Secret memo justified killing of US-born Awlaqi: Report
Published on Oct 9, 2011 – Straits Times

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama’s administration crafted a legal document in secret ahead of the assassination of United States (US)-born Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaqi, which permitted the killing of an American citizen without trial, a report said on Saturday.

The secret memorandum was written in 2010 to justify the action despite a legal framework that prevents the White House ordering assassinations, the US federal law against murder, and protections for US citizens contained in the Bill of Rights, said the New York Times, citing sources familiar with the memo.

The 50-page document, completed in June last year, said the killing could only be lawful if it was not feasible for him to be captured alive.

Awlaqi was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in late September, in a raid hailed by Mr Obama as a ‘major blow’ to the Al-Qaeda network. …source see more on Scitech and Surveillance issues HERE

World Snooker moved to Bangalore
Syed Khalid Mahmood – Saturday, October 08, 2011

KARACHI: The venue of the 2011 IBSF World Snooker Championship, originally scheduled to be staged in Bahrain, will now be held in the Indian city of Bangalore later this year.

A spokesman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) announced here the other day that the World Snooker Championship has been shifted from Bahrain to India in view of the prolonged crisis in the Middle East. Now the global annual event has been rescheduled to be held in Bangalore from November 28 to December 3.

“The International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) has decided to replace the proposed 6-Reds Snooker which was to be held in India around the same time. Another major decision taken by the IBSF is to hold only the World Snooker Championship for Men and there will not be Masters (+40) or Women competitions this year,” the PBSA official stated.

“Pakistan, as usual, will be sending two cueists, but not necessarily the top two ranked ones. Only the top ranked cueist, at the end of the third national ranking tournament next month, will be an automatic qualifier for the World Championship while the second slot will be decided by the PBSA Executive Committee,” he added.

The PBSA also has added one more national ranking tournament taking the tally to five during the current year.

“The third ranking tournament of the year, to be contested by the top 32 cueists of the country, will be held here from October 23 to 29. Then we will organise the Top 16 event in November before launching the 6-Reds in December. In the past there used be four national tournaments annually and this year we will be having five,” the PBSA official said.

“We are in the process of finalising the number of participants for the inaugural tourney. We are yet to decide whether to limit to the participation to the top eight of the country or let the top 16 contest it in view of providing exposure to a larger pool of cueists,” he concluded. …source

Doubts emerge over 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
8 October 2011 – Ted Kravitz By Ted Kravitz, BBC F1 pit-lane reporter

Fresh doubt surrounds Bahrain GP

Formula 1’s return to Bahrain in 2012 is being called into question following continuing unrest in the country. This year’s race was called off following a clampdown on pro-democracy protests in the Gulf kingdom.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said F1 bosses would discuss the issue in the coming weeks.

“It’s always concerning with the media reports that you hear,” said Horner. “But [we] trust in the promoter and FIA to deal with it accordingly.” He said the Bahrain would “inevitably” be discussed at the next meeting of governing body the FIA’s World Council, F1’s decision-making body. Earlier this month, the Gulf kingdom faced international criticism after medical staff who treated protestors were given prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Last month, the FIA published the calendar for next year with Bahrain pencilled in for 22 April.

BAHRAIN GP TIMELINE

* 21 February – Civil unrest forces cancellation of Bahrain GP
* 3 June – Bahrain GP rescheduled for 30 October
* 15 June – FIA confirms no Bahrain race in 2011
* 1 September – FIA confirms return of Bahrain race in 2012

In February this year, the Bahrain pre-season test and race were called off following anti-government protests in the Gulf Kingdom in which more than 30 people lost their lives. The FIA said the race could still be rescheduled and in June it announced that it would take place on 30 October, with the inaugural Indian Grand Prix moving to a date in December.

The decision proved highly controversial and outraged human rights campaigners, with nearly half a million people signing an online petition demanding a boycott.

F1 teams made it clear they were opposed to the rescheduling of the race. They protested on grounds of logistics, but were known to have concerns about going to Bahrain in the circumstances. Two weeks later, the sport’s governing body confirmed the race would not be part of the 2011 programme. The teams are understood to still have concerns about going to Bahrain in the context of the political situation in the country. …source

Bahrain king stresses national unity, GCC integration
King Hamad reiterates Bahrain’s commitment to a strong and united Gulf Cooperation Council
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief – October 9, 2011 – Gulf News

Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa on Sunday reiterated Bahrain’s commitment to a strong and united Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“We stress that the Kingdom of Bahrain will exert all its efforts to develop and reinforce the outstanding fraternal relations between the GCC countries,” King Hamad said.

“The premise is that in the world of force, there is room only for the strong. The strength of the GCC stems from the faith of its leaders and the stress of its peoples on the need for cohesion, unity and the development of its institutions. We will strive towards further coordination, integration and interdependence among the GCC countries in all areas in order to achieve unity,” the king said in his address at the opening of the second session of the third legislative term.

The 40 members of parliament, the government, diplomats and the media were present at the opening hosted for the second consecutive year at the Eisa Cultural Centre, Bahrain’s largest cultural edifice named after the former Emir Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa who passed away in 1999.

King Hamad said that the units of the Peninsula Shield, “a force of goodness, security and peace” were “a model of the full cooperation between the countries and peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a natural extension and an integral part of the forces of each of the GCC member countries.”

“In this regard, the Kingdom of Bahrain is proud with the political and defensive support from our brothers in the GCC countries and which reflects the status of the countries within the Council,” he said.
…more

Empowering Saudi Women?
[cd editor: there was some confusion in Mr. Sander van Niekerk rsponse in CB earlier, our response was contrary to the point Mr van Nieker was making. apologies – he’s right on target]

Published: September 26, 2011 – NYT

Regarding the news article “Saudi women gain right to vote” (Sept. 26): Despite tremendous opposition to women’s freedom in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has taken a bold step. He should be applauded.

[Mr van Nieker Response – see below]

Human rights activists and politicians should not be impressed by the Saudi king’s granting a few more rights to women. Doing so is like death penalty opponents welcoming the replacement of the electric chair with lethal injection. Much as executions still take place, Saudi women are still grossly oppressed. Now more than ever the international community should pressure Riyadh to guarantee Saudi citizens access to the full spectrum of human rights.

Sander van Niekerk, The Hague …source

Saudi-style feminism
Voltaire Network – 27 September 2011

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made ​​a surprise announcement during his opening address at the Shura Council (the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia appointed by the monarch, with only limited advisory powers): indeed, the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” declared that henceforth women would have the right to vote and run in local elections. Carried away by his enthusiasm, the sovereign also added that he would not hesitate to appoint women to the 2013 Shura!

Flabbergasted by such audacity, the Western powers gushed in praise and adulation. William Hague, British Foreign Minister, celebrated “a significant step forward for the Saudi people.” For its part, France saluted “a landmark decision [which] is part of a reform effort that meets the expectations of Saudi society and youth.” The representative of the German government stressed that Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed the “important step in the march towards reform conducted under the guidance of King Abdullah.”

In 2009, the king already had the boldness to appoint a woman to his council of ministers: he transferred the responsibility for the education of girls from the Ministry of Religious Affairs to the Ministry of Education, and appointed Ms. Nour Fayez secretary of state, a position that her liberal husband had authorized her to accept.

His Highness underscored that, after consultation with the Ulama (Muslim legal scholars), these new rights granted to women would be exercised in accordance with Sharia law. For instance, women candidates for municipal office must present a written authorization from their husbands, while women voters must be accompanied by their guardians at the polling station.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and one of the most authoritarian political regimes in the world, but also one of the best allies of the West in its tireless struggle for democracy. The King concentrates all legislative, executive and judicial powers in his hands. He personally exercises the functions of head of state and prime minister. The Kingdom has no state budget, but is administered by the supreme ruler as his private domain without being accountable to anyone. …source

Saudi Arabia cracks down on protesters
By Niall Green – 6 October 2011 – WSWS

Saudi Arabian security forces cracked down on demonstrators in the country’s Eastern Province Tuesday. The protest, near the coastal city of Qatif, appears to have been in response to a raid by Saudi security forces on Monday, in which two local men were abducted from their homes.

The men, both in their seventies, were seized by police in the Qatif suburb of Al-Awamiya. There are reports that they are being held in an effort to force their sons, who are accused of taking part in earlier anti-government protests, to give themselves up to the authorities.

Human rights groups and journalists reported that scores of masked protesters clashed with police in Al-Awamiya in the hours after the arrest of the elderly men.

A video posted on YouTube shows a large group of masked demonstrators in Al-Awamiya chanting, “Down with Mohammed bin Fahd,” the governor of the Eastern Province and a nephew of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.

Eleven policemen and three demonstrators were reportedly injured in Tuesday’s clashes.

Saudi state media quickly sought to demonize the protesters and whip up sectarian divisions, claiming that those involved in “rioting” were guilty of treason.

The official SPA news agency quoted the Saudi interior ministry, which said that “a group of outlaws” in Al-Awamiya had tried to create “insecurity with incitement from a foreign country that aims to undermine the nation’s security and stability.”

The claim of foreign involvement is directed against Iran. The Saudi monarchy, which promotes a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam, views the Iranian Shiite clerical regime as its major rival in the Persian Gulf region.

Eastern Province is home to Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, some 2 million people, which has faced decades of religious persecution and social discrimination. Most of the country’s vast oil reserves are located in the province.

The Saudi government also blamed protests by Shiites around Qatif earlier this year on Iranian influence. The Eastern Province has been subjected to harsh security measures since the outbreak of the outbreak of revolutionary struggles in Tunisia and Egypt this spring, with police checkpoints and raids deployed in an attempt by Saudi Arabia’s rulers to intimidate all opposition.

Despite Riyadh’s claim that any sign of unrest is a product of Iranian incitement, the numerous protests in Saudi Arabia this year—by people from Sunni and Shiite backgrounds—reflect the growing demand by workers and youth for political freedoms and social rights across the Middle East and North Africa.

Just a few miles off the coast of Qatif, in the small Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, the Saudi-backed Sunni monarchy of King Hamad al-Khalifa has also attempted to blame the mass working class uprising by the majority-Shiite population on Iranian “interference.”

The Saudi armed forces led the crushing of protests in Bahrain in March, with more than 1,500 soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles sent across the causeway between the two countries to shore up al-Khalifa’s security forces.

Secure in the knowledge that Riyadh and Washington are behind it, the Bahraini regime has launched a vicious campaign of reprisals against any sign of dissent. Thousands of people have been kidnapped, arrested, tortured, fired from state jobs and otherwise harassed by the Bahraini security forces.

This week, a special military court in the capital, Manama, sentenced another 14 people to lengthy prison sentences in the latest show trial aimed at intimidating all opponents of the regime.

The 14 men were accused of killing a police officer during the mass demonstrations that rocked Bahrain in March. Their conviction is a travesty of justice. They were denied proper access to legal counsel, tortured in prison, and tried by a specially convened National Safety Court.

They face sentences of 25 years each for killing “with a terrorist aim.” In a separate trial, 15 students were imprisoned by the court for up to 18 years on unfounded charges ranging from attempted murder to kidnap to arson.

This follows the frame-up trial of 20 doctors last week, who were sentenced for “occupying a hospital.”

Many international human rights organizations, the United Nations and several foreign governments have criticized the procedures and sentencing of Bahrain’s National Safety Court. The US-based charity Human Rights Watch has condemned the trials in Bahrain as an attempt by the monarchy to “punish anyone and everyone who criticizes the government.”

Throughout the brutal crackdown in Bahrain and the repression of protests in Saudi Arabia, the reactionary Gulf monarchies have received the full backing of the Obama administration and the US military. The US Congress is expected to approve a new $50 million arms deal with Bahrain, already agreed to by the Department of Defense, to replenish King Hamad’s stock of armored personnel carriers, missiles and night vision equipment.

Washington looks to the Saudi regime in particular as its key ally in the Persian Gulf. Not only is Saudi Arabia a source of oil—it has the largest proven reserves in the world—but it is also a key purchaser of US military hardware and a partner in US imperialism’s efforts to police the working class in the region.

As well as playing the leading role in suppressing the mass uprising in Bahrain, the Saudi government has offered sanctuary to Tunisia’s deposed dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and supports the military junta that has ruled Egypt after the ouster of Hosni Mubabak. It has also backed the NATO-led war for regime change in Libya.

Reflecting the closeness of the alliance between Riyadh and Washington, the most recent US State Department communiqué on Saudi Arabia should come as no surprise. Issued by Hillary Clinton on the occasion of Saudi National Day, September 22, it praises absolute monarch King Abdullah’s “leadership” and promotion of “moderation and tolerance” in the kingdom and the region. …source

Bahrain: Al Qattan’s blood will haunt the Twin Evil Alliance and defeat it
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 08/10/2011

Yesterday’s funeral procession of the latest martyr has confirmed without any doubt that killing of Bahrainis has only solidified their position and crystallized their vision for fundamental political change.

The killing of Ahmad Jaber Al Qattan, 16, with live ammunition has dealt the Al Saud occupiers and Al Khalifa dictatorship serious blows that has now polarized the situation as never before. He was shot at close range with shotgun that penetrated his chest and head. He was taken to hospital but died almost immediately. The Al killings by the Al Saud and Al Khalifa have enraged Bahrainis and all freedom-loving people of the world, but their allies, especially the US, UK and Israel have used their influence to shield them at the UN. Despite the numerous calls by human rights bodies to refer Bahrain to the Security Council, the resistance by these countries to these calls has made it almost impossible to secure a consensus on referral. Bahrainis will not forget this inhumane treatment by those countries as they bury their sons and brother almost everyday. Mr Al Qattan was taking part in a peaceful demonstration on Thursday night (6th October) at the town of Abu Saibe’ when one of the mercenaries acting on orders of the dictator, shot him at blank range with his rifle. His colleagues rushed him to hospital but he was dead on arrival. The Saud and Al Khalifa military commanders issued a statement confirming the crime and said it was “investigating”. None of the killers of more than fifty Bahrainis has been charged. Tens of thousands took part in the funeral yesterday amid tight security presence, while helicopter gunships hovered overhead to intimidate the mourners. The chanting of the people with slogans that have now become familiar such as “The people want regime change” and “Down with Hamad” has sent a clear message to the occupiers and their supporters that Bahrainis have no stomach to accept either the Saudi occupation or the Al Khalifa regime. Both must go.

In another development, the Al Saud and Al Khalifa are preparing for the prospect of massive political defeat in the case of the Bahraini doctors who have been sentenced to long terms of imprisonment ranging between 5 and 15 years for treating the injured in February and March. A military court confirmed the sentences which had been condemned by almost every human rights body in the world. The verdicts were so outrageous that the American and British allies of the Saudis and Al Khalifa were forced to condemn them. But instead of calling for their immediate and unconditional release, the UK Government “welcomed the intended retrial” of the medics by a civilian court. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, these people should not have been in jail in the first place as they had committed no crime.

The doctors, themselves have issued a statement condemning the sentences and argued that they have sent a dangerous message to the people; that treating the injured is a crime. The Al Saud occupiers and Al Khalifa dictators have failed to produce a shred of credible evidence that any of the medical staff had committed a real crime. These trials have only shown that the regime is simply corrupt and is un-reformable. The Twin Evil Alliance (Saudis and Al Khalifa) are expected to be defeated in the stand off with the medical staff and will be forced to release them soon and will have to face a humiliating climb down. The world will see for itself the crimes of the Twin Evil Alliance when their victims are released and the lies and fabrications of their torturers are exposed.

Meanwhile, concerns have been expressed by families of the senior leading figures of the opposition for their welfare as their health deteriorated as a result of their hunger strike. The international community is urged to shoulder its responsibility and intervene to save the lives of those noble men who have stood for justice, democracy, the rule of law and the right of the people to determine their own destiny.

In Beirut a special conference on human rights in Bahrain was convened on Wednesday and Thursday (6th and 7th October) in the presence many HR bodies and news media. Many speakers gave horrifying accounts of the human rights violations in Bahrain. The final statement called for immediate investigation by the international community into those violations, the referral of Bahrain to the UN Security Council and the immediate withdrawal of the Saudi forces.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
8th October 2011
…source

Protesters, security clash in Bahrain
Oct. 8, 2011 – UPI

MANAMA, Bahrain, Oct. 8 (UPI) — Protesters clashed with security forces in Bahrain a day after the funeral of a teenager activists say police killed, The New York Times reported.

The demonstration on a highway west of the capital city of Manama Friday appeared to be among the biggest in months based on video posted online by Shiite activists, the Times said.

The Interior Ministry said security forces had come to clear the area and blamed “vandals” for blocking the highway after the funeral of a teenager who activists say was killed Thursday by birdshot — used to contain crowds.

An image posted by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights showed the victim, identified by authorities as Ahmed Jaber, 16, had small, round wounds to his chest. He had been involved in a protest near the capital. The Interior Ministry said it would investigate, the state news agency said.

Online video images from Friday’s protest show mourners, members of Bahrain’s Shiite majority, carrying Bahrain flags, pumping their fists and chanting slogans against the Sunni-led government, the Times said.

Police began using tear gas and sound grenades after the funeral, and there were reports of gunfire. Al-Jazeera said at least four people were injured in the clashes.

In late August, a 14-year-old boy witnesses said was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister died as security forces broke up a small protest south of the capital in Sitra.

The Times noted Friday’s clashes came days after the Bahrain government appeared to soften its approach in dealing with anti-government protesters. Bahrain’s top prosecutor nullified prison terms given last week to 20 medical workers accused of anti-government activities. The medical workers are free pending retrials. Their sentences, ranging from five to 15 years, had drawn international condemnation. …source