Posts from — December 2011

House of Lords seminar discusses Bahrain’s revolution
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 15/12/2011
[excerpt from seminar] – see more testimony HERE

Maryam Al Khawaja

I have different lists of violations, not different from those before the report.

Something is significant; the King said two days ago that there has been no systematic torture and that people had been trained in Syria not Iran.

At the beginning they accepted Bissioni’s report, now they say there was no systematic abuse. They effectively say that we do not accept the report.

In Jaw prison families have no access to prisoners who get no hot water in this cold weather. They get very limited exercise. This is why they went on hunger strike demanding their immediate and unconditional release. Yesterday two prisoners on trial fainted. Three other detainees were beaten outside the court in front of the lawyers. So violations have not stopped. I could also talk about the Government’s action since the report. To use the report to initiate political dialogue while not doing anything about human rights violations is problemlematic. The recommendations are not implemented, the government is not undertaking any changes. Focus should be on stopping human rights violations on daily basis.

Lord Avebury: What can Bahrain’s friends do? We should make an overall picture of the situation by all those who had spoken. It is ridiculous to think of the opposition setting down to discuss politics while they are under human rights violations.

Maryam: It was troubling to see the King welcomed by Western countries. There needs to be an immediate message to Bahraini government that they are not welcome.

Lord Avebury: I will do what I can but this government’s policy isto sweep everything under the carpet.

Maryam: We mentioned in our report that five members of Al Khalifa, two sons of king, who had taken part in torture. We do not know if the situation still continues. It is not easy to get such information. There is a cycle of violations and promises. In 2007 systematic torture came back. The youth are not going to believe the King’s promises anymore. To bring people like John Timoney to train police is not a good example. If you want to improve situation do it through Bahrainis. The formation of commission is also flawed. …see more testimony HERE

Congress Pushes State Department Over Misused American Tear Gas In Spending Bill
by Joshua Hersh – Dec 15, 2011 – Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — The 2012 omnibus spending bill released Thursday morning includes tough new language about the way American tear gas has been used against protesters in countries like Egypt and Bahrain, despite resistance from the Department of State.

Under terms laid out in the foreign operations portion of the spending bill, the State Department would have 90 days to submit a report “detailing any crowd control items, including tear gas, made available with appropriated funds or through export licenses to foreign security forces that the Secretary of State has credible information have repeatedly used excessive force to repress peaceful, lawful, and organized dissent.”

The omnibus bill still needs to be formally voted on and signed by the president, but the provisions in the foreign operations section are the product of completed negotiations between ranking members.

Last month, protesters in Egypt’s Tahrir Square found themselves under a barrage of tear gas for several days during demonstrations ahead of the country’s first democratic elections. Many of the tear gas canisters recovered in the square bore the words “Made in the USA,” prompting outrage from Egyptian protesters and American human rights groups alike.

The State Department condemned the excessive use of tear gas during the protests, and said it would look into claims that it had been used in violation of the terms of the licenses.

But the Department declined to detail the sales, and earlier this month, Amnesty International discovered that even amid the continued foment in Cairo, the Department continued to approve more shipments of suppressive materials to Egypt. One of the shipments arrived at a port in Egypt just a few days after an incident that involved tear gas attacks on protesters, sparking renewed outrage in the Egyptian press.

The tough language in the 2012 spending bill doesn’t actually introduce new restrictions to the sale of tear gas or rubber bullets to suppressive regimes, but in requiring the State Department to report on the sales, it satisfies one fundamental concern of several advocacy groups.

“It’s a good thing that this issue is breaking out into the open,” said Sanjeev Bery, the Middle East and North Africa advocacy director for Amnesty. “It’s going to force the State Department to answer these questions. The big concern is that the U.S. government is a massive funder of the Egyptian government and military, and the U.S. government should neither be funding these transfers, nor approving them.”

A spokesman for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) confirmed that the senator, who has long expressed his concern about reports of misused tear gas and rubber bullets, had advocated for the language currently in the bill.

The foreign operations budget also includes a handful of specific conditions that must be met by Egypt’s military before it receives the $1.3 billion in aid that the United States sends it every year.

The conditions, which had been in the Senate’s version of the bill but omitted from the original House one, mean that the military must show it is fully “supporting the transition to civilian government” and other tenets of a free society before the funds would be approved.
But the bill also includes a wide provision that would allow the secretary of state to waive any of those requirements should she find it to be “in the national security interest of the United States.”

Some democracy advocates were disappointed by the waiver, saying that it sent a mixed signal to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which currently rules Egypt.

“This was an opportunity for Congress to really make a statement and to let the SCAF know that we are supportive of a full transition to democracy,” said Sarah Trister, of the democracy-promotion group Freedom House. “So while the language is good, it’s not as good as it could be.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has long made it clear that the administration opposes imposing any conditions on aid to the Egyptian military.
“We are against conditionality,” Clinton told reporters during a September meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister in Washington. “We will be working very hard with the Congress to convince the Congress that that is not the best approach to take. We believe that the long-standing relationship between the United States and Egypt is of paramount importance to both of us. We support the democratic transition, and we don’t want to do anything that in any way draws into question our relationship or our support.”

A State Department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the conditions in the omnibus bill.

[cb editor: read next article in contrast to the crap Vice Admiral Moore is spewing…]

MOORE: Bahrain, a vital U.S. ally – Backing protesters would betray a friend and harm American security
By Vice Adm. Charles W. Moore – The Washington Times – November 30, 2011

Imagine a world in which U.S. and allied forces had to travel thousands of extra miles to defend vital interests in the Middle East.

Imagine how pleased the Iranians would be if they knew their navy could have uncontested access to anywhere in the Gulf without fear of an immediate response.

If that’s not the kind of world you want to confront, then you should care greatly about continuing the incredibly important U.S. partnership with Bahrain.

As former Middle East force commander and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William Crowe, has said, Bahrain is “pound for pound, man for man, the best ally the United States has anywhere in the world.”

Bahrain has been there for us during good times and bad since the end of World War II.

In 1948, Sheik Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the amir of Bahrain, courageously decided to allow U.S. Navy ships to use Bahrain as a port of call.

U.S. forces established a full-time basing arrangement with Bahrain in 1971. This agreement took on new significance during the first Gulf War, with forces in that country providing critical support for the liberation of Kuwait.

In recognition of the need for an ongoing, large naval presence in the Middle East, the 5th Fleet was established in 1995 with its headquarters in Bahrain.

Since that time, the extraordinary U.S.-Bahrain security partnership has only continued to grow, and the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters has become the centerpiece of allied efforts to promote peace and stability in the Gulf.

We and our friends in the region depend on Bahrain for operations covering almost 2.5 million square miles of water area, including the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean. …more

Precipitating the Inevitable: The Surprisingly Benign Impact of Losing Basing Rights in Bahrain

by Michael Koplovsky Advisor: CDR Jeffrey Fullerton, USN

Joint Military Operations Department, Naval War College
686 Cushing Road Newport, RI 02841-1207

What if the U.S. military lost basing rights in Bahrain? Could the United States continue to achieve U.S. national security goals in the Persian Gulf and surrounding region — including success in the War on Terrorism and responding to a resurgent Iran — without the permanent presence of the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Command, a U.S. Marine Corps amphibious unit and pre-positioned U.S. Air Force materiel in Bahrain? This paper argues that alternate basing and other force posture options can in combination adequately compensate for lost advantages in terms of operational factors space, time, and force. In fact, the paper argues that such options could better reconcile risks and costs as the military adopts base realignment and force re-posturing, enhancing U.S. flexibility, responsiveness, and effectiveness. The loss of Bahrain basing rights might precipitate the inevitable evolution toward a more diversified, technologically advanced and flexible force posture and projection that deemphasizes a robust permanent forward presence, as recommended by recent Pentagon reports. While this paper analyzes the loss of access to Bahrain, the conclusions could apply to the loss of basing privileges in countries throughout the region.
…read the entire report HERE

Letter to the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commissioner
On the Case of ‘Amir ‘Iyada – December 16, 2011 – by Human Rights Watch

To: Dr. Bandar al-‘Iban
Chairman Human Rights Commission
Riyadh – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Your Excellency,

Human Rights Watch urges you to intervene in the case of ‘Amir ‘Iyada, and five other co-defendants, sentenced to have their right hands and left feet cut off. Such a sentence should not be carried out in any circumstances, since it constitutes torture, in violation of the kingdom’s international human rights obligations. Moreover, in this case, allegedly grave violations of the defendant’s right to a fair trial cast serious doubt on whether the man sentenced to undergo this punishment is guilty as charged.

We ask you to assign ‘Iyada and the others a competent lawyer, as the Commission has done in other cases, to request a retrial of ‘Iyada and his five co-defendants, and to publicly denounce the punishment imposed as unlawful torture. We also ask you to regularly and frequently visit ‘Iyada and the other defendants in Malaz prison, to ensure that they suffer no adverse consequences from the publicity given their case.

The charter of the Human Rights Commission, a government ministry, tasks it with “receiving complaints on matters of human rights, verifying them, and subsequently taking the necessary action required” (art. 5.7.) as well as “to ascertain that the respective government entities have complied fully with the rules and regulations related to human rights practice” (art. 5.1.), “to pursue government agencies to ascertain its compliance on international treaties [sic]” (art.5.6.), and gives it the right to visit places of detention (art. 5.6.).

Details of the Case

On January 25, 2011, Riyadh’s General Court sentenced ‘Iyada and five other defendants to have their right hand and left leg amputated for participating in the crime that Sharia legal scholars call hiraba, or armed (highway) robbery. The court found that on the morning of October 9, 2010, the defendants cornered three employees of the Tamimi supermarket on Riyadh’s King Fahd Road as they were transporting the week’s proceeds of SAR4 million (about US$1.07 million) in the boot of their car, that they threatened the employees with a gun, and that they took the money from them. No one was physically harmed.

Bahrain opposition leader to meet British minister
17 December 2011 – AFP

AFP – Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt gestures during a press conference held at the British embassy to Algiera, Algiers, 2010. Bahrain’s Shiite opposition leader said Friday he is to meet the British minister for the Middle East in London, a week after the Gulf state’s King Hamad visited Britain.

Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt gestures during a press conference held at the British embassy to Algiera, Algiers, 2010. Bahrain’s Shiite opposition leader said Friday he is to meet the British minister for the Middle East in London, a week after the Gulf state’s King Hamad visited Britain.

AFP – Bahrain’s Shiite opposition leader said Friday he is to meet the British minister for the Middle East in London, a week after the Gulf state’s King Hamad visited Britain.

“I will meet Mr. Alistair Burt on Monday,” Ali Salman, leader of Bahrain’s Al-Wefaq group, told AFP. The Foreign Office could not confirm the meeting.

Burt paid a two-day visit to Bahrain this week, where he met members of the government as well as representatives of business, media and civil society.

Salman said he had already met with a group of lawmakers in parliament during his trip to Britain.

In talks Monday at Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron urged King Hamad to stick to his pledges of reform after a probe found police used excessive force against demonstrators, the premier’s office said.

An independent commission said last month the death toll from a crackdown on Shiite-led pro-democracy protests earlier this year in Bahrain had reached 35, and police had used “excessive force” and tortured detainees.

The king has vowed to enact reforms.

Salman welcomed Cameron’s comments, saying: “Pushing the government to do real reform is welcome from us.”

Britain has close trade and defence links to Bahrain but amid pressure from rights groups, London revoked licences for the export of some security equipment to the Gulf state. …source

…more

Dozens of Bahraini protesters injured
Fri Dec 16, 2011 – PressTV

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked anti-government protests across the kingdom, injuring dozens of protesters demanding an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.

Bahraini activists say regime forces attacked protesters using knives in some villages near the capital, Manama on Friday after protesters blocked off several roads including the country’s main highway.

Government troops also arrested at least 13 teenagers in the northwestern village of Diraz for chanting anti-monarchy slogans, the opposition reported.

The nationwide rallies came one day after Bahraini forces killed a teenage protester in Abu Saiba town. Ali al-Kassab, 17, was killed on Thursday after he was run over by a police car.

Also on Thursday, regime forces detained prominent blogger and rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja for staging an anti-government sit-in at a roundabout on the Budaiya highway west of Manama.

She was handcuffed, dragged and beaten by the police after she refused to leave the sit-in site. Other protesters were dispersed after security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades. Maryam al-Khwaja, a prominent human rights activist and the daughter of a senior opposition figure, is now in police custody.

Bahrainis have been holding street protests demanding an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty since mid-February. Peaceful demonstrators are attacked with live rounds and tear gas.

On November 23, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, set up to investigate reports of rights abuse during the crackdown, announced that the regime had used ”excessive force” to crush the uprising.

Bahraini opposition, however, say that nothing has changed since the government-authorized international investigation publicized last month found numerous human rights abuses. …source

Freedom House Calls for Release of Bahraini Activists Al Khawaja and Al Sayed
Washington – December 15, 2011 – Freedom House

Freedom House condemns the arrest of three democracy activists during a peaceful demonstration in Bahrain today and calls on authorities to immediately release the two that remain in custody, Zainab al Khawaja and Masooma al Sayed.

Bahraini security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters today along the Budaiya highway leading into the capital, Manama. Al Kawaja and al Sayed, along with a third woman, Mariam Sarraj, were cuffed and dragged away by police after refusing to leave a sit-in in nearby roundabout after the protests were shut down. Bahraini authorities released a statement that two women had been arrested for illegal gathering and one has been accused of assaulting a female police officer. The alleged assault is refuted by witness reports as well as photo and video documentation of the arrests. Sources close to the women state that they have been transferred to public prosecution, raising fears that they will be put in jail without a fair trial. Sarraj was released earlier today without charge.

“Despite its rhetoric to the contrary, today’s crackdown calls into question whether the government of Bahrain is serious about real reform,” said Daniel Calingaert, vice president for policy and external relations at Freedom House. “Bahrainis are sickof hearing that reform is on the way. They want to see tangible evidence, beginning with the ability to demonstrate peacefully without fear of prosecution.” …more

Bahrain abuses continuing, London seminar told
16 December, 2011 – Shia Post

London: Human rights abuses in Bahrain are continuing unabated despite the regime being indicted by its own commission, a seminar at the British parliament attended by lawyers and some of the victims, has been told.

In the opening speech, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury, said that the regime is indicted not only by the Bahrain Independent Commission for Investigation (BICI) report but by a number of independent human rights bodies which have made similar accusations and more.

The big question is whether the report, ordered by the king and presented by international United Nations war crimes expert, Cherif Bissiouni, is good for Bahrain, Avebury said.

He said for the regime it did one thing, it removed international pressure to stop torture, arbitrary detention, extra-judicial killing and dismissal of workers.

Avebury told the seminar at the House of Lords, entitled “Dead End for a regime guilty of systematic torture,” that the commission also gave the regime “breathing space” after being set up in June. …more

Tunisia: “Bahrain Free Free, Khalifa Out Out”
by Eslam al-Rihani – 16 December, 2011 – Bahrain Freedom Movement

In a remarkable statement Thursday, the new president of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki stressed his country’s support to the Bahrain people, who are peacefully revolting against the dictatorship of the King of Bahrain Hamad Al Khalifa.

“Bahrain Free Free, Khalifa Out Out”, Marzouki boldly said after a meeting with reporters in the capital city of Tunisia, calling upon the king of Bahrain to step down.

Marzouki also announced his advocacy of the Bahraini people’s revolution and noted that it is an issue of Arab peoples living under dictatorship regimes.

“Bahrainis are suffering from corruption, injustice and oppression just like what Tunisians had suffered.”

Marzouki also stressed the battle of Bahrainis is part of that of Tunisians.

“We say to our brothers in Bahrain, we the Tunisians support them as Arabs, and support them in their struggle, because the problems they have, such as corruption, injustice and oppression are the same that we have had.”

Marzouki expressed beliefs that “the Bahraini regime wants to play with the sectarian card, i.e. the Sunnis and Shiites, but we in Tunisia do not consider the issue as such. We believe it is the cause of peoples suffering from the Arab dictatorships which do not differentiate between Sunnis and Shiites.”

“It is the battle of peoples against the tyrants and has nothing to do with religions or sects … We say to our brothers in Bahrain: we totally stand by your side, we feel pain when you feel it, and we consider your battle a part of our battle.”

It is worthy to note that Tunisian President’s statements came amid a semi-total Arab and Muslim silence regarding Al-Khalifa’s brutal crackdown against the peaceful revolution of Bahraini people.

International organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the U.N. human rights agency, have repeatedly accused the government of violating citizens’ rights, citing allegations of torture, unfair trials, excessive use of force and violent repression.

In November, investigations conducted by the panel commissioned by Ben-Khalifa revealed that security forces “used excessive force” while “many detainees were tortured,” Bahraini Commission of inquiry stated.

Bahraini Authorities say 24 people, including four policemen, were killed in the unrest, while the Shiite-led opposition puts the death toll at 30. Hundreds more were injured.

In March, Bahraini security forces boosted by some 1,000 Gulf troops crushed the month-long uprising in Manama’s Pearl Square, epicenter of the peaceful anti-government movement. …more

It is here we see new heights of US hypocrisy regarding Bahrain become so clear, State Department special coordinator on Middle East affairs Frederic Hof told US lawmakers: “Does the regime permit peaceful protest? Does the regime allow the political opposition to organize, discuss and deliberate without fear of assassination or arrest?” He was talking about Syria.

[cb editor: The US may be content with having laid waste to the economy and State in Syria, rather than conducting a Libya style disintegration and destruction backed by international supporters. In retrospect, it seems there was really more of an apathetic silence toward the pariah State of Gaddafi than international support . One hopes the international community has wised up and won’t assist in the same exploitation of Syria. Sadly, the ensuing Civil War will likely neutralize Syria and the miseries that follow will not cease until a there is a significant change in the power structure of Syria or an escalation toward regional war. Its now a game of wait and see…

In the meantime, the US is calling on Russia, India and China, to help finish off Syria. Ultimately this call is intended to hasten the US isolation and destruction of Iran. It’s doubtful these nations will join in any way that will help flip the Mideast in favor of the US. The US will surely attempt to persuade these nations with economic black mail, masquerading as a Syrian rescue plan, as their economies too reap the global disaster of failed capitalism in the West.

It is here we see new heights of US hypocrisy regarding Bahrain become clear, State Department special coordinator on Middle East affairs Frederic Hof just argued to US lawmakers: “Does the regime permit peaceful protest? Does the regime allow the political opposition to organize, discuss and deliberate without fear of assassination or arrest?” The questions were in reference to Syria. ]

US: Syrian regime is ‘dead men walking’
by Staff Writers – Washington (AFP) – Dec 14, 2011

The United States portrayed Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian government as “dead men walking” on Wednesday, and urged Russia, China and India to put politics aside to stand with the West on action against the regime.

“Our view is that this regime is the equivalent of dead men walking,” State Department special coordinator on Middle East affairs Frederic Hof told US lawmakers in a hearing on US policy toward Damascus.

In testimony to the House of Representatives foreign affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, Hof said it was clear that the regime of Assad, whose security forces have engaged in a months-long bloody crackdown on protesters, would not survive.

“It is difficult to predict how much time they have,” he said.

Should Assad manage to cling to power, it would be as a despot who would “preside over a Pyongyang in Levant,” crippled by sanctions much like the isolated North Korean regime, he added.

Hof also said it was vital for UN Security Council efforts to protect Syrians from Assad’s oppressive forces, calling on Russia, China and India to stop opposing UN action.

“We ask those governments that are insulating this regime from the will of Syria’s citizenry: do not make innocent civilians pay the price for your political calculations,” Hof said.

“The international community’s duty to the Syrian people transcends power politics,” he testified.

“We ask that Russia, China, India and others address some basic questions: Does the regime permit peaceful protest? Does the regime allow the political opposition to organize, discuss and deliberate without fear of assassination or arrest?”

Hof said Washington must “redouble our efforts with Moscow to persuade it that it’s backing of this regime is not only helping to facilitate a humanitarian catastrophe, but it is manifestly not in the interests of the Russian Federation because change is surely coming to Syria.”

Washington has expressed frustration in recent weeks over what it sees as efforts by Russia and China to stymie UN action. …more

Egyptian protesters poisoned in Tahrir Square
December 15, 2011 – Al Akhbar

At least 120 people have been poisoned during a sit-in at Egypt’s Tahrir Square on Wednesday, medics reported.

Protesters began feeling severe stomach aches and vomiting after eating sandwiches brought to them by unidentified delivery people.

“Yesterday a woman brought food which was poisoned and she distributed it to everyone that was at the sit-in, and everyone ate from the food,” Doctor Amji, preferring not to give her full name, told al-Akhbar.

Amji said only one woman was seen by medics bringing 20 sandwiches, but soon realized that all of the sandwiches brought to the camp were poisoned and delivered by more than one perpetrator.

“From what I understand from the doctors, she brought in 20 sandwiches, then they all ate. After an hour or two, people started coming to the clinic saying they had severe stomach pains, and of course we tried to treat them using first-aid,” she said.

“People were vomiting and then we sent them to hospitals in ambulances,” the doctor said, adding that “120 people were affected.”

The situation stabilized on Thursday and there have been no more reports of poisonings, but activists are on high alert as they persist with a sit-in aimed at toppling Egypt’s military rulers.

Deadly clashes erupted in Tahrir Square last month as tens of thousands of protesters rallied against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), resulting in the deaths of 42 people with over 2,000 wounded.

Despite holding peaceful parliamentary elections, the SCAF continue to employ questionable methods reminiscent of Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

The SCAF reimposed Egypt’s dreaded emergency laws in September, and still detain activists, bloggers, and journalists before summoning them to military courts.

Many Egyptians believe the military is attempting to consolidate its power, and doubt its commitment to transferring its rule to a civilian government.

Reinforcing activist suspicions of the SCAF’s commitment to democracy, prominent Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil was sentenced by a military court on Wednesday to two years in jail for “insulting” the military.

Another high profile blogger, Alaa Abdel Fattah, remains detained awaiting his trial in front of a military court, missing the birth of his first child last week. …more

Getting Detained and Gassed
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF – Published: December 14, 2011- NYT

Nothing like getting pulled into a police car to glimpse, through a haze of tear gas, hints of a police state.

The royal family in this American ally of Bahrain deserves immense credit for turning a desert island in the Persian Gulf into a modern banking center. The rulers have educated Bahrainis, built a large English-speaking middle class, empowered women and fostered such moderation that the ambassador to Washington is a woman from Bahrain’s tiny Jewish community.

Yet our pals here also represent a brutal, family-run dictatorship, and few countries crushed the Arab Spring so decisively as Bahrain. The regime helpfully displayed this darker side a few days ago when riot police attacked the video journalist accompanying me and detained both of us.

We had tagged along to watch the small protests and clashes that continue to bubble up almost every evening in the villages of Bahrain. The pattern is invariably the same. A small group begins shouting “Down with Hamad,” the king, and begins winding through the streets, with men and women running from their homes to join in.

One clash began when young men hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police (protesters hugely undermine their cause when they do this). Later in the evening, in another village, a different group of marchers remained peaceful and held their arms out to show police that they were unarmed. But then one young man reached down and hurled a rock at the police officers — who immediately fired a barrage of tear gas grenades and charged at us.

I ran.

The Times video journalist with me, Adam B. Ellick, stood his ground to record the scene. Policemen ran at him and — as Ellick shouted that he was an American journalist — one officer roughed him up and clubbed the camera, breaking part of it. If that’s what they do to a Western journalist, you can imagine what would happen if they were to catch a kid with a rock.

Then the police pulled Ellick to a police car and stuffed him inside. He telephoned me, so I staggered through the tear gas to see if I could extricate him.

So much for my persuasive powers: The police promptly detained me as well. They wedged me in the back seat of a different police car but treated me courteously. The detention turned out to be a fascinating “embed,” because the police freely shared their venomous hatred of the protesters and their delusional view that they are all paid by Iran.

After about 30 minutes, a senior policeman arrived, asked us a few questions and then freed us. A few hours later came a classic touch of Bahrain propaganda: The government announced that we hadn’t been detained but had “sought police protection.” …more

Doing the Right Thing in Bahrain
by Sarah Trister and Husain Abdullah – 15/12/2011 – Bahrain Freedom Movement

In November an international commission organized and paid for by the Bahraini government found that there has been widespread and systematic abuses committed against protesters in the small gulf nation since uprisings began in February, 2011.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was commissioned by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to examine alleged abuses that occurred in February and March of 2011. Made up of highly-renowned international legal experts, the commission’s scope overlapped with investigations by numerous international and local NGOs into the widespread, and ongoing, crackdown that included torture of political prisoners, extra-judicial killings and detentions, military trials of civilians, the intentional demolition of religious sites, and the use of excessive force against unarmed civilians. The report corroborated these widespread abuses.

After an undoubtedly awkward public reading of the report findings, to which the government had invited numerous NGOs, foreign dignitaries, and members of the media, the King said he was dismayed by the findings and would create a commission to implement recommended reforms. The reforms outlined in the report are a positive step in the right direction, although the commission neglected to tackle the core issue causing the unrest: the lack of a representative, free, and fair political system. Moreover, leaving the reform effort solely in the hands of the very people responsible for committing the abuses seems contrary to the spirit of the commission.

The Bahraini government, meanwhile, has done little to demonstrate it is serious about implementing reform. On the day of the report’s release at least one protester was killed in further crackdowns. Peaceful protesters continue to face violence, harassment, and arrest while prosecutions and trials of political prisoners continue. And though the report cites the release of political prisoners and the dropping of charges against others as a sign of goodwill on the part of the government, it neglects to mention that simultaneously, more were being arrested and charged, creating a revolving door of trumped-up charges and false imprisonment. Such behavior does not inspire confidence in the government’s commitment to change.

If the government of Bahrain is serious about moving toward reconciliation it should immediately release all political prisoners, dismiss trumped-up charges against civilians including medical professionals who treated injured protesters, reinstate workers who lost their jobs for political reasons, immediately end the use of torture, stop extra-judicial killings and detentions, and proceed with reparations to those harmed. High level officials responsible for ordering or condoning abuses must be investigated and prosecuted. Peaceful protests should be allowed to take place and censorship of media and harassment of journalists should cease. Most importantly, the royal family must facilitate a serious dialogue with the opposition and steps should be taken to have free and fair parliamentary elections in order to write a new constitutional framework. …more

Obama Directive Protects LGBT Rights Across U.S. Government, Massimino Says
December 6, 2011 – Human Right First

Washington, DC – Ahead of President Barack Obama’s scheduled 11 a.m. announcement detailing a directive to protect LGBT rights across U.S. government agencies, Human Rights First President & CEO Elisa Massimino issued the following statement:

“LGBT rights are human rights. The Obama Administration should be commended for its ongoing efforts to lead in the protection of LGBT rights at home and abroad. Today’s directive is reflective of the President’s promise to create an America where all people are equal regardless of their race, religion, or sexual identity.” …source

Al Wefaq welcomes the “High Commissioner for Human Rights” delegation and hopes it will play role to stop the violations in Bharain

Al Wefaq Islamic national Society welcomed the High Commissioner for Human Rights Office delegation which will be arriving at the Kingdom of Bahrain soon, that is, after the serious violations the kingdom has experienced as some were revealed in Mr. Bassiouni’s Committee which was formed by the authority in Bahrain.

The society confirmed the High Commissioner for human rights is a neutral international Foundation and has close follow-up of the humanitarian situation and human rights everywhere, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, which suffers from terrible abuses against the largest cross-section in the Bahrain due to demands of democratic transformation.

Al Wefaq assured that the people of Bahrain and its citizens that are violated against welcome the delegation, expressing its full cooperation with it and hoping for the delegation to have freedom of movement to observe the miserable human rights situation in Bahrain. The society is ambitious that the delegation plays a vital role in the implementation of the BICI recommendations, as there are serious fears that the authority will get around them as it did with recommendations I and II.

The society stressed the central role of the High Commissioner for human rights office and its knowledge of the human rights situation experienced in Bahrain before and during the 1990s, and later formal systematic violation of the universal principles and foundations of human rights. The UN OHCHR office is well informed of the procrastination tactics towards compliance with the commitments undertaken by the authorities, while adding violations in the beginning of this year when the people chose to start a national pro-democracy movement and draw their map of political reform, they were insulted and violated against as the authority imposed National Safety Situation (State of Emergency) which was condemned both locally and internationally. …source

USCIRF Comments on Bahrain Independent Human Rights Report
For Immediate Release – December 14, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Bahraini government-appointed committee should address concerns related to the demolition earlier this year of dozens of Shi’a Muslim religious structures, said the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

On November 23, the Bahraini Independent Commission on Inquiry (BICI), created and funded by the Bahraini government, released a 500-page report detailing systematic and egregious abuses in the government’s response to protests earlier this year. The BICI report includes findings and recommendations related to the destruction of Shi’a religious sites by government authorities.

The BICI received information that 53 Shi’a religious structures were demolished by Bahraini authorities between March 1 and May 11. The report found that, in violation of its own law, the Bahraini government did not give adequate notice of the demolitions nor did it allow judicial review before the demolitions took place. The BICI findings on the destruction of religious sites, and other Bahraini government abuses, affirmed a number of previous reports Bahraini and international human rights groups have issued that came to many of the same conclusions.

“Most of the BICI findings about the destruction of Shi’a religious structures are detailed and specific, including that the timing of the demolitions was ‘perceived as a collective punishment’ and provoked further tension between the government and the Shi’a population,” said USCIRF chair Leonard Leo. “However, the recommendations are incomplete, and do not help ensure that illegally destroyed religious structures are rebuilt or that the Shi’a community is adequately compensated or restituted for loss of religious materials.” …more

EA World News – 13 December, 2011

In Bahrain, opposition societies organised a gathering on Tuesday which was “like a festival”, according to an EA eyewitness, with only one speech and bands playing national songs:

The largest opposition group, Al Wefaq, put out a statement declaring that the regime is not serious about reform, with no easing of human rights violations despite the criticisms in the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.

Later in the evening, security forces dispersed protests in a number of Bahraini villages. …source

Mexico’s universal struggle against power and forgetting
Sunday, December 4, 2011 – By John Pilger – Green Left

Alameda Park is Mexico City’s languid space for lovers and open-air ballroom dancers: the gents in two-tone shoes, the ladies in finery and heels.

The cobbled paths undulate from the great earthquake of 1985. You imagine the fairground sinking into the cobwebs of cracks, its Edwardian organ playing forlornly. Two small churches nearby totter precariously: the surreal is Mexico’s facade.

Hidden behind the poplars is the museum where Diego Rivera’s mural “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” occupies the entire ground floor. You sink into sofa chairs and journey for an hour across his masterpiece.

Originally painted at the Hotel Prado in 1947, it was rescued and restored when the earthquake demolished all around. More than 45 feet long and 14 feet high, it presents the political warriors of Mexico’s past, from the conquistador Hernando Cortes to Rivera himself, depicted as a child holding the hand of a fashionably dressed skeleton, the iconic symbol of the Day of the Dead.

Standing maternally beside him is his wife, Frida Kahlo, Mexico’s artistic heroine. Around them parade the impervious rich and unrequited poor.

What is it about Mexico that is a universal political dream? As in a Rivera mural, nothing is held back: no class martyrdom, no colonial tragedy. The message is freedom next time.

The autocracy that emerged from the revolution of 1910-19 gave itself the Orwellian-name Party of the Institutionalised Revolution. This was eventually replaced by businesspeople promising a pseudo democracy, which in 1994 embraced Bill Clinton’s rapacious North American Free Trade Association.

Within a year, a million jobs were destroyed south of the border, along with Emiliano Zapata’s revolutionary triumph, the constitutional protection of indigenous land from sale or privatisation.

At a stroke, Mexico surrendered its economy to Wall Street.

The beneficiaries of the new, privatised Mexico are those like Carlos Slim, now ahead of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man, whose fingers are lodged in every imaginable pie: from food and construction to the national telephone company.

A US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks said, “The net worth of the 10 richest people of Mexico ― a country where more than 40 per cent of the population lives in poverty ― represents roughly 10 per cent of the gross domestic product.”

The last election, in 2006, was won by Felipe Calderon, Washington’s man, followed by persistent allegations that it was rigged. Calderon declared what he calls “a war on drug gangs” and 50,000 dead are the result. No one doubts the menace of the drug cartels, but the real “security issue” is more likely the resistance of ordinary Mexicans to an enduring inequity and a rotten elite.

For most of this year, thousands of los indignados (“the outraged”) have taken over the huge parade ground known as the Zocalo facing the National Palace.

The occupations in Wall Street and around the world have their genesis in Latin America. The difference here is there is none of the angst about the protesters’ “focus”. …more