Democracy is ongoing process in Bahrain: Prince Salman
11 May, 2012 – 24×7

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, said democracy is an ongoing process that requires time, hard work and a realistic vision.

“We, in Bahrain, are working diligently to achieve that while being fully conscious of the need to adopt that to our reality and the nature of our society,” he added as he met in Washington US Senator John Kerry.

HRH the Crown Prince underlined the kingdom’s resolve to build on its political, economic and social achievements, which, he said, are a source of pride.

Both sides also reviewed strong bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of common interest.

The meeting was attended by Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Follow-up Minister at the Royal Court Shaikh Ahmed bin Attiyatallah Al Khalifa.

Separately, HRH the Crown Prince also met in Washington Senator Joe Lieberman and stressed the importance of internal and external security and stability as a prerequisite to maintain the reform momentum.

He said despite the hardships undergone by Bahrain, Bahrain is determined, under the leadership of HM the King, to bring about further achievements and overcome the repercussions of the previous period.
He also voiced Bahrain’s appreciation of the continuous support provided by brotherly and friendly countries which, he said, helped the kingdom surmount a lot of challenges.

HRH the Crown Prince lauded friendly ties and the strategic alliance with the USA for the best interest of the Bahraini and American people and to maintain regional security and stability. …more

Murdered by Police using a Cruiser to repeatedly run over him in November, 2011.

Al-Wefaq Responds to Clinton’s Statement on Bahrain Rights

Principal Bahraini opposition party Al-Wefaq released a statement in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s call for “meaningful institutional and political reforms that take into account the interests and aspirations.” The party welcomed Clinton’s statement, saying the “interests and aspirations” to which Clinton referred “have been clearly demonstrated […] through the persistent calls for democracy” and that a majority of Bahrainis have “continuously demanded an inclusive democracy, starting with an elected government that represents the will of the people.” The release says that Bahraini authorities have yet to take “any meaningful steps” towards meeting the wishes of its people, adding that any reforms done until now have been “purely cosmetic.”

Meanwhile, reports have emerged of overnight clashes between police and protesters in the villages surrounding Manama, with forces firing bird shot and tear gas at the demonstrators. According to witnesses, several civilians were wounded, and many of the protesters were reportedly carrying photographs of detained human rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

Finally, Elliot Abrams writes that the deteriorating situation in Bahrain is owed largely to a severe lack of leadership from both the Bahraini royal family and the Obama Administration. He suggests that since the publication of the BICI report, King Hamad “has provided no leadership,” while he contends that, aside from a few statements, the United States has done “nothing” to alleviate the building tension between the royal family and the opposition. According to Abrams, real efforts need to made to reach an agreement, such as bringing “key Bahraini leaders to Washington and [having] the President and Secretary or a high-level designee work with them day after day until something is hammered out; [and sending] a top-level empowered emissary to Manama for the same purpose.” …more

Bahrain: Tens of thousands protest in support of rights activist Nabeel Rajab
11 May 2012 – BlottR

Thousands of protesters took part in a protest in the village of Karzakan in support of prominent activist Nabeel Rajab who was arrested a week ago.

Protesters were seen holding pictures of Rajab who has become one of the symbols of the Bahraini uprising.

Rights activist Nabeel Rajab was arrested on last Saturday at Manama airport after returning from a human rights conference in Beirut, Lebanon. He appeared in front of a court the next day where he faced charges of “inciting illegal rallies and marches online by using social networking websites.”

The Bahraini Ministry of Interior issued a statement stating that Rajab was detained on the order of the Attorney-General. On the other hand, Rajab’s lawyers mentioned that the charges against him include “engagement in illegitimate practices” and “incitement to gatherings and unlicensed marches”. They also affirmed that he has been questioned about some of his tweets and has been accused of “insulting a statutory body; being the Ministry of Interior”.

The president of the Bahrain centre for Human Rights will be sent to public prosecution this Sunday where the question of his release will be discussed.

The Shi’ite community has been demanding democratic reforms. More than a year after the beginning of the uprising, members of the Shi’ite community protest almost every day in different villages and cities across the Gulf kingdom.

The majority Shi’ite community say they feel marginalized by the minority Sunni al-Khalifa regime, which has been in power for more than 200 years. Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa has occupied his position for 42 years. The Shi’ite population demand democratic reforms that would reduce the extensive powers of the ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa family.

According to activists the regime’s violent clampdown on pro-democracy protests resulted in the deaths of more than 80 people since the beginning of the popular uprising last year. …source

Renewal of U.S. Security Cooperation With Bahrain

Press Statement [Department of State]
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 11, 2012

Today, the Administration informed Congress that for national security interests we have decided to release additional items and services for the Bahrain Defense Force, the Coast Guard, and the National Guard for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities. Bahrain is an important security partner and ally in a region facing enormous challenges. Maintaining our and our partners’ ability to respond to these challenges is a critical component of our commitment to Gulf security. ‪

We have made the decision to release additional items to Bahrain mindful of the fact that there are a number of serious unresolved human rights issues that the Government of Bahrain needs to address. We will continue to maintain the holds on the TOW missiles and Humvees that were notified to Congress last October. Certain additional items for the Bahrain Defense Force, as well as all items for the Ministry of the Interior, excepting the Coast Guard and units deployed in Afghanistan, will also remain on hold. The items that we are releasing are not used for crowd control.

While the Government of Bahrain has begun to take some important steps to implement the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report, the country is becoming increasingly polarized and much work remains to be done. We are concerned about excessive use of force and tear gas by police. At the same time, we are concerned by the almost daily use of violence by some protestors. We urge all sides to work together to end the violence and refrain from incitement of any kind, including attacks on peaceful protestors or on the Bahraini police.

Going forward, we will continue to engage with Bahrain to encourage meaningful progress on human rights and reform. The United States believes that addressing the underlying causes of last year’s unrest and undertaking meaningful political and institutional reforms are critical to Bahrain’s stability and the strength of our countries’ longstanding partnership. All Bahrainis have a significant stake in participating in dialogue that leads to reform, and we call on the Bahraini government and people to resolve their issues through discussion. We remain committed to supporting Bahrain in achieving progress in these areas. ….source

NATO and US admit killing 20 Afghan civilians
11 May, 2012 – Al Akhbar

NATO and US forces in Afghanistan admitted on Friday that a number of civilians were killed in two separate airstrikes, days after President Hamid Karzai warned that such deaths threatened relations with the US.

A joint statement by NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US forces gave no details of how many civilians died in each incident, but local officials have put the total at more than 20, including women and children.

“The coalition takes full responsibility for these tragic and regrettable incidents, and we will meet with the family members of those who died or were injured to express our sincere condolences,” the statement said.

ISAF commander General John Allen will brief Karzai on the results of initial investigations into the incidents on May 4 in southern Helmand province and on May 6 in northwestern Badghis province.

“The president will be assured of our commitment to take any and all appropriate actions to minimize the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future,” the statement said.

“If our investigation finds someone responsible, appropriate action will be taken to hold them accountable.”

On Sunday, Karzai summoned Allen and US ambassador Ryan Crocker to warn that civilian deaths caused by international forces fighting a Taliban insurgency threatened the strategic pact he signed with US President Barack Obama last week.

“We must not allow these incidents to damage our shared goals of a peaceful and secure Afghanistan,” the ISAF statement said.

“We have accomplished much together over the past ten years. We, as partners with the Afghan government, look forward to continuing this momentum.”

In the Helmand incident, six members of a family, including two boys, three girls and a woman, were killed in an airstrike after ISAF checkpoints came under attack, the provincial governor’s office said.

In Badghis province, an airstrike killed 15 civilians, including women and children, the provincial member of parliament Qazi Abdul Rahim told AFP, although that figure has not been independently confirmed.

Civilian casualties have always been a sensitive issue in the US-led war against Taliban Islamists, who were ousted from power in a 2001 invasion, and have often been the cause of tense relations between Kabul and Washington.

The number of civilians killed has risen steadily each year for the past five years, reaching a record of 3,021 in 2011, the great majority caused by militants, according to UN statistics. …source

Administration Renews Bahrain Weapons Sale
11 May, 2012 – POMED

Citing national security interests, Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the State Department, released a statement which details the Administration’s decision to “release additional items and services for the Bahrain Defense Force, the Coast Guard, and the National Guard for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities.” According to Nuland, while taking into consideration “a number of serious unresolved human rights issues…the Government of Bahrain needs to address,” the items that will be released are not intended for use in crowd control. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed similar sentiment days prior, saying “that much work remains to fully address ongoing human rights issues.” Nuland blamed the Government of Bahrain and the opposition for the ongoing violence, and urged both sides to work together.

While the Administration has recently released “additional items and services” to the Bahrain Navy, this action comes after H.J. Res. 80 attempted to suspend the sale. In addition, in February, multiple members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to “express our opposition to the Adminstration’s decision to move forward with the sale of a limited number of military items and services to Bahrain,” as they “believe that any such sale at this time sends the wrong signal to Bahrain and the world about America’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights.” …source

Letter Two: Reflection from Sheikh Mohammed Ali, the Bahraini Prisoner of Conscience
10 May, 2012

Dear President Barak Obama,

I am writing to you my second letter while I am sitting behind the bars, where I cannot breathe the fresh air except two hours every day, and I cannot breathe freedom at all. I am in a very small room with six prisoners accompanying me, sharing one bathroom. I live in a place where even animals cannot live. I live in a place where I cannot read, see the papers, or even perform the least hobbies of sports and writing. I am in a place where we do not have any proper medication or regular medical check-up. The medical check-up is dedicated for measuring how far they can torture you. I am in a place where I have no access to the outside world. I hope this letter reaches you and spread the agony and tragedy I am living with hundreds of prisoners of conscience with the approval of the United States of America.

Mr. President, I would like to speak to you about my message in life, and my society’s visions, missions and goals. Amal is neo-a liberal Islamic society that was established in 2001 and officially declared in 2002 under the official law of Bahrain. Amal carries two meaning in Arabic. Amal is work and it also means hope. We believe that collective work is the hope that will bring prosperity to Bahrain. Our society is a restructure of Bahrain Frontline established in 1980. We restructured our strategies after the national royal pardon of the King in 2001. We believe that political partnership, and we have been calling for a genuine partnership since 2002, because we perceived from that time that without a genuine partnership, the country is destined to an inevitable clash. The conditions of Bahrain were not acceptable, and this is why I personally was very keen on bringing up the crucial problems that eventually lead to 14 February. Amal organized three conferences as follows:The Inevitable need for a Consensus Modern Constitution (2003); The Bitter Reality of Poverty (2007); and Together to Solve Housing Crisis (2008). In 2007, Amal allied with Waad Society (Ebrahim Sharif) and Haqq Movement and called for a genuine change beginning with the change of the current Prime Minister, who is in his place for forty-three years. At that time, teenagers and the youth rallied on the streets and we called for the emergent need for change; an emergent need for an initiative that genuinely lead the country to prosperity because we read from the daily protests that a revolution is coming on the way.

Amal never took part in any elections, and Amal boycotted all the parliamentary elections because we believe that the representatives will be corrupt and take part in misrepresenting democracy. It was public bribery to represent a distorted democracy, where no genuine decision or legislation could be carried out. In the last ten years, there were three elections, and the representative were only puppetry performers, where they fight over trivial issues and they turned the Lower House of Representatives to a sectarian conflicting place, where the most trivial discussions were turned to Sunni-Shiite fights. Moreover, the representatives did not establish any reject to build the country’s infrastructure or help establish laws to guarantee respecting human rights and improving civil rights and civil liberties.

In 2007, we warned the country that an inevitable revolution is surging on the horizon, and we never stopped pointing out to this imminent blow out until February 14th 2011. Before February 14, there was a meeting with the US previous Ambassador, Mr. Adam Early, with some people who claim themselves as the leading opposition in Bahrain. These people reported to the Ambassador that the calls for 14th February are uttered from children and teenagers, who are fascinated with the revolution of Egypt, but they are under control and they are only children.

Mr. President, We were the only officially registered society who knew this is not only a dream of teenagers. Bahrain did suffer from all the conditions and circumstances that would eventually lead to a revolution, and our vision was right. I would like to point to an important fact in this point about the so-called Crown Prince Dialogue. The Dialogue was only an excuse to pass time while in reality there was a plan to break down the Pearl Revolution. The visit of Mr. Robert Gates was not a coincidence and it is a proof that the United States of America is a partner in the murder of tens of Bahrainis, torturing thousands of prisoners, detaining thousands of innocents, and suspending thousands from their jobs.

Mr. President, I regret to say that the United States Silence and partnership in this sectarian genocide is a shame that will haunt the history of America during the Presidency of President Barack Obama. However, it is not late, and I am sure there is time to erase this black spot that ushered a counterattack to choke the call for democracy. I do believe that the spirit of the “Declaration of Independence” will lead to better stands from the United States of America.
In conclusion, despite the fact that I have spent a whole year in torture and without my freedom I have a belief to convey to you. The Khalifa Regime might have detained me, tortured me, and put me under detention for no reasons, but they cannot deprive me from my freedom, the spirit of freedom and liberty, and my dream of a country where the national motto is “for God, for Justice, for Freedom.”

Yours,
Sheikh Mohammed Ali Almahfoodh
Chairman of Amal Islamic Society
Jaw Central Prison of Bahrain