Posts from — October 2011

West confronts double standards in Arab response
by Sophie Douez – swissinfo.ch – Oct 19, 2011 – 13:46

A senior Swiss diplomat, Peter Maurer, has admitted being frustrated at double standards present in the international community’s response to the Arab Spring.

Speaking at the Foreign Ministry’s annual human security conference in Bern on Tuesday, Maurer, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said it was fair to question the “unequal response” of the international community to events in different countries.

“I am often very frustrated by how the international community reacts in a double standard way,” Maurer told the more than 800 people who attended the conference titled “Uprisings in the Arab world: between hope and fears”.

“And in response I can only say that the effort is guided by other interests. If I could speculate, I would say that oil plays an important role in how the international community reacts to certain situations.”

Maurer was named president of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday and will take up the position in July 2012. He was responding to a question posed by Maryam Al Khawaja, a 24-year-old democracy activist from Bahrain. She asked why the international community chose to impose sanctions on Syria but not on Yemen or Bahrain.

Al Khawaja told the conference that young people in Bahrain felt “completely abandoned by the west”.

“The situation in Bahrain is not going away, if anything it is getting worse,” she said.

Maurer said finding a political consensus in the international community was often difficult. He pointed out that while there was strong support from Arab countries to “get rid of” Moammar Gaddafi in Libya for example, the inverse was true for Assad’s regime in Syria.

Christian Berger, Director for the Middle East at the European External Action Service of the European Union, said such decisions often came down to the avenues of engagement available in particular situations.

“For Bahrain and Yemen, there is still a way of addressing issues through normal diplomatic channels,” he said.

Transformation

With the discussion focused on the response of the west to the so-called Arab Spring, it was clear that both Switzerland and the EU have been scrambling in recent months to determine the best way to engage with the new political realities in North Africa and the Middle East.

“We see a transformation of the relationship between individuals and regimes in the Arab world,” Berger said, adding that the transformation “is focused on values like dignity and justice”.

Maurer said a new political approach was needed to overcome political “fault lines” in the region. He said that Swiss foreign policy had previously viewed the Arab world as “almost one world” – whereas in fact it is highly fragmented.

“We have to rethink, and actors in the region also have to rethink how they will position themselves in the global world,” Maurer said. “We are very cautiously trying to find our way in those countries and identifying where and who are the legitimate partners.” …more

[cb editor: While it is good news to see some of the Senate and Congress climb on board the Peace Train Train for bound for Bahrain. Obama’s so called “Silent pressure” from every stretch of the imagination has only been silence no one can say when and if Obama ever pressured. All the while Obama is dumping $60B in weapons to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s true master of treachery and Obama’s master through oil and weapons profiteering. Aside from Obama weapons greed and oil dependency there remains the US-Saudi-Israel belligerent posture toward Iran as a far more likely reason for the silence – lets be clear there is no silent or any other kind of diplomacy to move the al Kalifa’s to Democratic rule in Bahrain. The US motives for silence have been a military strategy against Iran that does not want to upset the 5th fleet’s “apple cart” in Bahrain. Their silence has been exactly that, silence couple with a few ataboys. And the few times the US has been verbally assertive the al Khalifa’s have responded with increased crushing blows to the opposition in Bahrain.

In the meantime Obama’s true diplomatic skills will soon come to play as the BICI report is presented with “low bar” recommendations and a “enough blame to go around” conclusion masquerading as “fair in balanced”… it will go something like this; since “both” sides are equally to blame for the situation in Bahrain both sides must come together in a new dialogue and negotiation of “one sided” reform with the al Khalifa’s; i.e, the old model that got everyone here in the first place will play-out yet again. If the opposition rejects the new “reform dialogue” then Obama will put the blame on the opposition and precede with business as usual. If it accepts negotiations, the Obama administration will pat it’s self on the back and proceed with business as usual.

Finally if the Obama had any interest in an independent report from the get go, the US and the West would have insisted on a mediated panel of investigators for Bahrain to begin with, not one wholly at the employee, design and selection of the al Khalifa’s. The whole injection of the BICI report as part of the the weapons deal is a ruse. I hope I’m wrong but logic and past US behaviors say otherwise. ]

U.S. delays arms sale to Bahrain amid ‘Arab Spring’ crackdown
October 19, 2011 -LA Times

REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has agreed to delay a $53-million arms sale to Bahrain, a victory for lawmakers and human rights groups opposing the transfer because of the kingdom’s continuing crackdown on its opposition.

The administration said it would postpone the deal while it weighed whether the monarchy was doing enough to investigate alleged human rights abuses and carry out political reforms.

David Adams, the assistant secretary of State for legislative affairs, wrote Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that the State Department would “assess the government of Bahrain’s effort to implement the recommendations and make needed reforms.”

The weapons included more than 40 armored Humvee military vehicles and 300 missiles.

The Obama administration has been quietly pressing the kingdom to share more power with its Shiite majority, while trying to avoid any damage to the vital U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh strongly supports the Bahraini monarchy and wants to preserve the status quo threatened by the protests that broke out this spring.

U.S. officials have publicly put their faith in the kingdom’s promises of a political dialogue, and an independent commission organized in July to look into alleged human rights abuses. But human rights advocates and some lawmakers have seen little progress from the political discussions and are skeptical that the investigative commission will find much fault with the government.

They say that Bahrain would take a U.S. arms sale as a sign that Washington approves of its handling of the confrontation with activists.

“As long as the Bahraini government and its security forces are using violence, unjust military trials and alleged torture against peaceful protesters, the U.S. government should not be sending more weapons there,” said Sanjeev Bery of Amnesty International.[

HRF: Tortured Bahraini Women Show Why U.S. Arms Sale Must Stop
18 Oct 2011 – BCHR

In this special edition of FirstCast, we feature the voices of two brave women who have been detained the longest in Bahrain in connection to the crackdown of pro-democracy advocates. Roula al-Safar is a nurse, a humanitarian, and the head of the Bahrain Nursing Association who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jaleela al-Salman is a teacher and vice president of the Bahrain Teachers Association. She was sentenced to three years in prison and was awaiting an appeal under civilian court. LISTEN

BREAKING: Masked security forces in civilian clothing broke into Jaleela’s house at 3:00am today for the second time this year. They claimed to be executing a court order but carried no warrant of arrest. Neither her no her lawyer had received an official notice prior to her arrest. This special podcast carries Jaleela’s latest testimony of torture while in detention in Bahrain.

At the same time that the Bahraini government is violently cracking down on pro-democracy advocates, the U.S. Department of Defense is now preparing to sell $53 million worth of armored Humvees and missiles to the dictatorship in Bahrain. The testimonies of these two courageous women show why this arms sale must stop–a proposal that is at odds with United States foreign policy goals of promoting democracy, human rights, accountability, and stability in the Middle East. …source

Activists Continue to Take Stand in Bahrain Despite Hostile Crackdown
Posted: 10/20/11 – By Brian Dooley Director, Human Rights Defenders program, Human Rights First – Huff Post

Standing up for human rights in Bahrain is difficult and dangerous. Dozens of medics who helped treat injured protestors Bahrain in February and March and who told international media what was happening are back in court in the coming days. Some have already had unfair trials in the military court and their appeal is set for Sunday, October 23. They were sentenced — 20 of them — to terms of between five and 15 years in prison. The trial of dozens of other medics starts the following day.

Although much of the media attention has been focused on the medics, hundreds of others have been abused in detention and given unfair trials. The Bahraini regime has detained around 1500 people since it cracked down on democracy protests in February, and I have met many people who give credible reports of having been mistreated or tortured in detention.

Not all the human rights violations are committed in courts, police stations or prison cells. Those who join the almost daily demonstrations for democracy continue to be shot at by security forces that target them with tear gas, sound bombs, rubber bullets and birds shot. Several protesters have been killed in recent weeks.

Others defy the obvious danger and continue to expose the truth about the violent crackdown in Bahrain. Bahrainis who stand up publicly to promote human rights risk harassment and arrest. Human rights defenders remain in constant jeopardy from the Bahraini dictatorship. Despite those threats, they continue to document human rights abuses and work for political freedom. Below are some of their stories:

* Even though Mohammed Al Maskati of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights has spent most of this year under the shadow of arrest, he continues to publish details of human rights abuses. He has provided the international media — few of whom are allowed access to the country — with details of court cases and sentences. He has been prominent in fighting for dismissed students to be reinstated and has defied harassment and threats to speak out week after week for many months about the violent government crackdown.

* Abdulla al-Durazi heads the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS). Last September, after the organization published allegations of torture of 23 activists, its board of directors was dissolved due to “irregularities.” This year, after the calls for reform in Bahrain, authorities accused Al-Durazi of taking part in protests and disseminating false information.

Al-Durazi has also paid a price professionally. Until this year, he taught English at the University of Bahrain. This past summer, he told Human Rights First that he and 18 other academics were suspended in April and ultimately dismissed in August. The University ignored all the normal disciplinary procedures as it carried out their dismissal. The school subsequently turned in al-Durazi and his colleagues to the public prosecutor, who then accused them of taking part in peaceful protests. In addition to al-Durazi and his colleagues, the university has dismissed hundreds of students in recent months. Across the country, an estimated 2,700 people have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs during the crackdown. …more

OCTOBER 29 – #ROBINHOOD GLOBAL MARCH
October 18th, 2011 · Ella · Announcements 9 comments

Posted from: http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/robinhood.html

This is a proposal for the general assemblies of the Occupy movement.

Eight years ago, on February 15, 2003, upwards of 15 million people in sixty countries marched together to stop President Bush from invading Iraq … a huge chunk of humanity lived for one day without dead time and glimpsed the power of a united people’s movement. Now we have an opportunity to repeat that performance on an even larger scale.

On October 29, on the eve of the G20 Leaders Summit in France, let’s the people of the world rise up and demand that our G20 leaders immediately impose a 1% #ROBINHOOD tax on all financial transactions and currency trades. Let’s send them a clear message: We want you to slow down some of that $1.3-trillion easy money that’s sloshing around the global casino each day – enough cash to fund every social program and environmental initiative in the world.

Take this idea to your local general assembly and join your comrades in the streets on October 29.

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ

AdBusters.org // OccupyWallSt.org // OccupyWallStreet.com

OccupyTogether.org // TakeTheSquare.net

Hats off to Bahraini women
Arab Spring, Oct. 12

Since the beginning of Bahrain’s national uprising on Feb. 14, women have been at the forefront of demonstrations calling for greater democracy and freedom. Participants have been wide ranging from academia, bankers, students, teachers, doctors and nurses. They have also paid a heavy price for their demands including being harassed, arrested, handcuffed, tortured and abused in prison.

The women of Bahrain deserve attention and solidarity from the international community in their desires and efforts for a more democratic and just system in which the universal principles of freedom, equality and justice are promoted and practiced.

Sukeina Bhimji, Richmond Hill

…source

“There’s no point to allowing these human rights catastrophes to get such a level that you impose an arms embargo after the event,” said Wood. “The smart system that should be in place should be a case-by-case risk assessment system, where officials, whether in trade department or foreign affairs or the military, look at the risks from different angles. Of course HR is one of the risks.”

Exporters Armed Arab Spring Crackdown
Written by David Rosenberg – October 18, 2011 – The Media Line

Repressive regimes had all the equipment they needed to quash protests, Amnesty Says

Many of the world’s governments calling for change and human rights in the Middle East were playing a key role in blocking it by selling arms to the region’s repressive regimes, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday.

Egypt, whose security forces killed 850 people and left thousands of others injured in 18 days of protests before President Husni Mubarak was forced out of power, bought or approved to buy millions of dollars worth of sub-machine guns and armored vehicles from Germany in the years beforehand, as well as assault weapons, tear gas and ammunition from the United States.

Amnesty cited 17 countries in Europe and North America that sold arms and equipment to despotic regimes with records of humans rights abuses that could be – and, when Arab Spring unrest erupted 10 months ago, were – used against civilians. The London-based human rights organization urged the world’s governments to adopt a systematic and comprehensive system for governing the global arms trade.

The sales recorded by Amnesty in its report Arms Transfers To The Middle East And North Africa: Lessons For An Effective Arms Trade Treaty were relatively small and involved relatively unsophisticated weapons. But Brian Woods, manager of arms control at the organization’s international secretariat, said they enabled governments to repress protests and rebellions.

“You don’t need a jet fighter or a submarine to violate human rights. You can do that with rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, pistols and sniper rifles. We’ve seen it on our television screens,” Wood told The Media Line.

Although the governments of the Middle East and North Africa routinely score low on the observance of human rights, the Arab Spring unleashed an unprecedented wave of killings, arrests and repression. The United Nations estimates that some 3,000 have been killed in Syria in a rebellion that shows no sign of ending. In Libya, fighting probably left more than 10,000 dead – two thirds of them on the rebel side before strongman Mu’amar Al-Qaddafi was ousted in August. In Yemen, some 1,800 have been killed in fighting.

As governments were quelling rebellions with arms often bought from abroad, Western leaders were urging them to observe human rights and belatedly imposing arms embargos, the report’s authors asserted.

They cited Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Britain and the U.S. as the top suppliers of arms since 2005 to the five Arab Spring countries covered in the report — Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen. The equipment cited in the report included small arms; smooth-bore weapons over 20mm; ammunition; bombs, rockets, missiles and explosives, armored vehicles; and toxic agents.

“Governments that now say they stand in solidarity with people across the Middle East and North Africa are the very same as those who until recently supplied the weapons, bullets and military and police equipment that were used to kill, injure and arbitrarily detain thousands of peaceful protesters in states such as Tunisia and Egypt,” said Helen Hughes, Amnesty’s principal arms trade researcher.

In Libya, Al-Qaddafi launched artillery, mortar and rocket attacks against civilian residential areas, also using anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs in residential areas, the report said. While Western governments imposed an arms embargo on Al-Qaddafi, the arms he needed had long been stockpiled, Amnesty noted.

Spanish cluster submunitions and MAT-120 cargo mortar projectiles, licensed for sale in 2007, were found in Misrata by Amnesty when it was being shelled by it Al-Qaddafi forces. The equipment is now prohibited by the Cluster Munitions Convention, which Spain signed less than a year after supplying them to Libya.

In September, China was discovered to have been trying to sell some $200 million worth of weapons to the embattled Al-Qaddafi, prompting the government to promise that it would tighten its procedures for selling weapons abroad.

“There’s no point to allowing these human rights catastrophes to get such a level that you impose an arms embargo after the event,” said Wood. “The smart system that should be in place should be a case-by-case risk assessment system, where officials, whether in trade department or foreign affairs or the military, look at the risks from different angles. Of course HR is one of the risks.” …more

Beware of Small States: On America’s Failure in Bahrain
by Peter Fettner – Papers by Peter

If U.S. MENA policy is to successfully adjust to the new conditions of the Arab Spring, the citizens of the United States must get directly involved in MENA policy, helping the administration counterbalance the anti-democratic forces represented by the Saudis, big oil, AIPAC, and so forth. The alternative to genuinely supporting democracy in the Middle East and North Africa is failure in the region. But the necessary paradigm shift requires the democratization of American MENA policy through involvement from civil society; it cannot, and will not, come from above. Read Peter Fettners Paper HERE

Iran Says Saudi Plot Defendant Belongs to Exile Group
By RICK GLADSTONE – October 18, 2011 – NYT

Iran injected a new twist on Tuesday into the week-old American accusation of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, asserting that one of the defendants really belongs to an outlawed and exiled opposition group.

The defendant, Gholam Shakuri, identified by the Justice Department as an operative of the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, is actually a “key member” of the Mujahedeen Khalq, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.

The agency did not explain the group’s possible motive but left the implication that the plot was a bogus scheme meant to frame and ostracize Iran.

It said Mr. Shakuri, who is at large, had last been seen in Washington and in Camp Ashraf, the group’s enclave in Iraq. “The person in question has been traveling to different countries under the names of Ali Shakuri/Gholam Shakuri/Gholam-Hussein Shakuri by using fake passports including forged Iranian passports,” Mehr said.

American officials did not immediately comment on the Mehr report. Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, reiterated the American view in a daily press briefing in Washington that “this was a serious breach of international law and that Iran needs to be held accountable.”

The opposition group itself dismissed the Mehr report as nonsense. Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman, said in an e-mailed response that “this is a well-known tactic that has been used by the mullahs in the past 30 years where they blame their crimes on their opposition for double gains.”

The group, also known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is regarded by Iran as a violent insurgent organization with a history of assassinations and sabotage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic government that took power in 1979. While the group claims to have renounced violence a decade ago, it is still classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department, but not by Britain or the European Union. It maintains a headquarters in Paris. …more

US links Bahrain arms deal to human rights report
19 October 2011 – BBC

The US says it will wait for the findings of a human rights commission before pursuing a $53m (£34m) arms deal with the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. The US state department said it shared misgivings voiced by congressional representatives about the treatment of civil rights protesters. The commission is due to report by 30 October on a crackdown by Bahrain’s Sunni rulers on protests led by the country’s Shia majority.

Bahrain is home to the US Fifth Fleet. State department spokesman Mark Toner said the US would look “closely” at the forthcoming human rights report. “We’re going to continue to take human rights considerations into account as we move toward the finalisation of this deal,” he said.

He added that the arms would be for “external defence purposes” and that several procedural steps remained before the weapons could be delivered.

Assistant Secretary of State David Adams wrote to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, a critic of the arms deal, that after the publication of the report the US would also “assess the government of Bahrain’s efforts to implement the recommendations and make needed reforms”. “We will weigh these factors and confer with Congress before proceeding with additional steps related to the [deal],” he wrote. …source

Envy ‘led to Iran plot’, says Bahrain

Ola Salem
Oct 19, 2011

ABU DHABI // Envy of the success of GCC countries was behind an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US, a Bahraini official says.

Hassan Issa Al Samim, the acting undersecretary of the Bahraini ministry of interior, said yesterday in the capital that his ministry “strongly supports all efforts by the Saudi ministry of interior to face these terror attacks”.

Mr Al Samim said at a meeting of GCC interior ministry undersecretaries that the plot, which his country “strongly deplores”, was the work of “foreigners who are envious of the Gulf”. He said an attack on any GCC country was an attack on all members.

US authorities last week charged two Iranian men with plotting to kill the ambassador, Adel Al Jubeir, in a bomb attack in Washington, claiming they were working for the Iranian government.

Yesterday’s meeting was chaired by Saif Abdullah Al Shafar, the undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Interior. It continues today.

Security at the Yas Hotel was tight for the meeting yesterday, with metal detectors, body pat-downs and thorough bag searches. …source

Two weeks in Bahrain’s military courts
The families of six of the hundreds of people given long jail sentences speak out about the “abuse of justice”.
18 Oct 2011 – AlJazeera

Protests which began in February continue despite the prison terms handed out by military courts [REUTERS]

Teachers, professors, politicians, doctors, athletes, students and others have all appeared in Bahrain’s military courts. In just two weeks, 208 people were sentenced or lost appeals, leading to a cumulative total of just less than 2,500 years in prison.

Many of those imprisoned took part in massive pro-democracy protests earlier this year. Others, families say, were in the wrong place at the wrong time and were targeted by virtue of their religious sect.

One lawyer, who represents dozens of the convicted and who asked not to be named, told Al Jazeera the total numbers of how many have stood in front of military courts are not clear – but he estimates at least 600. Well over 1,000 people have been arrested since the crackdown began, he said.

In an attempt to quell the uprising, the island’s rulers invited Saudi and other Gulf troops to Bahrain in March, and called for a three-month state of emergency, or what it called the “National Safety Law”.

With the emergency law came the military trials of hundreds of people in “National Safety Courts”. According to the lawyer, the courts were basically military courts, since both judge and general prosecutor were both drawn from the military judicial system.
Click here for more of our in-depth coverage on Bahrain

Death sentences were given out trials that lasted less than two weeks. Many hearings lasted only a matter of minutes before verdicts were handed out. According to lawyers and defendants’ families, the main form of evidence in most cases were the confessions of the accused.

“This is not necessarily wrong,” said the lawyer. “But if there were claims of torture then these confessions should be obliterated and should not be accepted in a court of law.”

“They intentionally bring them in front of the court after a period of time once the wounds are healed, so they won’t appear in court,” the lawyer said. “If [the court agrees to a] request [for the defendant] to be examined by a forensic doctor, [the court] delays the test until the scars are healed.” Despite numerous claims of torture, no forensic doctor hired by the government has confirmed a defendant’s claims. …more

Morning Brief: ‘Occupy’ protests go worldwide
Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, October 17, 2011 – 8:38 AM

Top news: Demonstrations inspired by New York’s “Occupy Wall Street” protests and the Spanish activists known as the “indignants,” who have been camped out since May, broke out in more than 900 cities across the globe over the weekend, venting anger at the global financial system, inequality, and government cutbacks. In many of the cities, including London and Toronto, the demonstrators plan to remain camped out indefinitely.

Lisbon and Madrid saw tens of thousands take to the streets, while protests in East Asia tended to be smaller. Dozens were arrested in New York and Chicago. …source

State Dept. acknowledges Congress’ concern about Bahrain arms sales, cites human rights probe
By Associated Press, October 18, 2011 – Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The State Department said Tuesday it will consider a special investigation of alleged human rights abuses in Bahrain before moving ahead with $53 million in arms sales to the violence-wracked nation.

In a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and public statements, the department said it shared congressional concerns about Bahrain’s treatment of protesters and would await the results of a special inquiry established by Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. That commission’s report to the king is due Oct. 30.

At least 35 people have died since Bahrain’s Shiite-led majority began protests in February seeking greater rights from the ruling Sunni monarchy in the strategic nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

“That’s something we would look at closely,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said of the commission’s report. “We’re going to continue to take human rights considerations into account as we move toward the finalization of this deal.”

Wyden and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., have introduced a resolution blocking the arms sale, which includes Humvees and missiles. At least a half-dozen senators, including Wyden, have written to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticizing Bahrain’s human rights violations and resistance to calls for reform. They have said completing the arms sale would weaken U.S. credibility amid democratic transitions in the Middle East.

David S. Adams, assistant secretary for legislative affairs, wrote Wyden that President Barack Obama and Clinton have spoken publicly about the shared concerns about Bahrain and have urged the government “to hold accountable those who have committed human rights violations, implement needed reforms and engage its citizens and be responsive to their aspirations.”

Toner said several procedural steps still remained before the U.S. could deliver the weapons to Bahrain. He noted the sale pertained to equipment for Bahrain’s “external defense purposes.”
…source

World’s unions intervene over Bahrain repression
Press Release: International Transport Workers’ Federation – 17 October 2011 – scoop world

World’s unions intervene over Bahrain repression

The world’s biggest trade union organisations today appealed directly to Bahrain’s royal family to act to reverse the prosecutions and mass sackings of those who joined pro-democracy actions in the country.

All 13 global union federations – the BWI, EI, ICEM, IFJ, IMF, ITF, ITGLWF, IUF, PSI, TUAC, UNI, IAEA along with the ITUC* – wrote to Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to recommend urgent action to repeal the unjust imprisonment and victimisation that has seen medics, teachers and trade unionists jailed and sacked.
The organisations told him:

‘The undersigned members of Global Unions, the coalition of international trade union organisations – which together represent about 200 million workers around the world – are deeply concerned about the current human and trade union rights situation in Bahrain.

Today, over 2,600 workers in both the public and private sectors have been dismissed, and hundreds more have been suspended from public sector jobs. The government has failed to reinstate the vast majority of these workers and has presented no evidence to support recent claims that it has. Some of those few that have been reinstated have had to agree to unacceptable, indeed illegal, conditions to get their jobs back, including agreeing not to join the union. The dismissals have not yet stopped. Government workers, especially those in health, education and municipal sectors, continue to be suspended or fired for their actual or suspected participation in trade union and political activity earlier this year. Numerous trade union leaders are also now facing criminal prosecution.

Below are some of the most troubling cases:

At Gulf Air, the government is pursuing criminal charges against union leaders with the clear intent of undermining the union. Some 217 employees of the airline were also arbitrarily sacked. Although many have now been returned to work, we understand that they have not been reinstated in their original jobs, and union leaders have been excluded. These actions appear to be linked to previous attempts by the authorities to restructure the company, without having given any consideration to the views of the workers and of their organisations.

At DHL, the government has started proceedings against several leaders and members of the DHL Trade Union, who have been given notice to attend a court hearing on 26th October. They stand accused of violating national security.
Leaders of the Bahraini Teachers Association, namely Mahdi ’Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman, the president and female vice-president, were sentenced to ten and three years’ imprisonment respectively by the Bahrain’s First Instance Court of National Security, a military tribunal. The Bahrain Teachers’ Association was dissolved in April by the Ministry of Social Development.

At least 68 journalists working for two leading Bahraini newspapers, Al Wasat and Al Bilad, were singled out for sacking, arrests and charges of treason. Others were forced into exile in the ongoing systematic harassment of independent media. In the meanwhile, senior journalist Mansour Al Jamry, editor-in-chief of Al Wasat newspaper, is on trial along with three other senior staff charged with publishing false information about the police crackdown, a charge which carries a one-year prison sentence. …source

U.S. finalizes arms deal with Bahrain
Published: Oct. 18, 2011 at 8:56 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain, Oct. 18 (UPI) — A top U.S. diplomat confirmed Tuesday the United States has finalized a $53 million weapons deal with the Persian Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain.

Stephen Seche, deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, said the deal is part of a move to defend Bahrain from aggression, Gulf News reported.

Stability in Bahrain is vital to the United States and its coalition partners in the war against terror. Ships of the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet and other navies uses its port and coordinate their anti-terror operations from Bahrain.

In a related matter, Seche said the United States was looking forward to the findings of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry scheduled for release Oct. 30.

The panel was set up in June to investigate rioting that occurred in the kingdom during February and March. Thousands of people have been interviewed by the commission in an effort to find out what really happened. …source

MEDIA ADVISORY: DIGNITY ARROWS OPERATION, RE-SETTING UP THE CENTRAL PROTEST CAMP AT SEEF MALL INTERSECTION IN THE CAPITAL MANAMA
by ثورة 14 فبراير في البحرين on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:51am

MEDIA ADVISORY

For immediate release: October 17, 2011
Contact: February 14 Youth Movement
Email: nov.bahrain14@gmail.com
Facebook: TrueRoyalDemocracy

DIGNITY ARROWS OPERATION: RE-SETTING UP THE CENTRAL PEACEFUL PROTEST CAMP AT SEEF MALL INTERSECTION IN THE CAPITAL MANAMA TO DEMAND FREEDOM AND TRUE DEMOCRACY FOR ALL BAHRAINIS

What: Dignity Arrows Operation is a multi-axial peaceful protests throughout Bahrain that aims to re-setup the peaceful protest camp at Seef Mall intersection in the capital Manama

When: Sat, October 22, 2011, throughout the day.
Where: Seef Mall Intersection in the capital Manama.

Why: The regime of Bahrain has been long ignoring our legitimate demands for freedom and true democracy, and has been denying our rights to protest peacefully at the central protest camp in the Lulu/Pearl roundabout since the brutal crackdown on March 16, 2011.

We are peaceful protesters and we intend no harm to businesses or individuals that might be impacted by this peaceful protest. Our sole intention is to press the regime of Bahrain to allow us to re-setup our peaceful protest camp at either the Lulu/Pearl roundabout or the Seef Intersection and to meet our legitimate demands for freedom and true democracy which have been outlined in the “Manama Paper/Document” or by holding an independent referendum to decide the fate of the regime similar to the referendum that was held by the UN in 1970 which determined the independence of Bahrain.

How: The video on the URL below explains the operation in detail along with descriptive annotations in English, we grant full rights to all TV channels to broadcast the video: HERE

The forgotten Cases of Bahrain Political and Human Rights Activists
Global Research, October 18, 2011

Speak out for the release of Mushaima

Mr Hassan Ali Mushaima, 63, has been denied proper treatment for his Lymphoma Cancer since his arrest in March. With seven other political leaders, he has recently been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in leading the civil resistance movement seeking to establish a democratic government in Bahrain. Before his arrest he had been treated at the Royal Brompton Hospital and where he was cleared of the disease and placed on remission treatment. However, the news that are emerging from behind bars in recent weeks have been shockingly worrying.

Since his arrest, Mr Mushaima has been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture, including beating, electric shocks, deprivation of sleep, exposure to extreme forms of heat and cold environment as well as sexual abuse. It has now been revealed that his remission treatment has not been implemented. Instead he was given three doses while blindfolded by men whose character are unknown to him. He suffered several ailments that required his transfer to the military hospital on more than one occasion.

Mr Mushaima’s family have expressed their fear for his life as his condition deteriorated and he often appeared dis-orientated. Lack of access to proper treatment has had an adverse effect on his physical and psychological state. Despite repeated calls for his release, the Al Khalifa regime and the Saudi occupation forces have adopted more sinister approaches in order to break the will of the Bahraini prisoners, especially Mr Hassan Mushaima, the most senior opposition figure in jail.

Justice for Bahrain is deeply concern about Mr Mushaima health and demand the immediate medical attention and call for the immediate release of Mr Hassan Mushaima and the rest of the leading figures and the end of the human rights violations in Bahrain.

Justice for Bahrain will be holding a vigil against the silence of the British Government at the continued human rights violations in Bahrain, the supply of British weapons to the regime despite earlier official assertions that licenses had been withdrawn and the apparent approval of the Saudi occupation of Bahrain.

Please Join us to show you Solidarity with the Bahrain Political and Human Rights Activists

Where: Downing street
When: Friday 21st Oct
Time : 5:00 PM To 7:00PM

We urge you to join us and Together we Say No More to the Human Rights Violations in Bahrain

For More info please contact
Justice for Bahrain on
info@justiceforbahrain.com
07766500524

[cb editor: if the BICI report makes no recommendation that lends it’s-self to swift justice for regime crimes against the people of Bahrain and if it recommends nothing to lose the oppresive grip of the regime over the people, say freedom for the detained, dismissal of charges against the accused, demilitarization/removal of security forces from the villages and public places or any other such tangible and immdeiate result, then it seems the BICI Report does little to serve the interests of the Bahraini people. Indeed this too is simply hype and conjecture without a report. So we have it tit-for-tat hyperbolas arguments in lieu of the report. However it seems to be a fundamental expectation that if the Report does not serve the immediate liberation of the People of Bahrain from the al Khalifa regime it is DOA. ]

US urges Bahrain to implement recommendations of human rights probe
17 October 2011 – Trend

The United States expects the government of Bahrain to respond swiftly to the recommendations of a commission investigating alleged human rights abuses, a US official said Monday, dpa reported.

“We fully expect the government (of Bahrain) to respond appropriately and robustly,” the US assistant deputy secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, Stephen Seche, said in a press conference at the US Embassy in Manama. “This a process they began … they responded with seriousness of intent throughout the investigation, and we fully expect that seriousness of intent to continue when the recommendations are materialized,” added Seche.

The report on the inquiry is expected to be delivered to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on October 30 and will be made public in its entirety. Seche, who is on a three day visit to Bahrain, acknowledged mistakes from security forces in dealing with protesters but added that the commission could be used as a “confidence building” measure between the government and the opposition.

He also defended a proposed 53-million-dollar arms deal with the small Gulf island, saying that the final decision depended on respect for human rights by the authorities. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was tasked by the king to probe claims of systematic targeting of protesters during mass uprisings in February and March.

Protesters were demanding political reforms and greater freedoms in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority kingdom. Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy 5th Fleet, has accused Shiite-led Iran of meddling in the country’s internal affairs and standing behind the protests.

The commission is currently examining the death of more then 30 people, the police detention and alleged torture of hundreds of protesters, and the sacking of more then 2,000 workers during the pro-democracy protests that erupted in Bahrain in February. …source

A Geek Role in the Arab Spring
European Group Helps Tackle Regime Censorship
14 October, 2011 – By Ole Reissmann and Marcel Rosenbach – Der Spiegel

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A skinny young man with blue-dyed hair and boxy, horn-rimmed glasses sits in front of a laptop at a tiny desk in a shared apartment in Berlin’s bohemian Friedrichshain district. This is what the auxiliary forces of the Arab Spring look like, of the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere.

Stephan Urbach’s eyes are half closed. The 31-year-old complains about not getting enough sleep again as he takes a sip of Club Mate, a sweet and highly caffeinated soft drink that has become the beverage of choice for many activists working the night shift.

Until late last year, Urbach had a full-time position at AOL, the Internet service provider, where his job was to provide technical support to advertising customers around the globe.

In a way, he is still providing such support — though all of his “customers” now have names like Muhammad or Ahmad. And, unlike with his previous job, he gets a jolt of excitement every time their messages appear on his screen. He’s also relieved because every message he receives shows they can still go online and are not in prison or being tortured. Such has been the fate of many bloggers and digital dissidents — even in supposedly post-revolutionary countries, such as Egypt.

The Birth of an Online Movement

Urbach is wearing a black T-shirt with lightening bolts printed across it. This is the symbol of Telecomix, a loose network of international computer freaks that first emerged in Sweden. Their main goal is to make the Internet free and uncensored. Roughly three years back, the activists’ first project — and the one that determined their group’s name — was to influence Sweden’s implementation of European Union telecommunications legislation.

During the 2009 protest movement in Iran and the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, Telecomix still mainly functioned as a group that gathered and disseminated information. The net activists posted links to the pages of dissidents and critical bloggers who dared to challenge the authoritarian regime in their respective country as well as the conformist state media by acting as citizen journalists.

But on Jan. 27 — the day the regime of then-President Hosni Mubarak took Egypt offline – Telecomix decided it should do more than simply act as a vehicle for enhancing the reach of critical voices.

Geeks to the Rescue

Egypt’s Internet blackout lasted several days. This helpless and desperate act showed that Egypt’s authoritarian rulers realized the threat posed by rebellious netizens and their medium. Likewise, it demonstrated that the regime was afraid of the way that social media could aid in broadcasting calls for mobilization as well as of the critical comments of many bloggers.

Mubarak’s technical counterattack shocked online activists and hackers around the world. For many, it was like a wake-up call for them to offer concrete assistance to those denied online freedoms. Since then, a very active movement has sprung up, and Telecomix is only one of a number of such collectives.

Activists at the anonymizing service Tor, for example, are holding workshops for Arab bloggers and, for years, they have been advising people on how to surf securely and send photos and videos abroad undetected. The hacker collective Anonymous also aims to focus more of its attacks on authoritarian countries in which protest movements are forming. …more

MP criticizes S. Arabia for leveling allegations against Iran
Tehran Times – 15 October, 2011

TEHRAN – MP Mohammad Karim Abedi has criticized Saudi Arabia for making unfounded accusations against Tehran over the alleged Iranian government’s involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

He made the remarks in an interview with the Fars News Agency published on Saturday in response to Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi Arabian intelligence chief, who said on October 12, “Somebody in Iran will have to pay the price?…no matter how high the level of that person is.”

According to Reuters, on October 11, U.S. authorities claimed that they had broken up a plot by two men linked to Iran’s security agencies to kill the Saudi envoy, Adel al-Jubeir.

Abedi said that the White House needed to give the United States a “shock” to divert attention from the protests on Wall Street, and therefore accused Iran of creating insecurity in the United States.

“Saudi Arabia has begun to make political deals with the U.S. to prevent the collapse of the Al Saud regime,” he stated.

“The United States and Saudi Arabia were defeated by the Islamic Revolution of Iran during the popular uprisings, and hatched such an unwise plot to take revenge on Iran and should definitely pay the price,” the lawmaker added.

Abedi also said, “If the U.S. believes that two persons can blow up an embassy in the United States, they have to appeal to international forces to protect the security of their citizens” and ask another country to host the United Nations.

“Saudi Arabia should pay the price for spreading lies and leveling allegations against Iran,” he said, adding, “There is no evidence against Iran.”

In addition, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast said on Monday that U.S. officials’ claims indicate that a scenario against Iran is at work.

Alleged Iran Terror Plot tied to Mr. Bean, Saudia Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain
October 15th, 2011 – Jasmin Ramsey – lobelog

The details of the alleged Iranian terror plot are getting more interesting and complicated by the day. In addition to experts analyzing its sketchy details, a significant amount has been written about Mansour Arbabsiar’s lifestyle and personality, with a former business partner and friend telling Reuters that “If they’re looking for 007, they got Mr. Bean.” But what’s more important is the way the plot is being further tied to Iran, even while the credibility of the two main witnesses is being seriously questioned (read this for more on the DEA and the DEA informant’s role in the plot).

Just consider the elaborateness of these allegations: not only did the conspiracy allegedly involve an Iranian assassination plot against a diplomat from Saudi Arabia on U.S. soil, it’s also being tied to the unrest in Bahrain and U.S. losses in Iraq. Thus, the unnamed “cousin,” who Arbabsiar described as a “big general in [the] army,” according to the complaint, is identified in a press release about new OFAC sanctions as Abdul Reza Shahlai — the same man who, as reported by Laura Rozen, was previously designated as the Qods Force deputy commander behind the 2007 raid in southern Iraq by a Shiite militant group that killed five U.S. soldiers. Robert Mackey of the New York Time’s blog The Lede also informs us that Saudi scholar and former royal family adviser Nawaf Obeid told McClatchy that Gholam Shakuri, the other Qods officer behind the alleged plot, was suspected by Saudi intelligence of “fomenting unrest in Bahrain on behalf of Iran’s government.”

So the first conspirator named by Arbabsiar is said to have harmed the U.S. in Iraq, and the second is allegedly behind the protest movement in Bahrain which is ongoing despite the crackdown by Bahrain’s ruling family with the help of some 1,500 Saudi and Emirati troops. Could this really be possible? Always. Is it likely or even plausible? Not really.

Some questions in addition to the ones I asked on the day the accusations were made public:

1) The first mention of Arbabsiar’s “cousin” in the FBI complaint is made by the DEA informant, CS-1: “During their July 14 meeting, CS-l asked ARBABSIAR about ARBABSIAR’s cousin…” This means that the initial conversation about Arbabsiar’s cousin was not documented. Why is that and what did it involve?

2) Since the DEA informant is a “paid confidential source”, how are we to assess his role in the plot, considering his incentives (not necessarily restricted to financial ones) to bring Arbabsiar in? (Also read Stephen Walt’s comments about the FBI’s track record with these kinds of conspiracies.)

3) Would a high-level Qods force member not be able to assess Arbabsiar’s shady and shaky character before asking him to carry out an extremely risky assassination attempt with his own reputation on the line? Was the Iranian Mr. Bean his only option?

4) Even if Arbabsiar’s cousin is indeed Shahlai, and Shahlai is who the U.S. claims he is, does he represent the Iranian government? What if Shahlai, for various possible reasons, acted on his own accord? In other words, was this an Iranian plot or an Iranian cousin’s plot?

Again, the question is not whether Iran is capable of terrorism (because it is) or about Arbabsiar’s guilt, but whether the Iranian government was behind an act of international terrorism on U.S. soil. When the media headlines pieces on this case using phrases like “Iran plot” it is going to be remembered by readers as such regardless of the facts presented. The long-term effects of this on the U.S. psyche remain to be seen, but is there enough evidence to even make that claim at this point? This question is particularly important when prominent pundits such as those that pushed for the invasion of Iraq are pushing for a military response to Iran. Consider the recent words of well-known neoconservative Reuel Marc Gerecht in the Wall Street Journal:

The White House needs to respond militarily to this outrage. If we don’t, we are asking for it.

Until hard evidence is offered by the Obama administration to back up its far-reaching allegations, more questions need to be asked. It’s disconcerting that while the U.S. is gearing up to respond with further punitive measures against Iran, the most important question hasn’t even been adequately answered yet.
…source

America’s Triclomacy: Provoke war between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Date: 15 October 2011Posted By : by Dr. Abdul Ruff – The Canadian

Tricky diplomacy or triclomacy, is a hall mark of American policy for decades now. Recent diplomatic massacres of a extremely tricky unipolar USA in Islamic world demonstrate the crude fact that America can never be a a true democracy, let alone being a sincere peace mediator.

Terrorism, both state and non-state- is the creation of USA and its allies for advancing their joint economic and energy agendas, besides defaming Islam and reducing Muslim populations by killing Muslims. The Sept-11 hoax was a purely American brain child meant to help pursue energy agenda in Mideast. The ongoing terror wars and uprisings are the offshoots of neocon secret agenda against humanity. Paid FBI informants posing as terrorists entrapped the so-called Liberty City Seven in Miami in a fabricated plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago. There was the case of the Newburgh Four, in which a veteran FBI agent-provocateur, offering large amounts of cash, entrapped four young African-American men in a plot to put explosives in New York area synagogues. Like dozens of such incidents, these plots never involved any real threat and would never have existed without government agents creating them as part of the phony “war on terrorism.”

The global dictator and unilateral USA invading Muslim nations on illegal pretexts, like wild animals, and having killed millions of innocent Muslims for fun and consumed their corpses, says Iran is acting outside “accepted norms of international behaviour.” Say, what?

Obama has even created a secret sub-committee of the National Security Council to draw up “kill lists” of those to be murdered by Predator drones, in gross violation of international law and basic ethics. In 2008, it was revealed that the Bush administration had issued a presidential finding authorizing a covert CIA destabilization campaign against Iran, which Congress then funded to the tune of $400 million. This operation continues under Obama.Iran has been on the receiving end of these kinds of operations, with a string of assassinations of leading scientists involved in its nuclear program. CIA can go to any extend to get what it wants from the world.

USA quickly blamed Iran for the assassination attempt. The purported Iranian “terrorist plot” to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the USA, appears to be a crude concoction by elements of the American state apparatus to blackguard Iran and create the pretext for an escalation of US aggression. US dummy President B.Obama said his regime would make Iran “pay a price” for an. He described it as “part of a pattern of dangerous and reckless behavior by the Iranian government.” In the same remarks, Obama stressed that his administration will not “take any options off the table in terms of how we operate with Iran”, a phrase that is universally understood as a threat of US military aggression. The remarks signaled Washington’s decision to utilize this bizarre incident, about which there are far more questions than answers, as a pretext for escalating tension with Iran to the point of saber-rattling threats of war. However, Madam Hillary Clinton referred to the improbable connections in the case, with Iran’s secret service supposedly asking Los Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel, to carry out the assassination as a paid hit. Even the media, outside of the inevitable hyper-ventilating by CNN, Financial Times and Fox News, has taken a skeptical view of the allegations of the White House and the US Justice Department. They question the value of the US statement. It is far from clear, however, that the plot enjoyed the backing of the Iranian regime. Indeed, there are reasons to be skeptical that it did. It is due to the improbable character of this new “Hollywood script” that US officials, from President Obama on down, have joined in branding the Iranian regime as “reckless”. Even if Tehran thought of such attack, Iran’s Quds Force, like CIA and Mossad, considered to be one of the world’s more professional covert agencies, would not have entrusted this sort of “explosive” campaign to a third party is impossible. To put it bluntly, nothing about it makes any sense to humanity.

Global fascist media (GFM) run by corporate world from the West and East offers updates about deaths in Syria which is being destabilized by CIA agents but keep silent about the details on NATO massacres in occupied Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Libya. …source