Bahraini security forces continue to engage in systematic torture in formal detention centers, and others informal
16 March, 2012 – Bahrain Center Human Rights

The general prosecutor is still involved in hiding the torture of detainees and does not allow their families to meet them till after the disappearance of the effects of torture and the severe beating.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights: repression in Bahrain takes new forms and methods and is continuing without stopping through the use of excessive force, torture, sexual harassment and breaking parts of the demonstrators’ bodies. …more

Bahrain Police Code of Conduct Published to Build Bridges of Confidence
15 March, 2012 – BNA

Manama, March 14. (BNA) — A tough new code of conduct for Bahrain’s police force enshrining principles of human rights and freedom for all citizens has been published by His Excellency Minister of Interior Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa.

The new code, requiring officers to abide by ten principles including limited use of force and a policy of zero tolerance on torture and mistreatment, was one of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).

It states that officers must show “respect for human dignity”, make arrests in accordance with international human rights standards, and forbids the use of force “except when absolutely necessary”. Officers must respect the code which should be their “guide and compass” while at work. It is based on principles enshrined in other international police codes, including those approved by the United Nations, and drawn up by the government of Australia, Northern Ireland and other Arab nations.

A new Internal Affairs Department is being established within the Ministry of Interior (MOI), and will be responsible for disciplinary reviews, as well as overseeing the new Police Code of Conduct.

In addition, the newly created position for an independent Ombudsman for policing will be entirely independent from the Ministry of Interior, and will have the responsibility of conducting investigations into allegations made against the police and other issues that relate to public confidence in policing.
The move comes as the Government of Bahrain is making swift progress in satisfying the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)’s recommendations.

The Government has already initiated prosecutions of around 50 officers accused of mistreatment of protestors during last year’s unrest in Bahrain. It has also brought in international police experts John Timoney and John Yates to advise on best practice on policing in the Kingdom. And it has initiated a detailed and comprehensive new training programme for all officers and members of the security forces. …source

Bahrain’s foreign minister has asked the British Government to get Denis MacShane to shut up about its human rights record. Here he explains why he will not be silent

Tribune Magazine: Bahrain remains a torture-permitting nation

by Denis MacShane – 25 February, 2012 – Tribune Magazine

I am used to endless lies and criticism from the British National Party and its favourite blogger, as well as the ­Islamist ideologues who hate my work on anti-Semitism, and the offshore-owned press obsessed about Europe. But this is the first time that a government, Bahrain, has written to the British Government asking the Foreign Secretary to shut me up.

In a 17-page open letter to William Hague, Bahrain foreign minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa accuses me of making several “demonstrably misconceived” statements about the political ­situation in Bahrain without visiting the country. It is true that I have not been to Bahrain recently, but I don’t need to go to Syria or Iran or North Korea to know there are serious human rights issues in those countries.

The latest news from Bahrain remains ever more worrying. There are regular pro-democracy demonstrations which are severely repressed by the police. In a new tactic, the police are raiding individual homes and throwing tear gas canisters inside. Amnesty International reports that as many as 30 people may have been killed as they choked to death in confined spaces.

Last month, 24-year-old Yousif al-Mawaly was arrested, tortured and then dumped in the sea. Photographs of his body seen by the BBC appear to show abrasions and bruises consistent with beating.

Human Rights Watch has reported that Bahraini riot police beat a prominent human rights activist, Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, as he was leaving a peaceful protest last month. Rajab said that the police attacked him using their fists and batons at about 8.30pm, as he was walking toward his car. “I noticed a number of riot police behind me. They were all in uniform. They started beating me and I fell on the ground. I told them that I was Nabeel Rajab, hoping that they would stop, but they kept beating and kicking me.” …more

UN, OIC experts in Syria on humanitarian mission
18 March, 2012 – Agence France Presse

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Technical experts from the UN and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are in Syria on a mission to assess the humanitarian impact of its year-long bloodshed, a senior OIC official said on Sunday.

“The joint OIC-UN mission entered Syria om Friday to carry out an evaluation of humanitarian aid,” on a mission led by the Syrian government, its assistant secretary general, Atta al-Mannan Bakhit, told AFP.
…source

Tear Gas or Lethal Gas? Bahrain’s Death Toll Mounts to 30
by Richard Sollom – 16 March, 2012 – Physicians for Human Rights

Based on interviews with local physicians and analysis of news reports, the Government of Bahrain’s oppressive use of tear gas in recent months has reportedly killed both young and old civilians in their homes and in the streets of Manama, the Gulf Kingdom’s capital.

PHR has compiled a list of 30 reported tear-gas-related deaths in Bahrain (pdf) since the uprising began a year ago. Based on media and other accounts, most civilians who allegedly died from tear gas reportedly have suffered complications from gas inhalation; at least three civilians reportedly died after security forces fired metal tear gas canisters (nearly the size and half the weight of a can of Coke) from grenade launchers into crowds.

Government forces not only assault unarmed street protesters with tear gas during the day, they also attack innocent women, children, and the elderly with tear gas in their homes at night.

Fourteen-year-old Yaseen Jassim Al Asfoor reportedly died from tear gas inhalation after security forces threw three tear gas canisters into his home.

In another recent incident, an elderly woman named Sakeena Marhoon apparently died from repeated exposure to tear gas in her home.

The Government’s use of tear gas is so widespread and excessive that many families are now forced to stuff towels in doors and cracks in windows to protect them from the toxic clouds of gas outside.

Victims of these indefensible deaths and their families are not receiving the justice they deserve. Not only has the government failed to investigate or prosecute any law enforcement officials for employing such excessive force, but authorities also reportedly prohibit doctors from listing tear gas as a cause of death. Instead, coerced doctors have reportedly cited natural or unknown causes of death for some tear-gas related casualties.

While PHR has not analyzed tear gas in Bahrain, our report shows the use of it in confined spaces has deleterious and toxic effects (pdf).

The 1989 JAMA study found that detonating tear gas in small enclosed spaces creates a toxic concentration, which can cause permanent damage to the human body, including chemical pneumonitis, heart failure, fatal pulmonary edema, and death.

Last year PHR investigators in Bahrain found disconcerting evidence that Bahraini authorities may be using unidentified chemical agents in addition to tear gas. Doctors reported to PHR that they had treated patients exposed to tear gas who exhibited atypical symptoms, including non-epileptic seizures and hysteria. Further, Bahraini authorities at the Ministry of Health deny doctors’ requests to analyze the residue and chemical content of exploded tear gas canisters. …more

Bahrain security forces clash with youths: witnesses
18 March, 2012 – France 24

AFP – Bahraini security forces clashed with youths on Sunday after the funeral of a protester who allegedly died after inhaling tear gas fired by riot police, witnesses said.

The clashes erupted in the Shiite village of Al-Muqsha, north of the capital Manama, following the funeral of Jaafer Jassem Ridha, 41.

The main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq said Ridha died after inhaling tear gas fired at a recent demonstration that was violently dispersed by riot police.

Al-Wefaq also said on Sunday that another Bahraini, 27-year-old Sabri Mahfud, had died after inhaling tear gas, without elaborating on the circumstances or date of the incident.

The interior ministry said on Twitter that a group of people “provoked acts of violence and barricaded the streets” after Ridha’s burial, adding that necessary “lawful measures” were taken to contain the situation, without saying what these were.

The ministry also announced on Sunday the opening of a probe into claims that a policeman had thrown a petrol bomb, as a video posted online appeared to show.

The inquiry could lead to disciplinary measures against the suspect, a senior ministry official said in a statement received by AFP.

Bahrain’s riot police often fire tear gas against demonstrators in the tiny Gulf kingdom, where the Shiite-led opposition is calling for constitutional changes that would reduce the power of the ruling minority Sunni dynasty.

Tensions have remained high since a deadly crackdown last year after a month of Manama street protests.

According to an independent probe, 35 people were killed in last year’s unrest, including five security personnel and five detainees tortured to death while in custody. …source

Israelis agree Iran hasn’t decided on atom bomb
18 March, 2012 – By Amy Teibel – Associated Press – The Daily Star

JERUSALEM: Despite saber-rattling from Jerusalem, Israeli officials now agree with the U.S. assessment that Tehran has not yet decided on the actual construction of a nuclear bomb, according to senior Israeli government and defense figures.

Even so, there is great concern in Israel about leaving Iran “on the cusp” of a bomb – explaining why Israel continues to hint at a military attack on Iran’s nuclear installations before it moves enough of them underground to protect them from Israel’s bombs.

Israel’s leaders have been charging in no uncertain terms for years that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Though officials say they accept the more nuanced American view, they warn that it is just a matter of semantics, because an Iran on the verge of being able to build a bomb would still be a danger.

The United States is playing up its assessment that Iran has not made its final decision in a public campaign to persuade Israel to call off any attack plan and allow the increasingly harsh sanctions against Iran time to persuade Tehran to back down.

The concern – which is widely shared in Israel as part of a complex calculation – is of an Iranian retaliation that might spark regional conflict and send oil prices soaring, at a time when the world economy is already struggling and U.S. presidential elections loom.

Also in the equation are concerns about the ability of the Israeli home front to withstand a sustained barrage of Iranian missiles fired in retaliation. Iranian surrogates Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could also bombard Israel with thousands of rockets, and U.S. troops in the Gulf region could also become targets.

Several senior Israeli officials who spoke in recent days to The Associated Press said Israel has come around to the U.S. view that no final decision to build a bomb has been made by Iran. The officials, who are privy to intelligence and to the discussion about the Iranian program, said this is the prevailing view in the intelligence community, but there are also questions about whether Tehran might be hiding specific bomb making operations.
…more

Saudi Govt Providing Ammunition to the terrorists in Syria
Jafria News – 19 March, 2012

JNN 19 Mar 2012 Damascus : A Syria-bound Saudi Arabian shipment of military equipment intended for Syrian armed gangs is on its way to Jordan, an Arab diplomat says.

The high ranking Arab diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that Saudi Arabia’s new military shipment for the terrorist of Syrian Gangs was on its way to Jordan.

The diplomat did not give further information about how the weapons would be delivered.

The announcement came as last week Syrian Information Minister Adnan Mahmoud said that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were backing “armed terrorist gangs” operating in Syria and are therefore responsible for the bloodshed in the country.

“Some of the countries backing armed terrorist gangs, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are accomplices to the terrorism targeting the Syrian people … and bear responsibility for the bloodletting,” the minister said.

The charges were renewed on Syrian state television on Saturday after two huge bombs exploded in central Damascus, killing at least 27 people and wounding nearly 100 others.

“Saudi Arabia is sending us terrorists,” said a resident of the bombed region on Syrian television.

The delivery of military equipment to Syrian rebels comes as Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011.

The West and the Syrian opposition blame Damascus for the year-long turmoil, but the government says “terrorists” are responsible for the unrest, which it says is being orchestrated from abroad.

The Syrian president said on February 20 that “some foreign countries” are fueling the turmoil in Syria by supporting and funding “armed terrorist groups fighting against the government.” …source