Posts from — November 2012

Egyptians protest outside Saudi Arabia Embassy
7 November, 2012 – Jafria News

Egyptians have staged a sit-in at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Cairo, 2 Egyptians protest outside Saudi Arabia Embassy demanding the release of their loved ones from Saudi prisons.

“My son has been detained in al-Kharj prison in Riyadh for three years unlawfully. He’s being subjected to extreme torture. As a consequence he lost his eyesight and is suffering from diabetes,” an Egyptian woman told.

Protesters also demanded fair trial for Egyptian prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

“My husband has been detained in a Saudi prison without neither a charge nor a trial. Undercover agents arrested him at work without issuing a download 212 Egyptians protest outside Saudi Arabia Embassy warrant,” another protester at the Saudi Embassy said.

The gathering is not the first demonstration to be held at the embassy.

In April, attorney Ahmed al-Gizawi was detained shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia on alleged drug charges.

His arrest sparked major protests in Egypt and the temporary closure of the Saudi Embassy.

Many Egyptians believe that Gizawi was detained for filing a lawsuit in Cairo against Saudi monarch King Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz on behalf of download 315 Egyptians protest outside Saudi Arabia Embassy Egyptian citizens held without charge in Saudi prisons. …more

Bahrain: Twitter users sentenced to prison as authorities seek to extend their crack-down on social media websites
08 November, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses concern over the recent charges and prison sentences against twitter users for posts published on the social media site. The harassment of online activists and twitter users is a step in the continuation of the criminalisation of freedom of expression online.

On November 1, Abdullah Alhashemi was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for defaming the king over Twitter[1]. On November 5, Salman Darwish was sentenced to 1 month imprisonment and Ali Mohamed Watheqi was sentenced to four months of imprisonment, both on the charges of defaming the king via social media. On November 12 Ali Alhayki expects to receive a verdict on the same charges[2]. The four men were all arrested during house raids on October 16 and the Ministry of Information announced the search for a fifth defendant.

Last month, the Minister of Justice announced an approach to enact further legislations which will restrict the use of the Internet, including social networks and modern mobile technologies[3].

In July 2012, the leading human rights defender Nabeel Rajab was jailed after receiving a 3 month prison sentence for a tweet in which he criticised the Prime Minster of Bahrain[4]. The prominent blogger Ali Abdulemam is missing since March 18, 2011 and was last year sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a military court[5]. Bahrain was considered “not free” in the recent “Freedom of the Net”-report published by Freedom House[6]. Alarmingly, Bahrain has gone from a score of 62 in the 2011-report to 71 in the 2012-report, where 0 indicates the countries with the most internet freedom and 100 indicates the countries with the least internet freedom[7].

Bahrain Center for Human Rights considers the recent trials and sentences of online users for opinions expressed over online social networks as a direct violation of Article 19 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 states that: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers[8].

The authorities are using the prosecution of the internet users as an intimidation act to stop other internet users from spreading information and expressing views at time when internet may be last resort for people to express their opinions and exposing human rights violations.

Thus, based on the above information, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights demands that the Government of Bahrain:

1. Immediately release of Abdullah Alhashemi, Salman Darwish and Ali Mohamed Watheqi, Ali Alhayki and Nabeel Rajab as well as all detainees, including the activists and human rights defenders because they have been arrested based on reasons related to them practicing their fundamental rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembling which are guaranteed to them by international laws.

2. The withdrawal of all actions that would restrict freedom of opinion and expression, or prevent the transmission of information. …more

Hezbollah slams Bahrain over accusations of being linked to bombings
8 November 2012 – Islamic invitation Turkey

Hezbollah has censured the Bahraini regime over accusations that the Lebanese resistance movement was involved in the recent bombings that killed two people in Bahrain.

“We condemn any sign of accusations against us in this issue. We believe Bahrain’s intelligence carried out these bombings in order to exploit them to crack down on the peaceful opposition and to avoid responding to their rightful demands,” Hezbollah said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

On November 6, the Bahraini regime said it had arrested four people suspected of involvement in the November 5 bombings that also injured one person in the capital Manama. Bahrain accused Hezbollah of being behind the explosions.

Hezbollah also stated that the latest allegations are part of a wider series of false accusations aimed at charging the Lebanese resistance movement with involvement in the uprising against the Al Khalifa regime.

The Bahraini uprising began in mid-February 2011.

Bahraini protesters hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of the demonstrators during the uprising. …source

Former U.S. Diplomat: Saudi Arabia Most Supporting Terrorism States
8 November, 2012 – 9:34 – Islamic Invitation Turkey

Former U.S. diplomat revealed that Saudi Arabia is the most supporting countries of the terrorist criminal gangs in Syria, as it is responsible for the terrorist bombings in Iraq in order to ignite a sectarian war between the Iraqis themselves, stressing that everything has been carried out with the knowledge of the United States of America.

The Palestinian daily ‘Al-Manar’ quoted the diplomat as saying that “Saudi Arabia is one of the most active and most countries involved in the support of terrorist criminal gangs that shed the Syrian blood.”

“Riyadh is superior to Turkey, Qatar and other Middle Eastern parties in the field of supporting terrorism,” added the diplomat who served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria and lately in Iraq in 2004.

The US diplomat noted that Saudi Arabia has established training camps for terrorist to train them on committing bombing and suicide attacks, where it spends on their families.

“The US is aware of the Saudi role, and is informed about recruitment of mercenaries carried out by Riyadh, as well as the bringing of militants from Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere into the Syrian territory,” he added.

The diplomat noted that al-Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in July 2006 in Iraq, was in contact with Saudi security forces that were funding him to carry out terrorist attacks. …source

Detainee Adnan Al-Mansi Suffers Temporary Paralysis due to Severe Torture & Hemorrhage due to Sexual Assault While in Detention
07 November, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) is gravely concerned by reports from the attorney and the brother of Bahraini detainee Adnan Al-Mansi, 22. According to them, Al-Mansi was subjected to severe physical torture, including sexual assaults in the form of anal assault. Following his arrest on 30th May 2012, Al-Mansi has also been denied adequate medical treatment.

According to Attorney Manar Makki and Al-Mansi’s brother, Yousif Al-Mansi, Adnan Al-Mansi was arrested while he was at the Department of Immigration & Passports where he was taken to the Criminal Investigation Department. Al-Mansi was then subjected to physical and psychological torture by Bahraini security forces officers according to his family.

Al-Mansi was forced to stand in the sun for hours, then denied access to restrooms, and also subjected to water depravation. Adnan’s attorney reported that his client was “raped by MOI officials which has caused him a severe anal hemorrhage.” Additionally, Al-Mansi was severely beaten on the head which reportedly caused “temporary paralysis and a permanent headache.”
Attorney Makki subsequently sent several requests demanding his release, and for his client to be given adequate medical treatment. All his requests to the Bahraini government officials were denied– including the request for a detailed medical report on his condition.

As Al-Mansi’s health deteriorated further, he fell unconscious. He was taken for treatment in Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), which was later discontinued based on the prison physician’s recommendation. As per Al-Mansi, the prison hospital physician violated his Hippocratic oath by seeking to extricate information from him in order to pass on to security forces. He was later given a date for another hospital follow up visit by the end of this year before being returned to his detention cell.

Due to the severe anal bleeding resulting from sexual assaults in detention, physicians consulted by Al-Mansi’s family fear that his injuries will most likely cause a tumor. They also fear that his head injuries might cause permanent paralysis. Psychologically, Al-Mansi’s state is serious as he is severely depressed. The family sent a request for him to be seen by a psychiatrist but to no avail.

Adnan is accused by Bahrain’s MOI of “causing fire and making a bomb.” The MOI further alleges Al-Mansi confessed to these charges. Any statements attributed to him by the MOI cannot be verifiably confirmed given the extensively-documented record of the use of torture on Bahraini political detainees at the hand of security forces members.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights holds the Bahraini authorities responsible for the life of Adnan Al-Mansi and his physical and psychological well-being.

The BCHR calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, The European Union and all close allies and international institutions to put pressure on Bahraini authorities to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release Adnan Al-Mansi, who we view as a prisoner of conscience detained solely on the basis of his political opinion.
2. Provide Adnan Al-Mansi with proper and impartial medical treatment
3. Immediately drop all charges against Adnan Al-Mansi since confessions were extricated under torture. 4. To investigate the allegations of torture and assault made by Adnan Al-Mansi during his imprisonment in Bahrain and prosecute officials for any wrongdoings to the full extent of the law.
5. Hold Bahrain accountable for violating international human rights legislation it is party to.
…source

Nabeel Rajab has been jailed for three years for organising demonstrations through social networking sites

Human rights groups call for release of Bahraini activist
by Richard Norton-Taylor – guardian.co.uk – 8 November, 2012

Human rights groups have called for the immediate release of a leading Bahraini activist jailed for participating in “illegal” demonstrations and organising them through social networking sites.

Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was jailed for three years in August. Both the UK Foreign Office and US state department expressed concern about the case but he remains in prison. Human rights organisations are stepping up pressure to try to get him freed.

“Nabeel Rajab must be the world’s first Twissident, locked up for criticising his repressive government on Twitter,” said Clive Stafford Smith, director of the legal charity Reprieve.

He added: “I know him to be an honest and decent man, who travelled far and wide to help the families whose relatives had been locked up in Guantánamo. He’s not a lawyer, and he’s the furthest thing imaginable from an extremist.”

Defence lawyers told Human Rights Watch that Rajab, who is appealing against his sentence, was convicted before he was able to see his lawyers. “Because the authorities have presented no evidence that he advocated or participated in violence, his conviction is a violation of his right to freedom of peaceful assembly,” the New-York-based human rights group said.

“The criminal court verdict cites no evidence – not even an allegation – that Nabeel Rajab participated in or advocated violent protests,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and north Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “He has the basic right to peaceful assembly and shouldn’t be sent to prison for that.”

Bahraini prosecutors charged Rajab under article 178 of the penal code, which prohibits unauthorised gatherings of five or more people in a public place with the “purpose of committing crimes” or “undermining public security, even if intended to achieve legitimate purpose”.

The British Foreign Office expressed concern about the length of Rajab’s sentence for charges “relating to comments made on social networking sites and for incitement of illegal rallies”. It added: “We urge the Bahraini government to act proportionately in all cases. The right of individuals to peaceful protest and freedom of expression is a fundamental part of any modern democracy and must be respected.” …more

The Observatory: Bahrain: Rights of the defence undermined in Nabeel Rajab’s trial
8 November, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Paris-Geneva, October 18, 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 violation of the rights of the defence during the third hearing of the appeal against the three years ’ imprisonment sentence pronounced against Nabeel Rajab, who has been arbitrarily detained since July 9, 2012.

On October 16, 2012, the Bahrain Appeals Court resumed the hearing on the appeal against the three years’ imprisonment sentence pronounced against 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[1], on August 16, 2012 by the Lower Criminal Court for three cases related to his participation in peaceful gatherings in favour of fundamental freedoms and democracy. The hearing was attended by Mr. Antoine Aussedat, French lawyer, who had been mandated by the Observatory to conduct an international trial observation mission. He was the only trial observer mandated by an international NGO. Several diplomats representing France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA also attended the hearing.

The Observatory deplores that at least one international defence witness was denied entry to Bahrain. Indeed, FIDH’s Representative, Stéphanie David, Head of MENA Desk, who had been called upon to testify as a witness by the defence team, was denied entry into Bahrain on October 16, 2012. The Observatory considers that preventing international experts from testifying before a court amounts to a blatant violation of the rights of the defence. Nabeel Rajab’s lawyers had formally requested the Court to issue a letter to the Customs to facilitate the entry of several international witnesses, including Ms. David, but the court refused to issue such a letter. Despite the Court’s lack of support, FIDH, together with the defence lawyers, decided to confirm Ms. David’s travel to Bahrain for the purpose of the trial. During the hearing, the defence lawyers’ request to call international witnesses was rejected by the Court on the ground that their testimonies were not “relevant”.

In addition, the Observatory regrets that part of the evidence have not been examined in public and that the defence lawyers have not had access to all the evidence filed in the criminal case in due time. Indeed, the defence lawyers asked the Court that a video that had been used as evidence to convict Mr. Rajab be shown during the appeal hearing, as the said video had not been shown during the first instance[1]. The Appeals Court informed the defence team that the video could not be shown as it had disappeared from the criminal file. In addition, the Court attempted to show a second video submitted by the Prosecutor, but which had not been added as part of the criminal case file. After a brief attempt, the Court suspended the hearing for more than two hours to solve technical issues. When the hearing resumed, the court announced that the trial was again adjourned to November 8, 2012. The Observatory calls on the judicial authorities to ensure that Nabeel Rajab’s lawyers have access to all the evidence filed in the criminal case in due time. …more

Protests attacked in 19 areas, 18 arrests and 24 house raids
Protests go on despite suppressive security escalation on freedom
7 November, 2012 – Al Wefaq

Around 18 citizens have been arrested Tuesday while illegal and inhumane number of house raids that took place at dawn to terrorize residents, totaled up to 24. These acts are in line with the regime’s systematic suppressive security policy toward the popular demands of freedom and democratic transition.

More than 19 areas were subjected to the forces collective punishment and brutal suppression. The forces used Birdshot and toxic tear gas causing injuries between pro-democracy protesters.

Protests continue to take to streets across Bahrain despite the official decision to ban all rallies and protests, and despite the ongoing house raids and security escalation and deployment. And the crackdown on protests and freedoms went on attacking protesters through excessive use of force.

Areas that witnessed protests on Tuesday: Manamma, Sitra, Eker, Maameer, JidHafs, Daih, Bilad Qadeem, Zinj, Demistan, Malkiya, Dar Kulaib, Shahrakan, Karzakan, Hamala, Quraya, Samaheej, Tubli, JidAli.

Houses in Manama were raided at dawn. The forces did not provide legal warrants and attacked and verbally abused the households and vandalized their property. This is the usual and common behavior of the regime forces in house raids.

Military checkpoints were widely set and were used to arrest a number of citizens, including a woman arrested in a checkpoint in Sitra, and a man from a cafeteria near Al-Eker.

JidHafs city was rained with toxic teargas and birdshot was excessively used. In Manama, a peaceful march took to street demanding release of all prisoners and refusing any potential attacks against Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim and considered an attack against the people.

In DarKulaib and Karzakan , people marched in a large protests demanding freedom and democracy refusing arbitrary measures that violate universal rights to freedom of expression. …source

Syrian rebels kill prisoner as war fuels hatreds
8 November, 2012 – By Erika Solomon – Reuters – The Daily Star

HAREM: Unarmed and cornered by Syrian rebel fighters, the man seemed to accept his death with more silent sorrow than surprise; his killers did not hesitate as they shot their prisoner.

The incident, filmed by a Reuters video crew, happened last week in Harem, near Aleppo, where rebels have surrounded hundreds of troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Taking one neighbourhood after days of bitter street fighting, opposition fighters went from house to house.

From one building they hauled a man in middle age, dressed in casual clothes, black bearded and without a weapon. He seemed anxious and shied away as he stumbled into the street. Three rebels fighters casually raised their Kalashnikov rifles. A shot rang out, then another. A third. The man began to fall. Still silent. More shots. He lay still. A final round hit his head.

For rebel commanders who present their siege of the former Crusader fortress town of Harem as a showcase for efforts to forge a disciplined fighting force out of motley volunteers, the killing was an embarrassment, offering evidence that Assad’s “shabbiha” gunmen have no monopoly on atrocities.

Brigade commander Basel Eissa did shout at his men but was unable to stop them. Leaders of the unit said the fighters were angry at taking casualties. They also justified their action by saying they later found documents showing the dead man was a loyalist army officer – though that would be no defence in a war crimes court.

“I try to remind them that there are moral reasons we do not just kill soldiers,” Eissa said. “And beyond that, I tell them that strategically it is bad – we get help or information when we spare these men’s lives. We are not their judge, God is.”

Commanders are also aware that bad publicity could hamper rebel efforts to secure arms and funding from abroad that might allow them to better match the tanks, aircraft and artillery which Assad’s forces are using against them to deadly effect – Eissa himself was killed in an air strike earlier this week.

U.N. investigators accuse pro-government forces of war crimes, including the murder and torture of civilians, in what they said in August may be a state-directed policy. They said rebel fighters were also guilty of war crimes, including executing prisoners, but on a smaller scale

…more

An interview with a leading human rights activist from Bahrain, Maryam Al-Khawaja

The Inconvenient Revolution
BY AZZURRA MERINGOLO – 7 November, 2012 – Foreign Policy

The Arab Spring is still going on in the tiny Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. The protests began in February 2011 and have continued ever since despite harsh government reprisals. The news that five home-made bombs exploded in the capital of Manama earlier this week, killing two and severely wounding another, has observers fearing that the mostly peaceful uprising could take a turn toward violence.

Maryam Al-Khawaja is one of the country’s leading activists, acting president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and head of the international office of the Gulf Center for Human Rights’ (GCHR). Based in Copenhagen, she comes from one of the most prominent dissident Bahraini families. “The last time I cried was when I read the report on how they tortured my father,” said Al-Khawaja. “But my family is just one of a long list.” The interview was conducted for Foreign Policy by Azzurra Meringolo.

Foreign Policy: According to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the Bahraini Information Minister, Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab, said the bombings were staged by terrorist groups trained outside Bahrain and based in countries including Lebanon. What do you think? And how can you explain everything that’s happening?

Maryam Al-Khawaja: As always we condemn violence, but given the Bahraini authorities’ background in spreading disinformation we are calling for an independent investigation into the deaths of the two migrant workers. We are also reminding the authorities that this is not grounds to start a campaign of collective punishment, arbitrary arrests, and torture as we’ve seen happen before.

FP: The U.S. and European governments often call for the release of human rights activists in Bahrain, but this ultimately doesn’t change the situation. What is the role of the international community? Are Western countries being too silent?

MK: These powers also have interests to defend in the Arab region. The United States, for example, has naval bases in Bahrain. I personally think that, if the European Union and the United States stop supporting the regime, it will fall very quickly. The reason they are still in power is because they have the support of foreign countries. The fact that European countries are selling weapons to the Bahrain government to commit human rights violations is disgusting. These are the same countries that speak everyday of human rights and democracy. They criticize Russia for doing the same in Syria. But then they close their eyes to what happens in Bahrain. Now the regime knows that they are not going to act. It is not afraid of their words because it knows that they are just words. The Western powers are not going to impose economic sanctions or stop selling arms to the regime.

FP: The revolt in Bahrain caught the attention of the media on the occasion of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Then the media forgot about it again. Do you think that the Bahraini Spring is an invisible revolution?

MK: Our revolution is inconvenient. It is inconvenient for the Middle East, for the West, for Saudi Arabia, and for a lot of people. There is some coverage, but it is very superficial. I am sure that there are some media figures that have decided on purpose not to cover the revolt. The Bahraini and Saudi Arabian regimes are using all their influence to avoid honest coverage. This is not happening by mistake.

FP: A few weeks ago, 13 doctors and nurses who treated anti-government protesters during demonstrations earlier this year were given jail sentences of 15 years for crimes against the state. Seven other medical professionals were given sentences between five and 10 years by a special tribunal set up during the emergency rule that followed the demonstrations. What’s your response?

MK: The doctors’ trial has been closely watched and criticized by rights groups for Bahrain’s use of the security courts, which have military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges, in prosecuting civilians. Most of the medics worked at the Salmaniya Medical Centre in Manama, which was stormed by security forces after they drove protesters out of nearby Pearl Square — the focal point of Bahrain’s protest movement, on March 16. Since 2011, the protests have never stopped. They take place almost every single day.

But something has changed. What has changed is the confidence that the Bahraini regime has about itself. Now they feel as though they have international immunity. They feel that, no matter what they do, they are not going to face consequences for their actions. This allows them to do whatever they want. They are moving against the most prominent human rights defenders. They would never have done this last year. Now they feel free to do what they want because they know that, even if there are international statements, there are no consequences. …more

UK newspaper: Cameron seeking to arm Syrian rebels
8 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

UK Prime Minister David Cameron wants to revise the EU arms embargo on Syria, possibly leading to the UK openly arming rebels fighting to depose Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, British daily The Guardian reported Thursday.

Officials in the prime minister’s office said that Cameron’s visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan on Wednesday pushed him to put every means to remove Assad “back on the table.”

Britain’s national security council will address the Syrian crisis in a special session next week, which will include a review of the EU ban on supplying weapons to all groups in Syria, the sources added.

Syria and its allies, including Iran and Russia, have frequently accused Western countries and Arab Gulf states of covertly supplying Syria’s opposition with arms and instigating civil war in the country.

The UN estimates that more than 23,000 people have died in Syria since an uprising against Assad that started in March 2011 evolved into civil war.

Sources believe arming rebels could be considered legal since the EU embargo, signed into law two months into the uprising, specifies that sanctions be put on weapons “used for internal repression,” something that ostensibly does not apply to rebels.

On Wednesday, Cameron announced he would press newly re-elected US President Barack Obama to “do more to try and solve this crisis,” as well as to join the UK in opening direct talks with rebel fighters.

He added that the UK intends to change its policy and deal directly with opposition military leaders.

Statements from the UK, as well as Turkey’s request for NATO missile defenses on its Syrian border, seem to anticipate a heightened willingness from Obama for more active engagement in Syria. …source

Bahrain aims to cut govt spending 6 pct in 2013
7 November, 2012 – Reuters – By Martin Dokoupil

* Expenditure seen at 3.45 bln dinars in 2013, 3.54 bln in 2014
* Revenue projected at 2.79 bln dinars in both years
* Deficit at 6.1 pct/GDP in 2013, 6.6 pct in 2014
* Budget will remain vulnerable to any oil price drop

DUBAI, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s government plans to cut its budget spending by almost 6 percent in 2013 as it seeks to curb its deficit, a draft budget released by the finance ministry shows.

Budget expenditure in the small non-OPEC oil producer is expected to total 6.99 billion dinars ($18.5 billion) over the next two years, state news agency BNA quoted ministry undersecretary Aref Saleh Khamis as saying late on Tuesday.

A breakdown provided by BNA shows the ministry pencilled in spending worth 3.45 billion dinars for 2013 and 3.54 billion dinars for 2014, according to Reuters calculations based on the report. It planned to spend a record 3.65 billion this year.

Bahrain boosted its original 2012 expenditure plan by nearly 19 percent in September 2011 in order to soothe social tensions, a prospectus for a sovereign bond showed in June. Political unrest among the country’s Shi’ite citizens began early last year and has continued since then.

Khamis said the new two-year budget would help meet the basic needs of citizens and raise living standards, while keeping the financial sector stable and improving the investment environment.

Revenue is projected to rise to 2.79 billion dinars in both 2013 and 2014 from this year’s plan of 2.52 billion, based on an average budgeted oil price of $90 per barrel, compared to $80 in the previous two-year period of 2011-12.

The island kingdom expects a budget deficit of 662 million dinars or 6.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2013, rising to 753 million or 6.6 percent of GDP in 2014, BNA quoted Khamis as saying.

The 2012 deficit is officially projected at 1.1 billion dinars in the revised budget, or over 10 percent of 2011 GDP. This year’s actual deficit is likely to be much smaller because of high crude oil prices, which have averaged about $112 this year; analysts polled by Reuters in September predicted a 2012 shortfall of just 1.9 percent of GDP.

Soaring government spending on wages and other social measures has raised pressure on Bahrain’s public finances, which depend on hydrocarbons for about 88 percent of income. Expenditure is set to jump by 41 percent on average in 2012-2014 compared to the level seen over the previous three years.

The oil price that Bahrain will need to balance its budget is estimated at $122 per barrel for 2013 and $126 for 2014, Khamis said, according to BNA. The Reuters poll estimated the Gulf Arab country’s break-even oil price at $113 for 2012.

Bahrain relies on output from Saudi Arabia’s Abu Safa oil field for some 70 percent of its budget revenue. The field’s current production level is just below 300,000 barrels per day, of which Bahrain currently receives 50 percent.

Its 2013-2014 budget counts on its output from that field staying at 150,000 bpd in both years, while output from its own wells would reach 47,500 bpd in 2013 and 51,000 bpd in 2014.

Analysts have said Saudi Arabia, which supports Bahrain’s Sunni rulers politically, could give the small state more oil from the Abu Safa field if Manama’s budget runs into trouble. In the June bond prospectus, however, Bahrain said no assurance could be given that the current level of output that it receives from Abu Safa would be maintained.

Last year Bahrain received an aid pledge of $10 billion spread over 10 years from its wealthier Gulf neighbours, but in June this year it said it had not received any of that money so far, and it is unclear when the funds will start to flow.

The government’s direct and indirect subsidies are projected at 1.5 billion dinars in 2013 and 1.6 billion in 2014, out of which 878 million and 961 million dinars respectively would represent indirect support for domestic sales of oil and gas.

Project spending is seen at 555 million dinars in 2013 and 530 million in the following year, BNA said, down from 977 million planned for 2012. …source

As the al Khalifa regime grows increasingly desperate so does its arrogance and the intensity of the violence it uses to corral the revolutionary opposition. The regime’s bloody and unrelenting crackdown has been a huge success in hardening the call for the regimes ouster. In Michael Stephens article below he begins with an argument to the regime claims of Hezbollah orchestrated violence being behind recent bombings in Bahrain. He then becomes a regime apologist. Western liberals on board with the myth of infallibility of the Obama Administration and Conservatives dressed clothing of objectivity, misread and mislead regarding the ‘realities’ on the ground that face the Street Defenders in Bahrain.

The Street Defenders emerged out of a black bloc sort of protest movement in Bahrain as a defensive force as Police raped children and routinely attacked Women, even those with infants, in the streets and conducted raids on the Villages with theft, indiscriminate chemical gassing of homes and wanton destruction of personal property. The Villages were overrun by Bahrain’s foreign national (mercenary) police force. The police reveled in unchecked and indiscriminate violence against Shia Villages. The scale of police violence is clearly and directed effort not just a few random “bad cops”.

Hamad’s or rather Secretary Clinton’s, BICI report and the regime hiring of US Chief Timoney had “fuck-all” to do with the cessation of these despicable acts by Hamad’s mercenary police. Now imprisoned Human Rights activists, documented regime crimes for the whole world to see, exposing the criminal police and disenfranchised youth took charge of the Streets as the West turned “deaf ears” and “blind eyes” to a rampant genocidal “crackdown” by the regime. Chief Timoney’s greatest teaching seems to be, how to effectively wound and maim Street Protesters with Birdshot so they can be collected latter at the Hospital or Morgue. Police reform in Bahrain is a myth and will remain so as long as the al Khalifa’s operate mercenaries to police their “kingdom”.

The State Department in Washing has fallen asleep regarding Bahrain and left the crisis to ‘spookish’ Ambassador Krajeski to look after. The State Department’s spokes person, Mark toner, recently had harsh words for the regime in his press conference but that had never been any diplomatic contact until that point with the regime. Toner’s rhetoric feeds Western media demand while al Khalifa’s Public Relations campaign that embellishes stories of opposition bombings and weapons caches that go unsubstantiated but provide a firewall for the regime to continue its unimpeded crackdown.

To be certain the “uprising” in Bahrain comes at an inopportune time for President Obama as he tries to help prop up a failing economy with hundreds of million of dollars in weapons sales supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the US to the al Khlaifa potentate, al Saud. Obama’s war efforts with Syria and Iran put a set of unpredictable dynamics in the mix – though some pentagon asshole will swear “we can do it” given time, money and enough force. The al Saud’s in the meantime provide cheap oil to the US as a firewall in support of US imperialist aggression launched through its ‘democracy wars’ and nation imploding throughout MENA. This is an ugly road ahead and Michael Stephens could do much better rethinking the political realities rather than arguing an Obama-esque ‘third way’ to be found in successful economic reform. Phlipn out.

Bahrain Burning
BY MICHAEL STEPHENS – 7 November, 2012 – Foreign Policy
The island kingdom is descending into violence, and nobody has a plan to restore order.

Violence is once again rearing its ugly head in Bahrain. The coordinated detonation of five home-made explosive devices in the capital of Manama on Nov. 5, resulting in the death of two people and the maiming of another, was not some crude attempt to celebrate Guy Fawkes night, but an escalation of bloodshed that threatens to tip the island kingdom into chaos.

The attack appears to be an amateurish attempt to cause terror and mayhem, achieving no result other than killing innocent expatriate labourers. The quality of the explosive devices was poor, suggesting that the attacks were the work of unsophisticated actors working with little institutional support.

Four individuals were arrested for the bombing just one day after it occurred, with Bahrain officials warning darkly that the attacks “bear the hallmark” of Hezbollah. The link to the Lebanese militant organization is crude: Poorly constructed pipe bombs are not Hezbollah’s style — one need only look at the July attack on the Bulgarian city of Burgas to see the group’s devastating efficiency in killing innocents. So while it is possible that the individuals responsible may hold some affinity for the group, it is highly unlikely a Hezbollah cell is to blame for this act.

Government officials and some of their more hard-line supporters have at times stretched the truth in describing actions by anti-government factions as terrorism, and very rarely has the opposition’s strategy of civil disobedience strayed into violence. But let’s be clear: the Nov. 5 bombings were acts of terrorism, committed by terrorists. The government would be justified in prosecuting the offenders to the fullest extent of the law.

The important question to ask is why terrorist actions are now increasing to what appears to be a sustained level. The fact is, this latest attack is the result of a political reconciliation process that is going nowhere and is radicalizing the Bahraini population in the process. The Interior Ministry’s Oct. 30 decision to ban all protests and the Nov. 7 decision to strip 31 activists of citizenship are just the latest in a series of measures taken in the kingdom that appear oppressive, and serve only to further harden the political battle lines in this deeply divided country.

There is, fortunately, a silver lining amidst this grim news. Some of the reforms proposed by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which the monarchy commissioned to investigate the abuses committed during last year’s uprising, have been implemented: Security reforms have been comprehensive, and some police units’ performance has improved significantly — instances of police brutality have dropped significantly in recent months. Furthermore police units still acting irresponsibly will have to face an independent ombudsman who will judge their actions without political or ministry interference. Additionally, five Shia mosques that were inexplicably razed to the ground last year are also in the process of being rebuilt, with two more scheduled for reconstruction, though there are still 32 lying in rubble. …more

The opposition societies in Bahrain (AlWefaq National Islamic Society, National Democratic Assembly Society (AlQawmi), National Democratic Action Society (Waad), Unity Democratic Gathering Society (Wahdawy), National Brotherhood Society (Ekhaa) and Democratic Progressive Tribune (AlTaqadumy), have issued today a ‘Declaration of Non-Violence Principles’.

Bahrain Opposition Societies Issue ‘Declaration of Non-Violence Principles’
7 November, 2012 – ABNA

Nonviolence Principles Declaration

This declaration represents the principles we hold and the position we have adopted since the formation of our societies, confirmed since 14th February 2011 and reiterated now.

We consider peaceful means as our strategic direction in our political work, attitudes and practices, in order to achieve the demands of our people of real participation in political decisions and planning the future of our homeland with principles of freedom, democracy, social justice, equal citizenship, social and civil peace. Our continuous call for tolerance, diversity, and plurality, is originated from our deep and sincere believe that this is the ideal path to enforce national unity between all different elements of our people.

The political and social movements in Bahrain have a long-standing history aging around one century. This history witnessed old and recent political powers and personalities, those who have struggled and those who are struggling currently for the legitimate political, social and economical rights of the people via civilized and peaceful movements.

The struggle is driven from the integral right and full freedom, as preserved in human, international and common constitutional principles, to achieve legitimate political, social, economical rights through peaceful and civilized means and holding of national unity. These principles have formed the basis of our struggle throughout history, through which the people have achieved political independence and got their first constitution and national assembly.

We, the undersigned of this declaration, are launching principles to uphold ourselves, and encourages others to adopt, to provide an umbrella framework to all community powers, personalities, activists and elements, in spite of differences in visions and positions. This shall be the national umbrella framework that are driven by faith, human, international and common constitutional principles, that are never be subjected to be broken apart, via conflict, nor confiscation.

From then on,

We reference, resolution A/RES/61/271 that was adopted by United Nations General Assembly on 27 June 2007 regarding Nonviolent International day.

And to UN general assembly resolutions 53/243 A and B dated 13 September 1999, which embrace the declaration of peace culture and Program, and resolution 55/282 dated 7 September 2001 regarding the international day for Peace, and resolution 61/45 dated 4 December 2006 regarding International Agreement for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence culture for the Sake of the Children of the globe, 2001-2010, and related resolutions.

Putting into our considerations that nonviolence, tolerance, full respect to all human rights, basic rights for all, democracy, development, diversity respect, are coherent matters that complement each other.

Confirming that violence can never be a mean to achieve legitimate demands, nor be used to block legitimate demands, from any party.

Believing that dignity, freedom, security, justice, equality, diversity, plurality, and participation in a modern democratic state, are necessities for individuals and communities that cannot be revoked from individuals or communities under any circumstances or excuse.

Adopting that individuals and communities have the right to take all possible peaceful means or protest, exercise freedom of speech, hold gatherings, and assemble to demand these basic rights, and its not permissible for anyone to object, let alone prevent them with force.

Putting into our considerations that we are today in desperate need more than any time before, and with national and collective action from all elements and from all levels to emphasize the culture of nonviolence and adopting dialogue and acceptance of other opinion and plurality in in opinions.

Thereafter, we present our declaration for nonviolence principles and encourage others to adopt

1- To respect the basic rights of individuals and community groups, and to defend it.
2- To uphold the principles of human rights, democracy, and pluralism.
3- Never to adopt any means of violence or violations to Human rights or democratic means.
4- To condemn violence, in all its forms, sources, and parties.
5- To defend people’s rights for freedom of expression and assembly.
6- To emphasize and urge in our literature, speech, and programs on a culture of nonviolence and adopt peaceful and civilized means.

Political Societies
AlWefaq National Islamic Society (AlWefaq)
National Democratic Assembly Society (AlQawmi)
National Democratic Action Society (Waad)
Unity Democratic Gathering Society (Wahdawy)
National Brotherhood Society (Ekhaa)
Democratic Progressive Tribune (AlTaqadumy)
…source

Bahrain revokes citizenship of 31 nationals
7 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has revoked the citizenship of 31 activists, including two former members of parliament, for “undermining state security”, according to a statement released Tuesday night.

The statement cited a clause within the country’s Citizenship Law that “permits re-evaluation of nationality when a holder of Bahraini citizenship causes damage to state security.”

Former Wefaq party members of parliament Jawad Fairooz and Jalal Fairooz were among the 31 activists, as were Said al-Shihabi head of the Freemen of Bahrain movement, and Ali Hassan Mushaima, the son of the leader of Al-Haq group.

Three Shia clerics, Hussein Mirza, Khaled Mansour Sanad and Alawi Sharaf, were also listed in the statement.

The Ministry adds that those subject to the decision have the right to appeal.

Bahrain has a history of stripping Bahrainis of nationality and forcing them into exile that dates back to the 1980s, when a 1975 parliament dissolution led to widespread government crackdown. Scores have attempted to return since.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights have issued joint statement calling on authorities to reverse the decision, and for the country’s allies to exercise pressures to that end.

“It is apparent that the actions taken by the Bahraini authorities to revoke the citizenships of 31 individuals is intended to punish them for expressing peaceful dissent and thereby intimidate others from exercising their right to freedom of expression,” said the youth groups.

Bahrain opposition activists have endured a bloody crackdown since an uprising against the country’s monarchy began in February 2011.

According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 80 people have died in Bahrain since the start of the violence on February 14 last year.

Bahrain’s interior ministry says more than 700 people, including a number of police officers, have been wounded in the protests since the beginning of 2012. …source

There is a solution for peace in Syria. All we need is the will to implement it. Yang Jiechi has imagined a way of avoiding France’s hostility to the implementation of the Geneva agreement.

The Chinese solution
by Thierry Meyssan – Voltaire Network – Damascus (Syria) – 7 November 2012

UN-Arab League Special Envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

The truce that was intended to mark the celebrations for the Muslim feast of the Aid was massively broken in Syria. The government had taken care to block the main roads in order to ensure that any incidents would remain isolated and would not spread. It was a waste of time – a number of brigades of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) had received orders from their sponsors to launch a series of new attacks, and the Syrian Arab Army did not fail to respond. As a result, although certain regions were able to enjoy four days of relative peace, the final assessment at the national level is particularly disappointing.

Whether the truce was a success or a failure therefore depends on where you live. At the diplomatic level, it allows us to evaluate the difficulties that the peace forces will encounter when the Security Council decides to deploy them. The first is the absence of a representative spokesman for the FSA – the second is France’s duplicity.

The FSA is composed of a number of armed groups, each of which obeys its own logic. The whole organisation is supposed to take orders from a central command which is implanted at a NATO base in Turkey. But this is no longer the case, ever since the emergence of bitter rivalry between the different sponsors – France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Each group dedicates more effort to expanding their influence to the detriment of their allies than to overthrowing the regime. The basic brigades obey the groups who directly finance them, and pay no further attention to NATO coordination. Besides this, despite all declarations, the fighters in Syria have never been subordinated to the political councils who meet in Paris, Istanbul and Cairo.

Western leaders are continually calling for a unified FSA command, but in reality, they are afraid of it. Because while unification would provide an interlocutor for peace discussions, it would also discredit and replace the foreign political councils. It would therefore no longer be possible to hide the true nature of this pseudo “revolution” – none of the armed groups are fighting for democracy, and the vast majority of them intend to impose a Sunnite religious dictatorship.

A “Central Command of Syrian Revolutionary Councils” has just been created in Idlib, and it has been approved by about 80% of the FSA forces. It recognises as its spiritual leader Sheikh Adnan al-Arour, who gave a speech on this occasion. Reading a moderate text, whose style was very different from his usual declarations, he praised his listeners for the creation of the central military command, and called for the unification of the three rival foreign political councils, and also for the constitution of a legislative council. This of course means the transfer of legislative power to religious authorities – of which he would humbly accept the leadership – with the aim of imposing Sharia law. He also reminded his listeners that the prime objective of the “revolution” is not to overthrow the institutions but rather the principles of the regime, in other words, secularism and Arab nationalism.

At this point, it must be noted that while the FSA numbers very few Syrian combatants, it has the support of several million civilians, particularly in the North of the country. However, in the various demonstrations which have been organised, the demonstrators have never brandished the portraits of exiled political leaders (Buhran Ghalioum, Abdulbaset Sieda, etc.), but have often chanted the name of Sheikh Al-Arour. They have also notably used his slogans, such as “Christians to Beirut! Alawites to the grave!” The Syrians who support the FSA do not want democracy, but are calling for a Saudi-style dictatorship, which would cleanse Sunnism of its Sufi elements, and repress all religious minorities.

In order to succeed, the truce should have been negotiated by Lakdhar Brahimi, the special envoy of the UN and the Arab League, and Sheikh Adnan Al-Arour. But such an encounter would have marked the end of the dream of the “Arab Spring”, and revealed the fact that the West is financing and arming the most extreme forms of religious sectarianism. …more

Turkey to request NATO missile defense on Syria border
7 November, 2012 – Reuters – The Daily Star

ANKARA: Turkey is to make an imminent official request to NATO to station Patriot missiles along its border with Syria, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

NATO-member turkey has already bolstered its own military presence along the 910-km (560-mile) border and has been responding in kind to gunfire and mortar shells hitting its territory from fighting between Syrian rebels and Syrian government forces.

“Concerning this topic (Patriot missiles), an imminent official request is to be made,” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The official said there was a potential missile threat to turkey from Syria and that turkey had a right to take steps to counter such a threat. He gave no further details.

“The deployment of these type of missiles as a step to counter threats is routine under NATO regulations,” the official said, adding that they had been deployed in turkey during the second Gulf War.

A NATO spokeswoman in Brussels said: “We haven’t received a request. As the Secretary-General said on Monday, the allies will consider any request that is brought to the North Atlantic Council.”
…more

Ban urges Obama to act on Syria, Mideast peace
7 November, 2012 – Agence France Presse

UNITED NATIONS:UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged President Barack Obama Wednesday to act quickly on ending the war in Syria and reviving the Middle East peace process as he congratulated the US leader on his re-election.

The United Nations “will continue to count on the active engagement of the United States” on key global issues “as it strives to meet the hopes and expectations of people around the world,” Ban said through a spokesman.

Ban said: “Many challenges lie ahead — from ending the bloodshed in Syria, to getting the Middle East peace process back on track, to promoting sustainable development and tackling the challenges posed by climate change. All will require strong multilateral cooperation.”

The UN leader looks forward to working with Obama and his second term administration “in the spirit of the enduring partnership between the United States and the United Nations,” the spokesman added.

Obama strived to improve the US reputation at the United Nations and as a multilateral partner during his first term.
…more

Destroyed by Total Capitalism America Has Already Lost Tuesday’s Election
by Jakob Augstein – 5 November, 2012 – Spiegel Online International

Germans see the US election as a battle between the good Obama and the evil Romney. But this is a mistake. Regardless of who wins the election on Tuesday, total capitalism is America’s true ruler, and it has the power to destroy the country.

The United States Army is developing a weapon that can reach — and destroy — any location on Earth within an hour. At the same time, power lines held up by wooden poles dangle over the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy ripped them apart there and in communities across the East Coast last week, and many places remain without electricity. That’s America, where high-tech options are available only to the elite, and the rest live under conditions comparable to a those of a developing nation. No country has produced more Nobel Prize winners, yet in New York City hospitals had to be evacuated during the storm because their emergency generators didn’t work properly.

Anyone who sees this as a contradiction has failed to grasp the fact that America is a country of total capitalism. Its functionaries have no need of public hospitals or of a reliable power supply to private homes. The elite have their own infrastructure. Total capitalism, however, has left American society in ruins and crippled the government. America’s fate is not just an accident produced by the system. It is a consequence of that system.

Obama couldn’t change this, and Romney wouldn’t be able to either. Europe is mistaken if it views the election as a choice between the forces of good and evil. And it certainly doesn’t amount to a potential change in political direction as some newspapers on the Continent would have us believe.

A Powerless President

Romney, the exceedingly wealthy business man, and Obama, the cultivated civil rights lawyer, are two faces of a political system that no longer has much to do with democracy as we understand it. Democracy is about choice, but Americans don’t really have much of a choice. Obama proved this. Nearly four years ago, it seemed like a new beginning for America when he took office. But this was a misunderstanding. Obama didn’t close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, nor did he lift immunity for alleged war criminals from the Bush-era, or regulate the financial markets, and climate change was hardly discussed during the current election campaign. The military, the banks, industry — the people are helpless in the face of their power, as is the president.

Not even credit default swaps, the kind of investment that brought down Lehman Brothers and took Western economies to the brink, has been banned or even better regulated. It is likely the case that Obama wanted to do more, but couldn’t. But what role does that play in the bigger picture?

We want to believe that Obama failed because of the conservatives inside his own country. Indeed, the fanatics that Mitt Romney depends on have jettisoned everything that distinguishes the West: science and logic, reason and moderation, even simple decency. They hate homosexuals, the weak and the state. They oppress women and persecute immigrants. Their moralizing about abortion doesn’t even spare the victims of rape. They are the Taliban of the West. …more

Political Rhetoric and Resignation
by JASON HIRTHLER – November 06, 2012 – CounterPunch

A week before the election Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast with tremendous force. Millions were thrown back a century in time to an epoch of candles and cold showers, with no indoor plumbing. A world without the 24-hour distraction of the Internet. Coastal homes were blown apart or swamped with seawater. Half of New Jersey, parts of coastal boroughs and all of lower Manhattan were powerless for a week or more.

It occurred to me that the disaster would provide an opportunity for both candidates to ‘look presidential,’ always a critical component when the voting electorate pulled the lever or punched the chad based on their perception of a candidate’s trustworthiness. Subtle cues, like a strong jawline and a confident gaze into the middle distance were the telegraphic indicators the masses craved.

Barack Obama, the incumbent, was caught in the cross-hairs between a need to go on the offensive against his opponent, and to maintain his milquetoast persona so as not to frighten racist Caucasians. It was a delicate balancing act that he achieved finally by ridiculing his white opponent without appearing angry as he did so. Sarcasm and a smile seemed to do the trick.

Still, such was disdain for the general population that Mitt Romney seemed to think he could win by chanting the endless refrain of “twelve million jobs” without explaining how he would create them; and by promising to reduce the exploding federal deficit, without explaining where he’d find the money.

Many Americans, suspecting the perpetually tanned and Bryll creamed Romney was not particularly trustworthy, summed up their feelings by exclaiming, “This is some bullshit.” About a quarter of the voting population put their faith in half-black Obama, who had dutifully funneled twenty trillion dollars to banks without taxpayer bailouts and low-interest loans. Despite his efforts, Wall Street opted to support Romney, who promised to lower taxes on the ‘wealth creators’ while Obama made periodic allusions to asking the rich to pay a little more. Appeals to selfless altruism usually fall flat in America, an ostensibly Christian nation that seems to want to be saved by Christ but not asked to act like him.

The Voting Public

Voters tended to fall into four categories. First, there were the Republicans, a numerous lot of anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-poor, anti-gay, and anti-abortion xenophobes allied to an even-tempered educated class with a desire to secure and extend its capital gains, entirely remove a tax burden they regarded as theft, and ignore or marginalize the poor.

According to this narrative, the indigent had themselves to blame for their circumstances. A lack of industry, dishonesty bordering on the mendacious, and a persistent belief in their own victimhood conspired to put these people at the bottom of the social ladder, and rightly so.

Liberals comprised the second group. This was an almost rabidly pro-Democrat clan of self-labeled progressives who appeared to cling to the handful of quasi-progressive measures the Obama administration had passed, spotlighting these to the exclusion of the far larger corporate repressive policies that Democrats had enacted.

This frequently resulted in surreal dialogues in which liberals would passionately proclaim minor measures such as young adults being covered on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26, while making no mention of the several proxy wars the President was carrying out abroad, or the dramatic erosion of civil liberties exceeding even the Bush administration, or any number of other regressive initiatives.

In practical terms, both parties had been fatally compromised by money power, funneled into party coffers by the gigantic machinery of lobbyists. Once in office, representatives felt obliged to serve the interests of corporate entities that had put them in office—interests antithetical to those of the general population.

Embittered leftists comprised the third group. Although of entirely oppositional ideologies, I’ve put them in the same group because they occupy similar position along the American political spectrum. Namely, an angry, disempowered fringe that vacillates between voting for third party candidates with zero chance of winning, or submitting to the implacable logic of the lesser of two evils.

Leftists had their quasi-socialist dreams shattered by the capitulation of the Democratic Party to corporate elites, an inevitable shift led by New Democrats under Bill Clinton (and Third Way Laborites in Britain under Tony Blair).

On the far right, tea part activists had become disillusioned by the rudderless policies, government expansion, and indiscriminate spending of George Bush II. …more

Bahrain’s Relentless Crackdown Continues
5 November, 2012 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC – Human Rights First remains seriously concerned about the detention of Bahraini human rights defender Said Yousif al-Muhafdah, who was arrested on November 2 in the wake of a new policy banning public gatherings across the kingdom.

Al-Muhafdah, the acting vice president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), was reportedly arrested and detained as he tried to assist a 12-year-old boy who had sustained a head injury from a tear gas canister that police fired at protesters in the town of Bilad al-Qadeem. He was detained just days before explosions in the kingdom killed two men. Human Rights First notes that the explosions should be promptly investigated and that those responsible for the incidents should be held accountable.

“Bahrain continues to target leading human rights activists like Said Yousif and to suppress peaceful dissent. Reform seems an increasingly distant prospect,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “Despite those challenges, violence – from the Bahraini government or those seeking reform – is not the solution to Bahrain’s problems.”

This is not the first time al-Muhafdah has been detained by police. The human rights defender was also arrested on August 15 for speaking out against the Bahraini government. In this most recent arrest, the Public Prosecutions office declared that they would detain Al-Muhafdah for a week on charges of “illegal gathering.”

Clashes between police and a minority of protestors are increasing. Human Rights First is concerned that al-Muhafdah’s detention is part of a systematic policy of targeting and arresting prominent civil society representatives in an attempt to intimidate human rights defenders from speaking out. For example, Nabeel Rajab is currently serving a three-year sentence for his “involvement in illegal gatherings.” In addition, Hussain M. Jawad, Chairman of the European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights (EBOHR), has received a summons from the Public Prosecutions office to appear for questioning on November 11.

Last week, in an attempt to further curtail freedoms, Bahraini authorities banned all public gatherings. In doing so, they cited “repeated abuse” of the right to freedom of speech. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his concern over these restrictions and said that they “could aggravate the situation in the country” and urged the government of Bahrain to lift the ban “without delay.”

The recent demonstrations came as a civil court sentenced three men on charges of insulting Bahrain’s king in Twitter posts. Today two of these men received sentences of four months and one month in prison and last week another man received six months in prison. The fourth man is expected to be sentenced this month. …source

Bahrainis stage anti-regime demos over woman’s killing
6 November – Shia Post

A large number of Bahrainis have staged anti-regime demonstrations in several towns and villages in the Persian Gulf kingdom to mourn the death of a female protester, Press TV reports.

Angry protesters renewed calls for freedom and democracy and demanded the downfall of the Al Khalifa family of Bahrain, which has been headed by the Al Khalifas since 1783.

Forty-three-year-old Assia Hassan al-Madeh died on Sunday after inhaling toxic tear gas in the town of Jidd-hafs.

The exact details of the incident are not available yet but activists say she was attacked during a pro-democracy demonstration.

The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

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 crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.

The protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met. …source

Chicago lawyer Valerie Jarrett is leading the effort, although she has no experience in high-stakes diplomacy

Senior Obama Adviser Leads Secret Talks With Iran
by John Glaser – 5 November, 2012 – Anti-war.com

President Obama’s close confidant and long-time friend of First Lady Michelle Obama, Chicago lawyer Valerie Jarrett, is leading behind the scenes negotiations with representatives of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Israeli officials with knowledge of the effort say.

Jarret, who was born in the Iranian city of Shiraz to American parents, is a senior advisor to US President Barack Obama and, Israeli officials claim, initiated and led secret talks with Iran in Bahrain, although she does not have any past experience with such high-stakes diplomacy.

Last month, the New York Times reported that the US and Iran have agreed to one-on-one negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program immediately following the US presidential elections. Officials later tried to deny this, but admitted the secret talks took place for a meeting in principle.

Such high-level, one-on-one negotiations between the Iranian regime and Washington would be unprecedented, and many have hopes that a grand bargain will be agreed up.

But even if the talks do occur in the event of a victory for Obama, it’s not clear they’ll be fruitful. Talks have floundered at various levels throughout Obama’s first term.

The closest the parties came to settlement was a deal in which Iran would halt 20 percent uranium enrichment in exchange for swapping enriched uranium for foreign-made fuel rods. Iran initially rejected the deal, but reluctantly agreed after Brazil and Turkey joined in the discussions. By that point, the Obama administration rejected Iranian acquiescence, in favor of sanctions.

Most of the so-called diplomacy with Iran has been “predicated on intimidation, illegal threats of military action, unilateral ‘crippling’ sanctions, sabotage, and extrajudicial killings of Iran’s brightest minds,” writes Reza Nasri at PBS Frontline’s Tehran Bureau. These postures have spoiled much chance to resolve the issues. …more