Denial of justice and jail sentences for Bahraini news providers
14 November, 2012 – Reporters Without Borders

A Manama appeal court yesterday upheld journalist Reem Khalifa’s conviction on a trumped-up charge of physically attacking two women doctors and insulting a third after a Manama news conference in July 2011.

The charges were brought against Khalifa after she accused the three doctors, who are government supporters, of attacking and insulting her. She will have to pay a fine of 100 BD (210 euros) and a total of 500 BD in compensation to the doctors (BD 200 to each of the two she allegedly attacked and BD 100 to the one she allegedly insulted)

The appeal court’s decision is just the latest in a series of rulings that demonstrate the Bahraini judicial system’s complete lack of independence. The court did not examine the evidence provided by Khalifa’s lawyer.

On 23 October, Reporters Without Borders asked the United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to look into Police Lt. Sarah Al-Moosa’s acquittal by a Manama court the previous day on charges of torturing and mistreating Bahraini journalist Nazeeha Saeed, a correspondent for France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Daouliya, at a Rifaa police station on 22 May 2011.

In another court decision yesterday, Internet user Ali Al-Haiki was sentenced to four months in prison on a lèse-majesté charge for messages he posted on Twitter. He is one of four netizens who were arrested on 16 October on charges of defaming public persons on social media. All four pleaded not guilty when their trial opened on 22 October.

The first to be convicted was Abdullah Al-Hashemi, who was given a six-month jail term on 1 November for “insulting the king.” The other two, Salman Darwish and Ali Mohamed Watheqi, were sentenced to a month and four months in prison respectively on 5 November.

The court also ordered the confiscation of the computers and mobile phones of all four cyber-activists. According to the interior ministry, the police are still looking for a fifth person.

Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn that Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafda, the vice-president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and head of its documentation unit, was released today, 12 days after being arrested in Diraz (west of Manama) while investigating the use of violence to disperse a demonstration earlier the same day. …more

IMF Dirty MF
Padded with power here they come
International loan sharks backed by the guns
Of market hungry military profiteers
Whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared
With the blood of the poor

IMF ready to provide funds to help Tunisia recovery
By Anna Yukhananov – 14 November, 2012 – Reuters

(Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund is willing to provide external financing to Tunisia to help it recover from last year’s political turmoil, David Lipton, the IMF’s first deputy managing director, said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The IMF stands ready to help Tunisia with policy advice, technical assistance and, if appropriate, financing,” said Lipton, who visited the country this week and met with political and business leaders.

Tunisia was swept up in the Arab Spring uprisings last year across the Middle East and North Africa, which toppled its ruler after an almost 23-year reign.

Since then, several countries in the region have struggled to regain economic stability while dealing with political transition and a slowing global economy. Governments have spent billions to create jobs and cope with rising living costs.

In its annual assessment of Tunisia earlier this year, the IMF said the north African nation is still struggling to emerge from recession and faces risks from the euro zone debt crisis and internal tensions.

Lipton said countries in the region should engage with the international community and private investors to shore up growth and create jobs.

“Many problems in the Arab countries in transition do not have ready-made solutions; work with many partners is necessary to address them,” he said. ….more

Call It Democracy
Bruce Cockburn – 1985

Padded with power here they come
International loan sharks backed by the guns
Of market hungry military profiteers
Whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared
With the blood of the poor

Who rob life of its quality
Who render rage a necessity
By turning countries into labour camps
Modern slavers in drag as champions of freedom

Sinister cynical instrument
Who makes the gun into a sacrament —
The only response to the deification
Of tyranny by so-called “developed” nations’
Idolatry of ideology

North South East West
Kill the best and buy the rest
It’s just spend a buck to make a buck
You don’t really give a flying fuck
About the people in misery

IMF dirty MF
Takes away everything it can get
Always making certain that there’s one thing left
Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

See the paid-off local bottom feeders
Passing themselves off as leaders
Kiss the ladies shake hands with the fellows
Open for business like a cheap bordello

And they call it democracy

See the loaded eyes of the children too
Trying to make the best of it the way kids do
One day you’re going to rise from your habitual feast
To find yourself staring down the throat of the beast
They call the revolution

IMF dirty MF
Takes away everything it can get
Always making certain that there’s one thing left
Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

“Family mourns Gaza boy shot by Israeli forces while playing football”
by As’ad AbuKhalil – Angry Arab News Service – 14 November, 2012

“Thirteen-year-old Muhammad Abu Daqqa vividly recalls the moment his friend and cousin Ahmad Abu Daqqa was killed outside his southeast Gaza home while they were playing football last Thursday afternoon.

“Suddenly, Ahmad fell on the ground and I was surprised to see him sort of bleeding right beneath his heart. An Israeli helicopter was buzzing overhead and other Israeli military jeeps and tanks were seen near the border line,” Muhammad explained.

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the life of the football-obsessed 13-year-old was cut short when a bullet fired by Israeli soldiers stationed nearby hit him in the stomach (“New Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip,” 11 November).

Ahmad Abu Daqqa was born and raised in Abbasan al-Kabira town, a rural area east of Khan Younis. The boy is one of several Gaza children who have been killed by Israeli fire in recent days; two teen cousins, 16-year-old Muhammad Harara and 17-year-old Ahmad Harara, were also killed by Israeli fire while playing football near Gaza City on Saturday, according to PCHR.” …source

Joint Statement-Bahrain: Death of 16 year old boy as use of excessive force continues
9 November, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) express their grave concern regarding the news of the death of 16 year old Ali Radhi.

Security forces enforced a siege around a central mosque in the village of Duraz today to prevent people from Friday prayers. When security forces blocked the streets, people headed to Duraz on foot in an attempt to reach the mosque.

People climbing over walls in attempt to reach Duraz for Friday prayer

The security forces attempted to prevent hundreds of people from getting to Duraz by using teargas, in one instance reportedly shooting tear gas directly into a car full of women as shown in this Video:

According to eyewitnesses, Ali Abbas Radhi-16 years old- and a few friends were walking towards Duraz when they were chased by riot police. Ali Abbas Radhi reportedly ran into the highway to get away from the riot police when he was hit by a civilian car which caused his death.

The BYSHR and BCHR hold the Ministry of Interior responsible for the death of Ali Abbas Radhi. The BYSHR and the BCHR call on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and all other close allies and international institutions to put pressure on Bahrain to:

1. Immediately stop attacking religious processions
2. Respect people’s right to freedom of religion
3. Stop the use of excessive force against civilians
4. Immediately launch independent investigations into the death of Ali Abbas Radhi and all other victims killed since February 14th 2011.
5. Hold accountable all those who are taking part in, supervising, overlooking, giving orders and/or knowingly allowing human rights violations and extra-judicial killings to take place.

The BCHR and the BYSHR remind the Bahraini authorities of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights:“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
…source