Posts from — July 2012

Africa: U.S., Partners Work to Combat Terrorism, Support Victims
By Mackenzie C. Babb – 9 July 2012 – United States Department of State (Washington, DC)

Washington — The United States and its international partners are working together to counter violent extremism and help the victims of terrorism around the globe, says Under Secretary of State Maria Otero.

“Around the world, terrorists make their mark on the world through acts of hatred. They proclaim their values with a deep and disturbing indifference to human life,” Otero said July 9 to the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s High-Level Conference on Victims of Terrorism in Madrid, Spain.

“Those of you here today stand in stark contrast to terrorists, not only by condemning their acts but by countering their indifference with honor, dignity and compassion for victims of terrorism,” she said.

Otero, the under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, delivered opening remarks to the conference. The July 9-10 meeting brings together government officials, civil society leaders and other stakeholders to discuss how countries can increase their support of victims of terror while cooperating to counter extremist ideologies.

The under secretary thanked the victims of terrorism who traveled from around the world to participate in the conference for their courage and perseverance.

“Each of you is a testament to the fact that the human spirit cannot be easily broken,” she said. “You are an inspiration to all of us, and we are honored to work not just on your behalf but alongside you in this important work.”

Otero said the group is working toward adopting an action plan by the end of the conference to reaffirm the group’s shared hope that no victim suffers alone and to mobilize additional resources and expertise to provide victims with training to counter violent extremism by sharing their own stories.

“By magnifying the voices of survivors, especially through international media, we have a unique chance to educate the world about the pain inflicted by terrorists,” she said. “Though such awareness is tainted with pain and suffering, it is all the more powerful in discouraging radicalized individuals and empowering other victims to speak up against violent extremism.”

The under secretary said in addressing the needs of victims while integrating their voices into counterterrorism efforts, the United States aims to incorporate four pillars into a comprehensive strategy.

First, governments must be sure that victims of terror have the tools they need to heal.

“The road to recovery is long, but it is made all the easier by accessible information and resources — from medical care to legal representation to psychological services,” Otero said.

She said also that victims should have the opportunity to participate in the accountability process following an attack.

“They should have access to the perpetrators’ court proceedings and be afforded protection if necessary so that they may work toward recovery,” Otero said.

She said victims often play an important role in bringing terrorists to justice, both as witnesses and as advocates for accountability.

“We must strive to protect and foster victim participation in accountability efforts, while remaining respectful of the psychological challenges such a process can present,” the under secretary said.

Third, Otero said, the international community must provide an environment for the support and recovery of victims of terrorism.

“They should have the chance to meet other survivors and share experiences as each person advances his or her own healing,” she said. She called on conference participants to work to “foster an understanding of the unique and diverse needs of survivors.”

Finally, the under secretary called on governments around the world to listen to victims. …more

‘Floating base’ deploys to Gulf: US Navy
9 July, 2012 – StratRisks

WASHINGTON: An aging American naval ship converted into a “floating base” has arrived off the coast of Bahrain to support countermine operations in the Gulf, the US Navy said Friday.

The deployment of the USS Ponce marks the latest in a gradual buildup of American forces in the region since tensions spiked with Iran in December over its nuclear program, with Tehran threatening to possibly close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Equipped with a helicopter landing deck and space for troops, the amphibious transport ship, in service since 1971, can support an array of missions as a “forward staging base” involving special forces, countermine operations or repair work for warships, officials said.

The Ponce “provides us with an enhanced capability to conduct maritime security operations, and gives us greater flexibility to support a wide range of contingencies with our regional parters,” said Vice Admiral John Miller, commander of naval forces in the Middle East.

The ship, which has a crew of 150 civilians and 55 sailors, departed Norfolk, Virginia on June 1 and arrived in Bahrain on Thursday, officials said.

Apart from the Ponce, the Navy has deployed two aircraft carriers to the region — the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Enterprise — and doubled its mine sweeper fleet in the area from four to eight ships on June 23.

Four MH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters also were deployed in March to back up countermine efforts and the US Air Force in April moved radar-evading F-22 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates.

The increased US military presence — including the mine sweepers — is meant to send a clear message to Iran over its threats to mine the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes. …source

Turning point for dozens of policemen in Bahrain
9 July, 2012 – by Bahrain Coordinating Committee Administrator –

As tiny as Bahrain is, 24 hours a day are not enough to cover all the stories we want. There are so many invisible soldiers and so many moving stories that the world doesn’t know about.

A few days ago we talked to about 15 men, who worked at the ministry of interior. They all had put in between seven and 27 years of dedicated services as policemen or similar positions. Most of them have families and children depending on them.

When we asked them, what’s their situation now, they all said we’re on hold, waiting. The ministry of interior didn’t officially dismiss them, they don’t have a letter that sets them free, but they won’t take them back either. They can’t work elsewhere because they’re caught in the middle.

In the beginning they were all hesitant to talk on camera, they were worried that the government will come after them or punish them, as some are still waiting their appeals in court. Some didn’t mind showing their faces, others wanted to tell us their stories anonymously.

While we’re working on their individual stories and we’ll post them for you to read, we thought it’s still important to give you a quick highlight on what these policemen went through since the uprising.

Some of them were called in for interrogation during working hours then arrested, others just decided to not show up because of the injustice and inhumane approached they’ve witnessed. Most of them were forced to stand in their uniform under the sun facing the wall for hours.

Without mentioning their names here, one of the policemen said his turning point was the events that took place at the University of Bahrain. He claims he saw with his own eyes riot police protecting thugs and siding with them, because those masked thugs were well known officers, and sons of ministers. He specifically mentioned the son of the foreign minister wearing a mask and joining the thugs in beating people and harassing women. After that he decided not to go to work after what he had seen.

Another man saw what happened when police evacuated the lulu roundabout, saying the theft, burning, and stealing policemen committed was shocking. They take anything and everything as they go. He says when he saw what they did to the people, and one man after another falls, he couldn’t continue because he couldn’t do this to his own people.

When protesters blocked the road at the financial harbor, one of the policemen told me the riot police and the protesters were on good terms. They were talking and no violence erupted until thugs and other riot police showed up and started hitting the front row of protesters with their batons. The ones at the back started throwing rocks, and protesters in front rows tried to calm them down. He overheard police saying that one of them should try and get hit to reverse the pressure. He said he saw a policeman getting hit; he picked him up and sent him with a Syrian policeman, with a minor injury. Then a rumor came out that this officer had died. He told us, after this incident he realized the dirty game the government is playing, and the lack of transparency in their approaches, as well as the continuous planning to frame the revolution and the protesters in a violent manner. That was his turning point. …more

CIA director meets Saudi king in Jeddah
9 July, 2012 – PressTV

The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), David Petraeus, has met with the Saudi king in Saudi Arabia as Riyadh intensifies its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Petraeus met with ailing Saudi King Abdullah in the city of Jeddah on Monday, Arab News reported.

There have been no reports on what was discussed during the meeting.

However meetings between Saudi and US officials have spiked in recent weeks amid Washington’s concerns over an internal power struggle in the royal family that seems deeply split as the several thousand princes and princesses are setting up their own coalitions as well as street protests against the monarchy.

On Monday, Saudi activists called for anti-government demonstrations across Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as tension remains high in the oil-rich region over the detention of Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

The activists called for demonstrations to be held in Qatif, Awamiyah, Tarut, Safwa, and Sihat to condemn Riyadh’s deadly crackdown on the recent protests. Bahraini activists announced that demonstrations would also be held in the Bahraini towns of Sar and Daih in solidarity with the Saudi protesters.

On Sunday, Saudi security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Qatif who were protesting against the detention of al-Nemr. At least three people were killed and many others injured in the attack.

Earlier in the day, al-Nemr was injured when regime forces fired at his car in Awamiyah. There has been no word on his condition or whereabouts.

Since February 2011, Saudi protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the Eastern Province, mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations turned into protests against the regime of the House of Saud, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the Eastern Province.

The Saudi Interior Ministry issued a statement on March 5, 2011, prohibiting “all forms of demonstrations, marches or protests, and calls for them, because that contradicts the principles of the Islamic sharia, the values and traditions of Saudi society, and results in disturbing public order and harming public and private interests.”

In June, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered the country’s security forces to go on a state of high alert due to what he called a “turbulent situation” in the region.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.”
…source

The Many Conflicts of Syria
by Kyle Shideler – 10 July, 20102 – frontpagemag.com

Since it evolved from the early Arab Spring-style demonstrations in some Syrian cities, to what is now, in the words of Bashar Assad, “a real state of war from all angles,” the Syrian conflict has drawn in nearly every interested party in the Middle East, leading to a confused and tumultuous situation with multiple interests at stake for every party.

Indeed we may be better served to talk about the multiple “conflicts” taking place in Syria, if we want to have any kind of accurate understanding of the situation as it now exists. Not all of them are shooting wars, but there are serious military and political conflicts being played out in Syria which will have consequences for the future of the entire region.

The first and most obvious conflict is that between the Syrian rebels and the regime of Bashar Assad. Taken as a whole the Syrian rebels’ position has improved substantially. Institute for the Study of War Fellow Joseph Holliday suggests that the Syrian opposition is reaching the point where it will control more territory than the regime, and has reduced the ability of Assad’s forces to maneuver outside of the urban territory they control in Damascus, Homs and other key areas. FSA commander Riad Al-Asaad stated in a recent interview that morale in the Syrian army was considered low and that in particular the elite 4th Armored Division, the Syrian Praetorian guard commanded by Bashar relative Maher Assad, had “completely collapsed.” Because of the rapid changes taking places within Syria, a plan for a buffer zone on the Turkish-Syrian border to protect Syrian refugees is now considered irrelevant by the FSA, which considers itself to be on the offensive now against Assad even as it complains of weapon and ammunition shortages.

Another growing potential conflict is between Turkey and the Syrian regime following the downing of a Turkish fighter jet somewhere near the Syrian border. Syrian officials and anonymous members of U.S. intelligence have suggested that the Turkish jet was likely inside Syria proper when fired upon, while the Turks have vehemently maintained that the jet was fired on in international waters. In response, the Turks have reinforced their positions on the Syrian border, including scrambling fighter jets in response to Syrian aircraft on the Syrian side. British papers have reported that the Syrian Air defense may have been assisted in downing the Turkish aircraft by Russian technicians. According to the reports, the downing of the aircraft was intended as “warning” to NATO not to risk intervention.

This hints at another existing conflict – Russia versus the United States. While it engages in talks in Geneva with Western diplomats, the Russian bear continues to take steps to keep its Syrian client engaged and in the fight. Reports of Russian troops moving into Syria have continued at a steady pace since March, while the U.S. State Department complains ineffectually about the flow of Russian arms to Syria. The U.S. sees distancing Russia from Syria to be the key to solving the crisis. This has resulted in repeated efforts to produce joint agreements, such as the recent Geneva compromise. This latest effort was promptly rejected by the Syrian opposition since it was watered down to secure Russian cooperation to the point that it failed to call for Assad to leave power despite calling for a “transitional” government. It’s high time the U.S. recognize that its interests in Syria are in direct conflict with Russian interests, and that Russia cannot realistically be expected to act as a partner in securing an Assad-free Syria.

Then there is the struggle for the soul of the Syrian opposition. As reported by The New Republic, the Free Syrian Army, led primarily by former Syrian officers, is concerned about the growth of jihadist elements in Syria, which led them to execute the “Emir of Homs” Walid al-Boustani, a Lebanese-born jihadist with ties to Al-Qaeda-linked Fatah-Al-Islam. Fortunately the history of cooperation between the Syrian regime and jihadist groups, including Al Qaeda, means that there is a strong element of distrust for these groups among the Syrian populace as a whole. However if the FSA should prove unable to effectively engage in opposition to Assad, while jihadist forces succeed in taking the fight to the enemy, this support may change.

The New York Times reported on the role of the CIA in Syria, which is seeking to keep arms from flowing to Al Qaeda-linked militants as outside forces, most notably Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, begin to traffic arms to the Syrian opposition. Unfortunately, it seems that the U.S. is intent on seeing arms directed to the Muslim Brotherhood, through its control of the Syrian National Council. The SNC has made clear in repeated statements that it intends to dominate the rebel forces in country by serving as the primary channel for foreign arms assistance. To that end it has established a “military council” to “support, organize and oversee” the FSA, a move backed by the U.S. The SNC has repeatedly stressed, in their own words, ”the importance of the SNC providing the political cover to avoid the uncontrolled distribution of arms as well as be able to control it later on.”

….more

Hezbollah calls for release of Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr
Saudi Arabia – Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has strongly condemned the arrest of Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr by the Saudi Arabian government and has called for his immediate release, Press TV reports.

On Monday, Hezbollah issued a statement censuring the “violent lash out of Saudi security on peaceful protestors in the city of Awamiyah and the Qatif region; which led to the fall of martyrs and wounded.”

Hezbollah expressed concern over the arrest and called for the “rapid release of his eminence Sheikh al-Nemr, for the provision of necessary medical aid for the sheikh, and for the respect of religious figures.”

“Hezbollah calls on the Saudi authorities to respect all religious figures and stop the practice of non-democratic measures in the face of the peaceful and legitimate demands of the Saudi citizens,” read part of the statement.

On Sunday, Saudi security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Qatif who were protesting against the detention of al-Nemr. At least three people were killed and many others injured in the attack.

Earlier in the day, al-Nemr was injured when regime forces fired at his car in Awamiyah. There has been no word on his condition or whereabouts.

Since February 2011, Saudi protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the Eastern Province, mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations turned into protests against the regime of the House of Saud, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the Eastern Province.

The Saudi Interior Ministry issued a statement on March 5, 2011, prohibiting “all forms of demonstrations, marches or protests, and calls for them, because that contradicts the principles of the Islamic sharia, the values and traditions of Saudi society, and results in disturbing public order and harming public and private interests.” …more

At Least Two Protesters Are Killed in Saudi Arabia
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ – 9 July, 2012 – NYT

Ativists posted this video from a protest in Qatif on Monday.

The arrest of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric over the weekend has ignited protests in eastern Saudi Arabia that have left at least two people dead, the Saudi interior ministry told news agencies on Monday.

The cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, is reported to be a prominent voice of protest among Saudi Arabia’s Shiites who say they face discrimination at the hands of dominant Sunnis in the workplace, universities and elsewhere. Mr. Nimr was arrested on Sunday for “sedition” after being shot in the leg in a tussle with the police, Saudi officials said.

The circumstances of his arrest remain murky. The authorities said that Mr. Nimr and his entourage opened fire on police officers attempting to arrest him before crashing into a security patrol while trying to escape, Reuters reported, citing government-run television.

Video reportedly shot just after Mr. Nimr’s arrest shows the cleric lying in the back of a vehicle, his head cradled by a man in uniform. He is covered in either a white sheet or robes that appear to be covered in blood.

Word of Mr. Nimr’s arrest spread quickly through Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, an oil-producing hub heavily populated by Shiites. By nightfall on Sunday, hundreds of people reportedly gathered for a protest in the Qatif region.

…more

Stability in Bahrain ‘is crucial…’
10 July, 2012 – Gulf News

MANAMA: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide Dr Mohammed Badea stressed that stability in Bahrain and GCC states is an integral part of Egypt’s security and stability. He said Bahrain’s leadership and people are capable of handling their affairs on their own without any foreign interference, wishing a speedy return to security and stability. He was speaking as he received Al Minbar National Islamic Society delegation led by chairman Abdullatif Al Shaikh. He said he had turned down several requests from Iranian Ambassador to Egypt to meet with him and informed him about the need for his country to change its stance towards Syria and all GCC countries. “Iran is supporting killings and subversion in Syria, which is totally unacceptable…,” he pointed out. …source

Annan and Assad Meet in Damascus
POMED – 9 July, 2012

U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan met with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad today, and later announced that the two had devised a new approach to ending the conflict, although he is not disclosing details yet; this came after Annan openly acknowledged that his peace plan had failed in an interview with Le Monde published over the weekend. The Daily Star published an editorial today highlighting the fact that Annan is just now admitting what the rest of the world had already concluded, and urges the international community to take new, harsher measures against the regime. In an interview on German television, Assad declared that the public supports his government, and for that reason he would continue to lead Syria; he also accused the U.S. of supporting “gangs” which are destabilizing the country.

Meanwhile, in response to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s command that Russia and China “get off the sidelines,” Representative John McCain admonished the Clinton and the Obama administration themselves to get off the sidelines. “How many times has Secretary Clinton said that in the last 14 months?” he asked, “and by the way, when was the last time the president…stood up and said we are with these people?”

Russia is hosting Syrian dissident Michel Kilo today, and on Wednesday will host the new head of the Syrian National Council, Abdul Basset Sayda. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Russia is perhaps the only country talking to both the Syrian government and the opposition. Kilo said, however, that while he wanted to have a dialogue with the government, “the regime…is not replying to our demands and is saying that we are not representatives of the Syrian people.” Russia also announced today that it is delaying the sale of fighter jets to Syria while the situation there remains “unresolved.” …more

“Thugs” dressed as Riot Police, lead Rajab away to Jail

Bahrain court jails protest leader over tweets: lawyer
July 09, 2012 – By Andrew Hammond – Reuters

DUBAI: A prominent Bahraini protest leader, Nabeel Rajab, was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday over a tweet against the prime minister which the court said insulted Bahrainis, Rajab’s lawyer said.

Rajab, head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, spent three weeks in jail in June under investigation after suggesting in a tweet that residents of the Muharraq district had only made a recent show of support for Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman for financial gain.

A complaint over that and other tweets against the prime minister, who has been in his post since 1971, was made by a group of retired army and security officers who are seen as pro-government.

Rajab has been a key figure in organizing protests during 16 months of unrest in the Gulf Arab state as majority Shi’ites lead calls for democratic reforms to limit the powers of the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family.

Bahrain has increased parliament’s powers of scrutiny over ministers and says it is reforming policing to conform with international rights standards. It accuses protesters of rioting and wounding police.

The judge said the time Rajab has already spent in jail would count towards the sentence, Rajab’s lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi said. Jishi said Rajab would lodge an appeal and it was not clear if he would be taken to jail or remain free.

“Every day there are a thousand people insulting a thousand people, this isn’t logical. Normally the charge of insult leads to just a fine. So for me it’s a surprise,” Jishi said.

The prime minister, the uncle of King Hamad bin Isa, has been a lightning rod for the opposition who have demanded his ouster. But many Sunnis who fear empowering Shi’ite Islamists in the opposition see him as a key support.

The Arab uprisings have seen changes of leader in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya but Bahrain – a U.S. ally that hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet – imposed martial law to try to crush the uprising last year.

Washington has urged Manama to hold a dialogue with the opposition to end the unrest and hold officials accountable for rights violations uncovered in a probe led by international legal experts and published in November.

…source

Bahrain: The Opposition Radicalizes
6 July, 2012 – Al Akhbar

On Friday June 8, thousands of Bahrainis gathered on the outskirts of the capital Manama in what was expected to be another huge protest against ongoing government repression. But as the marchers assembled, they began to split into two groups, each trying to pull confused latecomers over to their side.

There were in fact two marches that day. One, which headed west, was sanctioned by the government as an official protest organized by the al-Wefaq political party, while the other, which headed east towards Pearl Square, was illegal and arranged by the loosely organized, more radical February 14.

The former was made up predominantly of middle-aged men and women chanting for political reforms, while the latter were largely young men, many with their faces covered, confronting security forces and calling for the downfall of the ruling al-Khalifa family.

Alaa Shehabi, a rights leader in Bahrain, said the protest was a major moment for the Bahraini opposition. “It was the first time the February 14 Coalition, on the back of al-Wefaq protests, managed not just to mobilize but really to sabotage it and take it in the other direction.”

The opposition to the ruling al-Khalifa family in Bahrain has never been fully united: al-Wefaq has taken a more conciliatory tone and offered negotiations while February 14 has refused all dialogue on the basis that the regime has no legitimacy. Yet as the uprising which started last February has worn on, hostility between the two groups has intensified.

Jane Kinninmont, a Bahrain expert at Chatham House, says the failure of al-Wefaq to extract any meaningful concessions from the government is leading younger Bahrainis to radicalism.

The opposition to the ruling al-Khalifa family in Bahrain has never been fully united: al-Wefaq has taken a more conciliatory tone and offered negotiations while February 14 has refused all dialogue.
“There are those that think maybe we can negotiate at least some compromise with the government and there is a whole other element that say: ‘we have woken up, we are not going to live under a monarchy any more,’” she says. “Their ranks have grown massively since the uprising started…(and) they are adopting an increasingly angry rhetoric towards groups like al-Wefaq.”

While February 14 would never publicly condemn al-Wefaq, behind the scenes they accuse them of many acts including collusion with America. In a movement where anti-US sentiment is understandably high – the regime continues to buy weapons from America – such a claim is tantamount to an accusation of treason.

One senior February 14 activist, who prefers to remains anonymous, sees the fact that no senior al-Wefaq figures are currently in jail – when leaders linked to February 14 such as Nabeel Rajab have been arrested many times – as a sign of US dominance over the movement.

“Their strategy has failed but they have no other choice. Last year the government attempted to close al-Wefaq and another society. The government abandoned its decision after a clear call from the White House. This makes it clear that if Wefaq changes its tone and becomes more confrontational it will be closed down and the figures will be sent to jail – so they have no other choice,” says the activist. …more

Minister urges accountability for human rights abuses in Bahrain
5 July, 2012 – Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt met Bahrain’s Minister for Justice and Islamic Affairs in London on 5 July.

They discussed the work of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Follow-Up Unit, reform of the Bahraini judicial system, and areas where the UK’s judicial expertise could be of assistance. They also discussed preventative measures being taken by the Bahraini Government to ensure that human rights abuses were not repeated and initiatives being introduced in Bahrain to help with social cohesion.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister Burt said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome the Bahraini Minister for Justice and Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, to the Foreign Office today. During the meeting I raised the UK’s ongoing concern about human rights abuses in Bahrain, which the UK also raised under Item 10 at the Human Rights Council this week. I welcomed the announcement this week that the Public Prosecution’s Special Investigation Unit has charged fifteen more police officers for the mistreatment of detainees during last year’s unrest. If Bahrain is to make progress towards long-term stability, it is important that those responsible for past abuses are held to account.

“The UK will continue to support and offer technical assistance to Bahrain. The pace of reform should not slip and the Minister was determined that it would not. I encourage the Bahraini Government to continue the positive steps they have taken and I urge all parties to engage constructively with each other for the long-term stability and prosperity of the country.” …source

Bahrain ‘to sue over Independent reporting’
5 July, 2012 – Stop Making Sense

The IndependentThe government of Bahrain claimed yesterday to have commissioned a UK-based law firm to file a case against. The Independent for its reporting on the crackdown on protests in the country.

Nawaf al-Mawada, a representative of the Information Affairs Authority, told Bahrain’s state news agency that the action was being taken because The Independent had “deliberately published a series of unrealistic and provocative articles targeting Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. A correspondence from the Information Affairs Authority to The Independent cites an opinion piece by Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk, in which he criticises the Bahraini government for putting 48 surgeons on trial, as being “based on slanderous hearsay”. It also claims that “using columns, features and news to publish misinformation in repeated attacks on our people and rulers amounts to libel and will be treated as such in accordance with the law”.

At least 31 people have died in demonstrations against the 200-year rule of the Al Khalifa family, which began in February. …source

Senior HR activist urges intl. action to stop violent crackdown in Bahrain
Shia Post – 5 July, 2012

Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has called on the international community to take necessary measures to stop the Bahraini regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, Press TV reports.

The silence of the European community and the United States is a go-ahead signal and a green light for the Al Khalifa forces to continue their violation of human rights in Bahrain, Rajab told Press TV on the telephone on Thursday.

He said more people are being arrested on a daily basis, prisoners are being systematically tortured, houses are being raided and mosques are being destroyed, but vowed that the violent crackdowns will not silence Bahraini protesters.

The call comes amid continued protests in the Persian Gulf kingdom where protesters are demanding the United States and Britain to end their support for the ruling monarchy.

Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet, and is among the Persian Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that receive military equipment from the United States.

In mid-May 11, the US State Department said Washington will resume arms sales to Bahrain, drawing strong criticism from Bahraini rights groups and activists who said the decision could encourage further human rights violations in the country.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that a group of Scotland Yard police officers has recently been dispatched to Bahrain to conduct espionage operations and assist Manama to silence anti-regime protests.

Bahrainis continue peaceful demonstrations against the ruling monarchy despite the regime’s violent crackdown, demanding an end to the decades-long rule of the Al Khalifa family in Bahrain. …source

A Global decomposition is taking place. We call it the “fourth world war”, Neoliberalism’s globalization attempting to eliminate a multitude of people who are not useful to the powerful… Subcomandante Marcos, 2009.

Iran: A Target of State-sponsored Terrorism “Made in America”
by Kourosh Ziabari – 2 July 2012 – The Global Conspiracy

Those who mischievously called Iran a part of the so-called “Axis of Evil” and put its name in their ludicrous list of the state sponsors of terrorism – the list from which the name of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime was removed in 1982, are either ostensibly ignorant of the concept of terrorism or apparently unaware of the hardships the terrorists have imposed upon Iran in the past three decades.

By pretending that Iran has been supporting global terrorism, the United States and its European stooges have rationalized their unjustified, immoral and insane war against Iran, blatantly forgetting the fact that Iran has been long one of the guiltless victims of terrorism, sponsored by the United States, Israel, UK and their puppets in the Middle East.

Following the victory of Islamic Revolution in 1979 as a consequence of which the government of the US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was toppled and the charismatic religious leader Imam Khomeini became the Supreme Leader, several efforts were made by the United States and its cronies to destabilize the newly-born Iran and sow the seeds of insecurity, fear and terror all over the country; a country which had released itself from the tyranny of the US-installed Shah and embraced a new era of prosperity and success.

At the early years of Islamic Revolution which promoted the establishment of a government ruled by the teachings of Islam and the law of God, the United States and its European cronies — the so-called ‘pioneers of human rights’ — unconditionally supported MKO, a terrorist organization which had explicitly expressed that it would take arms against the Islamic Republic and will fight until the subversion of Iran’s government.

Under the leadership of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, MKO carried out several terrorist attacks all over the country and killed hundreds of innocent civilians including the Shiites of Western Iran and the Iraqi Kurdish people.

In 1970s, the terrorist group targeted the American citizens living in Iran and killed William C. Cottrell, Colonel Lewis L. Hawkins, Donald G. Smith, and Colonel Jack Turner.

On 28 June, 1981, a powerful bomb was detonated at the headquarters of the Islamic Republic Party of Iran in which 72 governmental officials, the members of parliament and the then Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti were killed. Mohammadreza Kolahi, one of the low-ranking members of the MKO carried out the explosion project and immediately escaped to France without being extradited to Iran to be tried.

In 1986, MKO transferred its headquarters to Iraq and remained under the auspices of Saddam Hussein until he was removed from power by the multinational forces that invaded Iraq in 2003. According to the US State Department, MKO received all of its military support and most of its financial assistance from Saddam’s government until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The disreputable terrorist group of Jundallah which has carried out several terrorist attacks in Iran is another representation of the United States’ sponsorship of terrorism against a country with which it is at odds.

According to the investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, former Jundallah’s leader Abdolmalek Rigi had received great amounts of money and military training from the United States. In his confessions which were aired on several TV channels around the world, Rigi revealed upon being arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that he has been under the patronage of the United States for a long time and received weaponry, military training and money from the US-linked sources in Pakistan and Afghanistan on a regular basis. In a New Yorker article dated July 7, 2008, Hersh wrote that ” The CIA and Special Operations communities also have long-standing ties to two other dissident groups in Iran: the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, known in the West as the MEK, and a Kurdish separatist group, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan, or PJAK.” …more

Iran drafts bill to block Hormuz for Gulf oil tankers
Reuters – 2 July, 2012

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted a bill calling for Iran to try to stop oil tankers from shipping crude through the Strait of Hormuz to countries that support sanctions against it, a committee member said on Monday.

The Iranian parliament is vocal and sees itself as independent but does not hold much power. Bills are unlikely to get far unless sanctioned by the leadership.

“There is a bill prepared in the National Security and Foreign Policy committee of Parliament that stresses the blocking of oil tanker traffic carrying oil to countries that have sanctioned Iran,” Iranian MP Ibrahim Agha-Mohammadi was quoted by Iran’s parliamentary news agency as saying.

“This bill has been developed as an answer to the European Union’s oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Agha-Mohammadi said that 100 of Tehran’s 290 members of parliament had signed the bill as of Sunday.

However no details were given on how Iran would verify the destination of every ship passing out of the Gulf under the watchful eye of the U.S. Navy.

Iranian threats to block the waterway through which about 17 million barrels a day sailed in 2011 have grown in the past year as U.S. and European sanctions aimed at starving Tehran of funds for its nuclear programme have tightened.

A heavy western naval presence in the Gulf and surrounding area is a big impediment to any attempt to block the vital shipping route through which sails most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq and nearly all the gas exported from Qatar.

A European Union ban on imports of Iranian oil started on Sunday.

If the bill is approved by parliament it would then have to be approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians, made up of muslim clerics and lawyers selected by the supreme leader, which can veto any bill.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has already taken precautionary steps against the possibility of Iran shutting down Hormuz, including the reopening of an old pipeline built by Iraq to bypass the strait and export more crude via the Red Sea terminals.

The United States has also sent four minesweepers to the Gulf to bolster the U.S. Fifth Fleet after an Iranian military chief refreshed threats of blocking Hormuz. …more

Apparently the UK has sent a crew of “forensic investigators” to Bahrain to help corroborate the Regime fabrication of another exaggerated “terrorist” bomb plot. The government claims the sophistication of the alleged munitions (apparent pipe bomb) could only be done with “outside help” – AKA Iran. Really? The video below shows a brave and colorful tribute to political prisoner Abdulhadi Alkhawaja. It is also a clear demonstration that Bahrain’s opposition not only possess the skills and sophistication for delopying sophisticate munitions.

Beyond the spectacle it shows an opposition that has been incredibly restrained by not “bombing the hell” out of hired, illiterate and violent “street thugs” and “foreign mercenaries” who terrorize Bahraini Villages on a daily basis. Perhaps the “hot foot” from Molotovs should be thought a gentle response to the violence and murder the Regime’s hired hooligans inflict on the families and homes of the opposition?

Come on Hamad, if the opposition wanted to plummet Bahrain into Civil War they could have done so long ago by shear numbers alone. Phlipn

British forensic detectives investigate Bahrain ‘bomb plot’
By Paul Iddon – 2 July, 2012

A team of British forensic detectives have been dispatched to the island kingdom of Bahrain to investigate the discovery of bomb components.

According to BBC News and Gulf News the explosives weighed some 100kg and were packed with hundreds of iron balls designed to inflict maximum destruction.

The Bahraini authorities were tipped off last month and raided the towns of Salmabad and Hamad and discovered these materials. A senior police official has stated this find represents a “game changer” stating the devices “could not have been put together without help from outside the country.”

The Bahraini regime has accused Iran of meddling in its internal affairs and has blamed it for the unrest which began in February 2011 with the democratic insurrection which was subsequently brutally crushed by the Bahraini authorities.

To date there has been no evidence to suggest that Iran has had any involvement in the events in Bahrain.

The Bahraini opposition has also stated that the making of bombs “is wholly unacceptable.” It went on to say that it “condemned any violence in the past, present or future.” It went on to demonstrate their skepticism about this particular incident stating that it found “it hard to trust this government as they have fabricated claims in the past.”
Following this find the British are reinforcing security elements at their respective embassies in the region. A counter-terrorism expert informed BBC News that this find is “very serious,” and “almost at the level and style of the dissident IRA.” …source