Silencing Dissent: A Policy of Systematic Repression
19 September, 2012 – FIDH

On the eve of the UN Human Rights Council 21st session where the Bahraini government is expected to respond to the recommendations of the Council made on the 21st of May 2012, FIDH releases its report entitled “Silencing Dissent: A Policy of Systematic Repression”.

The report is the result of an investigation on the situation of human rights in Bahrain, a year and a half after the government’s violent response to the protest movement that started on 14 February 2011. It focuses in particular on the gap between the recommendations made by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) [1] and their implementation by the government of Bahrain. Nearly a year after the release of the BICI report, one cannot but notice the reluctances of the government to definitely end with human rights violations. Despite the King’s promises, the reforms remain widely insufficient.

FIDH’s report takes into account both official declarations and actions, and accounts from the local civil society, notably reports of FIDH’s two member organizations in Bahrain, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS). Many of the accounts received were substantiated on the occasion of a field mission to Bahrain, which was conducted between April 1 to 5, 2012 [2] . The mission met with victims of human rights violations, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, lawyers, medical workers, teachers, university students, families of individuals killed and injured, journalists, political opposition members, the Minister of Justice, the Public Prosecutor, the Deputy Minister of Human Rights and Social Development, and the ambassadors of the United States and France to Bahrain as well as representatives of the United Kingdom. The mission also observed three court hearings for the cases of the twenty medical workers, the Bahraini Teachers Association (BTA) and the case of Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and twenty other human rights defenders and political opponents.

“While certain efforts have been made by Bahraini authorities to address many of the BICI recommendations, the report concludes that the government continues to deny a majority of Bahraini’s fundamental rights on a daily basis and uses governmental structures to attack or control the population rather than protect it, creating an atmosphere of mistrust and fear among the population.” declared Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President. As an example, since 14 February 2011, 80 people have been killed; 34 of them have died after the release of the BICI report on 23 November 2011.

“As the government of Bahrain will attempt to convey to the Council its actions for democratic reforms tomorrow, we must remind the international community that human rights defenders such as Nabeel Rajab and Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, remain in prison today solely for exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and assembly” said Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH president.

Nabeel Rajab, FIDH Deputy Secretary-General, president of BCHR and former president of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, is currently imprisoned after he was sentenced to three years imprisonment on August 16th for his participation in peaceful protests [3].

“We call on the international community to support the establishment of an international monitoring mechanism to be set-up, through a resolution of the UN Human Rights Council, to monitor the implementation of the BICI recommendations and the overall resolution of the human rights crisis in Bahrain” added Belhassen.

Furthermore, FIDH calls upon the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally put an end to the ongoing repression against human rights defenders and for the immediate and unconditional release of all those imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. …source

CIA sued over drone killings
Russia Times – 19 September, 2012

The American Civil Liberties Union is taking the CIA to court for the agency’s refusal to comply with a FOIA request to hand over documents about the Obama administration’s “targeted killing” drone program.

The CIA claims its drone program is “secret,” even though President Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and senior government officials have publicly spoken about the program. In May, the New York Times found that President Obama personally oversees a drone “kill list,” using the weapon to target and kill terrorists abroad and often cause fatalities to bystanders near the target. But the CIA considers all military-age males killed in a strike zone to be “combatants,” the Times found.

The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January 2010 asking the government to disclose “its use of predator drones to conduct ‘targeted killings’ overseas,” but the CIA refused to confirm or deny any information regarding the drones.

“The CIA cannot deny the existence of the government’s targeted killing program and refuse to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests about the program while officials continue to make public statements about it,” the ACLU wrote in a press release.

On Thursday, the ACLU will demand details of the program in the federal appeals court, attempting to acquire documents about the scope of the drone program and how it is used. The ACLU says it “seeks to find out when, where and against whom drone strikes can be authorized, and how the United States ensures compliance with international laws relating to extrajudicial killings.” At least 10 members of Congress have already asked for a memorandum justifying the legal basis for these targeted killings.

“The public has a right to decide for itself whether or not the program is lawful or moral,” Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director of the ACLU, said. If the CIA is effectively and lawful using the targeted-killing program, then there should be no reason to hide the documents, Jaffer said.

The drone strike program has been used in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia to kill suspected terrorists. The US government claims attacks are highly accurate and at no risk to American forces, but they often kill civilians around the scene of the attack. Since 2002, the CIA has administered 344 drone hits in Pakistan alone, killing up to 3,325 people, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Although the targeted-killing program has been widely discussed in the political sphere, the CIA has still refused to confirm the existence of it. …more

Another Shia Man Martyred by the Brutal Crackdown of Saudi Backed Bahraini forces
20 September, 2012 – Jafria News

JNN 20 Sept 2012 Manama : Bahraini people have held a massive funeral south of the capital Manama for a 59-year-old man, the latest victim of the regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protests.

The funeral for Haji Hassan Abdullah Ali was held in the town of Sitra on Wednesday, one day after he died of inhaling toxic gas during an attack by Saudi-backed regime forces on his home.

The mourners chanted slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family.

Bahraini protesters have been holding anti-regime demonstrations since February 2011 and they hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the deaths of demonstrators during the uprising.

The protesters say they will continue holding street protests until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met.

Meanwhile, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has stated that the Manama regime has failed to make good on a promise to implement political reforms in the country.

According to the report, some 80 people have been killed since the beginning of the popular uprising and at least 34 people have died since the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry released its findings last November. …source

Bahrain: Serious injuries among protesters due to continued use of excessive force by riot police
21 September, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its grave concern over the security forces’ excessive use of force continuously since the past year in response to peaceful pro-democracy protests. This has resulted to more than a 100 deaths and several hundreds of injuries.

In a recent case on September 4 2012, Sayed Hadi Sayed Alawi (24 year old) lost one of his kidneys by a direct shot of a sonic grenade from a very close range , following an attack by Bahraini security forces on a protest in the area of Karranah where he resides. According to a family member, Sayed Hadi was shot at from a very close range while trying to enter the house. He was provided with first aid at first but due to the severity of his injury he was taken to the emergency room at Salmaniya Medical Complex where he had an urgent surgery.

Security forces prevented his family members from seeing him at the hospital except for his father, who later found out from one of the doctors that Sayed Hadi’s kidney was removed. Also, his liver and a number of his ribs were damaged. He was also informed that his son will need another surgery in the next two days to check on the condition of the bleeding[1] . On Saturday September 15, his family reported that Sayed Hadi’s health condition was deteriorating and that he was to be moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His family expressed concern over the fact that he is still under anaesthesia for over a week and they were not informed of the reason behind this. …more

…more Friday Photos HERE

Protesters, police clash in Bahrain’s capital
21 September, 2102 – AP

Witnesses in Bahrain say riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters seeking to shift their demonstrations to the heart of the Gulf kingdom’s capital.

Security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades in street battles near the historic markets and narrow streets in the center of Manama.

The clashes Friday mark the second such violence in Manama in the past month as Shiite-led protesters try to rattle the Sunni monarchy by bringing rallies back into the capital. Most clashes in recent months have occurred in outlying areas.

More than 50 people have been killed in unrest since February 2011 between Bahrain’s Western-backed rulers and majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice. …source

The West Conspires Against Bahrain While Exploiting Syria
Ali Mushaima – 21 September, 2012 – Al Akhbar

“If you need something done, then do it yourself.” This saying best describes what many of the oppressed and downtrodden are doing in the region by rising up against their repressive regimes.

These people lived through many years of humiliation, deprivation and discrimination, as well as being subjected to torture and abuse by their tyrannical rulers, who often enjoyed the support and protection of major world powers. Muammar Gaddafi became a close friend to Western leaders and Hosni Mubarak as seen as a wise ruler.

But as soon as this changed – thanks to the revolution and the strong will of the people – “those who were followed disowned those who followed them, then they saw the torment, and all their relations were cut off from them,” as the Quran says.

The very same world powers now portray themselves as sponsors and backers of the right to self-determination and democracy, providing men and material for these noble goals, while continuing in their old ways by supporting some of the most reactionary and obscurantist regimes in the world – the Saudi and Bahraini ruling families.

World powers now portray themselves as sponsors and backers of the right to self-determination and democracy while continuing in their old ways by supporting some of the most reactionary and obscurantist regimes in the world.
The events unfolding in Syrian are proof of this fact. If an observer examines the Western position on the Syrian crisis from the perspective of a Bahraini, they would see with their own eyes how Western attitudes differ under one roof – acting here, while remaining silent over there.

Below are six important facts to consider regarding the Western position on Syria and Bahrain, and the future of the peoples and regimes of both countries – amid Western duplicity and double standards.

Firstly, in Syria, Western governments are putting pressure on the Syrian regime at all levels, in support of democracy and the oppressed, as they purport. The Syrian regime thus finds itself caught in a confrontation with the international community, which repeats slogans about freedom and human rights, ad nauseam.

In Bahrain, meanwhile, the same international powers are battling the people, instead of the regime. Their political leaders rarely condemn, denounce or reject the practices of the house of Khalifa against the people of Bahrain. By contrast, it is all too often said that the Khalifa regime is a strategic ally that must be protected at any cost.

Secondly, for Western political leaders, everything is justifiable for the sake of imposing democracy in Syria. For this reason, armed insurrection is fully sanctioned to attain this goal, and logistical support is readily provided for this aim, with efforts to impose a no-fly zone or even intervene militarily in order to assist the Syrian people. …more

Saudi demonstrators condemn US, Israel, France over anti-Islam moves
21 September, 2012 – Shia Post

Saudi protesters have held a demonstration in the oil-rich Eastern Province to condemn the United States, the Israeli regime and France over anti-Islam moves.

On Thursday, the demonstrators took to the streets in the Qatif region of Eastern Province, chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.

The protesters deplored the production of an anti-Islam film in the United States and the recent publication of insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by a French magazine.

The demonstration came despite a ban imposed by the Saudi regime on any protest in condemnation of the recent anti-Islam moves.

Outrage is growing across the Muslim world over the $5-million movie, named Innocence of Muslims, which was reportedly financed by more than 100 Zionist Jews.

The US-made anti-Islam movie triggered days of huge demonstrations across Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Morocco, Syria, Kuwait, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, Belgium, Australia and some other countries.

On September 11, the US consulate building in the Libyan city of Benghazi was attacked, and US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three staff members were killed in the incident. …more

Western missions in MENA brace for major protests
21 September, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Tunisia banned all demonstrations on Friday and Western missions across the Arab world went on high alert amid fears of new violence over a US-made film mocking Islam, called “Innocence of Muslims,” and cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a French magazine.

France closed its missions, schools and cultural centers in 20 countries for the day. Schools in Tunisia were ordered shut from Wednesday, those in Egypt from Thursday.

Islamist groups were organizing planned rallies in several countries but security forces were on alert across the region for spontaneous demonstrations after the main weekly Muslim prayers at noon — a traditional focal point for protest.

In Libya’s second city Benghazi, where US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were murdered last week in what Washington has called a terrorist attack, rival demonstrations were planned and there were fears clashes could break out.

The hardline Salafi group Ansar al-Sharia, which denied any role in the Stevens killing, called for supporters to rally around al-Kish Square, a key battleground in the uprising that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi last year.

The demonstration was set for 3:00pm GMT, the same time as a “Save Benghazi” march organized by militia opponents was due to head for the square.

Demonstrations were also planned among both Sunni and Shia Muslims in Lebanon, and among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

On Monday, in a rare public appearance, the leader of Lebanon’s powerful resistance movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, told a massive gathering the film was the “worst attack ever on Islam.”

“O Prophet, we die for you, my soul and my blood are for you,” he shouted to tens of thousands of delirious supporters, urging them to repeat the words for the whole world to hear.

The Tunisian interior ministry said it was invoking emergency law powers to impose the nationwide demonstration ban following tip-offs of preparations for violence by hardliners.

“The interior ministry, using its powers under the state of emergency and in order to maintain public order, announces that it is outlawing any form of demonstration anywhere in Tunisian territory on Friday,” it said.

“The ministry notes that it has received information suggesting the protests would be exploited for the purpose of committing acts of violence and causing unrest.”

Calls for Friday protests were circulating on social networks following the publication by French weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday of cartoons featuring obscene images of the founder of Islam.

The interior ministry called on “all Tunisians and civil society to demonstrate understanding” and “urge (people) not to follow the call” to protest. …more

No military intervention in Syria, says top NATO general
21 September, 2012 – Agence France Presse

BRUSSELS: NATO does not believe that military intervention in Syria would bring any improvement in the security situation there, a senior alliance official said Friday.

Germany’s Manfred Lange, Chief of Staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), said the military was telling leaders that there was no good case for military action and the political process had to be pursued.

“The military advice is (that) there are not sufficient visible signs at the moment that a military intervention could lead to an improvement of the security situation,” Lange said.

“The political process has to be pushed forward, sanctions need to take effect. At the moment, this situation cannot be solved by the military in a responsible way,” he told a briefing.

He added that with little prospect of action at the United Nations “it is clear that the Alliance doesn’t have any military plans on Syria.”

NATO concluded a seven-month air campaign in Libya last year which helped rebels oust veteran leader Moamer Gadhafi and there has been speculation such an operation could be repeated in Syria if U.N. approval was obtained.

Permanent U.N. Security Council members Russia and China oppose any such intervention even as the death toll mounts steadily in Syria where rebels are trying to topple President Bashar Assad.
…more

It is no accident US directed War Games in the Gulf coincide with the frenzy of Western Media badgering of Muslims. A new ‘uprising’ has become a ‘full on’ assault against the icons of a belligerent America conducting its clandestine operations of torture, domination and control through it Spooks who line the halls of so called ‘diplomatic missions’ and secret black-ops ‘rendition centers’ across MENA.

In the depraved mind of Secretary Clinton and she imagines the US to be the rescuer of those Nations it has bombed or imploded in its schemes to secure a few more decades of oil, weapons sales and billions of dollars in opportunities for mercenaries, construction, public relations firms, media moguls and financial institutions. Imperialism respects no God but that of power and obscene wealth as it extracts even the marrow of those who would retain an equitable portion of their birthright in their bid for self-determination and liberty.

The throwback policy to US doctrine of ‘Manifest Destiny’ is simply code for the misery it brings as ‘Manifest Hopelessness’ to those it attempts to subjugate. Slave master as self-described liberator, tyranny as reform and prescribed choice as democracy. Where hopelessness is the tool, hope abounds. When hope abounds, by its nature it subverts the systems used to oppress it. Phlipn – hopeful.

Massive minesweeping exercise begins off Bahrain
By Chis Lawrence – CNN – 21 September, 2012

Reporting from the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea (CNN) — More than three dozen nations have converged on the seas around Bahrain for a massive military minesweeping excercise.

The at-sea maneuvers will involve a series of techniques and involve surface ships, aircraft, and underwater “explosive ordnance disposal” diving teams during the nearly two weeks of International Mine Countermeasure Exercise.

Remote piloted submersibles, known as unmanned underwater vehicles, or UUVs, will get their most sustained test yet in combination with regular forces.

The U.S. military says these exercises are strictly “defensive,” but the show of force in light of Iran’s threats to mine the Strait of Hormuz is hard to ignore.

In a typical week, officials say more than 500 ships will sail through the Strait, carrying everything from oil to natural gas.

The United States has been promoting the fact that more than 30 nations are participating in the exercises.

But CNN has learned that so far, two thirds of those nations do not want to have their participation made public. And only half a dozen or so will send actual ships to the exercise.

The situation suggests that in any real minesweeping scenario, or conflict with Iran, the U.S. military would bear the brunt of the fight.

The United States has a lot of naval power in the region. But the American military is careful not to unnecessarily provoke Iran, especially with tensions so high after toughened economic sanctions and much talk in the U.S. and Israel about whether Iran’s progress in developing nuclear capabilities will warrant military action to stop it.

“Any action can instantly trigger a disproportionate reaction, and we have to be aware of that,” Vice Adm. Ted Carter told CNN. The U.S. military is trying to strike a balance between protecting the free transit of the waterway, while avoiding an inadvertent conflict with Iran.

In an indication of how sensitive the waterway has become, some U.S. Navy ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz are equipping their guns with cameras.

The gargantuan aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, on its last cruise, has made eight trips through the Strait on its current deployment. Crew members showed CNN where they strap small cameras to each gun when nearing certain ports or passing by certain areas in the Strait. …more