Hundreds of Bahraini hajj pilgrims hold anti-regime demo
November 9, 2011 – Written by jafrianews

JNN 09 Nov 2011 Makkah : Hundreds of Bahraini Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have held a demonstration against the Manama regime. Demonstrating Bahraini pilgrims marched in the streets of Makkah on Tuesday, demanding the fall of the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain.

The move comes as anti-government protesters once again took to the streets in several cities in Bahrain on Monday, chanting slogans in support of their revolution.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military equipment and troops to Bahrain in mid-March upon a request from Manama to help quash the anti-regime protests in the country.

On Sunday, Saudi-backed Bahraini regime forces in the northern village of Daih attacked mourners that were holding the funeral procession of 70-year-old Ali al-Dayhee, who died of injuries he sustained during an attack by government forces against peaceful demonstrators on Wednesday night and succumbed to his wounds in the early hours of Thursday.

Scores of people have been killed and many more have been injured in Bahrain during the regime’s brutal crackdown on the popular uprising that began in February. Hundreds of protesters have also been detained.
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This Is Not What Containment Looks Like

By Paul Mutter, November 9, 2011

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen”To strengthen Iran sanctions laws for the purpose of compelling Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and other threatening activities, and for other purposes,” begins HR1905, the so-called “Iran Threat Reduction Act” advanced by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee this week. The resolution, put forward by the chairwoman of the committee, Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, has 349 co-signers, more than enough to pass a House vote. It will increase sanctions on Iran and limit U.S. contact with Iranian officials, and pressure to enact it will be strengthened by the release of a November IAEA report asserting that Iran has been secretly developing nuclear weapons (and a delivery system for them) since 2003.

But Congress is not really interested in discussing the matter with Iran. One of the measures bans virtually all contact between U.S. and Iranian officials unless the president can certify to Congress – at least 15 days in advance – that not meeting “would pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the vital national security interests of the United States.” The bill targets not only Iran’s nuclear weapons program, but justifies sanctions for “other purposes” as well – amounting to what William O. Beeman calls an agenda of “making certain that the United States and Iran never achieve formal relations.”

Why bother with that, after all, when we want regime change, which would please the U.S. government, as well as two of the lobbying groups behind HR1905, AIPAC and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies? …more

Arrest of Poet, Blogger and Media Professional Jaafar AlAlawy in Bahrain, Arab Capital of Culture 2012
by BCHR

Update 9 Nov 2011 – Jaafar has been released this evening, after spending over 24 hours at detention.

earlier today, his lawyer went to the public prosecution but was told Jaafar’s file is not there yet and he will be presented to public prosecution after the end of the legal detention period of 48 hours, which was supposed to be tomorrow morning.

It’s still not clear if there will be official charges or there will be any kind of compensation for the damage caused to Jaafar. …source

Absurd charges brought against reporters covering Occupy Wall Street movement
9 November 2011 – Reporters without Borders

Sometimes they are arrested and then set free almost immediately. Sometimes they are arrested and, before being released, are charged with unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct or lack of press credentials.

Journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street movement’s protests and marches are not only exposed to police brutality but also to a sort of judicial lottery when detained. The situation varies from state to state, according to local laws, but the freedom to report news and information is being violated almost everywhere, not only for professional journalists but also for bloggers and for activists who want to cover the protests themselves.

“Wherever it takes place, each tale has something in common,” Reporters Without Borders said. “In all the cases brought to our attention, the persons concerned said they had identified themselves as journalists to the police, but to no avail. The attitude of law-enforcement officers supports the theory that not only the movement itself but also coverage of Occupy Wall Street is being obstructed. Are they doing everything possible to suppress news in which the public is clearly very interested? If so, the First Amendment has become a dead letter.

“The other question is the very variable nature of the charges – sometimes maintained, sometimes dropped – that are brought against these people for ‘offences’ that are essentially identical. In the name of the constitutionally-enshrined right to receive and impart news and information, we call on the courts to dismiss all the charges against individuals who have been covering these demonstrations peacefully.”

Reporters Without Borders is aware of two such contrasting cases on 2 November, involving Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photographer Kristyna Wentz-Graff (photo) and freelance journalist and cartoonist Susie Cagle. …more

Moscow Slams IAEA New Report
10 Novemebr, 2011 – Local Editor – moqawama.org

Russia has strongly criticized the release of the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran, describing it as a “source of a new increase in tension over Tehran’s nuclear program.”

Considering that “it was so regrettable that the IAEA report turned into media ballyhoo before even being released,” the statement said that the “release of information from the IAEA report was driven by destructive logic aimed at the intentional demolition of the political-diplomatic process.”

“Russia is gravely disappointed and bewildered that the report is being turned into a source adding to the tensions over the problems connected to the Iranian nuclear program,” the statement stressed.

As Iran dismissed the report as “unbalanced, unprofessional and prepared with political motivation and under political pressure by mostly US,” Moscow expressed “serious doubts about the justification for steps to reveal contents of the report to a broad public, primarily because it is precisely now that certain chances for the renewal of dialogue between the sextet and Tehran have begun to appear.”

“The analysis must take place in a calm atmosphere, since it is important to determine whether some new, reliable evidence strengthening suspicions of a military element in Iran’s nuclear program has really appeared, or whether we are talking about an intentional and counterproductive whipping up of emotions,” the Russian ministry said. …source

IAEA Report on Iran Released, US Officials Vow More Sanctions
10 November, 2011 – Local Editor – moqawama.org

As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published its report concerning the Iranian nuclear program, US senators and administration officials reiterated their concern of a military strike that would lead to a “disastrous war” in the region.

In this context, the US officials further expressed it would be better to increase sanctions already imposed on Iran, rather than dive into unknown repercussions of a military attack.

Senior US administration officials expected that President Barack Obama’s government would increase sanctions on Iran, without giving any further details.

In an interview with The Cable, Senator John Kerry stated, “It’s of enormous concern to everybody and a lot of conversations are taking place right now about how to respond. It clearly means we have to ratchet up on Iran, probably tougher sanctions and other things”.

Senator John McCain on another hand affirmed to The Cable, with reference to sanctions imposed on Iran, “The first thing we should do is talk to the Russians and the Chinese and tell them to get with it and pass the increased sanctions through the U.N.”.

Also, Senator Joe Lieberman issued a statement in which he stressed that a military threat must be credible, further calling upon the Congress to pass a new Iran sanctions bill, which was previously regarded as unnecessary.

“It is time for an unequivocal declaration that we will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability — by peaceful means if we possibly can, but with military force if we absolutely must”, Lieberman claimed.

Moreover, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein indicated, “Now is the time for Iran to answer these concerns, to abide by its commitments and demonstrate to the world that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon”.

The US stances come as mere evidence to the US-led western interferences in all UN, and international resolutions. The West will not allow any nation to become developed and self-sufficient, especially if stands against the western dominating scheme. …more

Obama to Aid Uzbek Dictatorship
By Stephen Zunes – November 9, 2011 – FPIP

Stephen ZunesThe U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, in a move initiated by the Obama administration, has voted to waive Bush-era human rights restrictions on military aid to the Islam Karimov dictatorship in Uzbekistan, one of the most brutal and repressive regimes on the planet. The lifting of the restrictions, now part of the Foreign Operations bill, is before the full Senate and appears to have bipartisan support. The Obama administration has indicated that it intends to provide taxpayer-funded military assistance to Uzbekistan once the legislation passes both houses of Congress.

Torture is endemic in Karimov’s Uzbekistan, where his regime has banned all opposition political parties, severely restricted freedom of expression, forced international human rights and NGOs out of the country, suppressed religious freedom, and annually taken as many as two million children out of school to engage in forced labor for the cotton harvest. Thousands of dissidents have been jailed and many hundreds have been killed, some of them literally boiled alive.

In reaction to the Obama administration’s efforts, 20human rights, labor, consumer, and other groups signed a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying “We strongly urge you to oppose passage of the law and not to invoke this waiver.” The signers encouraged the administration “to stand behind your strong past statements regarding human rights abuses in Uzbekistan” and not move toward “business as usual” with that regime.

Signatories included the AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights Watch, as well as organizations with close ties to the foreign policy establishment like Freedom House and the International Crisis Group.

White House Claims

Despite evidence to the contrary, Secretary of State Clinton, who visited Uzbekistan on October 23, has claimed that the regime was “showing signs of improving its human rights record and expanding political freedoms.” Similarly, when asked about the dictator’s claim that he was committed to leave a legacy of freedom and democracy for his grandchildren, a senior State Department official responded, “Yeah. I do believe him. I mean, he’s said several times that he’s committed to this. He’s made a speech last November where he talked about this.” In response to some skeptical follow-up questions by journalists, the official replied that “we still have some quite serious concerns about the situations on the human rights.” However, “we think that there is really quite an important opening now to work on that stuff, also work on developing civil society, which again President Karimov has expressed support for. So, yeah, I do take him at his word.” …more

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BPA: Journalist and Blogger Jaffer Al Alawi Arrested
09 Novemebr, 2011 – BCHR
It is part of the on-going media professionals intimidation in Bahrain

LONDON, November 9, 2011 – Bahrain Press Association (“BPA”), the London-based association concerned with defending and addressing issues related to Bahrain media and press people, condemns the arrest of the ex-anchor who was arbitrarily dismissed from his post in the state-run and only television channel in the country, Mr. Jaffer Al Alawi (27 years old) from his house in the village of Boori located to the south of the capital city of Manama[i].

On November 8, 2011, armed security forces surrounded the house of Mr. Al Alawi, the leader of the Youth Cultural Programme “Taa Al Shabab”, which is a programme run by the Bahraini ministry of culture. The house raiding came as a result of the security forces quelling a protest in the neighborhood. Soon after that, Mr. Al Alawi was summoned a notice by Hamad Town police station for interrogation. The arrest was later confirmed with Mr. Al Alawi calling his family from the ministry of interior headquarters (known as “The Castle” or in Arabic “Al Qala’ah’).

The BPA is very much concerned with the health of Mr. Al Alawi and demands his immediate releae. This arrest forms part of an organized crackdown led by the regime against Bahraini journalists, photographers, bloggers, and other media professionals. The crackdown has thus far claimed the lives of two media professionals namely Mr. Kareem Fakhrawi and Zakaria Al Asheeri who were murdered while in police detention amid the declaration of the state of national security (martial laws) back in March. The brutal crackdown was coupled with the mass arrests and dismissals of media professionals who were subjected to severe torture inside detention houses at the hands of the notorious department of the national security and ministry of interior personnel. …more