Bahrain Media Targets Leading Activists
By Brian Dooley – Human Rights First – 31 May, 2012

It’s been more than six months since the Bahraini government received the report it had commissioned on the crisis of early 2011. The government promised to implement the reforms recommended by the report’s authors—a panel of international human rights experts—and to respect human rights.

There are vastly different accounts (or “narratives,” as the latest jargon has it) of what’s happening now. Human rights activists in Bahrain say that reform is superficial; the police continue to use excessive force against civilians, including astonishing amounts of tear gas, and people continue to be prosecuted in politically motivated trials. The government says it is reforming, but that the process takes time. It points to some protestors who are using violence against the police as justification for police actions.

One good way to assess how a country is doing on human rights is to look at how it treats its leading human right activists—if and how it protects them, defends their rights to free speech and association, and recognizes them as important figures in civil society.

In Bahrain the record is clear. Prominent activists remain jailed, judicially harassed and threatened. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (the most prominent, though officially banned, human rights organization in Bahrain), is an internationally renowned activist. He has been in jail since April 2011 on politically motivated charges. He was tortured and convicted with 20 other leading dissidents in an unfair military trial and was given a life sentence. Last week he ended his hunger strike after 110 days but remains in detention while his “appeal” continues.

Nabeel Rajab, current President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), was released from jail earlier this week after being arrested in early May for criticizing the government. He is due back in court June 24, as is Zainab Al Khawja, another leading activist also being prosecuted for peacefully protesting and criticizing the government. She was also released last weekend after several weeks in jail.

The following day Mahdi Abu Deeb and Jalila Al Salman will also be in court. Leaders of the Bahrain Teachers Association, they too were arrested, tortured and convicted after an unfair trial in a military court. Al Salman was sentenced to three years and Abu Deeb to ten. She is out of custody while the “appeal” proceeds; he remains in jail.

Last week Bahrain was among the countries assessed by the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). What normally happens is that the government under review presents its take on human rights in its country, and representatives of civil society from that country organize side events to give a more critical account. …more

The record on the ground is a little more nuanced, however.

In Yemen, the White House backed a deal to transfer power from war on terror ally President Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi following an uncontested election. In Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet, the U.S. continues to support a government that crushed a popular uprising last year by the Shiite majority. And in Syria, the White House has so far refused to take additional measures such as arming rebel forces or guaranteeing the safety of humanitarian corridors.

Official: White House ‘stood on the side of change’ since start of Arab Spring
By Julian Pecquet – 30 May, 2012 – The Hill

The United States has been on the side of citizens fighting for their rights since the very beginning of the Arab Spring 18 months ago, Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough told a Middle Eastern audience Wednesday.

Throughout his remarks at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Qatar, McDonough sought to convey the idea that the White House has stayed true to President Obama’s promise during his well-received 2009 speech in Cairo that promised a “new beginning” anchored in “mutual interest and mutual respect.” The forum is convened by the Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World in partnership with the State of Qatar.

“The theme of this year’s Forum is timely: Across the Middle East and North Africa, a new generation is rising, raising its voice and seeking a new direction,” McDonough said in prepared remarks. “The challenges and opportunities of this change are things that President Obama understands well. In fact, bringing about change has been central to his life in public service and it shapes his approach to American foreign policy, especially in this region.”

McDonough went on to draw a sharp distinction with the situation when Obama took office in 2009, a time, he said, when U.S.-Arab relations were “either frayed or stagnant” as a result of the war in Iraq and other policies pursued by George W. Bush.

“So let me speak candidly about the role of the United States,” he said. “First, history will show that we stood on the side of change from the beginning of these events.

“We embraced the transformation in Tunisia. We sided with the aspirations of citizens on the streets in Egypt, even though the United States knew very well the leader that was overthrown, because we believe Egypt is made stronger by electing a government that is responsive to its people. We led an intervention to protect the Libyan people. We worked diligently, for months — literally months — to support the transition of power that has taken place in Yemen. And in countries like Bahrain, which I just visited, Morocco and Jordan, we have been advocates for reform. And in Syria, we stand for the dignity of the Syrian people, who deserve a new government that represents its citizens instead of killing them.”

The record on the ground is a little more nuanced, however.

In Yemen, the White House backed a deal to transfer power from war on terror ally President Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi following an uncontested election. In Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet, the U.S. continues to support a government that crushed a popular uprising last year by the Shiite majority. And in Syria, the White House has so far refused to take additional measures such as arming rebel forces or guaranteeing the safety of humanitarian corridors.

West may intervene in Syria to prevent toxic gas stockpile from falling into ‘wrong hands’
By Geeta – 31 May, 2012 – ANI News

Western troops could intervene in Syria if the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s government leaves stockpiles of his chemical weapons vulnerable to terrorists, sources have revealed.

Syria possesses hundreds of tons of VX, Sarin and mustard gas. Western governments are concerned about the security of these munitions if the Assad regime falls or loses control over relevant sites.

“The thing that privately has got people very worried is chemical weapon stocks,” The Telegraph quoted a diplomat, as saying.

“Were it to be the case that the regime did start to lose control of the security environment, and it looked as though it wasn’t able to secure those sites, then that would be a game-changer,” the diplomat added.

The diplomat said that the current 14-month uprising probably does not pose an “existential threat” to the regime.

But if that changed, the international community would have to avert the threat of chemical weapons falling in dangerous hands, the diplomat added.

According to the paper, Al-Qaeda is understood to have moved operatives into Syria from neighbouring Iraq.

Hizbollah, the Shia extremist group, has a longstanding presence in Syria and a close alliance with Assad.

The diplomat stressed that they ‘could not tolerate the possibility of some of that stuff falling into the wrong hands.’ said the diplomat.

“This uprising is not an existential threat to the Assad cartel, but if it was the case that they were starting to lose the plot and it looked as if their ability to secure those materials was questionable, then I think you’d see more very serious worries coming out of the Security Council,” the paper quoted the diplomat, as saying. (ANI) …more

Bahrain: Pro-democracy Demonstrators are Facing Charges Related to Terrorism
May 31st, 2012 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern regarding use of the law no. 58 for 2006 related to the protection of society against terrorist acts against pro-democracy demonstrators who were arrested during the past weeks.

According to information of BYSHR, more than 30 pro-democracy demonstrators to be held in custody for 60 days pending investigation.

Penal Code: Held in custody for pending investigation must not exceed 45 days.

Punishments in the law of Terrorist “harsh” may reach Death Penalty or Life Imprisonment.

On 25 July 2006, An independent United Nations human rights expert urged Bahrain’s Government to amend a new counter-terrorism bill, expressing concern that the law could harm human rights in the country and would be “particularly troubling” as the Kingdom is a member of the newly constituted UN Human Rights Council. -more below

[excerpt from history of unjust laws off oppression in Bahrain]

Bahrain terror bill is not in line with international human rights law – UN expert
25 July, 2006 – UN News Center

An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged Bahrain’s Government to amend a new counter-terrorism bill, expressing concern that the law could harm human rights in the country and would be “particularly troubling” as the Kingdom is a member of the newly constituted UN Human Rights Council.

The bill, titled “Protecting Society from Terrorists Acts,” is awaiting ratification by the Head of State before becoming law, but the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Martin Scheinin, called for the legislative and executive branches to “reconsider.”

“While fully conscious of the fact that States’ obligation to protect and promote human rights requires them to take effective measures to combat terrorism, I encourage the executive and legislative branches of Government to make amendments to this bill to bring it in line with international human rights law.

“Disregarding concerns based on international human rights standards would be particularly troubling in the case of a country that is a member of the newly constituted UN Human Rights Council.”

The Special Rapporteur wrote to the Government in March and again last month, when this bill was before Parliament, identifying some issues of concern regarding the proposed legislation and he also listed these four broad areas in today’s statement.

Israel readies army on Syria border
31 May, 2012 – Al Akhbar

The Israeli army is making preparations along its border with Syria in case Bashar Assad’s regime collapsed, an event which an army commander said could provide Islamist militants with a “warehouse of weapons” and a new operating base.

“Syria is in civil war, which will lead to a failed state, and terrorism will blossom in it,” Major-General Yair Golan told a conference at Bar Ilan University. “Syria has a big arsenal.”

Golan, commander of Israeli forces on the border with Lebanon and the frontline with Syria in the Golan Heights, told an audience at the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies that the situation in Syria put Israel at risk.

It was difficult to forecast how Syria would break up, Golan said. It could be effectively “cantonized” by the conflict, an outcome that would serve Israel’s interests.

The Israeli army was “deeply engaged in getting ready, with plans and physical means” along the borderlines, he said, without offering details.

Syria’s stock of mainly Russian-made weapons includes surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles and marine missiles.

It also possesses chemical weapons which Syria never used in its wars against Israel but which could be attractive weapons for militants, the general said.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ended Tel Aviv’s silence on the crisis by calling on Wednesday for tougher world action against Assad.

Barak said he doubted the Syrian president “lost an hour’s sleep” over the expulsion of his envoys from several capitals after the Houla massacre.

“These events in Syria compel the world to take action, not just talk, but action. These are crimes against humanity and the international community must not stand on the sidelines,” Barak said, despite Israel’s own long record of crimes against civilian populations in Palestine and Lebanon. …more

Anonymous hacks F1 data, threatens ticket holders
31 May, 2012 – ctvmontreal.ca

MONTREAL — Anonymous seems to have followed through with its threat to target next week’s Formula One race, with the personal information of 131 ticket holders being leaked by the hacker collective late Wednesday.

Angered by the emergency legislation passed by the Charest Liberals on May 18, Anonymous has been linked to a wave of attacks that has overwhelmed websites operated by the Quebec government. In recent days, it turned its attention to the June 8 Grand Prix weekend.

Threatening to “wreck anything F1-related,” the activist group released the names, email addresses and phone numbers of the ticket holders.

In a post accompanying the data, the group warned, “Today, Anonymous reminds us of the importance of sportsmanship, which you have debased with your corrupt and authoritarian society.”

According to some of the individuals targeted by the hacker group, they were sent personal emails by Anonymous warning them to avoid attending the race. Citing earlier protest against an F1 race in Bahrain, the group threatened to upend the race, expected to be attended by as many as 300,000.

Coming after over 100 days of protests against a plan by the ruling Liberal Party to raise tuition by 82 per cent, the hacker group has pledged to attack the province due to the “lack of respect for people’s equality and liberty.” Thousands have been arrested in nightly protests and under Bill 78, spontaneous protests are all but banned. …more

Iran Guards chief visits disputed Gulf islands
31 May, 2012 – Agence France Presse

TEHRAN: The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards on Thursday made a pointed visit to three islands in the Gulf whose ownership is fiercely disputed by Tehran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, accompanied by his naval commander, Ali Fadavi, went to the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb to deliver a speech stressing they were Iran’s “strategic and sensitive territory,” the Guards’ official news website said.

Jafari expressed satisfaction with the condition of Iranian combat units stationed on Abu Musa, it said. He also offered a message of “friendship” to neighboring Arab countries on the Gulf.

The visit was likely to be viewed as incendiary by the UAE, which claims the islands under the terms of a 1971 agreement signed when Britain ended its colonial-era reign over that part of the Gulf.

But Iran rejects any UAE claim to the islands, saying they have always been part of its territory and that it never renounced its ownership.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered the fury of the UAE and its allied Arab monarchies when he visited the islands in April to reinforce Tehran’s position.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council called Ahmadinejad’s trip “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands.”

Iran’s military has vowed to defend the islands. It maintains a permanent military base and airfield on Abu Musa, the biggest of the three and the only one to be inhabited.

The islands are at a strategic location in the oil-rich Gulf, permitting control over access to the waterway.

The UAE has won support from the United States in the dispute, with Washington urging Iran to agree to the UAE’s demand that the issue be resolved through direct negotiations.

The United States this month sent an unspecified number of its highly sophisticated F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the UAE, though it presented the deployment as “routine”.
…more

US slammed from both sides of Bahrain’s divide
philstar.com – 28 May, 2012

MANAMA (AP) — During one of the nightly clashes with Bahrain’s security forces, a new chant broke out among opposition protesters: “The US is the great Satan.” A few days later, pro-government marchers also waved their fists against Washington.

In a place with almost no common ground left after more than 15 months of Arab Spring-inspired unrest, both sides in the Bahrain meltdown are finding a shared target in the United States.

Their gripes are vastly different — protesters claiming the US has ignored them, government backers expecting full loyalty from their longtime allies — but the across-the-board potshots at Washington’s policies point to the deep complexities of US attempts to navigate the crisis in the tiny Gulf kingdom.

Bahrain tugs at just about every critical Gulf issue for Washington. Atop the list: America’s relations with Saudi Arabia as the main patron for the embattled Bahraini monarchy, and the stability of the Bahrain-based headquarters of the Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is one of the Pentagon’s main counterweights to Iranian military influence in the Gulf.

At the same time, the nonstop clashes in Bahrain — and at least 50 deaths since February 2011 — have brought critical remarks from Washington about alleged human rights abuses and claims of heavy-handed police tactics.

“But there’s really only so much Washington can say,” said Toby Jones, an expert on Bahraini affairs at Rutgers University. “There’s just too much at stake for US interests.”

This is the slow-drip anger building up among the protesters led by Bahrain’s Shiite majority.

Their demands began last year with calls for a greater say in the country’s affairs, which are tightly run by the ruling Sunni dynasty. The protest cries gradually sharpened to urge for the downfall of the Western-backed king and his inner circle.

In a similar way, the demonstrations once reached out to America for the same moral support given to uprisings in Egypt and elsewhere. In recent weeks, however, the tone toward the US has darkened as protesters feel abandoned by President Barack Obama.

Banners at anti-government rally earlier this month denounced America’s “double standard.”

“Obama supports the killers, not democracy and freedom,” said one message. Another carried a picture of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton with the lines: “US interests comes before our freedom.” Some protesters burned handmade Stars and Stripes.

“Obama is the one who had people chanting about change and to fight for what’s right,” said Naba Ali, a 35-year-old woman who works as a sales clerk. “We Bahrainis were inspired by him. And now he has turned his back on us.”

The State Department has issued many statements critical of Bahrain’s crackdowns, such as arrest sweeps and job purges, and use of temporary martial law-style rule last year to convict activists in a special security court. Clinton warned Bahrain it was on the “wrong track” by bringing in Saudi-led forces last year as reinforcements.

Bahrain, in turn, has taken some steps toward reform, including ordering retrials in civilian courts and giving the elected parliament more sway to question and oversee the king’s hand-picked government. …more

People of the free world,
Anonymous invites you to boycott Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada.
FIA did not learn of his stay in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Indeed the International Automobile Federation is determined to hold its Grand Prix in countries where Amnesty International and other groups of human rights, denouncing serious violations.

Anonymous asks pilots not to start to denounce the repression and relentless police violence in everyday life, which are the only conduct of the

Government of Quebec.

The Quebec government has left the road followed by democracies, adopting the infamous Bill 78, by responding systematically to the anger of students and demonstrators:

• by batons,
• by kicks,
• by tear gas.

Government of Quebec, it is time to step back and put a stop to this injustice to avoid a dramatic spin.

Quebecers,
Anonymous invites you to join the boycott of the Montreal Grand Prix. Anonymous recommends that you do not purchase tickets or products sold F1 on the Internet. Anonymous encourages you to participate in demonstrations in the streets of Montreal on race day.

We are Anonymous.
We are legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect Us

Emirates Step Up Efforts to Counter Dissent
By ANGELA SHAH – 30 May, 2012 – NYT

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates have intensified their effort to quell political dissent, with 15 men now being detained by the security forces, according to human rights groups and family members.

All but two are members of Al Islah Reform and Social Guidance Association, which holds beliefs similar to those of the Muslim Brotherhood, the mainstream Islamic organization. The men have called for a more democratic political system in the country, a group of seven principalities ruled by hereditary emirs.

Christopher Davidson, a lecturer at Durham University in Britain who is an expert on Gulf issues, said the Emirates were following the example of Bahrain, which has cracked down harshly on dissidents. Leaders of the Emirates are “emboldened” by the Bahrain government’s actions against protesters “and the lack of any significant condemnation of the Bahrain regime by the international community,” he said.

“The U.A.E. authorities want to govern over a nonpolitical country and a depoliticized population,” he said. “They want to be guardians of an economy that makes money for everyone.”

One stick that the U.A.E. government is using against dissidents is the threat of taking away their citizenship. In December, a group of seven Emiratis, all of whom are members of Al Islah, were stripped of their citizenship. They were arrested in March when they refused to seek out alternative nationalities, their families say. A court ruling on the authorities’ actions is imminent.

“This is aggressive in nature and so vicious in a way that has never been done before,” said Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist and blogger. He was among the first group of Emiratis arrested and put on trial last year for calling for democratic reforms.

In November, Mr. Mansoor and four others were convicted of threatening state security and insulting the Emirates’ leaders and sentenced to three years in prison. But days after the verdict, the men were granted a pardon.

Many Emiratis say that their leaders’ governance has provided them a prosperous and easy life and that there is no need for political change. For many, public criticism of how the Emirates are governed or their rulers is unacceptable.

The Emirates’ Western-oriented business climate and position as a safe haven have lifted the local economy. Leaders want to preserve that status, even if it means a crackdown.

The authorities are monitoring the internet and social media closely. On May 21, the Emirates News Agency reported that four people were arrested by Abu Dhabi on charges of “tribal instigation and libel” through Internet postings. …more

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Bahrain- rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja ends hunger strike, Nabeel Rajab is released on bail & Zainab Al-Khawaja is freed
29 May, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Beirut, 29 May 2012 — The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) welcome the news that internationally renowned human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja has decided to end his hunger strike and that human rights defenders Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al-Khawaja have been released on bail.

On the 28th of May 2012, human rights defender and founder of the GCHR and BCHR, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, announced that he is ending his 110-day hunger strike. Since the 23rd of April 2012, in violation of his human rights, he was subjected to force-feeding by state agents and his decision to end his hunger strike follows on-going requests from his fellow detainees and his supporters.

Throughout Al-Khawaja’s hunger strike he was able to draw international attention to the on-going human rights violations that are taking place in Bahrain. The hunger strike brought attention to the plight of human rights defenders and political activists who are in/were in detention and/or have been subjected to human rights violations by the authorities as a result of their peaceful activities. Despite the primary demand of his hunger strike of “freedom or death” not being met, he has achieved one of his main goals by attracting global attention and focus on the human rights situation in the country. In a statement issued by Alkhawaja, the human rights defender thanked his family for their support and expressed his gratitude to all those who had shown solidarity with him both inside and outside Bahrain. He will now begin a special diet in order for his body to recover from the 110-day hunger strike.

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was arrested on the 8th of April 2011 and subjected to severe physical and psychological torture as well as sexual assault in detention. The National Safety Military Court sentenced al-Khawaja to life in prison in June 2011 on fabricated charges of terrorism and attempting to overthrow the regime. In November the military court rejected his appeal and on the 2nd of April 2012 the Court of Cassation refused his lawyer’s appeal to release him on health grounds, despite his deteriorating health condition. He began his hunger strike on the 8th of February 2012. The GCHR and BCHR have issued previous appeals on his case with the most recent dated on the 5th of April 2012 (http://gc4hr.org/news/view/110).

On the 22nd of May 2012, Abdulhadi Al-Khawja appeared in a wheel chair, at an appeal before a civilian court. During his testimony he denied the charges against him and he testified about the violations he had been subjected to by state authorities since his arrest including being held in solitary confinement severe torture. These violations were referred to in the report issued by the “Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry” (BICI) on the 23rd of November 2011.

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja referred to the findings of the BICI report in his testimony before the court and stated “the continuation of my arrest is a crime …. there is no legal excuse for my continued detention”. On this basis, he demanded his immediate release, the dropping of all charges against him and the quashing of the sentence issued by the National Safety Military Court. He also demanded the provision of necessary guarantees that would enable him to continue his activities in defending human rights in absolute freedom after his release. …more