Posts from — April 2012

Wave of arrests ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix: NGO
18 April, 2012 – France 24

AFP – Bahraini security forces have arrested some 80 leading pro-democracy activists in an attempt to contain the daily anti-government protests ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix race, a local rights group said Wednesday.

“About 80 people from several villages near (the capital) Manama have been arrested since April 14,” the president of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, Mohammed Maskati, told AFP, adding that the “mass wave of arrests is a preventive measure” by the authorities.

He said most of those arrested are “protest leaders” that have been organising near-daily demonstrations against the government in the kingdom’s Shiite villages.

Tensions have been mounting in the unrest-hit kingdom ahead of Sunday’s controversial Formula One race as the opposition and youth activists capitalise on renewed international attention on Bahrain’s year-long political and sectarian crisis.

On Tuesday, hundreds protested near Bahrain’s international airport as Formula One teams began arriving in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, carrying banners calling for a boycott of the race.

“Our demand: Freedom not Formula,” read one banner. “We are human without rights,” read another.

Prominent Shiite activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on a hunger strike and has been convicted to life in prison has said that he will refuse intravenous infusions starting Wednesday and drink only water, according to his wife.

Khawaja’s deteriorating health has raised fears that his potential death could spark a wave of violence in the already tense kingdom.

Bahrain’s largest opposition grouping, Al-Wefaq, has called for a week of daily demonstrations and sit-ins to last through the end of the April 22 race.

The more radical February 14 Youth Movement, however, has called for “three days of rage” to coincide with the event.

The F1 race in Bahrain was cancelled last year in the wake of the Shiite-led uprising and the brutal government crackdown that followed in which 35 people were killed, according to an independent probe. …source

The fast and furious Sunni revenge
THE ROVING EYE – By Pepe Escobar – 18 April, 2012 – Asia Times

And the winner is … the Gulf Counter-revolution Club (GCC), also known as Gulf Cooperation Council.

Their collective celebration party is this weekend’s Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix – complete with buckets of Moet and Ferraris oozing by. See it as a coterie of Sunni sheikhs telling the “international community” – we won; it’s our way or the (boiling hot) desert highway.

How could they not gloat? The unruly waves of that noxious Arab Spring never had a chance of disturbing the placid waters of the Gulf. The arrival of the Fast White Man Formula 1 circus – a spectacular public relations operation – proves that the GCC is as “normal” as an Arab prince swinging through Monte Carlo with a blonde babe in a Ferrari 458.

Who cares that Bahrain activists sent a letter to Formula 1 emperor Bernie Ecclestone denouncing the state of siege in the placid al-Khalifa dynasty realm, the killing and torture of pro-democracy protesters, the thousands still in jail and the lack of the most basic human rights? This does not concern The Fast White Man.

Revenge!
Strategically, the GCC was invented – with essential American input – to defend those poor Gulf petro-monarchies from the evils of Saddam Hussein and the Iranian Khomeinists, with its members comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. But when the 2011 Arab revolt exploded in Northern Africa – and then reached the Gulf, in Bahrain, and even generated protests in Oman and Saudi Arabia – the petro-monarchies faced a larger evil that simply petrified them: democracy. The status quo had to be protected at all costs.

King Hamad al-Khalifa, technically, asked the GCC for “help” into smashing the Bahrain pro-democracy movement. The fact is the House of Saud already had masterminded an invasion across the causeway linking the capital Manama with Saudi Arabia. The Pearl roundabout in Manama – Bahrain’s Tahrir Square – had to be literally razed to the ground by the al-Khalifa dictatorship to erase any physical memory of the protests.

For the GCC and its top dog the House of Saud, not only Bahrain was “contained”, Saudi subjects were placated with billionaire bribes. Ample possibilities of profiting from the geopolitical black hole in northern Africa were also opened.

Ever since the House of Saud and the emir of Qatar, Hamad al-Thani, got their act together, they have been on a roll – recent rumors of a military coup against the emir notwithstanding. The “humanitarian” bombing of Libya represented the apex of the NATOGCC embrace – with Qatar in the forefront and the House of Saud sort of leading from behind. …more

Bahrain arrests protest leaders ahead of F1 amid torture reports
By Andrew Hammond – 17 April, 2012 – The Star

DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahrain has arrested at least 60 Shi’ite protest leaders in recent days to try to prevent widescale unrest ahead of a controversial Formula One Grand Prix this week, activists said on Tuesday.

News of the crackdown coincided with a statement from Amnesty International which said it was getting credible reports of the use of torture in the Gulf Arab state despite promises of reform.

“The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director, said in a statement.

“Their reforms have only scratched the surface.”

Bahrain is gearing up to host a prestigious Grand Prix on April 20-22, an event that was cancelled last year because of unrest and one it hopes will improve its international image and show it is serious about reform.

In particular, it is eager to show that the country’s Sunni Muslim rulers have repaired relations with the majority Muslim Shi’ite community after last year’s protests, which were put down with the help of troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain’s Shi’ites complain they are given fewer opportunities and access to jobs and housing than the Sunni elite.

But activists said on Tuesday that relations between the two communities were still badly strained by routine violence.

They said riot police had used live ammunition for the first time since last year’s pro-democracy protest movement was crushed, firing bullets into the air.

“We have evidence in photographs and video from April 13 in Diraz and Sitra,” said Mohammed al-Maskati, head of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights. …more

UN experts call for release of imprisoned Bahrain human rights activist
Dan Taglioli – 14 April, 2012 – Jurist

Photo source or description
[JURIST] Four independent UN human rights experts on Friday called for the immediate release [press release] of Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is serving a life sentence for terrorism-related charges after being tried before the Bahrain military National Safety Court in June 2011. Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya [official profile] expressed concern that Al-Khawaja’s trial and sentence are linked to his legitimate work to promote human rights. Maina Kiai [official profile], the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and association, provided skepticism about both the proportionality and proper review of Bahrain’s “national security” restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly, noting such restrictions should not be used to suppress human rights activists. Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Gabriela Knaul [official profile] expressed concern that Al-Khawaja and other civilian human rights defenders have been tried before military courts, particularly since allegations of defendants’ confessions being made under duress reportedly have not been investigated despite the confessions being admitted at trial, constituting a contravention of international law. Special Rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez [official profile] condemned the Bahraini government for failing to adhere to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners [text] regarding Al-Khawaja’s physical and mental integrity. Al-Khawaja was allegedly physically mistreated and perhaps tortured [JURIST report] while in custody, displaying visible physical signs of abuse at trial. Special rapporteurs [UN News Centre report] hold unpaid honorary positions apart from UN staff, and are appointed by the Human Rights Council [official website] to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme.

Earlier this month Al-Khawaja’s lawyers and members of the Bahrain opposition appealed his conviction [JURIST report] to the Bahrain Court of Cassation, which is expected to issue a verdict on April 23. Al-Khawaja is a Danish citizen, the former protection coordinator with Front Line Defenders [advocacy website] and a leading Bahraini human rights defender. The UN experts’ call for his release came among international concern for his health due to repeated hunger strikes [JURIST report], the most recent of which he has been staging since February 8. Several parties, including Danish diplomats, have confirmed his deteriorating condition, and pictures and reports have surfaced documenting his poor state of health despite contrary assurances by Bahraini authorities. Last month Amnesty International [advocacy website] called for Al-Khawaja’s release when his hunger strike passed 50 days [JURIST report], which came a few weeks after Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] accused Bahrain of convicting hundreds of opposition activists in unfair and politically motivated trials in a 94-page report detailing alleged due process violations [JURIST report] in both civilian and military courts. …more

Mourners as Cemetery in Salmadbad Bahrain under attack by MOI Police

Bahrain Grand Prix 2012: former Bahraini politician fearful over ‘casualties’ at ‘three days of anger’ protests
By Tom Cary – 17 April, 2012 – Telegraph

Three to four thousand people, including women and children, marched peacefully through the village of Al Dair, near the country’s airport, for about an hour waving placards reading “Down with Hamad” [the King] and “We want Freedom not Formula”.

While the atmosphere at the protest remained calm and jovial, reports of an unscheduled gathering in Sitra later this evening are circulating.

Should it go ahead it could prove less peaceful as it has not been “scheduled” through the police and is therefore not considered above board. Protests that have not been announced are considered to pose a greater threat of violence.

Earlier today Jasim Husain, a former Bahraini politician who represented the primary opposition group, Al-Wefaq, for five years prior to resigning in protest following last year’s anti-government demonstrations, warned that one serious incident would be “very likely” to hit F1’s presence hard in Bahrain.

Husain has insisted his views are his own and not that of Al-Wefaq, saying: “I don’t see lots of protests throughout the country, especially outside the vicinity of the racing area.

“But yes, there is this fear, the fear is there that we could see some casualties.

“So it’s now a challenge for the security forces who have to handle things properly. They should avoid using force.

“Of course, people should be free to express their views, but the responsibility is with the authorities who have to show professionalism in managing any protest.

“The good thing is people are peaceful, protesters are peaceful, that violence is not really any particular part of the political challenge in the country.

“But things have to be handled properly by the authorities.”

F1’s rulers have naturally been eager to distance themselves from the political or moral argument, although there is the suggestion it is being used as a tool for the former.

Given the daily protests against the ruling Bahraini regime, operating under the slogan ‘UniF1ed – One Nation in Celebration’ would appear to underline F1’s significance when it comes to purporting all is well, when it is far from the case.

Instead, FIA president Jean Todt asserts his organisation “are only interested in sport not politics”, with Husein believing it wrong F1 is portrayed as being in support of the ruling al-Khalifa royal family.

“That’s the problem really. It should not be presented this way,” said Husein.

“F1 is a sport, an economic positive, and I hope neither side will see the race as a political tool.

“We do have political issues which have to be addressed, and F1 coming or not coming does not mean those problems will go away.

“But certainly this is not a political event and should not have political implications.

“However, we are suffering from this problem because it is being presented this way.

“People are simply pressing for democratic reforms, and ensuring there is equal opportunity for all, to have real participation in decision making.”

One unnamed protester, however, believes F1 does Bahrain no favours as he said: “People here are getting killed, and with F1 here we feel like they are driving on our blood, on our bodies.”

Further demonstrations are due to take place over the next few days, with one in particular today on the doorstep of the Gulf kingdom’s international airport.

It is understood the focus will not only solely centre on pro-democracy rights, but also anti-F1.

Tomorrow, when most F1 personnel are due to arrive, what has been described by a risk assessment group as “a vehicular rally” is to take place along the two highways that lead up to the airport. …source

‘My father has risked his life to defend human rights. He may die an innocent man in prison. Demand his release before it is too late’ – Maryam al-Khawaja

Bahrain: release hunger striking activist
Amnesty International

Unless the Bahrain authorities act quickly prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is likely to die in their custody. He is one of 14 prisoners of conscience arrested for their involvement in anti-government protests last year. He has been on hunger strike since 8 February, willing to die for justice in Bahrain.

Demand his release along with six other activists. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was tried before a military court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He is thought to have been severely tortured both before and after this unfair trial.

With the world’s eyes on Bahrain as it prepares to host the Grand Prix, this is a vital time to call for the release of all prisoners of conscience. Despite attempts by the authorities to portray the country as being on the road to reform, no-one should be under any illusions that the human rights crisis is over.

The people of Bahrain continue to call for change. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja may pay for that goal with his life. Demand his release before it is too late, and call for the release of all 14 prisoners of conscience – imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly. …more

Amnesty calls government reforms ‘flawed’ and calls to cancel Grand Prix grow louder


Protests Multiply as Bahrain Human Rights Abuses Continue
17 April, 2012 – Common Dreams staff

Pressure to cancel the upcoming Formula 1 ‘Grand Prix’ in Bahrain is mounting after a scathing report by Amnesty International called the ruling government’s recent “reform” efforts deeply “flawed” and amidst ramped up protests on Monday that occurred both inside and outside of the Middle East island nation. The race, which was canceled twice last year because of concerns about safety, is due to run Sunday.

Protesters gathered in Bahrain to show their anger against the planned Formula 1 race. (EPA) “With the world’s eyes on Bahrain as it prepares to host the Grand Prix, no-one should be under any illusions that the country’s human rights crisis is over,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director. “The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests. Their reforms have only scratched the surface.”

Though F-1 officials have tried to claim that the auto race wants no part of the ‘political or moral arguments’ circulating in Bahrain, one unnamed protester told the Daily Mail that the race could not extract itself from the nation’s turmoil. “People here are getting killed,” he said, “and with F1 here we feel like they are driving on our blood, on our bodies.”

On Monday, two men climbed to the roof of the Bahraini Embassy in London to protest the continued imprisonment of pro-democracy advocates in their country. One of the men’s father has been held in detention by authorities, he claimed, but his only crime was “was to demand human rights and democracy.”

“People here are getting killed and with F1 here we feel like they are driving on our blood, on our bodies.” – Bahraini pro-democracy advocate

And in the Bahrain capital of Manama on Monday, government security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesting crowds as they gathered to express their outrage against the continued repression of the pro-democracy movement and against the race planned for the end of the week. …more

Call for opposition protests ahead of Grand Prix F1
By Saad Abedine, CNN – 17 April, 2012

(CNN) — An opposition group called for a week of demonstrations ahead of Sunday’s Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Bahrain.

The Bahrain Youth Coalition, which has organized a number of anti-government protests, wants “popular days of overwhelming rage” after motorsport’s governing body elected last week to hold the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

The decision came after weeks of speculation amid continuing protests and civil unrest in the Gulf kingdom.

Amnesty International weighed into the controversy by releasing a 58-page report on its investigation of human rights violations, concluding recent reforms have been flawed and piecemeal.

“With the world’s eyes on Bahrain as it prepares to host the Grand Prix, no-one should be under any illusions that the country’s human rights crisis is over,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, the group’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

The report said Bahrain’s security forces are still not held accountable for mistreatment of protesters.

“The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests. Their reforms have only scratched the surface,” Sahraoui said.

A Bahrain government spokesman accused Amnesty International of seeing “the glass half empty and not half full.”

“There are a lot of judicial, security, social economic measures that have been taken that have been put into place that will make Bahrain a better place,” Abdulaziz bin Mubarak al Khalifa said Monday.

In a news release issued Friday, the race’s governing body said its president traveled to Bahrain in November and met with “a large number of decision-makers and opinion formers, including elected Shia members of parliament, the president of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, ambassadors from the European Union countries, the Crown Prince, the Interior Minister and many members of the business community. …more

Bahrain adviser says F1 security plans in place
By Michael Casey – 9 April, 2012 – boston.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Security at the Bahrain Grand Prix will be “low key and discreet” but will include plans to deal with potential disruptions, such as demonstrators running onto the course, an adviser to the Gulf Kingdom’s Interior Ministry said Monday.

John Yates, a former assistant commissioner in the London Metropolitan Police Service, told The Associated Press he reviewed the plans for the April 22 race. He said authorities aim to provide adequate security for Bahrain’s biggest sports event without showing overt force.

“It is very much hoped that the policing will be low key and discreet,” Yates said. “But if there are problems, they … must be able to escalate their response if need be. People can be assured that if problems arise, then there will be a plan to deal with that as there would be with any public event in the world.”

The 2011 race at Bahrain International Circuit was canceled because of anti-government protests. The subsequent crackdown left at least 50 people dead.

There are still daily clashes between demonstrators and security forces, but the country’s Sunni rulers are intent on holding the race to show the country is recovering from the protests. The protesters, however, are demanding the race be put off until authorities address their concerns over human rights abuses and greater equality for the Shiite majority.

Yates acknowledges there are “pockets of violence” in Shiite villages but said that “95 percent” of the Gulf island is safe.

He said he expects some protests will be allowed but warns that anyone trying to shut down the race would be treated harshly. …more

Press Release: Comments on the Recent Escalations in Bahrain and the International Biased Stance
14 April, 2012

Following our close observation over the recent political and on-ground escalations, we would like to emphasize on the following points for local and global parties concerned:

First: the increasing intensity of civil resistance and Sacred Defense is a natural consequence of the continued Saudi occupation, continued killing and state oppression of our people, continued arbitrary detention of prominent leaders and prisoners of conscience, the serious deterioration in Alkhawaja and Almushaime’ health and absence of the right of expression and peaceful assembly.

Second: we hold the Alkhalifa illegitimate regime, the Saudi invasion and the USA and UK administrations fully responsible for the recent violence outbreak. Our people have shown admirable tolerance and have endured severe pain and even presented flowers to the killers, but the West led by the USA and UK administrations have insisted on maintaining complicit silence over the crimes committed by the Alkhalifa regime and even conspired against the popular revolution in Bahrain. All statements issued by the USA and UK administrations were biased in favor of the illegitimate regime of Alkhalifa despite the fact that our people have exercised maximum restraint and flexibility. Whoever responded to our peaceful people by violent repression and systematic murder shall suffer the consequences and shall have a taste of the pain that our people have patiently endured.

Third: the statements issued by some administrations – especially the USA and UK – concerning the recent incident in AlEker village is a major scandal and is a clear evidence of their double-standards when it comes to matters related to the popular revolution in Bahrain. On the one hand, these administrations have deliberately turn blind eye on the several murder cases committed by the illegitimate regime of Alkhalifa in cold-blood (using live ammunitions in some cases including the case of martyr Ahmed Ismail), and on the other hand, the very same administrations have quickly condemned AlEker incident where a few invaders and mercenaries got injured. Does the life of invading forces and mercenaries killing for money have more value than our peaceful people? What a twisted logic! Therefore, the Coalition of Youth of February 14th Revolution is considering appropriate response to these administrations who are conspiring against our popular revolution. We shall no longer tolerate hypocrisy and double-standards.

Forth: the insistence on holding the F1 race in Bahrain is considered a major provocation to the feelings of our people and it displays irresponsible ignorance toward the victims of the illegitimate regime of Alkhalifa. Such insistence is surely to fuel further anger and violence in the next days. We hold the regime and its supporting administrations as well as the F1 organizers and participants (teams, sponsors, etc.) fully responsible.

Finally, we reiterate that our nation has decided to continue resisting the invading Saudi forces and Alkhalifa mercenaries until the regime falls in order to achieve real democracy. Self-determination is no longer the demand of the Youth Coalition only but the vast majority of political and social communities in Bahrain. Everyone consents that the current ruling regime has lost legitimacy and must be gone.

By: Coalition of Youth of February 14th Revolution
Friday 13th of April, 2012

Todt finally talks about Bahrain GP as trouble between anti-government protestors and police flares in Gulf state
By Simon Cass – 16 April, 2012 – mail online

FIA president Jean Todt has broken his silence on the decision to press ahead with the Bahrain Grand Prix as more trouble flared between police and anti-government protesters in the troubled Gulf state.

Todt was equally tight-lipped on the subject of Bahrain last year, when the race was initially cancelled and subsequently postponed.

However, speaking to German television station RTL at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the head of world motorsports governing body insisted the race in Bahrain will pass off without incident.

‘It has a date on the calendar and was always planned,’ said Todt, whose failure to speak out on the subject had previously drawn widespread criticism.
Breaking his silence: Bernie Ecclestone (left) poses with Jean Todt in China

Breaking his silence: Bernie Ecclestone (left) poses with Jean Todt in China

‘There has been some controversy about it, but the FIA is a sports organization. We are only interested in sport – not politics.

‘Our responsibility is that people can go there and have good and secure conditions. This will be the case.

‘We have spoken in this regard with representatives of the government, with the embassies and with neighbouring countries, as well as with European foreign ministries.

‘We have made an extensive examination with a lot of checks. It is clear that the Grand Prix can go ahead.

‘At the moment, a major golf tournament is going ahead in Bahrain. On one hand, there are unpleasant political aspects as well, but it’s the same thing all over the world.

‘On the other hand, we are a sport. We are confident that the next Grand Prix will go ahead just as successfully as this one here in China.’

Tuesday’s trouble took place in Salmabad, six miles from the Bahraini capital Manama and around ten miles north of the Sakhir International Circuit.
Up in arms: Anti-government protesters shout as they march in a procession to visit the grave of Ismael Abdulsamad in the village of Salmabad

Up in arms: Anti-government protesters shout as they march in a procession to visit the grave of Ismael Abdulsamad in the village of Salmabad

The confrontation occurred on the third day of mourning for the death of local cameraman Ahmed Ismael Hassan Al Samadi and followed the now customary pattern of protesters hurling petrol bombs and rocks at the police who responded by firing tear gas into the crowd to disperse them.

Meanwhile, two activists climbed onto the roof of the Bahrain Embassy in London to protest about what they claim are continued human rights abuses in the Middle East country and the decision by Formula One’s power brokers not to cancel the race.

Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed R Alzayani has admitted to taking ‘a calculated decision’ with regard to the staging of the race.

‘We wouldn’t take a decision on a gamble,’ insisted Alzayani. ‘But it’s a calculated decision, we’ve weighed up our options and we are committed to the grand prix and to its success. I don’t think anything drastic will happen. It’s not Syria or Afghanistan.’ A

week ago seven policeman were injured, three seriously, by a petrol bomb and during a march on Friday three teenagers were shot as police attempted to disperse the more volatile demonstrators.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-2130693/Todt-finally-talks-Bahrain-GP-trouble-anti-government-protestors-police-flares-Gulf-state.html#ixzz1sJ3JsDN0

The Anti-Imperialist | To self-police police racism is to perpetuate it

By Adam Elliott-Cooper – Ceasefire – 15 April, 2012

As further evidence emerges of police racism in the UK, Adam Elliott-Cooper uncovers a pattern of consistent failings by the Independent Police Complaint Commission to meaningfully hold the police to account.

Anti-racist campaigners have welcomed the fresh evidence surrounding police abuse and racism, collected by quick-thinking members of the public with recording equipment on their mobile phones, as well as official complaints or reports from officers victimised by a culture of racial discrimination.

To much of the press, an expression of shock and disappointment emerged with an apparent realisation that institutional racism had not been eradicated over the decade since the Macpherson Report. As is the procedure, a number of the cases has been referred to The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) , and the victims and their communities have been implicitly told to wait until the findings have been confirmed.

Community organisers and activists, however, have been less surprised by the evidence and accusations of racism, which include a young man being strangled, and then told that his problem was that he’ll “always be a nigger”. Those who are familiar with the blunt end of racist policing are more surprised that someone has managed to get away with recording the police while in their custody, as the police have put in a huge effort to criminalise anyone recording them while on duty.

Brian Paddick has been alone in the mainstream in his honesty about the endemic nature of racism in the police force, although he’s been careful to avoid the term ‘institutional racism’. Many are not planning to sit tight until the IPCC releases the findings due to emerge from the numerous reports of abuse. As far as they’re concerned, the organisation has proved over the years to be as problematic as the police body it is supposed to investigate and monitor.

Indeed, the proposal to hand evidence over to the IPCC is viewed with scepticism for good reason. There have been a number of cases in which the police have withheld vital evidence from the IPCC. The most high-profile of these being that of Ian Tomlinson, in which the IPCC were misled by false accounts, given to them by serving officers, of ‘missiles’ thrown by anarchists, not to mention an inaccurate autopsy carried out by a doctor with a history of lying in order to cover up police killings. Other cases have involved IPCC staff who, instead of critically examining evidence, have chosen to unquestioningly regurgitate police press statements, as was the case in the recent killing of Mark Duggan in the first week of Auguest 2011.

Further to this, in cases where sufficient evidence is presented to the IPCC, police accountability prosecution rarely ensues. Solicitor Fiona Murphy explains that investigations into officers with a long history of complaints of abuse against them from African, Caribbean and Asian members of the public over their abuse of Babar Ahmad resulted in the investigation – despite its abject failure to gather and test the necessary evidence – still unearthed sufficient material to justify criminal and disciplinary charges.
…more

Democracy is Bankrupt
16 April, 2012 – by: Anonymous

What happened to all the optimism of the last election season, all that business about hope and change? For decades, we’ve pinned our hopes on one candidate after another, but now it seems like people are finally giving up on the whole charade. The only ones who still take it seriously are the protesters playing democracy in the street.

Why has democracy failed us? Is it the Electoral College, voting machines, gerrymandering—the sort of thing that could be remedied by electoral reform? That wouldn’t explain why we’re still disappointed with the results even when our favorite candidate gets in.

Is it corporate influence perverting politicians’ agendas and controlling the media? Sure—but when power is distributed according to who rakes in the most profit, that can’t help but affect politics. As long as private property exists, the rich will always have more leverage over our society, whether or not they can literally buy votes.

Is it just a matter of scale? Would the same procedures work if we only practiced them at town hall meetings and general assemblies? Anybody who has lived in a small town knows that while small-scale politics may be more personal, that doesn’t keep them from being alienating. Likewise, letting an arbitrarily constituted general assembly determine what you can and can’t do feels even more ridiculous than getting bullied by cops and tax collectors.

Maybe the problem has to do with democracy itself. Honestly, when has it fully delivered on its promises? In ancient Athens, when women and slaves were prohibited from participating? In the days of the Founding Fathers, some of whom also owned slaves? Today, when everyone supposedly has a say but self-determination feels further out of our hands than ever?

We keep blaming specific politicians and political parties, as if it were just a matter of personal failings. But any system that doesn’t work unless the people using it are perfect is a bad system. What if some politicians really do mean well, but there’s nothing they can do? All the good intentions in the world won’t help if the structure is broken.

So let’s try another question:
Why do we talk about changing our rulers when we really want to change our lives?

The answer is obvious: because our rulers have more control over our lives than we do. But changing rulers isn’t going to fix that. Is getting to choose the lesser of two evils really the best of all possible worlds?

Imagine if we could have complete control over our own lives. That’s something that will never appear on a ballot. What kind of decisions can be made by voting—and what kind of structures does it take to impose them?

Think about what goes on in the Pentagon and the Kremlin and the offices of every town hall. Those day-to-day activities are the same under Democrats as under Republicans; they’re not much different today than they were a hundred years ago. Whoever happens to be operating it, the machinery of the state imposes its own logic: administration, coercion, control. Politicians promise us the world, but their job is to keep it out of our hands—to govern it.

Our ancestors fought hard to overthrow the kings who ruled them. When they finally succeeded, they kept the structures the kings had established—the same ministries and courts and armies—imagining that these could be run for the common good. But whoever is on the other side of that apparatus—be it a king, a president, or an electorate—those on the receiving end of governing experience the same thing. The laws, administrators, and police of a democracy are just as impersonal and coercive as the laws, administrators, and police of a dictatorship. The problem is the institution of government itself, which keeps the governed at a distance from their own power. …more

Chiapas: New communiqué by Las Abejas of Acteal
April 2012

On 22 March, 14 years and 3 months after the Acteal massacre, the Las Abejas Civil Society once again published a public communiqué in which it recalled the responsibility of the Mexican government in the case of the Acteal massacre, given that “it seeks to cover up the material and intellectual authors [of the crime], as is logical since they planned and organized the killings.”

They also referred to the releases as mandated by the state in recent months, and they demanded justice for the murder of the Oaxacan anti-mining leader. In their words, “On the one hand, by means of the so-called Supreme Court for Justice in the Nation (SCJN), the memory we have of our martyrs is offended, in light of the massive excarcerations and reduction of sentences imposed on paramilitary prisoners who had been put away for the Acteal massacre; it is also offended by the Mexican Army, which harasses, threatens, and murders those leaders who organize their peoples to denounce injustices. Some examples of this are the case of the representative and leader of the Coordination of the United Peoples of the Ocotlán Valley, Oaxaca, Bernardo Vázquez Sánchez, who was murdered in an ambush on Thursday 15 March of the present year, in addition to the 11 comrades of Cheran, Michoacán, wo are honest workers who have been detained for defending their land and territory.”
…more

Che Guevara & Ireland’s Quisling Capitalism
William Wall – 16 April, 2012 – Irish Left Review

The controversy over Galway City Council’s proposal to erect a statue to Che Guevara to commemorate his family links to the city (his mother Anna Elizabeth was a Lynch with Galway connections), is indicative of a wider discourse in Irish society.

It has drawn the ire of, among others, multi-millionaire Declan Ganley, founder of the right-wing, pan-European Libertas political party. Ganley is chairman and CEO of USA-based military communications specialist Rivada Networks (’Total interoperability’). He appointed Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and George Bush point man for Iraq, to its board. He has many ties with the USA military and multinational corporations, and he has mustered a motley crew of Republican politicians, right-wing academics, businessmen and CEOs to make the simple declaration that a statue to a ‘terrorist’ is likely to damage American multinational investment in Ireland. The crew includes Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Cuban extraction and chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. This is enough to cause a ripple in the space-time continuum that is American-Irish croneyism.

Why should such a relatively minor local event – I passed through Nice recently and had a meal on Blvd Stalingrad, and every town in Italy has its Via Gramsci – cause political and economic apoplexy, especially at a time when Western capitalism is in economic meltdown? In passing it is worth noting that the statue will be paid for jointly by Argentina and Cuba, and will therefore cost Ireland nothing except a patch of grass or concrete on Eyre Square. …more

Chiapas: Choles block highway in the Northern Zone

On Tuesday 10 April, Ch’ol women and men from communities of the Tila and Tumbalá municipalities who pertain to the organization Laklumal Ixim (Our People of Maize), carried out a highway blockade at the deviation known as Pulpitillo on the route from Yajalón to Tila and Tumbalá, to observe the 93rd anniversary of the murder of General Emiliano Zapata. By means of a political pronunciation they report that they would like to “show that the struggle for the land and its defense continue being relevant […]. We denounce that with the present governments of Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Juan Sabines Guerrero, we indigenous people continue to experience a strategy that seeks to carry out legalized looting of our lands so as to hand them over via megaprojects to large foreign corporations, all of this by means of trickery and lies associated with the programs FANAR, previously PROCEDE-PROCECOM.”

They demand, among other things, that “the Chiapas state government definitively cancel the concessions it has granted to Canadian mining companies, […] the cessation of the strategy of looting of our communal and ejidal lands by means of the Agrarian Ministry through lies and illegal acts taht seek to impose FANAR, previously PROCEDE, […and] a just electricity price in Chiapas.” …source

Bahrain arrests protest leaders as Grand Prix nears
16 April, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

Bahraini forces are arresting protest leaders across the country and detaining them without charge in a bid to prevent disruption at the Formula One Grand Prix next weekend, senior human rights activists have said.

The country is due to host the race on Sunday, but has been hit by pro-democracy protests calling for it to be cancelled.

Dozens of protesters have been arrested, with many expected to be held without charge until the race is over, activists have said.

Two American representatives of Human Rights Watch were detained on Sunday whilst attending a protest against the race.

They were held for four hours along with Said Yousif, the deputy head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), before being released.

Yousif said they had fled the protests after the arrival of heavily-armed riot police, but had been targeted by the security services.

“I took the Americans to a close house and they came to us inside the home and sprayed something on our face – one of them beat me on my back and after that they took us to a police car,” he told Al-Akhbar.

Yousif said government forces had been going to villages across the country to arrest potential trouble-makers.

“Every day they go to one village or one city and arrest activists. They want to arrest all the activists – maybe they will release them or they will charge them with something,” he said.

He added that he expected many to be detained without charge until after the race.

Ala’a Shehabi, founder of Bahrain Watch – which tracks abuses of power by the ruling government – said on Twitter that there was an “unannounced state of emergency,” with activists being rounded up.

A Reporters Without Borders report last month condemned the Bahraini government for trying to suppress the protests.

It added that the upcoming Grand Prix was an attempt by the ruling regime to pretend the protests were not happening. …source

Amnesty International says Bahrain crisis no better than when 2011 Formula 1 grand prix was cancelled
By Matt Beer – 13 April, 2012 – AutoSport.com

Amnesty International claims the situation in Bahrain has not improved since the 2011 grand prix was cancelled – and says Formula 1 risks being used as a political tool by allowing next weekend’s race to go ahead.

After weeks of debate and controversy, the FIA announced on Friday that there was no reason why the 2012 Bahrain GP could not take place as scheduled on 20-22 April.

But human rights group Amnesty released a briefing on the Bahrain situation later in the day, in which it accused the Gulf state’s government of trying to present an image of change rather than tackling its issues, and suggested F1 was a factor in this process.

“In recent months, the Bahraini authorities have become more concerned with rebuilding their image and investing in public relations than with actually introducing real human rights and political reforms in their country,” said the Amnesty statement.

“Indeed, for the authorities, much is at stake. They are keen to portray Bahrain as a stable and secure country in order to stave off international criticism. But as the country prepares to host the Formula 1 grand prix on 20-22 April, after the event was cancelled last year in response to the instability in the country, daily anti-government protests continue to be violently suppressed by the riot police that uses tear gas recklessly and with fatal results. Acts of violence by some protesters against the police have also considerably increased in the last three months.

“Holding the grand prix in Bahrain in 2012 risks being interpreted by the government of Bahrain as symbolising a return to business as usual. The international community must not turn a blind eye to the ongoing human rights crisis in the country. The government must understand that its half-hearted measures are not sufficient – sustained progress on real human rights reform remains essential.”

The report argued that the present situation in Bahrain was little different to the circumstances that had led to the 2011 race being called off. …more