US pushes Bahrain arms deal despite abuses
Obama administration using legal loophole to sell arms to Bahrain despite ongoing abuses and crackdown on NGOs.
Gregg Carlstrom – 02 February, 2012 – Al Jazeera

The Obama administration is pushing to close an arms deal with Bahrain, despite the government’s nearly year-long crackdown against protesters and recent steps to block American NGOs from operating in the island kingdom.

A previous arms sale was suspended late last year after fierce opposition from human rights groups and members of Congress. But the White House is now taking advantage of a legal loophole to push forward a separate deal without congressional approval.

The deal is also advancing despite the Bahraini government’s recent crackdown on several US-based NGOs, including the National Democratic Institute and Physicians for Human Rights. Staffers with valid Bahraini visas have been barred from entering the country.

Some of the organisations received letters informing them that their work was temporarily suspended, ostensibly until a national commission finishes reviewing the recommendations of the official commission which studied last year’s unrest.

“The commission’s deadline to complete this work is by the end of February,” said the letters, which were signed by Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s ambassador to the United States. “We therefore feel that it would be more beneficial for a visit from your esteemed organisation to take place after this date.”

Several of the organisations had issued critical reports on human rights abuses and restrictions on political freedom in Bahrain, where more than 40 people have been killed and thousands arrested during nearly a year of unrest.

“It’s ironic that there’s not much discussion of this, considering what’s happening in Egypt right now,” said Stephen McInerney, the director of the Project on Middle East Democracy, referring to a similar (though harsher) crackdown on American NGOs in Cairo.
No ‘internal security items’

The new arms sale, which was first reported by Josh Rogin in Foreign Policy, takes advantage of a legal loophole which allows the administration to make small sales – less than $1mn – without congressional approval. So a larger package could be broken into individual sales, each below the million-dollar threshold, to avoid notifying Congress.

The package will include patrol boats, communications equipment, and spare parts for helicopters and fighter jets, according to the US State Department, which insisted that “none of these items can be used against protesters.”
Full statement on arms deal

“Examples of what we are providing include spare parts and contractor maintenance support for existing F-16s, helicopters, and communications equipment. It includes items such as patrol boats for maritime security and support services for training Bahraini troops who are supporting coalition operations in Afghanistan. It does not include any new capabilities, nor would it include internal security items, such as small arms or tear gas.”

— State Department

“It does not include any new capabilities, nor would it include internal security items, such as small arms or tear gas,” a department spokesman said in a statement to Al Jazeera.

But some of the items in the proposed sale have indeed been used against protesters. Bahraini security forces routinely use helicopters to monitor demonstrations, for example, and activists say footage from those helicopters is sometimes used to identify and arrest participants.

The official report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) mentions at least three occasions on which military helicopters were deployed to monitor protests.

This latest deal is separate from an earlier proposal to sell Bahrain more than $50mn worth of weapons, including 44 Humvees. Those armoured vehicles have also been used against protesters on numerous occasions.

The administration has temporarily suspended that deal, though it can finish the sale at any time, because members of Congress did not file formal objections during the 90-day “notification period.” Congress could have blocked the deal during that period by passing a resolution of disapproval. …more

“Barefaced violation of all legislation or of laws specifically instituted to sanction ruling class deeds only increases the pressure from the people’s forces. The oligarchical dictatorships then attempt to use the old legal order to alter constitutionality and further oppress the proletariat without a frontal clash. At this point a contradiction arises. The people no longer support the old, and much less the new, coercive measures established by the dictatorship and try to smash them. We should never forget the class character, authoritarian and restrictive, that typifies the bourgeois state. Lenin refers to it in the following manner [in State and Revolution ]: “The state is the product and the manifestation of the irreconcilability of class antagonisms. The state arises when, where, and to the extent that class antagonisms objectively cannot be reconciled. And, conversely, the existence of the state proves that class antagonisms are irreconcilable.” In other words, we should not allow the word “democracy” to be utilized apologetically to represent the dictatorship of the exploiting classes; to lose its deeper meaning and acquire that of granting the people certain liberties, more or less adequate. To struggle only to restore a certain degree of bourgeois legality without considering the question of revolutionary power is to struggle for the return of a dictatorial order established by the dominant social classes. In other words, it is to struggle for a lighter iron ball to be fixed to the prisoner’s chain.” – Che Guevara
Guerrilla warfare: a Method …more

Bahrain Teenager’s Death Shows Tensions Persist Year After Popular Revolt
By Donna Abu-Nasr – 9 February, 2012 – Bloomberg

Mohammed Ibrahim Yacoub had a haircut, took a shower and left home with a friend as police clashed with Shiite Muslim protesters near his home in Sitra, Bahrain on Jan. 25. That was the last time his family saw their 18-year-old son alive.

There are competing narratives of what happened to Yacoub. His family, who are Shiites, say he was hit by two police cars that were chasing him, then detained, tortured and taken to hospital where he passed away. The government says he died as a result of complications from sickle-cell anemia following his arrest for vandalism.

Yacoub’s is one of several contested deaths in the run-up to the Feb. 14 anniversary of last year’s mass anti-government rallies. They were suppressed at a cost of at least 35 dead, exacerbating divisions between Bahrain’s Shiite majority and Sunni royals that may flare again as activists call for renewed protests. Violence has hurt the economy and fueled the rivalry between Saudi Arabia, which sent troops to help the crackdown, and Shiite-ruled Iran, accused by Bahrain’s authorities of encouraging the unrest.

There are “tensions in Bahrain that do have the potential of boiling over and creating economic instability,” Farouk Soussa, chief economist for the Middle East at Citigroup Inc. in Dubai, said in a phone interview. “There are no illusions that what happened over the past year was a one-off.”
Pearl Roundabout Demolished

Protesters say they will attempt to march to the former Pearl Roundabout, the center of last year’s rallies. The roundabout has been demolished by the government and the surrounding area turned into a restricted military zone. Demonstrators attempting to reach it in December were met with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

The opposition says several people have died after torture, like Yacoub, or tear gas inhalation, allegations the government denies.

Shiites represent about two thirds of the nation’s population of 1.2 million, according to the U.S. State Department. In demonstrations in February and March, they demanded democratic representation and equal economic opportunities, saying that they faced discrimination in jobs and housing and that the elected parliament lacks power. …more

Bahraini activist goes on hunger strike before anniversary of uprising
9 February 2012 – The Guardian

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, convicted of leading last year’s protests, restarts hunger strike calling for his release

A jailed rights activist in Bahrain has gone back on hunger strike before the anniversary of the country’s pro-democracy uprising on 14 February, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights has said.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was one of 14 prominent figures convicted of leading the protests who took part in an eight-day hunger strike to demand their release. Bahraini authorities said that hunger strike ended last week.

“Al-Khawaja said in a telephone call to his family: ‘Freedom or death,’ which means he started an open hunger strike until his release,” said the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights on its website.

The opposition is trying to put pressure on the government, dominated by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family, before the anniversary of the uprising. The reforms they want include an elected government – the first in the Gulf – and reduced powers for the al-Khalifas.

Bahrain imposed martial law in March last year and asked troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help crush the month-old uprising.

The government said the island’s majority Shia Muslims had co-ordinated the protests with Iran for sectarian reasons, an accusation the opposition has denied.
…more

Bahrain Women Protesters ‘Tortured by Regime’
9 February, 2012 – By Anissa Haddadi – International Business Times

The Bahraini government has been accused of increasing the use of torture of women activists in prison as it hardens its stand against pro-democracy protesters.

With the first anniversary of protests approaching on 14 February, fresh accusations have surfaced about the government’s treatment of opponents in the small island state. Activists said that the government has failed to implement most of the recommendations set be the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BCIC) into alleged human rights abuses.

Teachers, doctors, athletes and others seens as enemies of the regime continue to be arrested or are banned from work. A media blackout has been enforced ahead of the anniversary with numerous journalists refused visas.

More than 1,000 Bahrainis have been detained – 11 percent of them women – since a state of emergency was declared in March 2011 in response to the protests and stories of the torture of female prisoners continue to emerge.

“The use of torture is ongoing; we are still receiving reports of torture from detainees that are in prison,” Maryam al-Khawaja, a Human right activist working for the BCHR told the IBTimes.

Among the victims are:

Bahiya Abdulrasool al-Aradi, a 51-year-old woman who went missing in March 2011. She was last seen driving her car and was on the phone with her sister when she heard gunshots. Aradi disappeared and her family were called by the authorities a few days later. and told that she was in a Bahrain military hospital on life support. The authorities said she died of “brain injury” but the BCIC said she had been shot from behind.
…more

“People have no alternative — all we have is tires to burn and Molotovs to throw,” one activist said. “As long as the government is not ready to respond, anything is possible.”

Now both government and opposition are preparing for a tense month as the February 14 anniversary of the first pro-democracy protests approaches. …more

Bahrain activists to recreate spirit of Pearl Roundabout
9 February, 2012 – Reuters – World Bulletin

On the Feb. 14 anniversary of the uprising, activists have vowed to march back to the roundabout – now a sealed-off traffic intersection under tight guard by security forces.

Bahraini activists dreaming of a return to the roundabout in Manama at the heart of a popular uprising last year have tried to recreate the electric atmosphere in a makeshift “Freedom Square” ahead of next week’s anniversary of the unrest.

Pearl Roundabout – focal point of a month-long movement that the Gulf Arab state crushed in March 2011 – was reconfigured on a plot of land in an outlying district where the government approved opposition party rallies, while sending police to break up nightly demonstrations by youths in other districts.

Dubbed Freedom Square to evoke the spirit of the now off-limits roundabout, it became the scene of nightly rallies this week, with rousing political speeches, pop songs promising victory, food stalls, flag-waving and children endlessly honking the refrain “Down with (King) Hamad” on toy trumpets.

The rallies were ignored by state media but were licensed by the interior ministry after a request by opposition parties. They were held in an area outside Manama where opposition support is strong.

On the Feb. 14 anniversary of the uprising, activists have vowed to march back to the roundabout – now a sealed-off traffic intersection under tight guard by security forces.

Violence between police and activists has resurged in recent weeks with protesters throwing petrol bombs and blocking some roads with burning tyres. Activists say at least two people died in police custody and others from apparent effects of tear gas. The government disputes the causes of death.

“Our prophet Mohammed, who taught us the true peaceful path, brought us to Pearl Roundabout last year. He leads us now to Freedom Square and brings us together in love and brotherhood,” Ahlam al-Khoza’i boomed on Wednesday, the last of five rally evenings, to a crowd of 10,000 people.

She went on to describe being held up at checkpoints for hours by Pakistani police who spoke to her in English, while foreigners were allowed through. “Have you every heard of someone being a stranger in his own country?” she said.

Assertions, denied by Bahrain, that Sunni Muslim foreigners like Pakistanis have been brought into the Gulf Arab country to offset the demographic strength of Shi’ite Muslims who lead the opposition have been at the centre of demands for political and economic reforms. The government has given parliament more powers to question ministers and scrutinise budgets.

Debating tactics

The “Freedom Square” rallies highlighted a divide in the opposition between parties prepared to coordinate with the authorities and street activists, organising anonymously under the name 14 February Youth Coalition, who skirmish regularly with riot police.

In one tent, youth activists debated the worth of going back to Pearl Roundabout — which the government has renamed Farouq Junction — and staging unlicensed marches. Some argued that too much emphasis was being placed on a dangerous gamble to return.

“We long for Feb. 14 and there is inflamed passion for the Roundabout. But the mind should control our passions,” one woman said. Another said the capabilities of security forces were stronger than the protesters’ will to return.

The pearl monument that stood at the centre of the roundabout was torn down after the government imposed a period of martial law and ushered in Saudi troops to help suppress the revolt. It now features in street graffiti and a model is often carried at marches.

“Feb. 14 put out statements but young people get hurt. I’m ready to sacrifice but not for nothing,” Hussein, a chef from Sitra who had bad memories of detention last year, told Reuters. “I have no problem with going back to the roundabout but it should be more organised.”

An accounting student told the seminar that street mobilisation was better than electronic activism.

“We need to increase our actions so that Feb. 14 is not just a normal day,” he said afterwards, adding police should only be informed of marches rather than approached for permission.

He said activist violence of recent weeks was only in response to police actions. “We don’t want a problem with them (police), they are our brothers, if they don’t want to kill us. We only used Molotovs after honour was violated,” he said. …more

Bahrain refuses journalists seeking to cover protest anniversary
7 February, 2012 – LA Times – Emily Alpert

Bahrain has turned down several journalists for visas to visit the Persian Gulf nation on the one-year anniversary of sweeping antigovernment protests next Tuesday, telling them it has gotten too many requests.

The rejected journalists include New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who was detained in Bahrain while watching protests in December, along with correspondents for the BBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor and other outlets. Several took to Twitter, saying they received letters citing the “high volume of requests” as the reason for being turned down.

“This is the hallmark of a repressive regime — not allowing journalists into the country,” said Brian Dooley of the nonprofit Human Rights First. He was turned down for a visa in January. “The government is only fueling suspicions that they don’t want the rest of the world to see what’s going to happen.”

Bahrain, an island state near Saudi Arabia run by a Sunni Muslim monarchy, has been roiled by violent protests during the last year. Protesters have agitated for greater democracy, saying that Shiite Muslims are systematically discriminated against. The demonstrations kicked off Feb. 14, 2011.

Bahrain cracked down on the protests last year with help from Saudi forces. Human rights groups say dissenters were met with arrest and torture. Bahrain’s monarch created new military courts that sentenced more than 250 people to heavy punishments, including death, Human Rights Watch said.

Journalists were targeted too: Bahraini reporters have been arrested, and foreign journalists have been granted visas so limited — some as short as 48 hours — that their work is hampered, according to Reporters Without Borders. The group recently ranked Bahrain 173rd out of 179 countries in press freedom.

The king created an independent commission to investigate allegations of police brutality and other abuses. It found dozens of people were killed in the unrest, including five people who died from torture in police custody, along with many cases of excessive force and using the courts to squelch dissent.

Government loyalists say the monarchy is addressing its problems, and they allege that some protesters have exaggerated the crackdown and turned violent themselves, attacking police with firebombs and steel pipes. But human rights groups say the country is still pressing unfair cases that originated in military courts, and police are still carrying out brutal crackdowns on protesters.

The violence has put the United States in an awkward position. Bahrain has long been a U.S. ally, seen alongside Saudi Arabia as a bulwark against Iran. But if the U.S. tolerates the violence in Bahrain, it weakens its case against Syria, which has been embroiled in a bloody uprising for nearly a year.

“The international paralysis over Bahrain has, if anything, become more pronounced with the rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program,” Toby Jones, an expert on Bahraini affairs at Rutgers University, told the Associated Press. “It’s every tough problem in the region funneled into one small place.” …more

U.S. envoy urges renewed Bahrain crisis talks
9 February, 2012 – AP

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The U.S. State Department’s top human rights envoy is urging Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy and Shiite-led opposition to resume talks aimed at ending yearlong unrest in the strategic Gulf nation.

Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner also raised deep concerns Thursday about possible escalating violence before the uprising’s one-year anniversary next Tuesday.

Protesters are calling for major demonstrations. Bahraini authorities plan a massive deployment of security forces.

Posner made the remarks to reporters after meetings with Bahraini officials, opposition activists and others.

Bahrain’s majority Shiites are seeking to break the strong grip on power by the Western-allied rulers. Bahrain is host to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. …more

Press Briefing by Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner in Bahrain
09 February, 2012 – Department of State – Assistant Secretary of State Michael H. Posner

This is my fourth visit to Bahrain in the last 14 months, and I welcome the opportunity to be here. Bahrain is an important partner of the United States. We have a long-standing alliance based on shared political economic and security interests. Both countries benefit from stability and prosperity here, and from a society where all people here are able to contribute to the political process.

During my three days in Manama, I have met with a number of senior government officials, including the Crown Prince; the Ministers of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Human Rights; the Attorney General; and the head of the Shura Council. I also met with lawyers, journalists, medical professionals, human rights advocates, and members of political societies, including the opposition.

My discussions focused on the implementation of the recommendations made in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report. As my government has said, it is a great credit to King Hamad that he initiated the BICI process, accepted its recommendations and appointed a national commission to coordinate implementation of those recommendations. It is commendable for any government to invite and participate in an independent examination of its human rights record.

The government of Bahrain has taken many important steps toward the long-term institutional reforms identified in the report, such as removing arrest authority from the national security agency, drafting legislation concerning the investigation and prosecution of torture, and drafting a code of conduct for police based on international best practices. The government also has allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross access to its prisons. It has begun to rebuild religious sites, and engaged a team of qualified experts to advise on policing and legal reforms. These are signs of the government’s commitment to address the underlying cause of last year’s violence.

However, more needs to be done in several key areas. First, there are hundreds of pending criminal cases stemming from the events of February and March, including a substantial number where individuals remain in detention. The BICI report recommends that the government drop charges against all persons accused of offenses involving political expression. The government should fully comply with this recommendation. Also in this area, the government continues to prosecute 20 medical professionals. Though we are not privy to all the evidence in this or other cases, we suggested that alternatives to criminal prosecution be considered in the cases of the medics.

Second, while the Ministry of the Interior is taking steps to enhance the professionalization of the police, it needs to do more. Escalating violence in the streets points to the need for steps that will begin to integrate the police force, as recommended in the BICI report, so that Bahrain can build a police force that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.

Third, with regard to the issue of dismissed workers, we urge the government, the General Federation of Bahraini Trade Unions and the private sector through the Tripartite Commission to continue to clarify and verify dismissals and reinstatements to the same or comparable positions. All parties should redouble their efforts to reach a resolution through a social dialogue and collaborative approach.

Finally, we call on the government to continue to prosecute those officials responsible for the violations described in the BICI report.

The United States views the BICI report and its follow-up as a bold measure by the government to begin to rebuild confidence with the Bahraini people. Implementing these recommendations is not an easy task, and we commend the efforts undertaken so far to realize the goals of the BICI process. Ultimately, the goal of the BICI and implementation of its recommendations is to create a path toward genuine political dialogue and national reconciliation.

In the days leading up to February 14, we call on all Bahraini citizens to refrain from violence. We also urge the government to permit peaceful demonstrations and the right of all citizens to express their political views.

We condemn the violent street actions that have escalated in recent months and that have included attacks on police with Molotov cocktails, metal projectiles and other instruments of harm. Such violence undermines public safety and further divides society.

At the same time, we continue to receive credible reports of excessive force by police, including widespread and sometimes indiscriminate use of tear gas. We urge Bahraini authorities to ensure compliance with international doctrines of necessity and proportionality.

Next Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the first demonstrations in Bahrain. The days and weeks surrounding the anniversary are a moment for all Bahrainis in all segments of society to come together to move beyond the pain of last year and begin to forge a more peaceful, prosperous future through genuine dialogue.

We renew our call on all parties, including the government, political societies and others to engage in dialogue and negotiation in which all elements of society have a real voice. This must be a process led by Bahrainis themselves. It will not be easy. And it can only succeed by building a greater degree of mutual respect and mutual trust.

As a longtime friend of Bahrain, my government stands ready to support you.
[Read more →]

Syria: Stop Shelling of Residential Areas
Hundreds Killed, Wounded in Homs, Denied Medical Care
9 February, 2012 – Human Rights Watch

(New York) – The Syrian government should immediately stop its shelling of residential neighborhoods in the city of Homs, Human Rights Watch said today. Since February 3, 2012, the attacks have killed more than 300 persons in the city, according to Syrian monitoring groups, and wounded hundreds others, including women and children. No adequate medical assistance is available to the victims due to a blockade of the city by government forces and fear of arrest if treated at government-controlled hospitals, Human Rights Watch said.

Eight witnesses to the attacks interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that government troops have fired hundreds of “shells and mortars” into populated neighborhoods. Videos and photos of the attacks, reviewed by Human Rights Watch’s military experts, and accounts from international journalists on the ground, confirm that government forces launched long-range indirect fire attacks into densely populated areas.

“This brutal assault on residential neighborhoods shows the Syrian authorities’ contempt for the lives of their citizens in Homs,” said Anna Neistat, associate emergencies director at Human Rights Watch. “Those responsible for such horrific attacks will have to answer for them.”

Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that government forces launched large-scale attacks, involving shelling and rockets, on several neighborhoods in Homs on the evening of February 3. “Hani,” a witness from the Bab `Amro neighborhood, said that security forces manning nearby checkpoints and positioned on rooftops first opened fire on a protest near Al-Zahire mosque at around 6 pm, and shortly thereafter started shelling the neighborhood. Hani, who sustained bullet wounds to his left shoulder and right leg in the attack, said that Syrian forces fired rockets from the west and from the direction of Homs University dorms located to the south-east of Bab `Amro.

Another witness, “Wasim,” who spoke to Human Rights Watch from Tel al-Shoghour area, located close to Bab `Amro, said that the shelling of Bab `Amro originated from neighboring areas considered to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The fire, according to Wasim, also came from the Homs University dorms, about 1,500 meters south-east of Bab `Amro; and Insha’at neighborhood, north of Bab `Amro.

“Samer,” a witness to the attack on the Khalidiyya neighborhood in the evening of February 3, told Human Rights Watch that the attack started after the Free Syrian Army attacked and took over a security checkpoint connecting Khalidiyya and Bayyada neighborhoods in Homs and residents of Khalidiyya went to the streets to celebrate. “Samer” said that around 9.30 pm government forces started intensive shelling of the neighborhood that lasted for several hours. According to the witness, the fire came from the direction of the Air Force Intelligence facility located on the highway leading to Hama, some 500 meters from Khalidiyya. The security forces, according to the witness, used mortars to attack the neighborhood. …more

Another funeral today
Another murder
Another martyr
Another mourner
Another burial
Another procession
Another march
Another thoughtless thug
Another attack by so called riot police
Another injustice against the innocent
Another jailed
Another tortured
Another gassed
Another shot
Another bleeding
Another crying
Another wounded
Another mother pained
Another father pained
Another brother pained
Another sister pained
Another child lost their father
Another child lost their mother
Another child lost
Another friend gone forever
Another wondered prayer
Another meditation
Another confession
Another humiliation
Another repentance
Another call for mercy
Another call for rescue
Another call for freedom
Another call for liberation
Another call for justice
Another call for protest
Another call for demonstration
Another call for revolution
Another call to God who is good but leaves us to our confusion
Another anxious moment
Another tear
Another angry hour
Another trampling of humanity
Another human right thrown in the dust
Another compliant falling on deaf ears
Another night falls
Another day breaks