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

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