-Dabbaq told IRNA on Thursday that Bahrainis’ steadfastness to redress their rights, firmness and resistance under torturers, as well as international pressure have forced the ruling Al Khalifa family to bend to the public demands.

He noted that Bahrain’s nation exemplified that no government can stand against the will and desire of its own people. Dabbaq added that around 147 detainees, who were arrested earlier in anti-government protests, were released recently by Bahrain’s authorities. He said some former lawmakers were among the protesters freed.

The senior Bahraini cleric pointed out that a number of mass rallies are going to be held across Bahrain in the next few days. Besides, people plan to converge on central Manama’s now destroyed Pearl Square, and the country’s main opposition party, Al-Wefaq, is organizing a large-scale demonstration.

Dabbaq said that international pressure is mounting on Al Khalifa regime; and Bahrain’s rulers are worried to be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.

He stated that a large proportion of Bahrain population want the fall of Al Khalifa regime, while a fraction seek an independent parliament capable of exercising its constitutional authorities.

Dabbaq, meanwhile, praised the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for the revolution in Bahrain.

Since the beginning of Bahrain’s revolution, large numbers of anti-government protesters have poured into the streets across the Persian Gulf state, calling for more rights, freedom and wide-ranging political reforms in the political system of their country.

According to local sources, dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested so far during the government clampdown on peaceful demonstrations.

According to Bahrain Center for Human Rights — a non-governmental organization — there are currently over 1,000 political detainees inside the country. …source

Bahrain embraces all its citizens”, HRH the Premier says
Bahrain News Agency

Manama-August 13 (BNA) Bahrainis were today urged to stand united and protect their country’s hard-won achievements. “This is our country and we all responsible for its unity and stability”, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, urging utmost alert to foil designs being planned. He was speaking as he visited the majlis of Shaikh Ibrahim bin Abdullatif Al-Saad. He described Bahrainis as a loving people led by a king who spares no effort to ensure its progress and prosperity, deploring parties intent on subverting national security and stability.

” “We will protect our country and people with utmost determination, absolute confidence and unflinching resolve”, he said. He lauded Bahraini people its pro-Arab and Islamic issues, hailing its drive to extend a lifeline to all brothers and friends everywhere and supporting them in their suffering and crises. “These stances are inseparable from Bahrainis dedication, loyalty and allegiance”, he said. He said that Bahrain was and will always be a model of love, tolerance, lauding its elite of scholars who are dedicated to serving their society and religion. He paid tribute to Imams for preaching unity and rejecting divisions, dissensions and sparing their society all seditious trends. HRH the Premier pointed out the strong unity bonding Bahrainis and their leadership, stressing citizens’ keenness to stick to their customs and traditions, especially in Ramadan. He reaffirmed strong resolve to continue the march of development and construction, vowing that nothing would hamper the achievement of national goals for the good of citizens and the nation. HRH the Premier then visited the majlis of Shura Council President Ali bin Saleh Al-Saleh, where he exchanged talks on national issues. He described Bahrain as the country embracing all citizens, without any discrimination or segregation, pledging that the Government would spare no efforts to promote the all people’s living standards.
AHN

Anarchists respond to the London riots – Solidarity Federation
Submitted by Rob Ray on Aug 9 2011 amidst

Riot police in Hackney – photo by Henry Langston from viceland.com

With media sources blaming “anarchy” for the unfolding violence in London and across England, the North London Solidarity Federation has released the following statement as a response from an anarchist organisation active in the capital.

Over the last few days, riots have caused significant damage to parts of London, to shop-fronts, homes and cars. On the left, we hear the ever-present cry that poverty has caused this. On the right, that gangsters and anti-social elements are taking advantage of tragedy. Both are true. The looting and riots seen over the past number of days are a complex phenomenon and contain many currents.

It is no accident that the riots are happening now, as the support nets for Britain’s disenfranchised are dragged away and people are left to fall into the abyss, beaten as they fall by the batons of the Metropolitan Police. But there should be no excuses for the burning of homes, the terrorising of working people. Whoever did such things has no cause for support.

The fury of the estates is what it is, ugly and uncontrolled. But not unpredictable. Britain has hidden away its social problems for decades, corralled them with a brutal picket of armed men. Growing up in the estates often means never leaving them, unless it’s in the back of a police van. In the 1980s, these same problems led to Toxteth. In the ’90s, contributed to the Poll Tax riots. And now we have them again – because the problems are not only still there, they’re getting worse.

Police harassment and brutality are part of everyday life in estates all around the UK. Barely-liveable benefits systems have decayed and been withdrawn. In Hackney, the street-level support workers who came from the estates and knew the kids, could work with them in their troubles have been told they will no longer be paid. Rent is rising and state-sponsored jobs which used to bring money into the area are being cut back in the name of a shift to unpaid “big society” roles. People who always had very little now have nothing. Nothing to lose.

And the media’s own role in all of should not be discounted. For all the talk of the “peaceful protest” that preceded events in Tottenham, the media wouldn’t have touched the story if all that happened was a vigil outside a police station. Police violence and protests against it happen all the time. It’s only when the other side responds with violence (on legitimate targets or not) that the media feels the need to give it any sort of coverage.

So there should be no shock that people living lives of poverty and violence have at last gone to war. It should be no shock that people are looting plasma screen TVs that will pay for a couple of months’ rent and leaving books they can’t sell on the shelves. For many, this is the only form of economic redistribution they will see in the coming years as they continue a fruitless search for jobs.
[Read more →]

Abbas reiterates plan to submit UN bid
Published today (updated) 13/08/2011 15:53

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Friday that the Palestinian leadership would stick to its UN bid aimed at obtaining international recognition of an independent Palestinian state in September.

Abbas said that the choice to take the case to the UN was a result of Israel’s stubbornness, the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa reported. The Israelis, he said, thwarted every attempt to resume substantive negotiations which would eventually lead to ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“The first choice, the second choice, and the third choice for the Palestinians is to establish a Palestinian state through negotiations,” Abbas added. He asserted that settlement activities of all kinds must be stopped, because that contradicts with the peace process.

The president explained that the UN bid was not a unilateral step, neither would it contradict with the essence of the peace process. It is not aimed to delegitimize Israel or isolate it, but rather to strengthen the two-state solution.

Abbas also reiterated that national reconciliation remained a top priority through the formation of a technocrat government which will reconstruct the Gaza Strip and prepare for presidential and legislative elections.

Abbas’ comments came during a speech he delivered in the evening at a meeting for Fatah movement’s consultative council held in the presidential office in Ramallah.

Chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim Za’nun attended the meeting along with secretary of Fatah’s central committee Abu Mahir Ghneim and other members of the committee.

The council elected Ahmad Qurei secretary, Mohammad Al-Hourani his deputy, and Abu Ali Msoud rapporteur. …source

Egypt’s Youth Revolution: Building a New Future
Posted on August 11 2011

25 January 2011 was a day like no other for 26-year-old Egyptian women’s activist Sally Zohney. Through a youth-led campaign on Facebook, she received a message to protest against poverty, unemployment and corruption. As a successful, educated middle-class woman, Zohney says her parents did not understand why she had to go. But she could not turn her back on the issues. Zohney snuck out of her home in the direction of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where she was met with thousands of others demanding a new Egypt.

“Being in the square was a 24-hour adrenaline rush, a place of utopia that I cannot put into words,” describes Zohney, who says there was no turning back.

Those 24 hours turned into 18 days of protests that would eventually topple the country’s 30-year regime under Hosni Mubarak. Some call the defining moment Egypt’s “Berlin Wall,” others the “Social Media Revolution” for its use of Facebook and Twitter to mobilize crowds. To Zohney, like many of her generation, it was a “Youth Revolution.”

“It was the first time for so many of us, the young generation, to take to the streets and see how large our numbers are,” says Zohney, who today is a Youth Specialist at UN Women. Well before the protests, youth were already speaking out and mobilizing through Facebook groups, such as “We are all Khaled Said,” to protest against corruption and police brutality. What is more, she says, was the sheer strength and determination of all around her, particularly women, who dispelled the image of women wearing “burkas” to the world. Instead, they were “chanting, leading protests, organizing meetings late at night.”

“Now activism allows diversity,” adds Zohney. She explains that before the revolution, women’s movements were led by older generations, mainly upper-class women from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and established institutions. Since the uprising, she sees a younger crowd, including young women from different educational and social backgrounds, shaping the dialogue for Egypt’s shared vision. …more

Stand against fascism and imperialism, stand with the revolutionary Arab masses
Bassem Chit – International Viewpoint

On August 2nd, 2011 a sit-in was called in-front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut at 8:00 pm in support of the syrian revolution. Around 50 independent activist and leftist gathered at the embassy, in 10 minutes time, groups of pro-Assad supporters (which included members of the Syrian Baath Party and Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP)) gathered as a counter sit-in and stood at the gates of the embassy.

At 8.15, the pro-Assad supporters launched an attack at the activists standing in support of the Syrian revolution, with knives, metal rods, and leather belts, which resulted in the injury of five people, two of them having severe injuries.

The police present at the scene retreated and did not even call for any backup but let the protestors get severely beaten up, as a result none of the attackers were arrested, and when some of the activist tried to report the attack at the local police station the reply came: “we do not have the jurisdiction to file this incident” while another policeman said that: “the counter attack is covered by the SSNP, and reporting it will lead us to loose our jobs”.

Both of these political parties are solid supporters of the Assad regime in Syria, and after the outbreak of the Syrian revolt, they have been spreading security checkpoints all over Hamra (one of the busiest streets in beirut, and the street where the Syrian embassy is based). Attacks have been widespread against many pro-Syrian revolution activist throughout the past few months.

The threat of these groups trespasses the incident that occurred on August 2nd, but warns of the development of a extremely violent political wing that threatens the state of liberties in Lebanon, especially that the direct allies of the syrian regime are now in government in Lebanon.

Moreover, the opposition currently composed of Pro-Hariri political groups, who since 2005 have been the classical enemies of the Syrian regime are attempting to ride the wave of protests to benefit their positions within the Lebanese political scene and to win leverage over the loyalist forces currently in government.

The hypocrisy of both the loyalist camp and the opposition camp in lebanon when dealing with the Arab uprisings has been widely exposed, as their support is limited to the extent of their regional allies, while the loyalists support the uprising in Bahrain, while supporting the regime in Syria, the opposition supports the uprising in Syria, and opposes the uprising in Bahrain.

The reasons behind these double standards are due to the sectarian affiliations both camps are strongly engaged in, on the one hand Hizbullah supports the uprising in Bahrain, due to the fact to its oppressed Shia population, and Hariri supports the uprising in Syria due to its oppressed Sunni population, while ignoring calls from the masses of both countries to reject sectarianism.

The revolutionary left, along with some independent activists (excluding the Communist Party) have been pushing since the outbreak of the Tunisian revolution to create a political space that gather popular support to the Arab revolutions as a whole, and pushing to look at this revolutionary wave as a process, that engages the whole of arab masses, while acting against sectarian politics that are being injected by the ruling dictatorships and western imperialism as well as the dominant regressive political forces in the region.

This last incident in Beirut, triggered a widened support for the Syrian uprising, but it is still not enough, and a new correlation now exists between supporting the syrian uprising and defending the freedoms of expression in Lebanon that are being threatened by a bourgeoning fascist political forces such as the SSNP, which is a copy-cat organization of Nazi Party in germany, and whose main ideology call for the purification of Natural Syria from “alien elements”, while the Syrian Baath Party which is the ruling party in Syria is trying to extend its oppression into Lebanon and threatening the lives of both syrian and lebanese activists who dare support the syrian people in their fight against the regime.

Due to this situation, we call on all progressive and revolutionary currents to heighten the level of support to the Arab masses in their struggle for freedom and especially in Syria, as it is one of the hardest knots in this revolutionary wave, and to stand united against the interference of western powers in these revolutions and to show that the only real ally for these uprisings and revolutions are the world masses and not western ruling classes.

The only guarantee for the success of the Arab uprisings are the heightening of the struggle against the ruling classes, heightened solidarity with the Syrian and the Arab people as a whole in its fight against oppression, dictatorship, impoverishment and for freedom and social justice.
…source