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

Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture : Bahrain. 06/21/2005.
CAT/C/CR/34/BHR. (Concluding Observations/Comments)

Convention Abbreviation: CAT

COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE
Thirty-fourth session
2-20 May 2005

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION

Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture

BAHRAIN

1. The Committee considered the initial report of Bahrain (CAT/C/47/Add.4) at its 653rd and 656th meetings (CAT/C/SR.653 and 656), held on 12 and 13 May 2005, and adopted, at its 663rd meeting (CAT/C/SR.633), the following conclusions and recommendations.
A. Introduction

2. The Committee welcomes the initial report of Bahrain although it regrets that the report, due in April 1999, was submitted with a five-year delay.

3. The Committee notes that the report does not fully conform to the Committee’s guidelines for the preparation of initial reports and lacks information on practical aspects of implementation of the Convention’s provisions.

4. The Committee welcomes the opportunity to discuss the report with a large delegation knowledgeable about diverse matters addressed in the Convention, and the full and constructive dialogue that resulted.
B. Positive aspects

5. The Committee notes the following positive developments:

(a) The extensive political, legal and social reforms on which the State party has embarked, including:
(i) The adoption of the National Action Charter in 2001 which outlines reforms aimed at enhancing non-discrimination, due process of law and the prohibition of torture and arbitrary arrest and stating, inter alia, that any evidence obtained through torture is inadmissible;

(ii) The promulgation of the amended Constitution;

(iii) The creation of the Constitutional Court in 2002;

(iv) The establishment of a new bicameral parliament with an elected chamber of deputies;

(v) Decree No. 19 of 2000 giving effect to the new constitutional provision establishing the Higher Judicial Council, drawing a clear dividing line between the executive branch and the judiciary and thereby reinforcing a separation of powers stipulated in the Constitution;

(vi) Decree No. 4 of 2001 abolishing the State Security Court which had jurisdiction over offences against the internal and external security of the State and emergency legislation, which are now heard by the ordinary criminal courts;
[Read more →]

August 19, 2011 – NABEEL RAJAB is released now after summon to police station for alleged “publishing wrong news & Info through social media”

Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab honoured with Ion Ratiu Democracy Award
by Kristina Stockwood – IFEX – 17 August 2011

As president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and one of the country’s leading rights activists, Nabeel Rajab has been closely monitored by the government, barred from leaving the country, beaten and harassed. His family home has been attacked with tear gas and armed invasions. One night, while he slept, dozens of masked gunmen stormed his house and abducted him, then drove him around in a vehicle all night and assaulted him – before returning him home. The Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington is honouring Rajab with this year’s Ion Ratiu Democracy Award (IRDA) to give international recognition to his courageous fight for democracy in Bahrain.

Rajab is one of the few rights defenders who has not been imprisoned or gone into hiding. In June, he was being investigated for posting photos on Twitter of alleged torture that resulted in the death of a prisoner.

According to the Wilson Center, “As one of the founders of the human rights movement in Bahrain… [Nabeel has] worked tirelessly and at considerable personal peril to advance the cause of democratic freedoms and civil rights of Bahraini citizens.”

The Ion Ratiu Democracy Award was established in 2005 in order to recognise the ideas, ideals and accomplishments of democracy activists around the world. Rajab has been invited to Washington, D.C., for one month to have an opportunity to engage with representatives of Washington’s policy, NGO and academic communities. He will also participate in a symposium given in his honour at the Wilson Center at the end of the year. …more

Citizens, Not Subjects: Debunking the Sectarian Narrative of Bahrain’s Pro-Democracy Movement
ISPU by Sahar Aziz 1 and Abdullah Musalem2

Against the Winds of Political Change

The origins of Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement are not sectarian. For the past three decades, Bahrainis have been dissatisfied with a weakening economy that does not fairly distribute the national wealth, a shortage of jobs for its growing number of youth, and the lack of any rule of law that grants equal rights to all of its citizens. In the past, these deep-seated grievances would occasionally erupt into protests and acts of defiance that were often met with violence. As with other Arab states, the Bahraini ruling family did all it could to suppress the growing demand for political reforms and a more equitable distribution of wealth.

The few occasions when it appeared that Manama was serious about reform ended in retrenchment as soon as the citizens exercised their increased freedoms. Hence much of the official rhetoric or negligible steps taken to support democracy were merely political posturing designed to create an image of liberalism for the international community in the hopes of increasing foreign investment.

An Ethnically and Religiously Diverse Arab State

Being a center of international trade has endowed Bahrain with a very diverse population. Throughout history, its ports have hosted Arab, Persian, South Asian, African, and European traders and invaders, many of whom settled down and assimilated. The majority of Bahrainis are Shi’a Muslims.7 At the end of the nineteenth century, the European colonial powers sought to create colonies or protectorates in their own image; the French established republics and the British established monarchies. The fall of the largely Sunni Ottoman empire and its competition with the Shi’a Persian empire found Arab and non-Arab members of both sects caught in a web of emerging nation states devised to serve colonial interests.

The current borders of Arab countries were determined in London and Paris. Elites who cooperated with them were rewarded economically and politically. Power was thus concentrated in the hands of a few. Bahrain was no exception. The ruling Al-Khalifa family does not consider itself indigenous; rather, it traces its ancestry to the Sunni tribes inhabiting the western coast of the Gulf with familial ties strengthened by decades of intertribal marriage and alliances.8 …more

Bahrain: Union Leaders On Hunger Strike
By William Fisher – The Public Record – Aug 19th, 2011

Jaleela Al Salman, Vice President of the Bahrain Society for teachers, and Rula AlSafar, President of Bahrain Nursing Society, are into the 12th day of a hunger strike to protest what they claim is their “illegitimate detention” in a Bahraini prison along with hundreds of teachers, doctors, and nurses who insisted on doing their jobs in the face of attacks and abuse from the government’s security forces.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights charges that since the Sunni government’s crackdown on the Shia majority of Bahrain in mid- March 2011, many activists, professionals and unionists have been targeted by being subject to arbitrary arrest, physical and psychological abuse, torture, dismissal from their jobs, and prosecuted at military and later at civilian courts.

The Society says the two female unionists have reportedly been ill-treated in detention and are expected to be sentenced with false accusations. They were arrested on March 29 and their hunger strike started August 2. Their families reported that the two women plan to continue the strike until they are released.

Today, one of the hunger-strikers, Ms. Jaleela AlSalman, was taken to a hospital due to pains in the chest and deteriorating health, according to Maryam Al-Khawaja, head of the Foreign Relations Office of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
Ms. AlSalman, the Vice President of the Bahrain Society for Teachers, is a 46 year-old mother of three. She was a deputy manager in Saba Secondary School. Her school, which has won significant awards a distinctive school with many projects and initiatives, independent from the Ministry of Education, to achieve excellence of the educational process where she was been either leading those projects or amongst the active members of the projects teams. …more

Annual foreign policy conference in Bahrain called off
Posted By Josh Rogin Friday, August 19, 2011 – Foreign Policy

The Bahraini government and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) will not hold what would have been the 8th annual Manama Security Dialogue this year because of the social upheaval and subsequent government crackdown in the country.

“We have decided not to convene the Manama Dialogue in December 2011,” IISS CEO and President John Chipman told The Cable. “Instead, we have decided to hold two ‘Sherpa Meetings’, one in January 2012, one in May 2012, involving high level officials from all the states that normally participate in the Manama Dialogue, to prepare for the intended resumption of the Manama Dialogue summit in December 2012.”

The Manama Dialogue is the region’s largest annual meeting of influential national security officials and experts. Chipman said that the Sherpa meetings are meant “to sustain the momentum” of the dialogue, as well as to build support for high-level government participation for the event in December 2012.

IISS notified government officials about the change in an information note last month.

“These Sherpa meetings will involve senior government officials from those states who normally participate in the Manama Dialogue,” reads a note on the Sherpa meetings provided to The Cable by IISS. There will be about 65 officials from 20 countries at each meeting, which will be off the record and held at IISS’s Manama office.

The most recent Manama Dialogue featured attendance by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, and your humble Cable guy. It’s the Middle East counterpart to IISS’s annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, which we also attended.

The Manama Dialogue is not the only international event in Bahrain that has been delayed this year for political reasons. The Bahrain Grand Prix Formula 1 racing event was postponed from March 2011 to October and then cancelled outright. The next F1 racing event in Bahrain is scheduled for November 2012. …source

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. …more

Bahraini Shiites’ Anti-Royal Graffiti Speaks of Unhealed Rift With Sunnis
By Donna Abu-Nasr – Aug 17, 2011 3:00 PM MT

The defaced walls of the Bahraini village of Burhama reflect the mounting tension between Muslims from the Shiite community and the Sunni-led royal family.

Every day, the village’s Shiites spray anti-monarchy graffiti on the facades of its buildings. And every day, the offensive language is concealed by police under a strip of white paint, until it reappears atop another white layer the next day.

The graffiti is just one indication that steps taken by the Sunni-led government have yet to heal rifts stemming from a crackdown this year on mostly Shiite pro-democracy protesters. Shiite villages have held rallies almost every night since the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began Aug. 1, while al-Wefaq, the Shiites’ largest party, has announced it won’t participate in next month’s special elections to fill the parliamentary seats of its members who resigned to protest the crackdown.

“Those in power should be in harmony with the will of the people,” said Hadi al-Mousawi, one of 18 al-Wefaq members who quit the parliament. “But they just turn their backs to what the opposition wants.”

The grievances that sparked the demonstrations in February and March have intensified because the government has ignored core Shiite demands for higher living standards and equal representation, Mousawi said in a telephone interview Aug. 14.

Government measures to try to calm the situation weren’t enough, he said. The steps included releasing political detainees, reinstating many employees suspended from work on suspicion of participation in the protests, and hosting reconciliation talks. …more

Interview Thor Halvorssen – President, Human Rights Foundation
George Ayittey – How to Defeat a Dictator – 06/24/11

Ghanaian economist George Ayittey attended the Oslo Freedom Forum in May. There, he sat down with me to talk about defeating dictators.

Thor Halvorssen: How pervasive is dictatorship in Africa today?

George Ayittey: Africa has more dictators per capita than any other continent. In 1990, only four out of the 54 African countries were democratic; today, 21 years later, it is only 15. Fewer than ten can be deemed economic success stories and a free media exists in only ten African countries. Some people call this progress… that’s not what I would call it.

2011-06-23-Ayittey.jpg

George Ayittey presents at the Oslo Freedom Forum. In the Africa graphic behind him dictatorships are shown in red, democracies in white.

TH: That means at least 39 countries in Africa are still ruled by dictators.

GA: And we are fed up. Fed up! Angry Africans are fed up and are taking the heat to them. Dictators cause the world’s worst problems: all the collapsed states, and all the devastated economies. All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and naked plunder of the treasury are caused by dictators, leaving in their wake trails of wanton destruction, horrendous carnage and human debris.

But guess who’s always cleaning up their mess?

For decades, the West has spent trillions of dollars trying to persuade, cajole, and even bribe them to reform their abominable political and economic systems. The West has even tried appeasement in their rapprochement. Enough!

TH: But shouldn’t the West pressure dictators with other measures like cutting off IMF loans and international aid packages and threaten to stop recognizing them diplomatically?

GA: The West has to understand that dictators never have and never will be interested in reform. They are stone deaf and impervious to reason. Period.

Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who cannot be trusted to change.

TH: What kind of resources do they need in order to maintain their survival? Surely the loss of Western funding would hinder them?

GA: After a mere four-and-a-half years in office, the late dictator of Nigeria, Sani Abacha, managed to accumulate a personal fortune of 5 billion dollars. Omar Al-Bashir has siphoned 7 billion out of Sudan. And Hosni Mubarak of Egypt managed to accumulate a personal fortune of 40 billion dollars! All stolen from their own people.

Let me put that into perspective. The net worth of all U.S. presidents, 43 of them, from Washington to Obama, amounted to 2.7 billion. That means that Africa’s kamikaze bandits each stole more than the net worth of all U.S. presidents and then more.

TH: How does a human rights activist fight against 40 billion dollars of bribe money?

GA: This is exactly what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. Fed up with their corrupt antics, angry street demonstrators started pushing dictators out: Ben Ali fled, Mubarak was shoved aside, and more coconuts will tumble

But caution: Noisy rah-rah street demonstrations alone are not enough.

Three cardinal principles must be followed for a popular revolution to succeed. First, a united coalition of opposition forces is essential. Second, the dictator’s modus operandi — strengths and weakness — must be studied in detail. Lastly, getting the sequence of reform right is crucial; there are several steps that must be followed precisely in order.

TH: The sequence you just described should perhaps be named Ayittey’s law. By a “coalition” do you mean a political alliance? Wouldn’t that be difficult in most of these countries suffering under dictatorships or one-party rule?

GA: A small group of pro-democracy activists — call it an elders council — is imperative to serve as the nerve center, plan strategically, and coordinate the activities of the various opposition groups, civil society groups and youth movements. For example, The Gathering in Sudan in 1985, The Danube Circle in Hungary in 1988, Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia in 1989 and the Alliance for Change in Ghana in 1995, in which I participated. If the dictator schedules an election, the council must rope all political parties into an electoral alliance. In 2010, dictators “won” elections because of a divided opposition field. For funding, the council should rely on its own diaspora community, not on Western donors.

TH: Why should reformers depend on their community as opposed to Western donors?

GA: Reform must start with intellectual freedom and freedom of the press. Reform must come from within — made by the people themselves, not by Western governments or financial institutions. Internally-initiated reform is far more sustainable and enduring. The self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi started the Arab Spring. His was the ultimate and extreme form of freedom of expression.

2011-06-23-Ayittey2.jpg

TH: Ok, so first a coalition, second we find the dictator’s weaknesses…

GA: The modus operandi of all dictators is essentially the same: Besides parliament, if there is one, they seize control of six key state institutions (the security forces, the media, the civil service, the judiciary, the electoral commission, and the central bank), pack them with their supporters, and debauch them to serve their interests. To succeed, a popular revolution must wrestle control of at least one or more of these institutions out of the dictator’s clutches. The game was over for Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak when the military refused to fire on civilians. Ditto in the Philippines in 1986 and Georgia in November 2003, where the security forces were charmed with roses (hence, the “Rose Revolution.”) Ukraine’s Orange revolution of November 2004 won the Supreme Court to its side and Pakistan’s Black Revolution of March 2007 had the full support of the judiciary. Let me give you 3 more ways of toppling a dictator’s stronghold:

First, get the media out of their hands: create pirate radios, use social media. That’s what will unleash the reforms we all cherish so dearly, not Western sermons, sanctions, or appeasement.

Second, hit them with their own constitution. For example, Article 35 of China’s Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association. In Ghana, we used the Constitution and the courts to free the airwaves, leading to a proliferation of FM Radio stations, which were instrumental in ousting the regime in 2000.

Third, a dictator’s weakness is exploited by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g its military geographically. Shut down the civil service and any military regime will collapse. It will not have enough soldiers to replace civil servants across the country; we saw this in Ghana in 1978 and Benin in 1989. We also saw the same thing this year, as street protests in Tunisia and Egypt erupted simultaneously in several cities and towns, straining security forces. …more