London riots used by Iran, Bahrain to justify government crackdowns
By Elizabeth Flock – Posted at 09:35 AM ET, 08/10/2011

A pro-regime Bahraini newspaper contends that British Prime Minister David Cameron, right, and the King of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa, left, have a few things in common. (ANDY RAIN – ASSOCIATED PRESS) It was only a matter of time before connections were drawn between London’s ongoing riots and the wave of demonstrations that has swept more than a dozen Arab countries over the past year.

But the connections aren’t being drawn by British protesters, seeking to connect themselves to a wider cause.

Instead, they’re claimed by government supporters in Iran and Bahrain, as a means of legitimizing the violent crackdowns on uprisings in their own countries.

After a cabinet meeting Wednesday, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on state radio to urge the U.N. Security Council to take action over the British riots, saying that it was hypocritical in its reactions to such events.

“If one percent of this happens in countries that oppose the West, they scream until they are hoarse,” Ahmadinejad said.

By criticizing the actions of the British government against protesters, Ahmadinejad was seemingly trying to legitimize his own.

Ahmadinejad also called on British officials to listen to the demands of their people, a move that prompted Guardian reporter Haroon Siddique to call Ahmadinejad a “funnyman.” Many others picked up on the irony of the call from Ahmadinejad, whose government has been condemned internationally for its handling of protests and dissent:

Ahmadinejad: “No, no, no Britain! You’re supposed to wait until protesters go home, then kidnap them at night.” http://bit.ly/okPnAmless than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet ReplyMatt Duss
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In Syria, a country whose president has been under increasing fire from the international community to step down after killing demonstrators, state-run television also ran stories about the chaos in Britain.

Footage that showed a British policeman chasing and knocking a man down was accompanied by a caption that read: “Cameron: ‘We face a problem confronting the gangs in Britain.’” …more

Freed Bahraini detainees still to face trial
August 11, 2011 01:49 AM – By Isabel Coles – Reuters

DUBAI: Bahrain has released more than 100 detainees who had been facing military trials over their roles in anti-government protests earlier this year, but some of them will still be prosecuted in civilian courts, one of those set free said Wednesday. A panel of international lawyers which Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim monarchy invited to investigate the protests that mainly involved the Gulf state’s Shiite Muslim majority, said Tuesday that a total of 137 people had been released.

Among the detainees, who walked free Sunday, were Jawad Fairouz and Matar Ibrahim Matar, former members of parliament in the largest Shiite political bloc, Al-Wefaq.

Fairouz, who expects proceedings against him to be dropped, said some other detainees had been told they could not leave the country pending prosecutions in a civilian court.

“I heard they took some photos of them to show that they are in good health, so that later on when they re-appear in court [they] shouldn’t [make] any claims [that they had been] tortured,” said Fairouz, who had been charged with spreading false news and taking part in illegal gatherings.

“When they released us they didn’t take any signature or any commitment from us [that would require us to be] referred to the civil court,” he said.

Among those likely to face trial in a civilian court is lawyer Mohammad al-Tajer, who was detained in April after defending people arrested during the protests, Fairouz added.

More than 1,000 people were detained after Bahrain crushed demonstrations in March for greater political freedom and an end to sectarian discrimination that Shiites say they face in access to land, housing and state employment.

The kingdom attributed the unrest to manipulation by Iran of its Shiite co-religionists in Bahrain and denied persistent allegations of torture during and after the wave of detentions.

It has responded to international criticism of the crackdown by funding an international legal commission to investigate the events, but activists and rights groups say the panel is cut off from people who fear reprisal for testifying.

Bahraini opposition activists have also faulted the panel’s head, Cherif Bassiouni, for praising the authorities for cooperating with the investigation, and suggesting that abuses were individual acts, not official policy.
…source

[cb editoral note: BICI has issued the following statement in attempt to reestablish “legitimacy” in light of it’s arrogant and prejudicial statements in previous dialogue with the press – regardless, any Investigating body organized by a criminal party it is to investigate; I.e., a regime that as a daily practice demonstrates it’s armed and violent aggression toward those who oppose it, will never have credibility even if its leadership could be seen as sincere.

Furthermore even if the investigation could yield a significant degree of credible reporting and it may, a dichotomous finding and conclusion seems inevitable. This investigation is designed to be manipulated and to satisfy the pressures for “proper conduct” from al Khalifa by the West. It is the price of atonement the West demands in order to keep al Khalifa in it’s good graces and to “save face”. It is purely a political arrangement and a product of failed Western interventionist practice that blinds it from truth and justice that it is not prepared to demand.

In the end the investigation will arrive at a conclusion, there will be blame and conjecture from all sides that leaves an ambiguity void of any means to satisfy the demand for justice except that which a violent and tyrannical King chooses. This entire process seems designed by al Khalifa to leave his victims even more estranged from access to power and to preserve his reign with approval from the West as an important pillar of Western military strategy against a demonized Iran. ]

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Statement

In view of the fact that certain statements made by chairman of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (“BICI”) have been interpreted as prejudging the outcome of the Inquiry, the BICI has decided to issue the following statement on how it has worked, will continue to work, and determine the contents of its report.

1. The BICI is still at the beginning of its investigations. It has not reached any final conclusions. Its work continues to be independent and free from any interference, either by the government of Bahrain, any other government, or any interest group, either within or outside of Bahrain. The BICI hires its own staff, conducts its own investigations, has its own budget, and acts in every respect as an independent commission.

2. In carrying out its responsibilities, the BICI has so far met with a number of government officials, as well as opposition leaders, representatives of civic organizations, and individual victims and witnesses. It has conducted unscheduled visits to several detention and prison facilities, as well as police stations, and its investigators have spoken to detained individuals outside the presence of any public official. It has also reviewed arrest and conviction records.

In the short period since July 24, the BICI has:

* Met with over 200 persons in prisons and detention facilities and injured persons in hospitals; 50 senior government officials, including several members of cabinet; 18 opposition parties and civil society organizations; 90 students who have been suspended from their studies; and 105 persons who have been arbitrarily dismissed from their work positions.
* Received 300 complaints from dismissed employees.
* Recorded 140 allegations of physical abuse and torture in prisons and police stations.
* Secured the release of 151 persons from prisons or detention facilities. This number includes 137 persons who were charged with misdemeanors and were pending trial. These cases were transferred from the military court system to the civilian court system by a Royal Order at the request of the BICI chairman.
* Instigated an investigation by the Ministry of Interior into 2 police officers and 10 police personnel charged with physical abuse and torture.
* Received statements from 348 witnesses and victims of alleged arbitrary arrest and detention, physical abuse, and torture.
* Received over 900 emails, many of them containing information about events, and alleged victimization, either by the sender or claimed to be known by the sender.

3. All of the above has been done in cooperation with individual witnesses and victims, representatives of political opposition groups and civil society organizations, and the government. The BICI wishes to acknowledge with appreciation the hundreds of victims and witnesses who have come forward with their information. In addition, the BICI wishes to reassure them and others of the safety and privacy of these communications. We have taken and will continue to take all possible measures to safeguard the confidentiality of all information received, and we sincerely believe that there is no reason for anyone to believe otherwise.

4. It is important for anyone following the work of the BICI to know that while all of what is described above is taking place, there can be no final conclusions that can be derived therefrom. Conclusions and recommendations will occur after investigations are complete, and a more complete record is established. As of now, it can be stated that the BICI has had the cooperation of witnesses and victims, civil society organizations, opposition groups, and the government. The chairman of the BICI has publicly credited the Ministry of Interior, National Security Agency, the Attorney General, and the Military Prosecutor General for their cooperation, and it is only fair to do so. This should not be interpreted by anyone as covering up or overlooking the responsibility of any organization or any person for any illegal act. The BICI will continue to gather evidence and the conclusions in its report will be based on that evidence, in whatever direction it may lead and at any and all levels of responsibility.

5. We look forward to the continued cooperation of all parties concerned, and we hope that the heightened level of anxiety that exists in Bahrain society, and particularly with respect to the victims and families of victims of those who have been arrested, detained, tried and convicted, physically mistreated and tortured, does not carry them to any unfounded conclusions or judgments on the BICI and its work. We remain committed to the truth, and to continuing our work on the basis of impartiality, fairness, and neutrality. …source

STC, RIM sign partnership deal
10 Aug 2011 – Arab News

RIYADH: The Saudi Telecom Company and the Canadian Research in Motion Company (RIM) on Monday signed a partnership that aims to provide a wide range of content, applications and smart solutions for Blackberry users across the Kingdom.

The agreement, signed in Riyadh by Ibrahim Al-Omar, STC’s retail sector vice president, and Sandeep Sahgal, RIM’s Middle East managing director, focuses on exchanging expertise between the two companies in a manner that serves mutual interests and enables customers to enjoy up-to-date services and technologies.

As a result of the new partnership, STC announced the launch of BlackBerry bold 9900 device with its exceptional design, touch screen and the Blackberry 7 system, thus demonstrating the elegance and practicality in one device.

Al-Omar said: “The strategic partnership between STC and RIM is based on launching the level of coordination between the two companies in order to serve their common interests and fulfill customers’ need for technologies and unique services. STC’s interest in this partnership confirms its major role in launching and providing current and new smart devices to its customers, which is based on STC’s strategy that revolves around the customer. STC was the first to bring the blackberry services into the Kingdom giving it a leading market position there, and resulted in doubling the number of customers in the BlackBerry service, which prompted us to meet their expectations by providing services and products that suit various tastes.”

Sahgal said: “We are pleased with our partnership with STC and the opportunity to introduce our new collection of Blackberry smart devices to our customers in the Kingdom.” He added: “According to a GFK report, the Blackberry Curve 8520 is the bestseller between July 2010 and July 2011. A report issued by CANALYS Company about the smart devices’ shipments in the second quarter 2011 proved that the Blackberry device is the bestseller in the market. In addition to that the Blackberry community in the Kingdom registered one of the highest levels of using the BBM application in the world (99 percent). …source

[cb editorial note: a bit bothersome but no real surprise as AlJazeera moves into it’s “new community” in NYC.]

Al Jazeera Changes Plan to Rerun Documentary
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 – The New York Times
By Brian Stelter

Al Jazeera English has quashed several planned rebroadcasts of “Shouting in the Dark,” an hourlong documentary about Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that had its debut last week and brought complaints from Bahraini authorities.

The decision this week to halt the repeats raised concerns among Al Jazeera’s staff members that the channel was succumbing to political or diplomatic pressure from Bahrain and its ally Saudi Arabia.

In response to inquiries by The New York Times, a spokesman for Al Jazeera said Tuesday that the documentary would be rebroadcast on Thursday and would be paired with a round-table discussion.

The episode illustrates the thorny issue of independence for Al Jazeera, one of the world’s biggest satellite news organizations, which is financed by the emir of Qatar and is perceived by some people to be a diplomatic tool of the country. Al Jazeera insists that the Qatari government does not interfere in the network’s editorial operations.

Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English language channels both came under scrutiny in February and March for their coverage of Bahrain, an island kingdom just north of Qatar in the Persian Gulf. Viewers perceived that the Arabic channel, in particular, paid less attention to the Bahraini protests than it did to the earlier protests in Tunisia and Egypt. Qatar joined Saudi Arabia in sending troops into Bahrain to violently quell the protests in March.

Bahraini authorities helped to limit news coverage of the crackdown by blocking journalists from entering the country and expelling some who were already there. …more

Please — let’s not call these the ‘BlackBerry riots’
Aug 9, 2011 14:30 EDT – REUTERS – by: Jon Boyle

[cb editor note: the author of the article states, “there is another thing: BBM messages are largely untraceable. ” due to encryption features on the BlackBerry. This isn’t correct there are BlackBerry encryption “crack codes” that can be used to make “encrypted communication” visible to government or spies – see HERE] and HERE]

Please — let’s not call these the ‘BlackBerry riots’
Aug 9, 2011 14:30 EDT – REUTERS – by: Jon Boyle

Here we go again: Young people, rioting in the streets, railing against leadership, using their mobile phones to outsmart law enforcement caught off guard by the nimbleness of cool kids in what would be a B-movie script if it wasn’t unfolding in real time.

But this time it isn’t happening in some far off, ambiguously backward Middle Eastern place. No, this is happening in the homeland of Sir Thomas Moore, Winston Churchill and Kate Middleton.
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Bahrain Torn apart by the Injustices of Wahabi Al Khalifa & Saudi Rulers
August 10, 2011 – Jafria News

JNN 10 Aug 2011 Manama : Brutal crackdowns on Bahraini protesters have revealed a bloody rift between the country’s Wahabi rulers and the Shia majority. Sectarian violence have torn the nation apart – as it has done elsewhere around the world.

This is an Article written by Patrick Cockburn, who is a Independent Journalist , and have tried to give a factual condition of the Bahraini Kingdom. So we are publishing this article for our readers .

Is there a fatal connection between the initial letter “B” and places torn apart by struggles for power between different religious communities? I started as a journalist in Belfast in the early 1970s when the city was convulsed by sectarian warfare between Catholics and Protestants. In later years, I moved to Beirut to cover the many-sided civil war, at the heart of which was the conflict between Muslims and Maronites. After 2003, I spent long months in Baghdad, writing about the fighting between Shia and Sunni which culminated in the slaughter of 2006-7.

Even so, it is surprising to find Bahrain added to the list of places polarised and traumatised by sectarian differences, in this case between Shia and Sunni. The confrontation between the ruling Sunni minority led by the al-Khalifa royal family and the Shia majority is not entirely new. There have been crises in relations between the two in the past. But the ferocity and cruelty of what has transpired on this small island in the Gulf over the last five months has shocked and surprised its 1.2 million people, half of whom are Arabs.

Among those puzzled is Cherif Bassiouni, the highly distinguished Egyptian-American legal scholar, who has been asked by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to lead an inquiry into the events which followed the start of the Arab Awakening on 14 February. Compared to Iraq or Libya, Bassiouni notes that the casualties were light – about 33 dead – “but this relatively small number has had a traumatic effect on society”. He describes the two sides as producing wholly different accounts of what happened. He says “it is like a murder scene where you have the dead body, but nobody can agree if the bullet came from the right or the left”.

He is convinced he has the backing of the King and the Crown Prince for an inquiry which will be somewhere between a fact-finding investigation and a truth commission. He suspects that in order to reverse sectarian polarisation, a cleansing of the security forces may be needed as well as a government-backed programme for reconciliation.

Many Shia believe that the King will be unable or unwilling to deliver on his commitments to Bassiouni. Alaa Shehabi, the wife of a jailed Shia businessman, says: “It is a big problem if the King didn’t know what was happening, and a bigger problem if he did know and is Pretending ignorance.

One does not have to go far in Bahrain to find out why the Shia are so angry. In Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana, his fictional Cuban police chief Captain Segura distinguishes between two classes of people, the torturable and the untorturable. It is not a distinction that has made much impression on the Bahraini security forces, going by the wholesale repression that began on 15 March, which followed the arrival of a Saudi-led military contingent. Protesters in Pearl Square were beaten and the 300-foot monument in the square was dismantled. Every part of Shia society was targeted – mosques and religious meeting places were bulldozed. Frantic families searched for relatives who had disappeared into police and army custody and were not heard of for weeks.

Some human-rights activists were expecting to be arrested, but were amazed and shocked by the brutality with which they were treated. Zainab Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja had suspected that her father, Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, a human-rights activist, would be detained and he had told his family he was willing to go voluntarily. Instead, a band of masked police broke into his house at 3am and dragged him downstairs, breaking his jaw as they did so. His interrogators continued to beat him on his fractured jaw and threatened him with rape unless he confessed. When Zainab saw him weeks later in military court, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment, his face was so badly swollen that he told his family: “I cannot even smile at you anymore.”

Zainab and her father are among the few of those mistreated who are willing to say what happened on the record. Others gave me appalling accounts before saying anxiously: “Please don’t give my name or any detail which would let the police know that I talked to you.”

Any expression of sympathy for the protesters invited punishment. As Zainab was speaking to me in a coffee shop in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, a woman and child came to sit opposite us. The woman said she had worked for years in a government ministry dealing with the special needs of the disabled, but she had just been suspended. One count against her was that she had cried on the phone when talking to a senior official, saying: “It is wrong what is happening to the Shia in Bahrain.”

Government officials and members of the Minority Wahabi community have a strikingly different picture of what happened in Bahrain. “There are almost totally different narratives,” Bassiouni told me. Mariam Ahmed al-Jalahra, assistant under-secretary at the Ministry of Health, tries to change the complete picture falsely, by narrating a completely fabricated story about how the Salmaniya Medical Complex was taken over by doctors sympathetic to the protesters. Where she twist[s] the story 180’ Degree[s], as [to] what is not possible as per the prevailing conditions there, as the sympathizer can not let harm to her her or his supporter , but as she in her own words twist[s] as “What happened was beyond disaster,” she says, adding that patients were put in danger and had to be moved to other hospitals. She herself was stopped at the hospital gates by protesters, though she was allowed to proceed when her driver identified her as a doctor. “This was something scary,” she says. She denies that any doctor is being punished for treating injured protesters, but says that those who broke rules should suffer sanctions. While to get the complete story what happened at the Sulamaniya Medical complex , please follow the link and get the details. [see link HERE for Sulamaniya Medical Story]

What comes across in talking with Jalahra and other Wahabi is an exaggerated sense of victimhood in the face of mostly minor infringements of the law by the protesters. Two Sunni consultants from the 1,000-bed Salmaniya Medical Complex separately told me that they were very worried that they had been put on a “shame list” because they disagreed with fellow doctors, almost all Shia. Again there is a lack of a sense of proportion.

When I asked Sunni doctors what they thought of allegations, for which there is strong evidence, that their Shia colleagues have been tortured, they replied blandly that the matter was under investigation and, in any case, they doubt that mistreatment in prisons is as bad as was reported.
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