Teams preparing for Bahrain cancellation
8 April 2012 – Ryan Wood – The F1 Times

Formula 1 teams are putting together their own contingency plans in the event the Bahrain Grand Prix doesn’t go ahead on April 22nd as is currently planned.

The race is shrouded in controversy as anti-government protests continue, with reports of further deaths in the country and fears that protesters may use the islands largest sporting event to voice their opinions.

The government has attempted to calm such fears with various statements claiming that things are returning to normal, but promises that safety can’t be guaranteed, haven’t done much to alleviate such concerns.

A report claims the teams have issued their employees with two sets of tickets; one to fly straight from China to Bahrain, the other to return to their respective countries of residence.

Team principals from all 12 teams are to meet with the FIA during the Chinese GP weekend to discuss the matter further.

With the teams now doubting that the race will go ahead, and fresh warnings that safety cannot be guaranteed – the latest coming from the February 14th Youth Coalition which organises protests – pressure is growing on the governing body to cancel the event.

However the FIA says it has been assured by the relevant authorities that safety isn’t a concern, but they would continue to monitor the situation before making a final decision.

“The FIA is constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” an FIA spokesman was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We are in daily touch with the highest authorities, the main European embassies and of course the local promoters at BIC (Bahrain International Circuit) as well as the international promoter.

“The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security. In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control.”
…more

editor: take notice of the headline, “Bahrain youth group targets Formula 1”, February 14th Youth Coalition, said it would not be able to “ensure the safety” of Formula 1 participants amid popular anger that would be triggered by the race going ahead. They didn’t target anything, they simply issued a warning. I expect there is far greater threat from King Hamad’s “ignorant ass” police and regime loyalists agitating violence on spectators and participants, than there is the from the opposition. Phlipn

Bahrain youth group targets Formula 1
By Simeon Kerr – 8 April, 2012 – FT

Bahrain’s youth opposition movement has issued a warning to Formula 1 organisers, sponsors and spectators, ahead of the island’s controversial grand prix planned for April 20-22.

The February 14th Youth Coalition, an online organising body for anti-regime protests, said it would not be able to “ensure the safety” of Formula 1 participants amid popular anger that would be triggered by the race going ahead.

While renouncing violence, the statement said the organisers would be regarded as part of the ruling family’s “bloody regime, responsible for shedding the blood of the sons of Bahrain”.

Keen to present an image of business as usual, the government has pressed on with the island’s biggest tourist attraction, which was cancelled last year as unrest swept across this strategically important US ally.

“We anticipate Formula 1 will continue and hope it will be a success,” said Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, a government spokesman.

While Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said the race should go ahead, opposition is growing amid daily clashes between the security forces and young opponents of the regime.

Pro-democracy protests that broke out in February last year were crushed when Saudi troops marched in a month later to back a government crackdown. The regime blamed the unrest on Iranian interference.

An independent commission slammed the security forces for excessive use of force and systematic torture. The minority Sunni-led government says it is reforming but the opposition, led by the majority Shia, says change is too slow.

As the death toll rises to more than 60, Richard Burden, a UK member of parliament, has backed calls from former F1 driver Damon Hill for the decision to hold the grand prix to be reviewed.

“In a context where genuine and sustainable reform is taking place, holding a grand prix could be a unifying event for the people of Bahrain,” Mr Burden wrote on a blog. “But things are not at that stage.”

Protests, mostly confined to clashes in Shia villages surrounding the capital, have been turning increasingly violent. At the weekend, youths set a bus on fire, describing it as a “warning” to the ruling family.

Ala’a Shehabi, an opposition activist, says increasingly radicalised young protesters aim to use the race to refocus the world’s attention on the Arab spring’s “forgotten uprising”.

Pressure is also mounting on the government to release jailed opposition leader and human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is in his second month of a hunger strike.

The judiciary yesterday rejected a Danish request for Mr Khawaja, a dual Bahraini-Danish national, to be transferred there for medical treatment. Sheikh Abdulaziz said Mr Khawaja remained in a stable condition at a military hospital, where he was being cared for by an “independent” medical team, including a Danish doctor. …source

Gulf Air Hacked by Feb14Defence
9 April, 2012 – AlJazeera

Activists on Sunday appear to have hacked the Facebook page of Bahrain’s national airline, Gulf Air (facebook.com/gulfair). The company’s logo has been replaced with a picture of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the imprisoned human rights activist who has been on hunger strike for 60 days to protest his detention. Posts have also been made by a group calling itself “Feb14Defence” which posted the following as Gulf Air on the Facebook wall: “page of ‘Gulf Air’ has been hacked in solidarity with Abdulhadi Alkhawaja”.

After Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy led a crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising last year, rights groups in Bahrain reported that more than 200 Shia employees of Gulf Air were dismissed from their jobs. The airline also cancelled flights to countries with large Shia populations like Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, only to resume them again later. ….more

Zainab Alkhawaja on Her Detention When She Called Out for My Father
EA WorldView – Scott Lucas – 8 April, 2012

Zainab Alkhawaja, the daughter of detained hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, has been writing about her detention last night — her second in 48 hours — as she stood outside the military hospital where her father is being held:

Last night we got a call from my father, he could barely talk and had a hard time breathing. When I heard my fathers condition is this bad, and know he was being harassed by staff & guards I went to try to see him again….I had little hope they would let me into the military hospital to see my father, but I had to try at least.

As I walked towards the hospital, police recognized me & shouted, “It’s Alkhawaja’s daughter, grab her!” I ran inside the hospital but did not know where my father was, I started calling him. I was thinking, even if they didn’t let me see him I hope he at least hears me, & knows I’m here for him.

Three men grabbed me and pushed me to the ground, but I kept shouting for my father. People gathered & one of the men told me, “If you keep quiet we’ll take you to see your father now.” I said OK.

The minute I took a step outside the hospital they pushed me to the ground, & tied my hands together. They put me in a wheelchair & tied my legs to the wheelchair as well. I said, “You’re not a man of your word.” That’s when they taped my mouth, & took me to a security room.

In the security room, a tall older man wearing traditional thoub came to “speak” to me. First he declared, “I am like your father & you are like my daughter, & we are ruled by a king of mercy.” He then said, “In fact you can call me mercy. Tell me what you want. You want to see your father? I’ll take you to him myself.”

I asked him, “Is this how you usually talk to ur daughters, with them tied onto a wheelchair?”

He said, “You’re a girl, that’s why you have a small brain. Listen to me & learn & obey. If you don’t, I’ll pull you out of here like a sheep.” He said, smiling, “Imagine your father’s face when I tell him his daughter came today, & I dragged her on the ground like an animal.”

He started shouting & banging his fist on the wheelchair I was in, told me I had to go for interrogations now. He called some security police & told them to go check if anyone filmed them dragging me. He said, “You know why we did this to you. We don’t know who you are. How should we know you are his daughter? You could be an enemy, trying to harm Alkhawaja and we must protect him. That’s why we attacked you.”

I replied, “Your men yelled that it’s Alkhawaja’s daughter before they attacked me.”

He continued, “In fact I still don’t know who the hell you are. You could be anyone, how do I know you’re Zainab?”

I said, “Why don’t you Google my name if you are really this unsure?”

He replied, “I dont know this word, only word I know is…erm..Sketch.”

Obviously this is one of the most absurd “conversations” I’ve ever had in my life. It ended when I said I won’t leave without seeing my father, & he grabbed me from my clothes & pulled me to a car.

In the drive to the military headquarters, the same man brought with him a big rifle, which he pointed in my direction. In the military headquarters, they brought men with cameras to film me, one of them looked hestitant & very sad. He walked away. The same guy in the thoub called him & said, “Are you ashamed to take her pictures? She’s filth, take as many as you want.”

I was interrogated at the military prosector’s. I refused to answer any questions without a lawyer. I also told the interrogator that “I refuse to leave with the man who brought me here”.

When they realized the probably had to beat me to get me in the same car with him, they put me in a prisoner vehicle instead. It’s like a cage, with padding, and pitch dark. So dark that even when they spoke to me, they couldn’t see me. I realized this was probably the same kind of vehicle they transported my father in for his miltary trials.

A very kind policewoman brought me water & told me to sleep, and I did for a little while. Then I was taken to Riffa police station, where I was interrogated with but this time in the presence of my lawyer.

A question they asked me in the military prosecutor’s is what made me realize what they were charging me with. “Did you REALLY tell a security personnel that he is NOT a man??!!” and they looked shocked at my crime too. …source

#OpBahrain #Anonymous

Bahrain: Martyrs fall as Al-Khawaja’s plight challenges world morality and ethics
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 8 April, 2012

On Friday 6th April Khadija Ali Abbas who was in her forties, was martyred as a result of inhaling excessive chemical gases fired on her home on 25th December. She was taken to hospital where her condition continued to deteriorate over the past three months. Khadija was of good health and never suffered serious illnesses before.

The Alkhalifa junta is now targeting the population with these chemical gases to ensure their gradual extermination. The number of Bahrainis killed by those lethal gases has risen to around 35.

Meanwhile the body of Martyr Ahmad Ismael who was killed last week with live ammunition has not yet been handed to his family. The Alkhalifa junta forged his death certificate to indicate that his death was a result of misadventure or as a result of unwarranted act by unknown people. The family refused to receive his body until the Death Certificate said the death was due to firing by members of the security forces. The regime is thus directly implicated in the killing of Ahmad Ismael whose body still remains in the hands of the regime. This is a replication of the case of Martyr Fadhel Al Ubaidi who was killed in March with live bullets from the security forces. The Alkhalifa dictatorship wanted to change the Death Certificate by the family refused to take the body. The same story happened with Martyr Yousif Al Mawali who was killed in January but his funeral was not held until 21st February because of the attempts by the authorities to falsify the official document to shift the blame away from the regime.

At another level, the health of the international human rights activist remains in the balance; He is likely to died any moment as his body becomes weaker by the day. He has been on hunger strike for the past two months and has refused to take in any solid food. His condition has deteriorated rapidly in the past few days and has been transferred to the military hospital to force feed him. His condition has become an international issue with hundreds of human rights bodies condemning the Alkhalifa gang for mistreating and killing Bahrainis. Mr Khawaja started his hunger strike on 8thFebruary in protest at his continuing detention even after the BICI report that called for the release of the leading figures including himself. Mr Khwaja wanted to bring to the attention of the world the unsuitability of this gang to rule a modern and educated society and expose the complicity of some Western governments in the mistreatment of Bahrainis. …more

editor: I greatly appreciate the article from Cuba News Agency below. Sadly Cuba’s own prisons are haunted by ghosts of Politicals who have died in hunger strike seeking freedom. Its time for the Castro regime to rethink its own commitment to Human Rights. It also share some great accomplishments with regard to human rights; medicine, literacy, anti-imperialism… Its seems all to often it easier to draw attention to others misdeeds than to reconcile ones own. Phlipn.

7 April, 2012 – Voltaire Network – While the Western media resort to every trick in the book to get people to believe in the narrative that an alleged popular uprising in Syria has been quelled in blood, mum’s the word with regard to the brutal suppression of the democratic movement in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Morocco. In this piece, Cuban journalist Dalia Gonzalez Delgado discusses the reasons behind the complacency shown by the “friends” of democracy and freedom towards the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Bahrain: the silenced revolt
Cuban Agency News – Dalia Gonzalez Delgado – 7 APril, 2012

Who has heard anything concrete about the protests in Bahrain? Very few people, no doubt. Not because it is a small country, but because in the contemporary world, what doesn’t appear in the media virtually does not exist. The same media which is exacerbating what is occurring in Syria is silent when it comes to passing judgment on allies of the United States. In this case, the ally being the monarchy of King Al Khalifa.

If there is any reference to the conflict in Bahrain in the media, it is reduced to a confrontation between Shiites and Sunnis. Although 70% of the country’s inhabitants are Shiite and the other 30% Sunni – the branch of Islam professed by the ruling dynasty – the essence of the protest in this country is neither sectarian nor religious.

For more than 12 months, the demonstrations in Bahrain have focused on demands linked to work, fighting poverty and social improvements. The perspective is a secular and peaceful one. “Not Shiites or Sunnis, but Bahrainis,” is the central slogan.

The reaction of authorities has been one of brutal repression. February 14, 2011 will be remembered as the day on which Saudi Arabian troops invaded Bahrain via an elevated highway linking the two countries, to “help” crush the uprising.

Police have fired live rounds at demonstrators, and have used clubs and teargas. According to witnesses, cruelty has reached the point that wounded protestors have been unable to get to hospitals for treatment.

Due to the evident lack of information, it is difficult to obtain any clear idea of what is taking place.

Why has this case not been discussed in the UN Security Council? Why has the Arab League not sent in a team of observers? Why is there no demand for Al Kalifa to step down, as is the case with Bashar al-Assad of Syria?

Analyst Pepe Escobar states that there was a tacit agreement between the House of Saud and the White House, along the lines of, “You invade Bahrain, we’ll give you an Arab resolution which will allow you to go to the UN and then launch the NATO humanitarian bombing of Libya.”

Two UN diplomatic sources confirmed this to Asia Times Online, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave the go-ahead for the Saudi invasion of Bahrain.

This is another clear example of the U.S. policy of double standards, or ‘do what I say and not what I do.’

Maryam al-Khawaja, an activist and director of the Bahrain Human Rights Center’s Foreign Relations Department, has attacked Western governments for selling arms to Bahrain.

During the last 10 years, U.S. sales of military equipment to the country have risen to $1.4 billion. In addition, Bahrain is in receipt of an International Military and Education Training program (IMET) and signed an agreement for $53 million in arms sales.

Why is such a small island so important to Washington?

In 2002, the U.S. giant designated the kingdom “a very important non-NATO ally.” At the same time, in March of 2008, the Al Khalifa regime became the first Arab country to conduct joint naval maneuvers with the United States. It is not coincidental that the U.S. 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain and will be the hub of any future U.S. military action in the Gulf. It has already given logistical support as a base in the Iraqi wars, and to missions in Afghanistan.

Simply stated, the United States cannot afford to lose Bahrain. …source

Yesterday, Damon Hill urged F1 bosses to rethink plans to hold this month’s Bahrain race. As detained activist Abdulhadi Al Khawaja nears the 60th day of his hunger strike, John Lubbock provides a devastating account of the regime’s ongoing abuses and denounces the UK’s tacit support and complicity. Unless we act fast, he warns, disaster awaits.

F1 urged to rethink Bahrain GP, as hunger striker nears death
John Lubbock – 6 APril, 2012 – CeaseFire

Yesterday’s media reports, suggesting that former Formula One world champion Damon Hill had changed his mind about the wisdom of bringing F1 back to Bahrain this month, after a year of unrest and human rights abuses, were yet another reminder that the Bahraini Spring was far from over. Hill was invited by the Bahrainis a few months ago so they could show him how everything was fine again, and he seemed to agree with them. Now after reading the latest reports, he has voiced fresh concern and said the Formula 1 authorities should think again.

The F1 Bahrain Grand Prix race, scheduled for 22 April, probably won’t get cancelled at such short notice, but if it goes ahead, there will likely be widescale repression going on behind the scenes to stop protesters getting anywhere near the racetrack. If anyone is killed as a result, it will be big news and bad for all Bahrainis. There is nothing in this to gloat about, but the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has been warning of the possible consequences of holding the race since last year, and quite apart from this factor, it is just not right that a big international event should ignore ongoing human rights abuses and reward a dictator with such an important economic boon.

When I wrote an article with BCHR President Nabeel Rajab for The Guardian with our claims that staff at the Formula 1 circuit had been tortured on the premises by the chief of security, a PR firm immediately threatened legal action. We proved the claims to the satisfaction of The Guardian’s legal team and the PR firm backed down. It was yet another cowardly example of Bahrain’s rulers using their power to cow dissenting voices into silence. How many people did not give evidence to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry because they were threatened?

Bahrain’s government keeps on repeating its mantra that “reform” is taking place, that things will take time, but that things are getting better. They claimed that there were no more cases of torture after the publication of the BICI report. And yet, two people died from torture in January alone. The Foreign Minister has said ‘there is no political prisoner in Bahrain’, despite Abdulhadi Alkhawaja being on hunger-strike to protest his life sentence for 57 days now. If he dies, Bahrainis will take to the streets and there will surely be widespread violence, both from frustrated youths and from the security forces. …more

Bahrain revolution defies repression
30 March, 2012 – By Tony Iltis

On March 14 last year, four days before the NATO intervention in Libya, there was a less publicised Western-supported military intervention. A Saudi-led force invaded Bahrain to put down democracy protests against that country’s absolute monarchy.

Despite the repression, fresh protests have broken out. Press TV said on March 27 that thousands of Bahrainis rallied calling for the overthrow of King Hamad bin Isa and his Al Khalifa dynasty.

The protests were at the funeral of Ahmad Abdul Nabi, killed by tear gas at an earlier demonstration. Deaths through tear gas inhalation are common in Saudi-occupied Bahrain.

On March 26, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights released a report documenting human rights violations since the publication of the Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) last November 2011.

The report is a grim catalogue of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture and excessive use of force, political imprisonment and trials, religious discrimination, kidnappings, politically motivated sackings and harassment of the media.

On March 22, Al-Manar TV reported that Bahraini security forces kidnapped, beat and raped 16-year-old Ali Al-Sankees “due to his refusal to work with the Bahraini forces as an informant”.

Western media has echoed the Bahraini monarchy in characterising the opposition as a sectarian Shiite movement. Bahrain’s ruling elite is drawn from the Sunni minority and the Shiite majority face discrimination.

However, a representative of the Coalition of February 14th Youth told Jadaliyya.com on March 22: “This is a big lie through which the Al-Khalifa regime seeks to mislead international public opinion … The first political prisoner since the revolution started is the Sunni, Muhammad al-Buflasa …

“How can it be called sectarian, when the goal of the revolution is for all citizens, whether Sunni or Shia, to become equal in their rights and duties …

“The most prominent and most important slogan of this revolution is ‘We are brothers, Sunnis and Shias, and we will not sell out this country’.” …more

Bahrain won’t transfer hunger striker to Denmark
8 April, 2012 – Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain on Sunday rejected the Danish government’s request to transfer a jailed activist who is on a nearly two-month hunger strike to Denmark for treatment, the official news agency in the Gulf kingdom said.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is a Danish citizen and has been refusing food since Feb. 8, is serving a life sentence for his role in last year’s uprising by the island nation’s Shiite majority against a Western-backed Sunni monarchy.

The Bahrain News Agency said the Supreme Judicial Council has declined to hand him over to Danish authorities because the law prevents transfers of “accused and convicted persons to foreign countries.”

Bahrain’s opposition supporters have been staging daily rallies for al-Khawaja’s release, frequently clashing with security forces. The demonstrations have helped fuel rising tensions in the kingdom just two weeks before it is to stage the Formula One grand prix race — its premier international event that was canceled last year because of the political unrest.

The government said last week that al-Khawaja has lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds), while his lawyer said that al-Khawaja is weak but was conscious on Friday when he visited him in the hospital.

Al-Khawaja’s declining health has prompted appeals from groups such as Amnesty International, which last week urged Bahrain to free him because of fears he could die. The Danish government said last week it has been “exerting maximum efforts” to have al-Khawaja sent to Denmark for medical treatment.

There was no immediate comment from Danish authorities on Bahrain’s decision Sunday.

Al-Khawaja, 52, is a former Middle East and North Africa director of the Ireland-based Frontline Defenders Rights organization. He has also documented human rights abuses in Bahrain for international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Having lived in exile in Denmark for decades, he returned to Bahrain after the government announced a general amnesty in 2001. …more