Bahrain’s Denial of Visas to Rights Activists Underscores Contempt for Human and Worker Rights
2 October, 2012 – Huntington Post – Cathy Feingold – Director, AFL-CIO’s International Department

What is the best way for the United States to stand against violent repression, the quashing of dissent, show trials, torture and other egregious violations of human and civil rights?

In the case of Bahrain, apparently, it is to include the country in a new U.S. trade and investment plan and offer mostly silence as the regime crushes its opposition, invests heavily in a public relations campaign and closes off the country to human rights and social justice activists.

Two weeks ago, the AFL-CIO awarded a human rights award to the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) and their Tunisian counterparts, the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), for the courageous role they played during the Arab uprisings of early 2011. The two countries offer a stark contrast in outcomes, with the people of Bahrain seeing their chances for a more democratic and just society dimming by the day.

The GFBTU — a nonsectarian organization whose membership includes 60 unions and workers from industrial, textile, construction, petroleum, insurance and other sectors — has consistently advocated for social and economic justice through dialogue with all social partners. Its commitment to this agenda and to a broader dialogue that would allow for the democratic participation of all Bahrainis has proved threatening to powerful elements of the royal family who runs the country.

Once the only union federation in Bahrain, the GFBTU is being undermined by a new, government-allied federation ironically named the Bahrain Labor Union Free Federation, or BLUFF. After accepting the award in Washington, D.C., GFBTU leaders — and other human rights activists from Bahrain — flew to Geneva and spoke critically at a United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting regarding their government’s torture and imprisonment of opposition leaders, attacks on workers and their fundamental rights, and failure to implement many recommendations resulting from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). The BICI, established to study the unrest and the government’s response to it, was critical of the government and recommended a variety of actions for the government to take to address its violation of international human and labor rights.

In response, the government has accused activists of tarnishing its reputation. Their names and photos — circled in red — were published in Al Watan newspaper, a clear threat with chilling consequences for any Bahraini citizen who values freedom of speech. Even less subtle, the very GFBTU leaders who accepted a humanitarian award have told us that they receive regular and threatening calls and messages. …more

Large Protests in Saudi Arabia after Activists Killed
1 October, 2012 – POMED

At least three activists were killed in the Eastern Saudi governorate of Qatif on September 26, sparking large protests over the weekend among the majority Shi’a population there. The unrest came on the heels of separate protests and dozens of arrests around Riyadh in an unusually volatile week for Saudi Arabia. Government sources said the violence in al-Awamiya, a town 10 minutes north of the city of Qatif, started [Ar.] when “gunmen” opened fire against security forces who were trying to arrest a man in connection with previous Qatif protests. Security forces “responded as necessary,” killing the activist Abdel-Karim Hassan al-Labad and an unnamed man who was with him. A 16-year-old boy, Hasan Zahiri, died four days later from wounds sustained in the firefight. Activists disputed the government’s account of the events in al-Awamiya, insisting that al-Labad and the others were unarmed.

News reports [Ar.] and videos posted to Youtube indicate that thousands of protesters rallied in al-Awamiya and Qatif on Sunday, calling for justice and “death to the House of Saud.” Qatif has been the site of several large protests over the last year as the Saudi government moved aggressively to clamp down on dissent in the East.

In southern Saudi Arabia, a human rights activist launched a hunger strike to protest being held without charges for more than two weeks. The man, Eisa al-Marzouq al-Nakhifi, “had campaigned on behalf of villagers evacuated from their homes near the border during a brief conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Al Houthi rebels in late 2009,” many of whom have not been allowed to return. …source

Bahrain: Summary executions of protesters continue with western arms and under the impunity policy
29 September, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Bahrain Center for Human Rights express in the strongest terms the condemnation of the murder of the child Ali Hussain Neamah (17 years old) with the shotgun of the riot police, 40 days after the killing of Hussam AlHaddad (16 years old) exactly in the same way[1] , a result of the continued use of excessive force and deadly weapons in dealing with peaceful protesters, and the spread of culture of impunity.

Ali Neamah died with a deadly shot of a shotgun by the riot police from a close range at a late hour on 28 Sep 2012 in the village of Saddad, northwest of the Bahraini capital Manama, after a peaceful protest was attacked by riot police. The shotgun injuries were seen all over Ali’s back. The Death certificate confirms that death was caused with shotgun injuries on the back. The ministry of interior confirmed the death and its responsibility for shooting Ali in a statement[2] , however it claimed that the police patrol was attacked with Molotov and the “police responded using only necessary and proportionate force to restore order”. The injuries on Ali’s back is evidence that killing Al Hadad was not an act of self-defence as indicated in MOI’s statement. …more photos

Teenager killed as police fire birdshot
30 September, 2012 – scotsman.com

BAHRAINI riot police killed a teenager when they fired shotgun pellets during clashes with protesters following a demonstration on Friday, the country’s opposition said yesterday.

Thousands rallied in an authorised protest called by the main opposition group al-Wefaq, but as the event ended around 100 people clashed with police.

Witnesses said riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the breakaway group, who, the authorities said, were throwing petrol bombs and wielding iron bars.

The police described the incident as a “terrorist attack” on a security patrol that “targeted the lives of members of the patrol”.

The police had defended themselves “according to their legal authority”, a statement said, confirming a protester had died.

Al-Wefaq named the dead protester as 17-year-old Ali Hussain Nima and photographs show a body covered in blood and flecked with birdshot wounds.

He is the second protester in six weeks to die at the hands of Bahraini police.

Bahrain, headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since mass demonstrations started at the height of Arab Spring unrest last year, led by its Shia Muslim majority. The protests were put down by the Sunni monarchy, which imposed martial law and asked Saudi Arabia to send troops in support.

In mid-August, a 16-year-old protester was killed in a similar incident, when ­police opened fire with birdshot during clashes after a demonstration, opposition activists said.

The opposition said more than 45 people have been killed in protests since martial law was lifted in June 2011. The interior ministry said protesters have injured more than 700 police officers and that the authorities have exercised restraint.

The latest death comes a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed a Bahraini as the Asia representative to its advisory committee. …source

Bahraini wins human rights seat amid protests, teen’s death
CNN – 30 September, 2012

(CNN) — A Bahraini man won a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council Advisory Committee the same day a young protester in the country was killed, officials and a human rights group said Saturday.

King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa expressed support for Said Al-Faihani on his unanimous election Friday as the Asian group representative, Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority said.

The nomination “represents the international community’s confidence in Bahrain’s progress in the human rights’ field,” the authority said in a statement.

A 17-year-old protester died Friday in clashes with security forces in the village of Sadad.

The interior ministry said a mob armed with Molotov cocktails and iron rods attacked a police patrol, prompting officers to defend themselves. The attacker was killed, the ministry said.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights decried the incident as an example of “summary executions.”

In a statement, the center said that Ali Neamah was taking part in a peaceful protest, and that he was killed by a “deadly shot of a shotgun by the riot police from a close range.” It posted photographs of wounds to Neamah’s back.

Bahraini activists posted online photographs and videos of the clashes on Friday and Saturday. In them, protesters chanted “Down with Hamad,” referring to the king, while police shoot tear gas canisters.

CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the images.

Demonstrations in Bahrain failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities in the island state, backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Last November, Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report critical of authorities’ reactions to the protests, which began in February 2011, spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. …source

Cuba, Syria accuse U.S., others of aggression, terrorism in Damascus
2 October, 2012 – The Guardian Nigeria

CUBA’S Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, yesterday said the United States (U.S.) is guilty of “military aggression” in Syria in a speech to the United Nations (UN) that also accused Western governments of seeking to topple the Syrian government.

The speech to the UN General Assembly, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported, was a rare show of diplomatic support for Syria’s increasingly isolated President Bashar al-Assad, whose attempt to suppress an armed rebellion has led to full-scale civil war.

Moreso, the Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem also accused the U.S. and its allies yesterday of supporting terrorism in Syria but said his government remains open to a political settlement of its civil war.

Speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York, Muallem said France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States “clearly induce and support terrorism in Syria with money, weapons and foreign fighters.”

However, he also said that President Bashar al-Assad is open to reforms if the violence stops. “We still believe in a political solution as an essential way out of the crisis,” he said.

For this to happen, he said UN members should press for an end to the “arming, financing, harbouring and training of terrorist groups.”

Washington and many of its allies accuse Syria’s government of mass human rights abuses in the ongoing struggle to put down the armed rebellion.

To Parrilla, the U.S. and European backing for the rebels amounted to “foreign military aggression which will have serious consequences for the entire Middle East region.”

“The U.S. and some European governments have decided to overthrow the Syrian government, for which they have armed, financed and trained opposition groups. They have even resorted to the use of mercenaries,” he said.

The communist island’s minister applauded Russia and China for blocking measures against Assad’s government in the UN Security Council.

“It has been impossible to manipulate the Security Council to impose the interventionist formula applied in recent warmongering adventures,” he said. …source

Iran warns against outside interference in Syria
2 October, 2012 Agence France Presse

SYDNEY: Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Tuesday described Tehran as a “strong ally of the people of Syria” and warned outside powers not to interfere in the conflict.

But in an interview with Australia’s SBS television, Salehi also said the Syrian government needed to recognise the opposition that has been waging an 18-month-old rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“When it comes to outside interference, and to the internal affairs of Syria, and when outside powers dictate upon the Syrian people that ‘Look, your president should step down, and this should happen’, this is not the right way to do things,” he told the broadcaster’s Dateline programme.

“What we are saying is that both sides have to recognise the other side. In other words, the government has to recognise the opposition, and the opposition has to recognise the government.”

The United States charges that Iran is arming the Syrian government in the brutal repression of its opponents but Salehi insisted his Islamic republic was working for peace.

“What we can do is to facilitate this, to facilitate sitting between the government and the opposition, so that they find a way out from this crisis,” he added in the interview in New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week said Tehran was working to set up a contact group on the conflict in Syria.

He refused to divulge which nations had been approached by Iran to join the group, saying he was hopeful the Iranian foreign ministry would make an announcement in the coming days.

Tehran is already included in another so-called “contact group,” involving Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and has called for observers to be sent to Syria to try to end the violence there.

At least 30,000 people, including more than 2,000 children, have died in the conflict since it erupted in March 2011, according to figures supplied by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
…more

Russia tells NATO to stay away from Syria
2 October, 2012 – Reuters

MOSCOW, Oct 2 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) – Russia told NATO and world powers on Tuesday they should not seek ways to intervene in the Syrian war or set up buffer zones between rebels and government forces.

The statements from Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was one of Moscow’s most specific warnings yet to the West and Gulf Arab leaders to keep out of the 18-month-old conflict.

“In our contacts with partners in NATO and in the region, we are calling on them not to seek pretexts for carrying out a military scenario or to introduce initiatives such as humanitarian corridors or buffer zones,” Gatilov said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Russia and China have vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and blocked attempts to impose sanctions on the country or intervene more directly in its conflict.

Syria’s neighbour Turkey has floated the idea of setting up “safe zones” inside Syria to protect civilians but that would also have to be approved by the Security Council.

Gatilov urged restraint between Syria and NATO-member Turkey, one of Assad’s harshest critics. Ankara has repeatedly complained of artillery and gunfire spilling over its border and last week it signalled it would take action if there was a repeat of a mortar strike on its territory from inside Syria.

“We believe both Syrian and Turkish authorities should exercise maximum restraint in this situation, taking into account the risings number of radicals among the Syrian opposition who can intentionally provoke conflicts on the border,” Gatilov was quoted as saying. …source

Bahrain: Arrests of Medics after Security Forces Stormed their Houses
2 October, 2012 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

The Security forces have arrested five medics in a series of dawn raids on Tuesday ( October 2) morning, just one day after the highest court dismissed their appeals.

On Monday ( October 1) , The court of cassation has rejected the appeals and upheld the previous court’s convictions and sentences of the nine medics.

Medics who have been arrested:

1–Dr. Ali Al-Ekri ( 5 Years imprisonment)

2-Dr. Mahmoud Asghar ( 6 Months imprisonment)

3-Dr. Ghassan Dhaif ( 1 Year imprisonment)

4-Dheya Ibrahim AbuIdris ( 2 Months imprisonment)

5-Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim ( 3 Years imprisonment)

6- Dr. Saeed Al-Samahiji ( 1 Year imprisonment)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demanded the immediate release of the doctors who treated the injured in peaceful protests last year (Feb 2011). …source

US urges Europe to block Abbas’ UN bid: leaked memo
2 October, 2012 – Al Akhbar

The United States urged European nations not to support the Palestinian Authority’s bid to upgrade its status at the United Nations, according to documents obtained by The Guardian in a report published Monday.

In a memo seen by the UK-based newspaper, the United States warned European governments “to support [US] efforts” to block the bid, and threatened “significant negative consequences” including financial sanctions if Palestine secured an upgrade to its UN status.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly on Thursday he would seek “observer state” membership at the world body, a downgrade from the full membership he requested last year.

The 2011 bid was staunchly opposed by Israel and the United States, and failed to pass the Security Council.

Washington holds veto power at the Security Council but not in the 193-member General Assembly, where a vote for “observer state” membership would likely be supported.

The US memo, which was communicated to representatives of European governments, said the upgrade “would have significant negative consequences, for the peace process itself, for the UN system, as well as our ability to maintain our significant financial support for the Palestinian Authority.”

It noted that “observer state” membership of the UN would allow Palestine access to the International Criminal Court. At the ICC, Palestine could challenge Israel’s settlement building, occupation and blockade on Gaza, which breach international law.

“We hope you are willing to support our efforts … We would appreciate knowing where your government stands on this issue. We would also be interested in knowing whether you have been approached on this matter by Palestinian representatives,” the US document said.

The Guardian reported that the US State Department declined to comment on the issue. …more

In final loving act father of the Ali Mushaima digs his son’s grave

Bahraini Pro-Democracy Detainee ‘Mohammed Mushaima’ Martyred Tuesday Morning
ABNA – 2 October, 2012

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Mohammed Mushaima has passed away in custody today, 2.10.2012, while serving a 7 year sentence for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations in Bahrain where a peaceful revolution has started twenty months ago.

Only two days ago, the 17 year old Ali Neama was killed by the regime forces which targeted him at close range, during his participation in pro-democracy protests, riddling his body with Birdshot pellets.

Many Bahraini men, women and children have been killed in different ways, since the start of the mass revolution. The use of excessive force by the authority has also caused a number of deaths between foreign workers in the country.

Hundreds of men, women and human rights activists are still detained in the Bahraini prisons which are known for their disproportionate torture that has led to a number of deaths in custody. …more

BAHRAIN: Ongoing judicial harassment and arbitrary detention of Nabeel Rajab, as criminalisation and threats against human rights defenders go unabated
2 October, 2012 – FIDH

Paris-Geneva, October 2, 2012 – The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), deplores the decision to further delay the trial on appeal of Mr. Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and FIDH Deputy Secretary General. Such ongoing judicial harassment and arbitrary detention is one more evidence of the continued criminalisation of human rights defenders’ activities.

On September 27, 2012, the Bahrain Appeals Court once more refused to release Mr. Nabeel Rajab on bail and further postponed the ruling on his appeal to October 16, 2012[1]. The Bahrain Appeals Court was seized by Mr. Rajab’s lawyers to contest the decision taken on August 16, 2012 by the Lower Criminal Court to sentence him to three years’ imprisonment for three cases related to his participation in peaceful gatherings in favour of fundamental freedoms and democracy. In addition, during yesterday’s hearing, the court continued to deal with the three cases as separate cases, rejecting once more the request of the defence to merge them. Mr. Rajab has been detained since last July 9 and has been continuously denied release since then[2].

Moreover, during the hearing, the judge reportedly showed a DVD containing images of Mr. Nabeel Rajab at peaceful demonstrations arguing with an officer on the legality of the protest, as well as images of young people throwing Molotov cocktails during what the judge alleged was one of these protests. Mr. Rajab’s lawyers insisted that this last part did not take place at the same location nor time as those of the said peaceful protest. Mr. Rajab further recalled that none of the protests he attended had witnessed violence. Mr. Rajab’s lawyers s well as some observers who attended the hearing, consider that this part of the DVD consist in clear montages.

The Observatory is thus extremely concerned over the new postponement decided by the judge, as it aims at sanctioning Mr. Rajab’s human rights activities by keeping him in arbitrary detention. The Observatory further strongly denounces the montages broadcast in court, which clearly aim at discrediting Mr. Rajab and legitimate peaceful protests in general.

In addition, the Observatory deplores that, notwithstanding the commitments expressed on several occasion by the Bahraini authorities to make NGOs’ access to Bahrain easier, the visa request which was submitted by the Observatory on September 19, 2012 to the relevant authorities on behalf of an Observatory-mandated trial observer, was accepted only a few hours before the planned flight departure of the said observer, making it impossible for him to travel to Bahrain.

…more