Posts from — September 2011

War-mongering on an international scale – The age of the Reaper
Voltaire Network – 23 September 2011 – by Pepe Escobar

Arrogance and shameless doublespeak reign supreme in the world of diplomacy. Respect for international law and human rights is a farce. Never has this come across so blatantly as in President Obama’s speech on 21 September before the UN General Assembly. Revealing in terms of the hypocrisy and imperialist interests that pervade Washington’s policies all over the world, the speech was also Obama’s crowning moment as an Israeli doormat.

The Reaper was not formally invited to the United Nations General Assembly annual bash in New York.

In ancient times, he used to be known as the Grim Reaper. Grim the wily fellow still is – always under many guises. Reinventing the concept of death from above, he may call himself MQ-9 Reaper and strut his stuff equipped with Hellfire missiles.

Or he may wear a business suit and incorporate the persona of the president of the United States.

Get me to the target on time

Barack Obama, from his UN podium, told the world, “Let there be no doubt: the tide of war is receding.”

Neo-Orwellian spin doctors could hardly top him on this one. Referring to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s operation of bombing Libya into democracy, Obama stressed, “This is how the international community is supposed to work.”

Virtually on cue, that usual suspect, a “NATO official”, leaked that the alliance had just extended its mission to bomb Libya for another 90 days before the green card expired next Tuesday. Of course, the smart NATO bombs only recognize bad guys, and don’t commit collateral damage.

As for the “international community” – which now comprises only NATO members and Persian Gulf monarchies, to the exclusion of everybody else – it will still “have to respond to the calls for change” in the Middle East, according to Obama. Signaled targets, not surprisingly, were Syria and Iran.

And then, also on cue, the usual “US officials” leaked that the Obama administration was assembling what the Washington Post described as “a constellation of secret drone bases for counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula”. Signaled targets, already engaged, are Somalia and Yemen.

As for the excuse, no surprises; it’s that same old al-Qaeda bogeyman. Once again, industrial-military complex “defense contractors” started uncorking their Moet.

A killer low-cost airline

As these contractors know so well, Washington is now involved in no less than six wars – or “kinetic” whatever, as the White House defines them – in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

For our friend the MQ-9 Reaper, the sky, literally, is the limit. He’s expanding his footprint from AfPak to the whole of East Africa up to the Gulf of Aden. He’ll now be based in Ethiopia as well as in the Seychelles, that lovely Indian Ocean archipelago famous for its fabulous beaches and 10-star resorts.

The “hunter-killer” fleet of MQ-9 Reapers – that is, capable in Pentagonese of both “surveillance” and “strike” – parked in a hangar near the main passenger terminal at Victoria, in the Seychelles, will bring to a whole new level the concept of low-budget airline.

Although they are being depicted as innocent toys flying over Somalia “to support ongoing counter-terrorism efforts”, bottles of supplemental Moet can be bet that sooner or later the exploits of this killer low-cost airline will hit the headlines.

Naturally, no MQ-9 Reapers will be bombing the al-Qaeda-linked Libyans formerly known as rebels who are now exercising total military control of Tripoli.
much more HERE…

Over 80% of Bahrainis refused to vote
September 25, 2011 – Shia Post

Election results in Bahrain show that more than 80 percent of the electorate refused to vote in the recent parliamentary by-elections in the country.

According to a Bahraini government website, less than one in every five voters cast their ballots in the recent by-elections, Reuters reported on Sunday.

The controversial by-elections were held on Saturday to replace 18 Bahraini lawmakers from the main opposition party, al-Wefaq, who walked out of the parliament in February after security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing and wounding scores of them.

Of the 144,513 eligible voters in 14 districts only 25,130 came out to vote, representing a 17.4 percent turnout, the Bahraini government’s elections website www.vote.bh reported.

Voting did not take place in four districts where candidates were running uncontested and automatically won the seat.

Al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman said the results showed that Bahrainis rejected the king’s reforms, adding, “There is no such thing as Bahraini democracy. There has to be peaceful rotation of power.”

“If there is no transition, Bahrain will remain in a crisis of security and human rights, this is a historic moment,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is to travel to Riyadh and meet with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Monday to hold talks regarding the relations between the two countries.

Bahrainis have been holding anti-government rallies since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country for over 40 years.
…source

Prominent Rights Activists and Opposition Leaders are in Hunger Strike in detention Protesting against the Brutal crackdown
September 25th, 2011 – BYSHR

In solidarity with the Pro-democracy Protests and protesting against the brutal crackdown, Prominent Human Rights activists and Opposition Leaders Yesterday (September 24, 2011) announced an open hunger-strike from their prison in Gurayn (Military Prison).

The hunger strikers are demanding the immediate release of women who were arrested in protests (parliamentary elections September 23-24, 2011).

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its concern about the situation of detainees in Bahrain after they started an open hunger strike.

The hunger strikers:

1-Abdulwahab Hussain Ali ( life sentence imprisonment)
2-Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa ( 5 Years imprisonment)
3-Hassan Ali Mushaima.( life sentence imprisonment)
4-Abdulhadi Al Khawaja ( life sentence imprisonment)
5-Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace.( life sentence imprisonment)
6-Mohammed Habib Al Safaf. ( Mohammed Habib Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
7-Saeed Mirza Ahmed. ( Saeed AlNouri) ( life sentence imprisonment)
8-Abduljalil Mansoor Makk. (Abdul Jalil Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
9-Al Hurra Yousif Mohammed.( 2 Years imprisonment)
10-Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos.( 5 years imprisonment)
11-Salah Hubail Al Khawaj.( 5 years imprisonment)
12-Mohammed Hassan Jawad.( 15 years imprisonment)
13-Mohammed Ali Ismael. ( 15 years imprisonment))
14-Abdul Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan ( Abdulhadi AlMukhodher) ( 15 years imprisonment)

More information about the hunger strikers ( Click Here)

…source

Disregarding Allegations of Torture: Military Court Sentences President of Bahrain Teachers Association to 10 Years
September 25th, 2011 – BYSHR

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is deeply concerned upon hearing today of the sentencing of the President of the Bahrain Teachers Association, Mr. Mahdi AbuDheeb, to 10 years in prison, by a Military court. His Vice President, Ms. Jaleela Alsalman, was sentenced to 3 years.

Charges:

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

On September 11, 2011, the President of the Teachers’ Society Mr. Mahdi AbuDheeb had announced his hunger strike to protest his arbitrary detention.

BYSHR urges the Special Rapporteur on torture and arbitrary detention take urgent action for the immediate release of pro-democracy activists. …source

Amnesty LiveWire: Testimonies from Bahrain: An activist’s detention ordeal
22 Sep 2011

I am a Bahraini activist, involved in the Bahrain Revolution that started on 14 February.

When the army demolished the Pearl Roundabout and began arresting people, I was terrified. I knew that I hadn’t done anything wrong – but they were crazy.

One night my house was raided by scores of officers. I was pulled out of the house by my neck with guns pointing at my head, without even a chance to get dressed. They dragged me out while abusing and insulting me, in full view of my young children and family who were screaming and crying at the sight.

I was in shock and dizzy, due to medication I was taking for a health problem. When I came to my senses I saw I was surrounded by dozens of men, some in military uniform, some in plainclothes, some in masks, many were also carrying pistols, clubs and shotguns.

They were searching my personal belongings, reading my papers, putting documents in my laptop case to take away – and they took all the cash in the house.

Outside my house, cars filled the street – civilian cars, a bus, emergency vehicles and riot police jeeps. They pushed me into the bus, closed the door, and then the verbal abuse started – the dirtiest curses, insults, degradation, and insulting my parents and my religion because I am a Shi’a.

On the rough journey to the police station I was full of fear about what would happen to me – whether I would ever see my children again, whether I would be tortured. Since it was my first arrest, I knew nothing about what would happen.

I was held for 149 days. First, I was kept in solitary confinement for 17 days. Ten of these days were spent in the police station, where I was forced to stand facing the wall day and night. They knew I had a back problem, and I believe they designed this torture especially to ruin my health.

They denied me water and sleep, didn’t let me pray or lie down, denied me medicine, blindfolded me when moving me even inside the building, and subjected me to long interrogations while standing up, during which I fainted twice.

Another seven days of solitary confinement were in a freezing room with only one light blanket.

After that they put me in a room with three other women. The verbal abuse continued. They threatened to kill us, screamed at us continuously over nothing, insulted us for our Shi’a beliefs, and made us carry out menial tasks for other detainees.

They used my health conditions as a weapon. I was not allowed to use the toilet or drink water for long periods, which gave me kidney problems. When I had a problem with my tooth, they sent me to a Ministry of Interior hospital where my tooth was pulled out with a solid steel clip, without anaesthetic. My mouth and face were full of blood, and I cannot describe the pain.

I was not allowed any contact with my lawyer during my entire 149 day detention. They didn’t let us have pen and paper. They forced me to make a video recording of a testimony they gave me, after they threatened me with being beaten and raped.

After some time my heart condition deteriorated. I had chest pain all the time with numbness, difficulty breathing, arm pain and fainting.

When they took me to the court, to my surprise it was a military trial. When the military judge announced the 12 charges I was shocked. All the charges were based on their own conclusions with no physical evidence.

The judge didn’t allow the lawyer to talk even during the defence witnesses’ session. He rejected most of the testimonies that were in my favour.

It was unimaginable the way I was living while in detention, with all this hate surrounding me.

My children are still in need of therapy as a result of seeing me being arrested. They wake up at night screaming with fear and wetting the bed. …more

Bahraini “Sham” Trials Condemned

For Immediate Release: September 8, 2011
Human Rights First

Washington, DC – The military trial of 20 doctors and other medics who treated injured protestors during pro-democracy protests resumed this week, further undermining Bahrain’s claim to respect human rights. The remaining doctors who had been in detention – some for many months – were released, but the charges against them still remain. Some are in extremely poor health after 9 days on hunger strike and are need of immediate medical treatment. Despite assurances that these cases would be tried in civilian courts, the cases are slated to proceed in military court and verdicts are anticipated by Sept. 29.

“Trying civilians in military courts that offer inadequate legal protections is a sham process,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “It exposes the Bahraini Government’s real intentions to crack down on peaceful activists. The United States Government should publicly condemn these trials and make clear that Bahrain’s decision to prosecute people for peacefully expressing their views will have consequences for the relationship between the United States and Bahrain.”

The Bahraini authorities announced on June 26 that they were transferring all cases from military courts to civilian courts. On August 18, government authorities made an about-face and announced that the doctors would be tried in a military court. Bahrain’s military court does not meet international standards for a fair trial.

Among those on trial is Roula Al-Saffar, the head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, who spent four months in detention before her release last year. She studied at Widener University in Pennsylvania and at the University of North Texas. She also worked for many years as a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

“In July, I spoke to several of the medics who have been detained, including Roula and others on trial today, “ said Dooley. “I heard credible, detailed and consistent stories from them of torture in detention. The United States should not be aligned with a regime that perpetuates such abuses.” …source

Bahrain: New Evidence of Framed-up Death Sentences Against Pro-Democracy Activists
Ministry of Interior Whistle-blower Suggests Murder Trial Used For Political Dirty Tricks

by Finian Cunningham – Global Research, September 23, 2011

New evidence has emerged that the Bahraini regime’s case against two pro-democracy activists sentenced to death for killing a pair of police officers is seriously flawed. In the latest twist of the controversial murder trial, an employee of Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has now spoken out to clear the names of the men awaiting execution.

The alleged killing of the two policemen occurred during the crackdown against pro-democracy protests in the US-backed Persian Gulf kingdom earlier this year. The event was seen as a tipping point that paved the way for an escalation in repression against civilians by Bahraini and Saudi forces, resulting in dozens of deaths and mass detentions.

Five other Bahraini men were sentenced to life imprisonment for their participation in the alleged murder of the police officers in which the state prosecution claimed that pro-democracy activists deliberately drove vehicles over the victims as they lay prostrate on open ground.

The gruesome deaths were apparently captured on amateur video and are alleged to have occurred on 16 March, the same day that Saudi-led troops began their violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the Bahraini capital, Manama. The video was subsequently aired on government-controlled Bahrain TV and caused widespread revulsion among the public [1].

The two men sentenced to death – 19-year-old Ali Al Singace and 24-year-old Abdulaziz Husain – are to be executed by firing squad if their appeals are rejected next month.

Human rights activists and the families of the sentenced men say that they were set up by the Bahraini regime. They point out that the accused men were not associated with each other before or at the time of the alleged crime and that they come from different villages across Bahrain. The only thing that links the men is that they were active in political demonstrations in their respective villages. Campaigners for the men say that the trial was driven by political motives: to intimidate pro-democracy activists; to smear the mainly Shia-led uprising; and to justify the calling of a state of emergency by the unelected Sunni regime and subsequent violent crushing of protests.
[Read more →]

Why is Obama Selling Weapons to the King of Bahrain While He’s Attacking Pro-Democracy Protestors?
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Geopolitics and economics trump human rights and democracy in Bahrain, where the oil-based kingdom, led by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has spent months cracking down on protesters and dissidents and now is being rewarded with American military hardware from Washington.

The Department of Defense officially notified Congress on September 14 that 44 armored Humvees and hundreds of missiles are being sold to Bahrain for $53 million. It is the first sale of military equipment to Bahrain since it began attacking demonstrators earlier this year, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“This is exactly the wrong move after Bahrain brutally suppressed protests and is carrying out a relentless campaign of retribution against its critics,” said Maria McFarland, deputy Washington director for HRW. “It will be hard for people to take US statements about democracy and human rights in the Middle East seriously when, rather than hold its ally Bahrain to account, it appears to reward repression with new weapons.”

Bahrainis took to the streets in large numbers beginning in February and demanded democratic reforms. What they got in return was volleys of gunfire from security forces that killed seven people and wounded hundreds of others. The next month the government declared a “state of national safety,” with more deaths (20) and thousands more arrested.

In its notification to lawmakers, the Pentagon said the sale of weapons will contribute to American foreign policy and national security “by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.”

In addition to being a loyal OPEC ally, Bahrain’s ruling family has allowed the United States Fifth Fleet to be based in their country, providing the U.S. Navy with an optimal location in the strategically-vital Persian Gulf region.

Since the U.S. overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Bahrain has been left as the last nation with a Shi’a majority and a Sunni ruler.

The main contractors who will profit from the weapons sales to the King of Bahrain are AM General in South Bend, Indiana, and Raytheon Missile Systems Corporation in Tucson, Arizona.
-Noel Brinkerhoff …source

Bahrain opposition challenges election turnout figures after boycott call
By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, September 25, 9:03 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain — The head of Bahrain’s main opposition party is challenging the official turnout figures for this weekend’s parliamentary elections, which were held under a boycott call by Shiite-led groups seeking greater rights from the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers.

Sheik Ali Salman claims about 17 percent of voters took part in Saturday’s elections. The government’s preliminary turnout figure was more than 51 percent, but it was unclear if the tally included counts from districts where candidates ran unopposed.

Shiite-led opposition groups called for a boycott of parliamentary elections to protest crackdowns. Voting appears very light in most Shiite areas, although busier in districts with Sunni voters who are considered backers of the Gulf kingdom’s monarchy.

Salman’s Wefaq party and other Shiite blocs urged a boycott to protest crackdowns. He claimed Sunday that the boycott was effective.

The election was called to fill 18 seats in the 40-member parliament after mass resignations by Shiite lawmakers.
…source

Bahrain Vote Erupts in Violence
By ETHAN BRONNER
Published: September 24, 2011

JERUSALEM — As the government of Bahrain held parliamentary elections Saturday, hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces while trying to make their way to Pearl Square, the site in the capital where the kingdom’s pro-democracy movement got started early this year and was heavily suppressed.
Related

In the village of Sanabis, where the protest began, the police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets against hundreds, perhaps thousands, of protesters, witnesses and human-rights advocates said.

The protest was a main part of the Shiite majority’s response to the election in the Sunni-ruled monarchy, which was boycotted by the mostly Shiite opposition. The aim of the protest was to march to Pearl Square, in Manama, where the government destroyed a 300-foot sculpture topped by a giant pearl in March after forcibly removing the protesters’ tent city.

“Security forces closed all access to Pearl Square today,” Mohammed al-Maskati, president of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, said by telephone. “The square is now like an army base. Thousands of protesters turned out in Sanabis and got attacked badly by the security forces.”

He said that dozens of people had been arrested on Friday and that some said they had been beaten badly. Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said in a Twitter message sent from outside the country that about 38 women protesters had been ordered detained for 45 days.

Mr. Maskati added that turnout for the election was minimal as a result of the boycott and that the authorities had prevented television crews from shooting inside polling stations to avoid showing the low participation.

Government accounts of the voting said the opposite, that participation was high and that the day was further evidence of the country’s return to normalcy.

Eighteen members of the main opposition Wefaq party quit their posts in the 40-seat Parliament early this year. Saturday’s election was aimed at replacing them and buttressing Bahrain’s contention that it has restored order to a country whose economy, heavily dependent on international finance, relies on a reputation for stability.

Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s prime minister, issued a statement on Saturday saying the election was proof that “we are on the right path toward a better future.”

He added, “The massive popular turnout has revealed citizens’ keenness to be partners in building Bahrain, boosting democracy and maintaining national unity and growth.”

Bahrain is more than two-thirds Shiite yet is run by a Sunni royal family. The pro-democracy movement has been heavily defined by that divide. Mr. Maskati said he and other human-rights groups would soon provide evidence of their contention that the voter turnout was low. …source

Amnesty International: Bahrain: Teachers’ military trial resumes

Further information on UA: 227/11 Index: MDE 11/045/2011 Bahrain Date: 30 August 2011

URGENT ACTION
TEACHERS’ MILITARY TRIAL RESUMES

The trial of the former president and vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA ) resumed before a military court on 29 August , and has been postponed until 25 September. Amnesty International believes they may be prisoners of conscience .

Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘ Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb were brought before the military National Safety Court of First Instance for the fourth time on 29 August; they denied all the charges against them. Jalila al-Salman, former BTA vice-president, had already been released on bail on 21 August while Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb is still detained. The trial will resume on 25 September.

During the 29 August trial session, judges apparently refused demands by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb’s lawyer that he should be released on bail, and apparently also refused to have new witnesses called to give evidence.

The King of Bahrain announced on 28 August that he would pardon some of the protesters on trial, but no more information has been released on names or charges. According to press statements he said, “There are those who are charged with abusing us and senior officials in Bahrain, we today announce that we forgive them.”

Amnesty International has reviewed statements issued by the BTA and has also listened to speeches delivered by Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb calling on teachers and employees of the Ministry of Education to go on strike, and on parents not to take their children to school during demonstrations in Bahrain. These do not include advocacy of violence and while Amnesty International does not have full details of the evidence presented to the trial court, it considers that they appear to have been targeted solely for their leadership of the BTA and their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. As civilians they should not be tried by a military court; trials of civilians before such courts breach their right to fair trial.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Arabic or your own language :

– Expressing concern that Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb are being tried before a military court although they are civilians, in breach of their right to fair trial before an independent and impartial court;
– Expressing concern that they may have been targeted solely on account of their leadership of the BTA and legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, in which case they are prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally
– Urging the authorities to protect them from torture or other ill-treatment and to order immediately a full, impartial and independent investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Jalila al-Salman, publish the results and bring to justice any persons found responsible.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 OCTOBER 2011 TO :

King
Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 176 64 587
Salutation: Your Majesty

Prime Minister
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 175 33 033
Salutation: Your Highness

Minister of Justice
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs,
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain
Fax: +973 175 31 284
Salutation: Your Excellency

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the update of UA XXXXX. Further information: www.amnesty.org/xxxxx

Further information on UA: 227/11 Index: MDE 11/045/2011 Issue Date: 30 August 2011 …source

[cb editor: There have been similar reports of kidnappings, such as the one described below, by the al Khalifa regime. Some have ended in murder. The emergence of “hit squads” under intensely repressive conditions is common. The use of ‘hit squads” and “death squads” are a means of State Terrorism by a ruling regime to “conceal” gross abuses of human rights and terrorize the citizenry. As a standard method of repression perfected by the US CIA, they were deployed extensively by the Shah of Iran. ]

Kidnapping a student from the University of Bahrain
Posted: 26 September 2011 | Author: shadaio

Sunday 25th September 2011, a female student was kidnapped from the public library of the University of Bahrain, Sakhir campus, which is supposed to be one of the most secure premises in the island. Zahra Taher, a 20 year-old IT student and an energetic artist was kidnapped by a group of masked men and thugs along with the University’s security officers. She was taken into a dark room for what is so-called an “investigation session” but turned out to be a ‘humiliation’ assembly targeting active students specially against outstanding students who belong to the Shia sect.

She was handcuffed, brutally and severely beaten while trying to let her spirit do wn and insult her by those “government thugs”. After a long investigation session and because of deterioration of her health status they dropped her in an isolated site near Riffa roundabout, a pro-government headquarter where thugs had held several armed gatherings recently.

This lady was my younger sister, who was going to celebrate her 20th birthday on Sunday’s night. She is relatively well now! and steadfast until all the rights of Bahraini citizens are returned.

her brother
Mahdi Taher
…source

United States Government Urged to Break the Silence on Bahrain Abuses
Human Rigths First – 23 Sep. 2011

Washington, DC –The United States Government must break its silence on Bahrain and condemn today’s ongoing violent attacks on peaceful protestors, said Human Rights First.

According to the organization, reports of demonstrators being attacked by riot police using tear gas and birdshot are coming in from many parts of the country. Information from on the ground in Bahrain has confirmed that pro-democracy protestors are being attacked by the police in locations all over the country and, since hospitals and medical facilities remain under military control, injured protestors are forced to seek treatment in makeshift centers or private homes. They fear arrest and torture if they go to the hospital.

“Just this week before the United Nations, President Obama praised those whose fearless fight led to the Arab Spring – including pro-democracy activists in Syria and Egypt, in Libya and Tunisia. His mention of Bahrain failed to criticize the violent government crackdown or commend the protestors. This double standard undermines US credibility in the Gulf and across the Middle East. While this crisis continues, the administration and Congress should not proceed with proposed new arms sales of TOW missiles and Humvees to Bahrain,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley.

He added, “The United States Government should condemn now, today, the violence used to suppress the peaceful protests and call for injured protestors to be treated in medical facilities without fear of arrest or torture.”

According to Dooley, continued U.S. silence on Bahrain damages the Obama Administration’s reputation and its ability to push for regional stability based on democracy. He concludes, “Supporting brutal Middle East dictators – as the U.S. Government must know by now – only invites chaos and human rights abuses. Today, this administration needs to get on the right side of history in Bahrain.” …source

Bahrain ‘fires tear gas’ at protesters
Rubber bullets and tear gas reportedly fired on protesters calling for a boycott of Saturday’s parliamentary vote.
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2011 14:19

Demonstrators in Bahrain have been blocked by security forces in a march toward Pearl roundabout as protests continued ahead of Saturday’s planned elections.

Reports from Bahrain claim protesters were proceeding to the central area from villages outside the capital city when they were pushed back by tear gas and rubber bullets.

“The protesters have tried to take to the streets in a number of villages around the country and they have been immediately met with brutal police repression,” a source in Bahrain told Al Jazeera on Friday.

“Police have been firing tear gas, rubber bullets, shotgun pellets and other types of objects at protesters who are largely unarmed in these villages.

“Those who are carrying anything are [carrying] stones and maybe paint to throw at police vehicles.”

Demonstrators involved in the march toward Pearl roundabout, the centre of the protest movement until government forces tore down the center statue and renamed the intersection, have called for a boycott of parliamentary elections planned for Saturday.

The election will fill 18 parliamentary seats emptied when the country’s main Shia opposition party stepped down six months ago to protest an earlier violent government crackdown on demonstrations.

Earlier this year, Shia-led groups had earlier called for demonstrations to press the government for more freedoms from the Sunni monarchy which has ruled the strategically important Gulf island for more than 200 years.

‘Under repression’

Protesters on Friday marched to Manama’s Pearl Square, the former epicenter of Bahrain’s uprising that broke out in February.

A freelance journalist reports from outside Manama

“There are some posters of politicians hanging around places in Manama, the capital, that I’ve been seeing,” the source said.

“But once you get into the villages, which are predominantly the Shia villages in and around the capital, you don’t see any support for these politicians, who many are calling ‘opportunists’.”

Bahraini authorities have stepped up pressure on anti-government activists ahead of the elections, threatening those who use social media and websites to urge acts of dissent with jail.

“There is a class of society under repression and there are obstacles at every turn, blocking their voice,” said Sheik Isa Qassim during Friday’s sermon.

The cleric told followers in a mosque in Diraz, an opposition stronghold northwest of the capital Manama, that the vote on Saturday is meaningless.

“This is fake democracy,” Sheik Isa said.

Nightly clashes

Shia muslims make up a majority of Bahrain’s population, but they have long been ruled by a Sunni dynasty which they claim has not provided economic opportunities.

According to human rights groups, more than 30 people have died as a result of the protests in Bahrain.

Hundreds of activists have been detained and brought to trial on anti-state charges in a special security court since March, when Bahrain’s rulers imposed martial law and invited a Saudi-led Gulf military force to help put down dissent.

Since Bahrain lifted emergency rule in June, rights groups claim government opponents have clashed with police almost every night.

Manama’s Pearl Square has been heavily guarded since Bahrain’s security forces stormed the protesters’ encampment camp there six months ago.

On Friday, police checkpoints were erected on the streets leading up to the square. Armored police vehicles were seen parked near the former hub of anti-government protests and riot police were lined up behind the vehicles.

The opposition’s boycott of Saturday’s vote will likely tighten the grip of the kingdom’s Sunni rulers, who have so far managed to ride out six months of protests inspired by the Arab Spring. …source

Poor turnout in Bahrain by-elections
24 Sep. 2011 – Shia Post

A low turnout on Saturday marked the start of polling in Bahraini by-elections boycotted by the opposition after it walked out of parliament.

Elections for 18 of the 40 seats in parliament are to be held on Saturday to replace opposition deputies who resigned. The opposition is boycotting the vote, saying that the government has not done enough to address their grievances.

In total, 55 candidates are vying for 14 seats in the 40-member chamber after four won their seats for lack of candidates.

Out of total candidates, 24 candidates are competing for six seats in Manama, while 20 candidates are contesting for seven seats in the northern districts and 12 candidates would try their luck for three seats in the central districts. The only constituency in Muharraq will not go to polling as its candidate won unopposed. Meanwhile no constituency will witness by-polls in the southern district.

At the beginning, 84 candidates, including nine females registered for the elections. Applications of three candidates were rejected for not fulfilling conditions and 22 candidates, including three women withdrew from the race.

Only a dozen people were present on Saturday morning when the polling station opened in the fifth northern district, near the village of Saar outside Manama, witnesses said.

The government had called on the 187,000 registered voters to turn out en masse.

The election is taking place after hundreds of youths were dispersed on Friday afternoon by tear gas as they tried to reach a Manama junction that used to be Pearl Square, epicentre of the month-long protest quashed in mid-March.

Youth groups have called for a new march on Saturday towards the same site, to protest against the elections in Bahrain, as Al-Wefaq declared polling day a “day to mourn democracy.” …source

…source

America’s ‘Humiliating Grip of Corruption and Tyranny’ in Bahrain
John Glaser, September 23, 2011 -AntiWar.com

Bahrainis continue to rise up against their dictatorship, as they have been doing virtually on a daily basis. This week Bahrainis orchestrated a massive demonstration, blocking traffic “in an attempt to step up pressure on the government ahead of by-elections this weekend.” In addition to the terrible repression the Bahraini government has directed towards the peaceful protesters, they have also responded recently with massive hand-outs in an attempt to rectify their international image as something other than savage and to pacify the population into stupid acquiescence. A “National Victims’ Compensation Fund” is designed to pay anyone who was “materially, morally or physically harmed” by the uprising and wage increases have been imposed. Apart from being simply bad economics, these efforts fortunately have had no pacifying effect on the population.

And unjustified government violence continues:

Bahraini security forces have fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse thousands of mourners at the funeral of a man who died after he himself was tear-gassed, a Shia politician said.

“Security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators while the majority of them were trying to leave at the end of the funeral,” said Matar Matar, a senior member of Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest Shia opposition formation, on Friday.

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis, he said, were at the funeral of Jawad Marhun, a 36-year-old who died late on Wednesday from what Al-Wefaq said was “excessive exposure to tear gas from a canister tossed into his parents home on September 10″.

The government of Bahrain, which crushed a month of protests in mid-March, said Marhun had died from “acute respiratory” problems as a result of sickle cell disease. His family denies that he had the disease, according to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).

Let’s contrast this news and these images with what Barack Obama said at the UN earlier this week on the Arab Spring:

The humiliating grip of corruption and tyranny is being pried open. Technology is putting power in the hands of the people. The youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship, and rejecting the lie that some races, religions and ethnicities do not desire democracy. The promise written down on paper – “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” – is closer at hand.
[Read more →]

Faisal Hayyat -Jail Tale, I’m dying
Bahrain Mirror

My First Daytime
The night was slow in the detention chamber. Sleep was elusive amid the detainees’ screams who were being tortured in the adjacent chambers. On Friday morning, a policeman brought me a sheet titled “Medical Check Form”, and two charges were written on it: crowding and incitement of hatred against the regime. The latter charge struck me with immense horror. “Incitement? I’m an instigator?” I refused to sign. One of the officials ordered me to comply fully to the policemen’s orders and not to refuse anything, and amid assurances of the detainees young men who were with me in the same detention chamber, I signed the form. The detainees told me that it was a mere form to allow for the medical check. I was blindfolded all the time, and still suffered severe pains in my hands and my feet soles after the night beatings. I was unable to move them neither lifting them off the floor.

At the noon prayers time, I asked a policeman to point me to Mecca direction. He pointed me to the opposite direction. It was an issue I knew after a new detainee had been brought to the detention chamber. I prayed hastily and in fear. In minutes, some one came calling for me. I was dragged handcuffed and blindfolded to the torture chamber. As soon as I entered, four to five people jumped on me beating me severely. I was able to determine their number of their voices. They hit me with whatever they had: hoses, electrical cables, punches on various parts of my body and boots kicks. Everyone was hitting me at the same time. There was no breath between the hit and the following one, they were combined hits that you felt that you had no room to breathe. Everyone swore, cursed, insulted and dishonoured my religious belief.

Who gets out?
I was screaming strongly for the severe beating. I begged them to stop beating me: “I’m dying, please, I can’t bear more”. Their reply was ready: “You’ll die here, don’t rush your fate”. They ordered me to say the slogan written on the placard that I had held in the journalists’ rally. I said: “Free, Free Press” and I stopped. They even beat me more, and said: “Go on, what was after Free, Free Press?”, I did not reply. They beat me even more. I screamed confessing: “… get out”. I pronounced the senior official’s name whose name I would not disclose now. Their beatings even grew more brutal and said to me: “Now you’ll know who gets out”.

I did not know for how much time I was in the torture chamber. They sent me back to the detention chamber. I threw my collapsing body, not believing what was going on to me, feeling that I was in a dark tunnel without any glimmer of light. They brought the lunch meal. I was unable to eat anything as I was in panic and horror of my ordeal and of what I heard of the detainees’ screams in the adjacent chambr.

After half an hour they called me again. I was completely collapsed, my feet were unable to carry my body neither was my body able to make my feet move. One of the policemen dragged me to the same chamber. It was the same chamber, I knew it of the distance of the way, from the number of steps, that way I sensed my arrival to it, and said to myself: “My God, back to you once again!!”.

As soon as I stepped in, they assaulted me: punching, then beating by hoses, then by fists, then kicks. The executioners were careful not to harm my face, as it was the most prominent part and more scandalous. I got strong slaps on the face by their hands, no fists, but a stray punch hit my nose and caused me severe bleeding that forced them to stop and send me to the detention chamber.

Sexual Harassment
On my way to the detention chamber, across corridors among chambers, I was subjected to explicit sexual harassment by a policeman. He lowered my pants and expressed his unrestrained desire to assault me sexually (!!!) I was about to faint and fall headlong after hearing what he had said. I entered into a fit of hysteric crying and pleaded him: “I’m a father and have children, please, don’t do that to me, torture me as you wish, but I plead to you with the most precious things you have not to do that”. That took place when we passed by the detention chamber. I knew later that we had been in the Police Station courtyard at the entrance. The event was meant to humiliate me deliberately in front of those who were present for taking revenge watching me as a humiliated detainee without dignity, there was no respect to my humanity that was violated among the policemen’s laughter. After that the one with the same voice pulled up my pants and made me face the wall, then he started with the others to grope my body parts and was keen to press the front part of his body to the back side of my body. …much more

Bahrain Boiling
BY SIMON HENDERSON | SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

MANAMA — As the U.N. General Assembly opens in New York, the world’s attention may be focused on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute — but tensions are still running high in a disputed strip of land further east. In the island kingdom of Bahrain, the struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims — and their respective patrons, Saudi Arabia and Iran — enters a new phase with the Sept. 24 by-elections to the country’s parliament.

Bahrain is where, in March, Saudi Arabia drew a proverbial line in the sand against the advance of the Arab Spring, leading a Saudi/United Arab Emirates coalition that sent 1,600 riot-trained paramilitary members and more than 20 tanks across the causeway that connects the two countries to put down a Shiite-led uprising. The crackdown led the Shiite opposition party al-Wefaq to resign its 18 seats in the 40-seat parliament in protest; the by-elections, scheduled by the ruling monarchy, are meant to fill those vacant seats. Al-Wefaq is boycotting the ballot but Shiite independent candidates are standing. Al-Wefaq’s local spiritual leader, Sheikh Issa Qassim, known by his Sunni detractors as “the ayatollah,” dubbed Bahrain “a fake democracy” in a fiery sermon on Friday, Sept. 23.

The elections threaten to upset the nervous stability that now reigns in the country. The Pearl Monument, which dominated a traffic circle around which demonstrators had gathered earlier this year, may have been demolished, but Shiite activists have promised to reoccupy the area this weekend. Such a coup will be a challenge — the junction is guarded by fleets of internal security vehicles, and down the road groups of Bahraini army Humvees also sit, waiting.

“Bahrain is going to boil this weekend,” read an email from a friend who lives in Manama. I don’t think he was referring to the weather, though noon temperatures are consistently over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The U.S. Embassy in the Bahraini capital issued a similarly sober warning, urging Americans to stay away from “a potentially violent demonstration” near the Pearl Roundabout, now renamed al-Farooq Junction by the government, though known as Martyrs’ Square by the Shiite opposition.

Whether the demonstrations come to pass remains to be seen, but the outcome of the by-elections is clear. The government will see the new members — all the districts concerned are primarily Shiite-populated — as support for its cautious steps toward a more representative democracy. Filling the seats will enable the national assembly to function again, even though the government may be tempted to reduce the number of Shiites in it (voter absenteeism and ballot rigging could reduce Shiite members from 18 to 12). A revived political system will enable the government to implement modest political suggestions made during the course of the summer by a national dialogue, which discussed the background to the troubles of February and March.

Al-Wefaq and the hard-line Shiite party al-Haq (which has always seen political participation as a waste of time) will depict the result as a fig-leaf covering the open wound of a Sunni-ruled, majority-Shiite country, where, despite promises of reform, the al-Khalifa royal family has no intention of losing either its political or commercial grip. …more