Posts from — November 2012

Chiapas: Forums and marches in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November, 2012 -SIPAZ blog

On 25 November, women in Chiapas took to the streets to march in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierréz in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In previous days other events had been organized in which this problem had been discussed, such as the Popular Forum for the Defense of Earth, Territory, and Food Sovereignty, held from 22 to 24 November, as well as the meeting “A hundred voices of women reflecting on violence,” as organized by Kinal Antsetik and carried out in San Cristóbal de las Casas on 24 November. During these last event, more than a hundred women from 14 municipalities in various regions of Chiapas participated, analyzing the situation of violence that women presently confront in the state.

In this same sense, Martha Figueroa Mier, from the Collective of Women (Colem), reported that 67 feminicides had been committed in the state, a statistic that is based solely on the cases registered by communication media, given that the State Attorney General’s Office in Chiapas has not requested information in these terms.

In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, capital of the state, there was held a “Slut Walk,” following the example that began in Toronto, Canada, to reject declarations of the police asserting that women “sought out” aggressions due to the way they dress and act. …source

Bill S-7, also known as the ‘Combating Terrorism Act’, would allow persons to be detained for up to three days without charge (“preventive arrest”); strip individuals of their basic rights as accused under criminal proceedings to know and challenge evidence against them; threaten them with criminal punishment; and compel individuals to testify in secret before a judge in an “investigative hearing”. Further, the judge may impose imprisonment of up to 12 months if the person does not enter into recognizance. (enter into recognizance = imposed conditions to secure release, ie: avoid all contact with those engaged in, or participating in, pipeline protests)

British Columbia Civil Liberties Association BCCLA
Statement on Reintroduction of Anti-Terrorism Provisions
Nov. 29, 2012

Individuals subject to these provisions do not necessarily have to be suspected of committing any crime. It is enough that they are alleged to have information relating to a terrorism offence, or that they are alleged to be associated with another individual suspected of committing (or about to commit) a terrorism offence, or that they are otherwise suspected of potential future involvement with a terrorism offence. Furthermore, the scope of Bill S-7 extends beyond Canada’s borders, and could potentially result in a reliance on foreign intelligence. Without the ability to challenge evidence, there is no guarantee that the evidence is accurate, or was not obtained from a third country or source that conducts or condones torture as a method to elicit information. [It should be noted that the Canadian government has already given the green light to law enforcement agencies to accept information that may have been derived through torture, in violation of international agreements and standards].

In all such cases, individuals may find themselves caught up in these detention and interrogation provisions without any effective legal recourse.

Under these provisions, individuals could be forced to testify in a court of law, arrested, detained or made subject to bail conditions – all without charges being laid. Individuals have no right to know, and no opportunity to challenge, the basis on which they are being subjected to preventive arrest or required to attend investigate hearings.

While the proposed investigative hearings give the appearance of respecting due process, such as requiring judicial authorization, use and derivative use immunity, and the right to counsel, they still do not comply with the spirit of due process and the right against self-incrimination. …more

Julian Assange: The people who control the interception of the internet and, to some degree also, physically control the big data warehouses and the international fiber-optic lines. We all think of the internet as some kind of Platonic Realm where we can throw out ideas and communications and web pages and books and they exist somewhere out there. Actually, they exist on web servers in New York or Nairobi or Beijing, and information comes to us through satellite connections or through fiber-optic cables.

So whoever physically controls this controls the realm of our ideas and communications. And whoever is able to sit on those communications channels, can intercept entire nations, and that’s the new game in town, as far as state spying is concerned – intercepting entire nations, not individuals.

…source

Endangering Women Human Rights Defenders
By Christine Ahn and Erika Guevara-Rosas – 29 November, 2012 – Foreign Policy in Focus

With the U.S. elections now over, many are speculating over who will succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State to oversee U.S. foreign policy and the $47-billion U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) annual budget. While a significant chunk of USAID spending goes to education and health programs, pockets of aid enlarge the already bloated military budgets of recipient governments. The result: less security and more violence against women, particularly women human rights defenders.

Indeed, the plight of these activists is so pervasive, yet unrecognized, that November 29th has been declared International Day of Women Human Rights Defenders. On the fifth anniversary of its founding, we take a look into Colombia and Mexico, the two countries with the largest number of documented instances of death threats against women human rights defenders—and coincidently two major recipients of U.S. aid.

Why Women Human Rights Defenders?

According to reports from the United Nations and Inter-American Human Rights Commission, although both men and women human rights defenders are subjected to political violence, the situation of women must be analyzed and addressed separately given the particular nature of their experience.

Within Latin American societies (as in many others), women face significant social and cultural discrimination. Furthermore, because of their gender, women’s rights defenders endure sexual assault and harassment, including having to regularly deflect offensive sexual slurs aimed at discrediting their reputation and work. Women activists are increasingly leading efforts to demand the respect of women’s human rights and the end of violence and discrimination. Their struggles not only challenge the political and economic establishments in their countries, but also the patriarchal nature of power relations in their communities. This is why violence against them is more severe. …more

Mahazza Nights: Undeclared State of Emergency and Sweeping Violations
30 November, 2012 – Bahrian Center for Human Rights

Since November 7th, 2012, an undeclared siege has been imposed around Mahazza, one of the Sitra island villages south of the Bahraini capital of Manama. Police forces and civilian militias, accompanied by National Guards in armored vehicles, have been deployed at the main entrances to the village to erect checkpoints, storm several houses without search warrants while arresting scores of citizens without arrest warrants in semi-marshal law situation. The blockade has resulted in the breaking-in of over 160 homes; during these incidents, citizens’ private property and money are confiscated without record or receipt. In addition to these violations, at least 25 people have been arrested (some of which were later released).

Members of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) paid several visits to Mhazzah area to explore the details of the siege, and conducted interviews with those whose houses were subjected to raids and abuses. Residents stated that a blockade similar to that of Aker area had been imposed on Mhazzah village since November 7th, yet the morning of Thursday, November 22, 2012 represented a shift in the nature of the occupation as the raids took place between the hours of 1:30am and 6:15am, where houses and residents were attacked and their privacy was inhumanly invaded without regard for the law.
Reasons for the Beginning of the Siege

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) announced through their official Twitter account on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 that a fire broke out in a car depot which belongs to one of the car dealerships in the Sitra area. Following this, a total siege was imposed around the village of Mhazzah, one house was broken into and Ahmed Abdullah Ibrahim – age 24 – was arrested. His family stated that a group of civilians, accompanied by police forces, surrounded and raided his brother’s house and arrested him without presenting an arrest warrant or providing details of the charges against him. Over a 15-day period, homes raids resulted in the forceful entry of 62 homes and the arrest of 9 people – as shown in the table below. These violations are in addition to the damages caused by terrorizing innocent people in their own homes and attacking their private property.
The Number of Raids Skyrocketed on the Morning of November 22nd, 2012

The Monitoring Team of the BCHR received the initiation news of the 1:30am Mhazzah blockade of Thursday, November 22, 2012, where police forces, backed by civilian militias, launched a series of random, wide-range break-ins which resulted in the storming of nearly 100 homes and the arrest of 14 people – 10 of which were released approximately twenty hours later – and broad damages to residents’ private properties
Residents’ Testimonials Concerning the Novemeber 22nd, 2012 Early Morning Raids:

The wife of fugitive Mr. Abdullah Alawi Abdullah stated that their house was brutally raided on 3 consecutive days. On Thursday 22 Nov 2012 at 4:30am, the door was broken before hooded civilians entered with a policemen who held a shotgun in addition to a photographer from the MOI. As they were leaving the house, a stun grenade was deliberately thrown in the home.

Mohammed Mansour Eid’s sister stated that she woke up to the sounds of breaking objects coming from a neighbor’s home. Loud knockings then sounded at her own door, and masked, civilian men entering her home, along with a MOI cameraman, asking for her brother Faisal who was not found at home. His brother Mohammed was taken as a hostage in order to pressure Faisal to turn himself in to the police. His mobile phone was confiscated as well. When several women tried to free Mohammed from the masked civilians, a stun grenade was fired in their direction. Mohammed’s sister emphasized the fact that in only one week, their house was subjected to six raids led by Officer Yousif Al-Mannaie. …more

200 wounded as Tunisian security forces use tear gas, shotguns against protesters
28 November, 2012 – RT

A protester throws a tear gas canister back at police during clashes in Siliana November 28, 2012 (Reuters / Stringer)

A protester throws a tear gas canister back at police during clashes in Siliana November 28, 2012 (Reuters / Stringer)

More than 200 people were wounded as clashes between Tunisian security forces and thousands of protesters in the impoverished town of Siliana raged on for the second straight day, medical sources say. One reporter was also injured by shotgun fire.

A doctor at the hospital in Siliana told AFP on Wednesday the injured were being treated for different types of injury, with four of them transferred to Tunis.

FRANCE24’s Tunisia correspondent David Thomson was also injured by shotgun fire in the melee. While receiving treatment, Thomson tweeted from the hospital that many others had sustained far more serious injuries. His driver was also injured in the clashes.

­State television had earlier reported that at least 80 people were injured.

Angry protesters incensed the regional governor had failed to tackle unemployment amassed in the town center, with the clashes kicking off by early afternoon.

The country’s National Guard deployed armored vehicles as protesters erected makeshift barricades in the streets.

Protesters pelted security forces with rocks, who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

The scene closely mirrored protests which erupted in the town on Tuesday.

Many protesters called for local officials to step down, citing chronic mismanagement of development funds in the poor farming region. Siliana, which lies 75 miles south of the capital Tunis on the edge of the Sahara desert, saw investment plummet by 44.5 percent from January to October on a year-over-year basis.

Following the 2010 uprising which saw the ouster of longtime President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, unemployment has skyrocketed in the country.

The interior ministry has not commented on the ongoing street clashes, though the prime minister’s office registered the concern with the unfolding events.

It also described as regrettable “the use of violence against the security forces, aggression at the headquarters of sovereignty, and attempts to damage public property,” AFP reports.

The clashes were the most violent since Salafi Islamists fell on the US embassy in Tunis to protest the incendiary film Innocence of Muslims in September.

On Tuesday, the World Bank approved a $500 million loan to Tunisia to aid the country’s ailing economy, with a separate $700 million coming from other donors.

It is the second loan approved by the World Bank since the Arab Spring swept Ben Ali from power. …source

The regime forces execute state’s terror and crimes against
AlWefaq: Abuses in ‘Mahazza’ outrage the humane conscience
27 November, 2012 – Al Wefaq

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society stated that what is happening in the village of Mahazza in Sitra island is a “state terror” and crimes against human rights

Al-Wefaq said that the ongoing wide campaign of abuses including horrific house raids, executed by the regime forces, is more of a militias behavior than a regime’s.

Al-Wefaq also stated that the series of house raids in Mahazza is on a rising pace, which is considered a dangerous violation and the regime and its officials are responsible of the consequences.

The forces had broken into houses at dawn in complete disrespect of morals, religion and humanity, very much like criminals and thieves behavior. The forces went as far as entering bedrooms while women were asleep in night wear, this reveals the real ugliness of the these forces and those who pass down orders. It also reveals that there is no state in Bahrain, as the country is run by a militias-mentality far from humanity and rule of law.

AlWefaq affirmed that what is happening in Bahrain’s Mahazza village is witnessed and observed by the international community and all human right organizations, as the people of Bahrain are suffering under a regime that uses mercenaries to perpetrate abuses against the citizens. While, at the same time summons citizens and subjects them to all kinds of abuses, without any deterrent to commit crimes against them.

The latest series of terror against Mahazza was Tuesday, early morning hours, when the forces started the horrific house raids terrorizing the innocents behind the dark siege. The number of those arrested from the village since the siege began has totaled

INSIGHT: Bahrain Reforms Stuck in Reverse
29 November, 2012 – By Brian Dooley – Middle East Voices

Outside of Bahrain government supporters, it’s hard to find anyone who thinks the country’s reform process is going okay.

To mark last week’s anniversary of the publication of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), the report ordered by the King of Bahrain into human rights violations in early 2011, the regime evaluated its own progress. It insists it has made great strides “to complete the legislative framework required to consolidate the rule of the law, protect public freedoms, respect human rights, promote security and stability across the nation, strengthen the democratic march and maintain national unity.”

insight hrf INSIGHT: Bahrain Reforms Stuck in ReverseDespite that claim, those of us who have witnessed Bahrain’s police using excessive force and its sham court trials know there is often a chasm between the country’s PR version and reality. That is why the Kingdom’s response on the BICI anniversary was met with disappointment and frustration – but not surprise – inside and outside the country. The Bahraini government’s claims to be promoting freedom of expression, protecting defendants’ rights and holding to account those responsible for torture is wholly unconvincing to those of us closely following what’s happening there each day.

Human Rights First and other international NGOs knew the government would present a positive gloss on its record, but the irrefutable consensus from the world’s leading human rights organizations is that things have gotten worse in recent months, not better.

Some of the protests have taken on a violent edge, with police and a minority of protestеrs involved in regular clashes. Some protestеrs are throwing gasoline bombs and other missiles at the police. Evidence of police using excessive force, including large amounts of tear gas, continues to be reported. Just in the last few weeks, the Kingdom has banned all public gatherings, sent several people to jail for criticizing the King on Twitter, intensified attacks on civil society figures and stripped 31 Bahrainis of their citizenship.

“No senior official has been prosecuted for the thousands of arrests or held accountable for those who were tortured in custody.” – Brian Dooley, Human Rights First

It’s not just NGOs who are frustrated with the lack of reform in Bahrain. Bahrain has drawn criticism from other governments and international bodies, too. “We are concerned by some of the recent decisions taken by the Bahraini Government, particularly on human rights,” said British Foreign Minister Alistair Burt. A senior U.S. State Department official observed, “What’s unfortunately happened, on accountability, on the hardest issues, is the government has not followed through. … We see people held in prison, prosecuted for demonstrating a year and a half ago, and there’s still not been meaningful police reform.” The United Nations is dispatching a human rights team to Bahrain to examine the situation next week.
…source

1800 Political Prisoners Locked up in Bahraini Prisons
29 November, 2012 – Islamic Invitation Turkey

A Bahraini prisoners’ rights organization, known as Andisheh, has claimed that there are 1800 political prisoners locked up in the Al-e-Khalifa regime prisons in Bahrain.

According to Bahrain’s al-LouLou television channel, the Bahraini prisoners’ rights organization, Andisheh, issued a statement saying the Al-e-Khalifa regime totally denies the existence of political prisoners in Bahraini jails, whereas the regime uses the harshest and most heavy-handed methods to quell / repress the protest movement in Bahrain.

The statement adds: “The Al-e-Khalifa regime wants to use the political prisons as a sort of a bargaining chip, or a pressure lever, to pressure the protesters in Bahrain to give up on their legitimate demands.

The Bahraini people have risen up against the ruling Al-e-Khalifa monarchy since February 2011, holding peaceful protests against the Al-e-Khalifa rulers of Bahrain. Their protests have been repressed in the most brutal way by police and security forces, as well as Saudi military forces who have invaded the country to quell the popular protest movement. …source

Qatari Poet Sentenced To Life In Prison
By ALEX DELMAR-MORGAN – 30 November, 2012

DOHA, Qatar—A Qatari poet was sentenced to life in prison on charges of trying to incite the overthrow of the emirate’s ruling family, the poet’s lawyer said, the latest move against dissent amid a crackdown by wealthy Arab Gulf countries.

Qatar’s criminal court on Thursday handed down the sentence to Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, who has been held in solitary confinement since his arrest in November 2011, said the lawyer, Najeeb al-Nuaimi. There was no official confirmation of the poet’s sentencing, and Qatar government officials couldn’t be reached to comment.

Mr. Ajami’s poetry was deemed to be insulting to Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Mr. Nuaimi said he plans to appeal the sentence. He said his client didn’t receive a fair trial, and denied his poetry was offensive to Qatar’s ruler.

Many Gulf Arab governments have sought to clamp down on political dissent in the wake of the Arab Spring protests that unseated leaders across the region. This week, the United Arab Emirates unveiled new laws to prosecute social-media users deemed critical of the government.

While Qatar escaped last year’s wave of pro-democracy protests across the region, since then it has played an outsize role in regional politics by bankrolling and arming uprisings in Libya and Syria.

But the wealthy desert emirate has shown little tolerance for homegrown dissent. Qatar’s legislative body, the Shura Council, approved a new draft media law in June that prohibits the publication of material deemed to be offensive to the ruling family or endangering state security. Violators could face fines of as much as $275,000 if they are found guilty.

Qatar has also refrained from speaking out against its fellow Sunni rulers in Bahrain, who suppressed Shiite-led pro-democracy demonstrations last year with military backing from Saudi Arabia.

Al-Jazeera, Qatar’s government-owned satellite broadcaster, has faced criticism for rarely reporting on Qatar’s domestic affairs while giving expansive coverage supportive of the uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Syria.

“This is most awkward for Qatar, which has been embarking on a very public foreign policy, trying to ride the wave of the Arab Spring for its own political capital but yet when problems develop in its own backyard, and you have a dissenting voice, you have the hypocrisy exposed,” said Christopher Davidson, an expert on Middle East politics at Durham University in the U.K.

“Qatar hosts al-Jazeera and the Doha Center for Media Freedom and is really trying to promote itself as a bastion of free expression,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. The life sentence for Mr. Ajami is “completely inconsistent with that,” he said. …more

I Call On You
by Palestinian poet Tawfiq Zayyad
Translated by As’ad AbuKhalil

“I call on you
I press your hands
I kiss the ground under your feet
and I say: I sacrifice myself for you
I give you as a gift
the light of my eyes
and the warmth of heart, I give you
My tragedy that I live
Is my share of your tragedies
I call on you
I press your hands
I kiss the ground under your feet
and I say: I sacrifice myself for you
I did not humiliate myself in my homeland
and I did not lower my shoulders
I stood facing my oppressors
orphaned, naked, and bare foot
I call on you
I press your hands
I kiss the ground under your feet
and I say: I sacrifice myself for you
I carried my blood on my palm
I never lowered my flags
and I cared for the green grass
over the graves of my ancestors”

…source

Two Years of Cablegate as Bradley Manning Testifies for the First Time
29 November, 2012 – Julian Assange – Huffington Post

Thursday, November 29th, Bradley Manning testified for the first time since his arrest two and a half years ago in Baghdad. Today also marks the two-year anniversary of the first front pages around the world from Cablegate, an archive of 251,287 U.S. State Department diplomatic cables — messages sent between the State Department and its embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions around the world. In collaboration with a network of more than 100 press outlets we revealed the full spectrum of techniques used by the United States to exert itself around the world. The young intelligence analyst Bradley Manning was detained as an alleged source.

WikiLeaks came under attack, with American politicians and right-wing pundits calling for all of us to be designated as terrorists, some even calling for my assassination and the kidnapping of our staff. Speaking on Meet The Press, Vice President Joe Biden referred to me as a “high-tech terrorist,” while Senator Joe Lieberman demanded that we be prosecuted under the U.S. Espionage Act. The Department of Justice spokesperson Dean Boyd admitted as recently as July 2012 that the Department of Justice investigation into WikiLeaks is ongoing, and the Pentagon renewed its threats against us on September 28th, declaring our work an “ongoing crime.” As a result, I have been granted political asylum and now live in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, surrounded by armed police while the FBI portion of the “whole of government” investigation against us, according to court testimony, had reached 42,135 pages as of December last year.

Earlier this week, WikiLeaks released European Commission documents showing that Senator Lieberman and Congressman Peter T. King directly influenced decisions by PayPal, Visa and MasterCard to block donations to WikiLeaks, which has blocked 95 percent of our donors since December of 2010. Last week the European Parliament expressed its will that the Commission should prevent the arbitrary blockade of WikiLeaks.

Bradley Manning, who is alleged to be a source of the cables, started testifying on Thursday about his pre-trial treatment, which UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez said was “at a minimum cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of Article 16 of the Convention against Torture.” Captain William Hoctor, the government psychiatrist with 24 years of experience who evaluated Manning at Quantico base in Virginia, testified that brig commanders had ignored his recommendations for Manning’s detention, something he had not even experienced in his work at Guantánamo bay prison.

Bradley Manning has been detained without trial for 921 days. This is the longest pre-trial detention of a U.S. military soldier since at least the Vietnam War. U.S. military law says the maximum is 120 days.

The material that Bradley Manning is alleged to have leaked has highlighted astonishing examples of U.S. subversion of the democratic process around the world, systematic evasion of accountability for atrocities and killings, and many other abuses. Our archive of State Department cables have appeared in tens of thousands of articles, books and scholarly works, illustrating the nature of U.S. foreign policy and the instruments of U.S. national power. On the two-year anniversary of the start of Cablegate, I want to highlight some of the stories that have emerged. …more

Bahrain must free prisoners of conscience
30 November, 2012 – Amnesty International

Thirteen opposition activists and prisoners of conscience must be released immediately by the Bahrain authorities, Amnesty International said today ahead of a court decision on their case next week.

The men, who were convicted last year before a military court on charges including ‘setting up terror groups to topple the regime and change the constitution’ after their involvement in peaceful anti-government protests, had their convictions and sentences upheld on appeal in September.

On Monday 3 December, the Court of Cassation in the capital Manama will decide whether or not to grant the men’s defence request to be released on bail.

The Court will decide whether to quash or uphold their sentences and convictions at a later separate hearing although there is a small possibility this will happen on Monday.

“Monday’s decision will be a real test for the Bahraini authorities and their allies, if they want to prove once and for all that they are genuinely committed to respecting and protecting human rights,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“These men must be immediately and unconditionally released. Their sentences and convictions must be quashed. Bahrain’s allies must also put pressure on the authorities to drop the pretence of reform and immediately back up their words with real actions.”

The 13, who include prominent opposition activists Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, were originally sentenced by a military court in June 2011 to between five years and life in prison .

All maintain their innocence. Amnesty International found no evidence that they used or advocated violence in last year’s anti-government protests and they are therefore held solely for exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Last week, to coincide with the first anniversary of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report, Amnesty International released a briefing paper criticizing the inadequate implementation of the BICI recommendations and the worsening human rights situation in the country.

The BICI report found the Bahraini government responsible for gross human rights violations and documented widespread abuses. It made a series of recommendations including calling on the authorities to bring to account those responsible for human rights abuses and to carry out independent investigations into allegations of torture and other violations.

Amnesty International’s briefing, Bahrain: Reform shelved, repression unleashed, highlighted the increased repression and lack of accountability for past abuses in Bahrain, including the continuous imprisonment of prisoners of conscience like the 13 opposition activists and Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

The Bahraini government responded to the criticism by saying the allegations were baseless and that it was committed to the implementation of the BICI recommendations.

However Amnesty International has documented continuous human rights abuses in the past few months as well as lack of accountability and impunity for past abuses, including the lack of impartial and independent investigations into all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including allegations made by the 13 opposition activists that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated while in custody.

Far from engaging in reform, the authorities moved in the past months to unleashing further repression, culminating in October 2012 in the banning of all rallies and gatherings in the country in violation of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and in November with the stripping of Bahraini nationality from 31 opposition figures.
…source

Bahrain regime arrests woman during dawn house raid
30 November, 2012 – Shia Post

The regime in Bahrain is again conducting outrageous house raids and barbarically arresting women at dawn without any moral, religious, lawful or humanitarian deterrent whatsoever, as part of its aggressive behavior against the people. This proves that the regime is intolerant and cannot coexist with its own people

The regime force have raided a house in Al-Guraifa village, east of the capital Manama, at the dawn of Wednesday, and brutally arrested a young woman in her twenties after vandalizing the properties in the house and terrifying the households. The regime forces were also reported to have confiscated some devices, mobiles and belongings in the house.

Al-Wefaq clarified that the situation in Bahrain is witnessing a wave of security escalation that is undertaken by the repressive regime which is obviously implementing commands from high security figures. This proves that what is happening and what will happen can only be recognized as systematic violations planned by high ranked officials, after days of the first anniversary of the BICI report without implementing its recommendations including holding human rights abusers accountable, even if they held high ranked posts, this is one of the most important recommendations that the regime failed to implement.

Al-Wefaq stressed that the ongoing illegal inhuman house raids at night and near dawn indicate that the security mentality of the regime forces is dominated by an aggressive mentality against the people.
The arrest of Munira comes after the arrest of Layla Abdullah Kadhim, a grandmother behind bars for reasons relating to freedom of expression. While the court has decided to keep in detention Masouma al-Sayed, who was arrested for demonstrating and demanding rights. ..source

Bahrain: US citizen detained for over a month without a trial
30 November, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its grave concern over the continued detention for more than a month without a trial of the US/Bahraini citizen Taqi Abdulla by Bahraini authorities. Abdulla has not yet been allowed access to legal representation is deprived from adequate medical care that he needs.

Taqi Abdulla is a 24-year-old Bahraini with US citizenship. On the 7 October 2012 at 2 am, Taqi’s home was raided by seven masked men in civilian clothing who broke the front door, terrifying the family and arresting Abdulla. He was taken without a warrant, his phone was confiscated and his mother was told to check with the local police station the next morning.

Abdulla’s family started a search for their son. They went to the Exhibition road police station at 4:30 am where they were told that they do not have him and they should check after 8:00 am. His mother explained the circumstances of her son’s arrest and she was told that her son might be in the Central Intelligence Department (CID). At the CID they were told again that they do not have any track of him in their system and suggested that they go to Al Hoora police station. However, in Al Hoora police station, they were informed that they do not have Abdulla in their custody. His brother went back to the CID where the officer told him that he cannot confirm or deny having Abdulla but he will contact him within the next two days. They also reported his case to the US embassy in Bahrain that noted the information and asked the family to call their emergency hotline for any updates.

According to his family, Abdulla called the next morning asking for clothes and informing them that he is being held in the Dry Dock prison. He told his mother that he was forced into confessing that he participated in burning a police water tank vehicle, even though he was home at the time of the incident. Abdulla told his family that he was put under pressure, tortured, threatened to be raped and have his mother raped if he did not “confess”. Taqi was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer.

His lawyer has recently got consent from the government to allow her to get power of attorney from Tagi, but she is still unable to get permission to visit him or even see him to make the appointment official. His family and lawyer are very concerned over the well-being of Taqi Abdulla as he is suffering from ulcer in the stomach and colon, and is not receiving adequate medical care in custody. Abdulla should be on a special diet which is not provided in prison.

The BCHR urges the United States to interfere and put pressure on Bahraini authorities to immediately:
1. Allow proper legal representation for Abdulla Taqi
2. Give his lawyer access to his case file to follow the due process
3. Investigate the torture claims and ill-treatment
4. Ensure providing Abdulla proper medical care

…source

The Case and the Movement Against Armed Drones
By: David Swanson – 29 November, 2012 – Firedoglake

Unmanned killer robot planes have convinced certain people that there is a better way of waging war.

But these drones have now made the United States as unpopular in places like Pakistan and Yemen as any nation has ever been in another. Making our nation hated does not make us safer. It endangers us.

These drone wars are not a reduction in war-making but an expansion. They’re underway in nations the United States was not previously at war with. They’re beginning to result in the addition of ground troops, the opposite result of the image we have in our heads of drones taking the place of ground troops.

Drone pilots in Afghanistan have been targeted and killed. Drone pilots in the United States suffer PTSD at higher rates than real pilots.

Drone victims are 98% innocent civilians according to a recent Stanford/NYU study. The other 2% are targeted victims of murder without charge, trial, due process, or in many cases even knowledge of the target’s name.

Drones buzzing over houses traumatize children before they kill them. That those children are (in most cases) not American hardly diminishes the immorality.

Drones are rapidly being developed and deployed by other nations. It is time for Americans to ask themselves: Do I support the equal right of other nations to kill with drones in the United States? And if not, why not? And how can I apply a different standard to my own government?

Did you know that the White House has refused to allow Congress, the institution charged by the U.S. Constitution with making every law, to see its legal reasoning that supposedly justifies killing men, women, children, Americans, and non-Americans anywhere on earth without any charge or trial?

Did you know that even the current president believes no Republican president should ever be allowed the powers he has himself created?

The following organizations have decided to do something about this:

Antiwar.com
Arlington Green Party
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Code Pink
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
KnowDrones.com
LA Laborfest
The Northampton Committee to Stop War
RootsAction.org
Sitkans for Peace and Justice
Veterans For Peace
Veterans For Peace Chapter 27
Voices for Creative Nonviolence
WarIsACrime.org
Women Standing

These groups have decided to urge:

the United Nations Secretary General to investigate the concerns of Navi Pillay, the U.N.’s top human rights official, that drone attacks violate international law — and to ultimately pursue sanctions against nations using, possessing, or manufacturing weaponized drones;

the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Courtto investigate grounds for the criminal prosecution of those responsible for drone attacks;

the U.S. Secretary of State, and the ambassadors to the United States from the nations of the world, to ratify a treaty forbidding the possession or use of weaponized drones;

President Barack Obama, to abandon the use of weaponized drones, and to abandon his “kill list” program regardless of the technology employed;

the Majority and Minority Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, to ban the use or sale of weaponized drones.

You can join this movement and put your name on the petition being delivered to those authorities. It will take you 10 seconds or so, right HERE

…source

This Google analytics chart shows a sharp drop in Syria’s Internet traffic to nearly zero on November 29 2011.

Syrian minister blames “terrorists” for Internet blackout
29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi claims “terrorists” attacked Syria’s Internet network causing the nation-wide web blackout Thursday. The statement was made to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariyya al-Souriyya TV channel.

A Syrian State TV report said the Internet blackout was brought on by a fault in the technical cable, according to Reuters, contradicting Zoabi’s claims of a militant attack.

State-owned Syrian Telecommunications Establishment controls all of the country’s Internet networks, making Zoabi’s allegations less than credible among Internet activists on social networks.

Seventy-seven Internet networks went offline throughout Syria all day Thursday and phone lines appear to be severely disrupted prompting speculation about significantly escalated fighting in the crisis-ridden country.

Two Austrian peacekeepers were wounded near Damascus airport as their convoy came under fire this evening, according to Reuters, while some media report that rebels started shelling the capital’s airport on Thursday. Previously, several reports said Damascus-bound flights were being rerouted, sparking speculation that the airport was closed.

Internet Intelligence Authority Renesys reported that affected Internet networks, which represent 92 percent of the country’s routed networks, have sporadically experienced outages since this morning at 10:26:30 GMT.

Various Twitter sources said phone lines were also faltering. Al-Akhbar was able to get through to contacts in Damascus, but not in the Tartous area. Attempted communications also show that phone lines in the outskirts of Damascus appear to be down. …source

Tunisia sends in army to quell protests
29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Army forces were dispatched to rein in protests in the impoverished Tunisian town of Siliana as clashes between security forces and demonstrators continued for a third day, leaving hundreds wounded.

According to an Al-Akhbar correspondent in Tunisia, health officials confirmed that more than 200 people have been wounded so far as demonstrations over lack of jobs turned violent.

Stone-throwing protesters clashed with police using shotguns and tear gas on Tuesday and Wednesday in the central Tunisian town. The army was sent in to replace police forces.

Marches in solidarity with the Siliana protesters have sprouted across the country, including the capital, Tunis, to denounce police violence, Al-Akhbar’s correspondent said.

News channel France 24 reported that its Tunisia correspondent David Thomson and his driver Hamdi Tlili were fired on by riot police in Siliana during clashes Wednesday.

In an interview with Radio Express, Thomson confirmed that he was shot in the back by police officers with birdshots, a type of multiple-projectile ammunition typically used for hunting. …more

Exclusive: Inside Future Movement’s Syria Arms Trade
By: Radwan Mortada – 29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Al-Akhbar has obtained recordings of Future Movement MP Okab Sakr organizing weapons transfers to the armed Syrian opposition at the behest of Future leader Saad Hariri.

The phone call is the first hard evidence of the role Sakr and his backers in Future were playing in providing arms and logistical support to the Syrian rebels.

In a three-part series built on documents, audio recordings, and interviews with sources close to Sakr, Al-Akhbar will shed light on Sakr’s attempts to hijack the Syrian uprising for his own means while running the armed opposition into the ground.

A few weeks ago, Al-Akhbar’s offices in Beirut received an anonymous phone call. The caller claimed he was in possession of “audio recordings which will expose MP Okab Sakr and his role is destroying the [Syrian] revolution.”

The news did not come as a surprise. Sakr’s connection to the Syrian opposition was well-known, and his role as an arms dealer to the rebels had been documented in the press.

Neither was it the first time that information about the existence of audio recordings of Sakr’s conversations had circulated.

Al-Akhbar initially doubted the caller and his motivations, but he promptly sent the first recording. It sounded a lot like Sakr’s voice, which was later confirmed by audio experts.

A few days later, the anonymous caller made another phone call to Al-Akhbar and gave his email address. Further communications were carried out over email and phone to identify the extent of the recorded material and its importance.

The source did not reveal the number of recordings in his possession, saying only that there were dozens. For further confirmation, he sent an excerpt from a second recording.

It was Sakr’s voice again and the voice experts were also inclined to believe so. Yet the recordings raised more questions about the identity of the source, including how the recordings came into his possession and what he hoped to gain by leaking them to the press.

It was soon revealed that the source had been working with Sakr for more than a year as part of an operations room established to support the Syrian uprising.

As for his motivation to provide the recordings, the source said that “Sakr ruined the revolution with his crazy dealings.”
According to the source, there are several operations centers: one in Antakya, one in Adana, and one in Istanbul. He mentioned that Sakr had his own building in the Floriya neighborhood in Istanbul where meetings are held from time to time.

He also said that around 20 young men from various Syrian regions are charged with running military operations from the rooms. They coordinate with commanders of armed opposition groups to provide needed funding and hardware, and then they direct fighters toward areas under attack or siege, all under the supervision of Turkish and Qatari intelligence officers. …more

U.S. Weighs Bolder Effort to Intervene in Syria’s Conflict
By DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC SCHMITT – 28 November, 2012 – NYT

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, hoping that the conflict in Syria has reached a turning point, is considering deeper intervention to help push President Bashar al-Assad from power, according to government officials involved in the discussions.

While no decisions have been made, the administration is considering several alternatives, including directly providing arms to some opposition fighters.

The most urgent decision, likely to come next week, is whether NATO should deploy surface-to-air missiles in Turkey, ostensibly to protect that country from Syrian missiles that could carry chemical weapons. The State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said Wednesday that the Patriot missile system would not be “for use beyond the Turkish border.”

But some strategists and administration officials believe that Syrian Air Force pilots might fear how else the missile batteries could be used. If so, they could be intimidated from bombing the northern Syrian border towns where the rebels control considerable territory. A NATO survey team is in Turkey, examining possible sites for the batteries.

Other, more distant options include directly providing arms to opposition fighters rather than only continuing to use other countries, especially Qatar, to do so. A riskier course would be to insert C.I.A. officers or allied intelligence services on the ground in Syria, to work more closely with opposition fighters in areas that they now largely control.

Administration officials discussed all of these steps before the presidential election. But the combination of President Obama’s re-election, which has made the White House more willing to take risks, and a series of recent tactical successes by rebel forces, one senior administration official said, “has given this debate a new urgency, and a new focus.”

The outcome of the broader debate about how heavily America should intervene in another Middle Eastern conflict remains uncertain. Mr. Obama’s record in intervening in the Arab Spring has been cautious: While he joined in what began as a humanitarian effort in Libya, he refused to put American military forces on the ground and, with the exception of a C.I.A. and diplomatic presence, ended the American role as soon as Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi was toppled.

In the case of Syria, a far more complex conflict than Libya’s, some officials continue to worry that the risks of intervention — both in American lives and in setting off a broader conflict, potentially involving Turkey — are too great to justify action. Others argue that more aggressive steps are justified in Syria by the loss in life there, the risks that its chemical weapons could get loose, and the opportunity to deal a blow to Iran’s only ally in the region. The debate now coursing through the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the C.I.A. resembles a similar one among America’s main allies.

“Look, let’s be frank, what we’ve done over the last 18 months hasn’t been enough,” Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, said three weeks ago after visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. “The slaughter continues, the bloodshed is appalling, the bad effects it’s having on the region, the radicalization, but also the humanitarian crisis that is engulfing Syria. So let’s work together on really pushing what more we can do.” Mr. Cameron has discussed those options directly with Mr. Obama, White House officials say. …more

Foreign Officer Minister meets Bahraini opposition
29 November, 2012

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt: “The UK will continue to engage with all sides and help wherever we can to bring about the peace and stability Bahrain deserve.”

Speaking today, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: “I was pleased to speak with members from Al Wefaq and the National Unity Assembly this week.

“We discussed the current situation in Bahrain one year on from the Independent Commission of Inquiry’s report and our shared concern at the recent bombings. I reiterated the UK’s support for the Declaration of Non-Violence that was launched earlier this month by Al Wefaq and five other political societies. It is an important confidence-building measure and I encourage other leaders in Bahrain to declare publicly their support for this initiative. Violent protests are unacceptable and we condemn them unequivocally.

“We also discussed recent actions taken by the authorities, such as the ban on protests and the withdrawal of citizenship from 31 individuals. I made clear that the UK is concerned about such steps which undermine potential reconciliation and that the UK is urging the Government of Bahrain to do more to create the right environment for meaningful political dialogue. I therefore welcome the Government’s acceptance of a needs assessment team from the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights next week to discuss this alongside follow-up to the recent Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain by the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“The UK will continue to engage with all sides and help wherever we can to bring about the peace and stability Bahrain deserve.”
…source

Bahrain Prisoners of Conscience Coalition under threats and intimidation
EA World View – 29 November, 2012

Bahrain. On Tuesday, political prisoners in Bahrain released a statement announcing the formation of a the Prisoners of Conscience Coalition, a new movement to demand rights from behind bars. The statement was shared online by leading activist Zainab AlKhawaja.

Alkhawaja alleges today that, shortly after the statement’s release, authorities reacted with hostility towards the prisoners:

angry arabiya @angryarabiya Less than 15 mins after the statement was released police attacked bldg 3, ransacking cells beating some prisoners #bahrain #HeroesinChains 29 Nov 12 [twitter]

angry arabiya @angryarabiya The prisoners stood strong, hand in hand, chanting, their voices could be heard outside the prison walls #bahrain #HeroesinChains 29 Nov 12 [twitter]

According to Zainab, this morning “an officer from public prosecution met with the prisoners”, asking for their demands. However, when the officer left, Zainab claims that “riot police surrounded the building, preparing to attack”. Some prisoners in building 3, where inmates were reportedly threatened two days ago, have allegedly been taken to solitary confinement. Families of prisoners in the building have also not had any contact with them. …source

Amal Society Members’ Sentences Reduced, One Acquitted
29 November, 2012 – POMED

Several members of Amal Society, a party that was dissolved by the Bahraini government in June 2012, had their sentences reduced in a trial held on November 28. Ali Al Mahfoud, Jassim Al Dimistani, Sayed Mahdi Hadi, and Talal Al Jamri had their sentences decreased from ten to five years. Yasser Ebrahim, Idris Al Ekri, Ali Mashallah, Jaffer Hassan, and Mohammed Abdullah, who were initially sentenced to five years, were released for time served after having their terms reduced to a range of one to twelve months. …source