Statement by Leah-Lynn Plante for her Grand Jury appearance October 10th, 2012

On the morning of July 25th, 2012, my life was turned upside down in a matter of hours. FBI agents from around Washington and Oregon and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents from Washington busted down the front door of my house with a battering ram, handcuffed my house mates and me at gunpoint, and held us hostage in our backyard while they read us a search warrant and ransacked our home. They said it was in connection to May Day vandalism that occurred in Seattle, Washington earlier this year.

However, we suspected that this was not really about broken windows. As if they had taken pointers from Orwell’s 1984, they took books, artwork and other various literature as “evidence” as well as many other personal belongings even though they seemed to know that nobody there was even in Seattle on May Day. …more

An Appeal for Support for Leah-Lynne Plante and others
by Doug Brown – 13 October, 2012

As you may have heard by now, Leah-Lynne Plante was taken into custody following a contempt of court hearing on the morning of Wednesday, October 10th. She is the third person in the Pacific Northwest to be put in federal prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury. She may stay in prison until the end of the grand jury investigation which is scheduled to last until March 2014.

There are now 3 grand jury resisters sitting in federal prison. They all still need your support to keep up their strength and determination as they wait until they are released. We are asking for folks to support them in several ways:

1) Write Leah, Matt, and Kteeo in prison or sent them books. Visit and Support for Resisters HERE to find out details on their address and guidelines on writing and sending books.

2) Have a solidarity action in your community. This could be a letter writing night, a film showing, a march, or a fundraiser. If you need some ideas or support to make something happen, email us.

3) Donate. Visit our website: and donate HERE or visit the grand jury resisters’ store: HERE and buy something in support of the resisters.

4) Stay updated and spread the word. Visit CAPR’s website: HERE , The grand jury resisters blogs and personal websites: HERE and HERE . Tell your friends, co-workers, and families about what is happening in the Pacific Northwest and encourage them to support the grand jury resisters.
Thank you for your continued support. It means a lot to Leah, Matt, and Kteeo and to those of us waiting for them to come home.

Parliament vows democracy march
By Mohammed Al A’Ali – 15 October, 2012 – Gulf Daily News

BAHRAIN’S legislative authority has to ensure the country’s democratic progress continues as new constitutional amendments come into effect, said a top official.

National Assembly and Parliament chairman Dr Khalifa Al Dhahrani said increased powers for both MPs and Shura Council members meant they had a major task ahead of them, as they attempt to heal rifts and enhance economic growth following last year’s unrest.

It follows 19 constitutional amendments being signed into law by His Majesty King Hamad in May, which gives more powers to the National Assembly and has been seen as a major step in Bahrain’s reform process.

Dr Al Dhahrani was speaking yesterday at the inaugural ceremony of the assembly’s third legislative term in the presence of King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, government officials and dignitaries at the Isa Cultural Centre, Juffair.

“We have listened to His Majesty King Hamad’s speech and agree that national unity is the only factor that can make a difference in how the country moves forward,” he said.

“No one can deny that His Majesty’s initiatives, measures and reforms, ever since the unfortunate incidents began (last year), has helped protect the country.

“It has also helped develop the Kingdom’s political and human rights practises and legislations, which has brought it international recognition.”

Dr Al Dhahrani also emphasised that dialogue was the only way forward.

“Our national duty has always been our guide in our work and we pledge that people’s power will continue to be the slogan for true reform,” he added.

“This country is no place for those who don’t believe in its importance – it is only a place for those who feel it is where they belong.”

He said membership in the assembly continues to be an honour.

“Whether appointed or elected, we are proud to serve the people.

“It is an honour that as legislators, we have the opportunity to represent a democracy and fight all agendas or attempts to disharmonise the community,” he said. …source

Bahraini forces clash with protestors over political prisoners and jailed medics
15 October, 2012 – ABNA.co

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Heavy clashes have been reported in Bahrain between Saudi-backed forces and protestors who have taken to the streets to show solidarity with political prisoners and jailed medics.

Earlier yesterday, lawyers said in a statement that the five jailed medics have gone on hunger strike to urge “all international organizations to demand their release”.

“They were harshly tortured by authorities while being detained. Torture caused injuries and disabilities whose traces remain on the bodies of the medics,” the statement said.

The medics have been in prison since early October after Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court upheld their sentences.

They were among twenty doctors and nurses who worked in Manama during the uprising against the Al Khalifa regime.

Reports say that the medics were given jail terms from up to one month to five years.

The Bahraini authorities charged the medical workers with using hospitals for anti-government activities, possession of weapons, and theft of medical equipment — claims they denied. The medical workers say the government is only punishing them for treating people who took part in demonstrations.

Since mid-February 2011, anti-government protesters have been staging regular demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on the peaceful protesters.

According to local sources, scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested in the crackdown in Bahrain.

Physicians for Human Rights say doctors and nurses have been detained, tortured, and even disappeared because they have “evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces, and riot police” in the crackdown on anti-government protesters.

A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that the Al Khalifa regime had used “excessive force” in the campaign of suppression and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters. …more

Bahrain: The Political Part of Friday Sermon of Ayatollah Shaikh Isa Ahmed Qassim
14 Octoebr, 2012 – Voice of Bharain

“Two Logics”

The unilateral authorities, which base on neglecting their people, have a logic that considers politics as a tool to enslave the people and to incite hatred among the community components, making them ignorant and then engage them into chaos and bloody fights according to its need.

The logic that the authorities rely on to face the popular freedom aspiration of the people is :

· Firing lethal toxic tear gasses
· Firing rubber bullets
· Firing birdshots
· Torture
· Imprisonment
· Killing
· Bribing
· Being crazily generous to the pro-government agents
· All kinds of exclusion, suppression, repression, terror and threats.

This is the logic of the unilateral authority .

On the contrary, the logic of the peoples who are longing for freedom, and longing to get their right to self-determination. That is the logic of reason , conscience and religion and the logic of all international covenants, it’s the kind of logic that is only rejected by an oppressive ideology.

The peoples are neither violent nor vindictive, and it has been so clear that all Arab-Spring revolutions started as peaceful movements. The authorities’ violence and over-killing pulled some revolutions into violence to face their authority’s abortion of freedom through the people’s bloodshed.

The peaceful popular movement of the people of Bahrain presented a good example of adhering to the peaceful approach, this embarrassed the authorities that are trying recklessly to drag the people into violence in order to escape entitlements of the people’s rights.

In Bahrain, there is a peaceful movement for reform.. the people of Bahrain demand a

· constitution that guarantees the will of the people , and

· fair distribution of electoral constituencies,

· a fairly elected house of representative (parliament)

· elected government

· a non-politicized independent judiciary

· Equality without any kind of discrimination in all state departments

Is there a nation that in this region or the whole world that denies such legitimate demands? Or are the Bahraini people excluded from this world and should not have the right to demand their rights? Don’t they have right to democracy.

The people of Bahrain is one of the peoples that have the same rights of other peoples in the world, the authority is practicing unjustifiable violence against the people of Bahrain, and this has embarrassed it in front of the world.

The authority in Bahrain is practicing unjustifiable violence and terror against peaceful people calling for legitimate demands which cannot be denied by anyone. This oppressive situations is embarrassing the regime in front of the international community and human rights organizations, when the issue of Bahrain is internationally discussed, however the authority is in desperate need of justifications for its violence against the legitimate popular demands.

The regime is trying relentlessly to find an excuse for its violence, that is why we find it

· lying publically in the media

· always trying to link the popular movement to a foreign plot

· creating fake speeches and relating them to religious and political figures, claiming that they call for violence despite their repeated pronounce calls for peaceful movement

However, they make fake sound clips by cutting out a part of a footage and using the sentences or words according to their plot that aims to damage the image of the peaceful movement, and any figure or party that stands by it. This mission aims mainly to falsely relate calls for violence a particular person or party, with no shame or conscience.

The state media has cut out “Crush him” from its context which called for legitimate defense (for women), it has been repeatedly said by state officials and deliberately focused on (alone) to mislead the public inside and outside Bahrain, without shame in such a scandalous obvious lie.

This goes on as the a large number of are victimized and killed by the security forces, yet, the authority approves such behavior justifying it as self-defense! So there is an obliged and permissible self-defense which is initial-killing, while a call to defend women is terror? Here, I am asking any minister, official, cleric, journalist.. what will he do if his family was attacked? Will the minister let anyone come close to attacking females of his family? …more

Police: What did not mean by ‘revolution’?

Bahrain questions Shiite leader over statements made in Egypt
14 October, 2012 – Middle East Online

DUBAI – Bahrain police on Sunday questioned cleric Sheikh Ali Salman, who heads the largest Shiite opposition formation Al-Wefaq, over remarks related to “sectarian and security” matters, the authorities said.

Criminal investigation police questioned him in the presence of two lawyers over statements he made during a visit to Egypt earlier this month, according to a statement carried by the BNA state news agency.

Salman admitted referring to a “revolution in Bahrain” but said he “did not mean toppling the regime, while he meant demanding freedom, democracy, equality and respect for human rights,” BNA said.

The influential cleric also said that Wefaq “rejects violence from all sides, whether from the public or from the government,” and denied harming relations between Bahrain and Egypt.

BNA said Salman’s statement will be referred to the public prosecution service which will decide whether to press charges.

Al-Wefaq slammed the summoning of its leader for questioning, calling it a “trial for political practice and opinion, which falls under the regime’s security approach of confiscating rights and freedoms.”

“This measure aims to tighten already limited freedom of expression,” it said in a statement.

Al-Wefaq dominated elections twice in 2006 and 2010 in Shiite areas of the Sunni-ruled kingdom, and formed the largest single bloc in both parliaments.

But its MPs resigned in protest over violence used by security forces against Shiite-dominated protests that broke out in mid-February 2011 and came under a deadly crackdown a month later. …source

Saudis try to threaten UK out of human rights probe
by Avaaz Team – 15 October, 2012

Saudi Arabian officials say they feel “insulted” by a British parliamentary inquiry into the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, in the wake of concerns about Saudi and Bahraini human rights abuses since the Arab spring uprisings of last year.

In thickly loaded diplomatic language, the Saudis have said they are “re-evaluating their country’s historic relations with Britain,” and say that “all options will be looked at.”

The inference behind this could not be clearer: keep poking your nose into how we run things, publicly criticise us in any way, and your business interests will suffer.

That message, which comes just after a UK parliament committee announced a review into Britain’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, should come as little surprise. It reflects the arrangement between western powers and the Gulf kingdom for decades: stay out of our internal politics, ignore our human rights outrages, and together we’ll make lots of money.

Trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia is currently valued at £11bn – and lucrative arms deals account for a large chunk of that (the £7bn BAE Systems contract for Typhoon jets, for example). British companies with a strong presence in Saudi Arabia include Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Marks & Spencer.

Still, the hypocrisy’s worth pointing out yet again. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain brutally suppress democratic protests in their own countries, and accuse Iran of “interference”. At the same time, Saudi Arabia heavily supports Syrian rebels trying to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

British and US criticism of the Gulf monarchy to date has been shamefully muted; UK officials today have been at pains to stress that “Saudi Arabia is a key strategic partner in the region and one of the closest friends and allies”. While it’s a good sign that parliament is re-evaluating this relationship, it comes late in the day and, on current evidence, the outcome is likely to be tame. …more

Bahraini King says ‘door for dialogue open’
15 October, 2012 – Ya Libnana

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa said that the “door for dialogue is open,” when he addressed the new National Assembly on Sunday.

Al-Khalifa said that the visions for a consensus on national dialogue represent a “national desire” to start a new phase to understand what the country is going through, Al Arabiya TV reported him as saying.

He added that these visions “have led to new important constitutional amendments,” that will cement democracy and consolidate transparency, human rights and freedom of expression.

In May, the King has approved amendments to the country’s constitution that give more power to the parliament by allowing it to have more control over government ministers.

While the King hailed the armed forces and the defense ministry in “protecting the country,” he said that the “council of Human Rights accepting a report by Bahrain is a confirmation of trust that the international community has in Bahrain,” he said.

In September, the U.N. Human Rights Council accepted Bahrain’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). President of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, hailed the Kingdom for providing voluntarily an interim report to the Council prior to the next UPR.

Bahraini rulers have blamed foreign countries such as Iran for manipulating sectarian differences in the Gulf state. Iranian threats against Bahrain include possible aggravations in the coastal waters of the Gulf state as well as air attacks by Iranian-made missiles.

Opposition groups in Bahrain demand a representative parliament in a country that has Shiites forming majority ruled by a Sunni monarchy. …source

European satellite provider cuts off Iranian TV
15 October, 2012 – Associated Press

PARIS: European satellite provider Eutelsat has taken 19 Iranian television and radio broadcasters off the air as a result of European Union sanctions.

Eutelsat spokeswoman Vanessa O’Connor says the channels operated by Iranian state broadcaster Irib have been blocked for viewers in Europe and elsewhere as of Monday morning.

Eutelsat says a new round of EU sanctions against Iran adopted earlier this year included Irib. The EU toughened its sanctions against Iran as part of broader efforts to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s Press TV says Iran’s broadcasting company could seek legal action against Eutelsat.

Press TV says it’s among the channels cut by the Eutelsat decision. Others include Farsi-language channels for Iranian expatriates and Arabic-language offerings, including the news channel Al-Alam. Most are still visible in Iran.
…source