Posts from — January 2013

Bahrain: Statement by Front Line Defenders as Final Appeal of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja Rejected
7 January, 2013 – fidh

On 7 January, 2013 the highest appeal court in Bahrain upheld the sentences of 13 activists, including prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a former Protection Co-ordinator for Front Line Defenders and former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).

It has been reported by the defence lawyers involved that this was the last possibility for these men to overturn their convictions. Those imprisoned are serving sentences ranging from 5 years to life imprisonment on a variety of charges relating to the protest movement that emerged in Bahrain in 2011.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has received the Freedom Award for his work as a human rights defender from Freedom House, is currently serving a life sentence. He was originally sentenced on 22 June 2011 by a military court created under ‘national security law’ under various charges, including “organising and managing a terrorist organisation”, “attempt to overthrow the Government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country” and “collection of money for a terrorist group”. A civilian retrial was granted following the report issued by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), but some charges were only slightly changed. The torture Abdulhadi suffered in prison has yet to be investigated or punished, and it was not considered during his various hearings.

Front Line Defenders is unsurprised by the decision of the Bahraini court, which has yet to indicate that the recommendations of the BICI for meaningful reform are being taken seriously or implemented by the government. Front Line Defenders remains dismayed by the outrageous imprisonment of this remarkable human rights defender. …source

Al-Khawaja loses final appeal against life sentence
Peter Stanners – 8 January, 2013 – Copenhagen Post

Human rights activists in Bahrain have their life sentences upheld and can now only be saved by a royal pardon
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has had his life sentence upheld by a Bahraini court and can now only be saved by a royal pardon (Photo: Scanpix)

Danish human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is among 13 activists who have exhausted all their opportunities for release after their convictions were upheld by the Bahraini appeals court on Monday.

The activists were among 20 who were sentenced for their roles in the 2011 anti-government protests that called for increased human rights and greater freedoms for the Shia Muslim majority.

The government, run by the Sunni Muslim royal family, responded to the protests by initiating a brutal clampdown with the help of troops from neighbouring Sunni states.

Al-Khawaja and seven others were given life sentences after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the state − sentences that remain in place despite strong international pressure on the Bahraini government.

Al-Khawaja’s 110-day hunger strike, that ended last May, also proved ineffective in securing his release.

According to the BBC, the men’s lawyers said it was their last chance to have their sentences overturned or reduced.

Stinne Lyager Bech from Amnesty International told state broadcaster DR that while the court’s decision was expected, it was still disappointing.

“It’s a shame and a scandal that his sentence has once again been upheld by the Bahrain court,” Lysager said. “He shouldn’t be sitting in jail; he’s done nothing more than peacefully fight for democracy and human rights.”

Lysager added that the international community should continue to place pressure on the Bahraini government in order to secure the release of the human rights activists. A pardon by the Bahraini king remains the last option for the activists.

The foreign minister, Villy Søvndal, said in a press release that he was also disappointed by the appeal court’s verdict and that Denmark would continue to support the plight of al-Khawaja and the other jailed human rights activists.

“It’s important to highlight that we are talking about a Danish citizen who has been sentenced for speaking out in his struggle for human rights, and who has also been tortured,” Søvndal wrote. “Abulhadi al-Khawaja’s continued work promoting democracy and respect for human rights is widely known. Together with the countries that support Denmark’s position, including the EU and the UN, we will examine further options that could lead to the release of al-Khawaja and the other human rights and democracy advocates in Bahrain.”

Dozens have died and around 3,000 people have been arrested by Bahraini authorities due to the uprising, including doctors who were punished for treating injured protesters.

Al-Khawaja fled to Denmark in the 1980s and was awarded political asylum because of the persecution he faced in Bahrain for his human rights work. He took on Danish citizenship in the 1990s and returned to Bahrain to continue his work in the early 2000s following some political reform in the country.

In October, he was awarded the Freedom Prize by Politiken newspaper in recognition of his work in the region. …source

Bahrain: Ongoing judicial harassment of Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah

URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY

8 January, 2013 – World Organization Against Torture

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), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Bahrain.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the judicial harassment of Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah, Acting Vice President and Head of Documentation Unit of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR).

According to the information received, on January 9, 2013, Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah will appear before the Fourth Lower Criminal Court to face charges of spreading false information on Twitter. He faces a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 100 BD.

The Observatory strongly condemns the continued arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Mr. AlMuhafdhah, and calls on the Bahraini authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, as it seems to merely aim at sanctioning and hindering his human rights activities.

The Observatory more generally reiterates its call on the Bahraini authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment – including at the judicial level – against all human rights defenders in Bahrain, and to comply with all international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Bahrain, in particular the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998.

Background information:

On September 23, 2012, Mr. AlMuhafdhah and other Bahraini human rights defenders who cooperated with the United Nations (UN) received threats of reprisals while they were in Geneva to participate in the 21st session of the UN Human Rights Council. The pro-governmental newspaper Al-Watan accused Mr. AlMuhafdhah and other human rights defenders of “defaming Bahrain” and labelled them as “traitors to the country”.

On November 2, 2012, Mr. AlMuhafdhah was arrested in Duraz while he was documenting the injury of a man who was shot by bird-shot pellets at a protest earlier that day. Mr. AlMuhafdhah was transferred to Budaiya Police Station where he was interrogated about his presence at the injured man’s door.

In the morning of November 3, 2012, Mr. AlMuhafdhah was taken to the public prosecution where he was remanded seven days of detention on charges of “participation in illegal protests”. On November 10, 2012, the public prosecution decided to extend Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah’s detention by seven additional days without providing any grounds or justification for this decision. On November 14, 2012, the Public Prosecution decided to release Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah and drop the charges of “participation in illegal protests” that had been pending against him since November 2, 2012.

On December 17, 2012, Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah was arrested while he was monitoring a demonstration held in the capital city of Manama to mark the anniversary of two protesters who were killed in 1994. On December 18, the Public Prosecutor remanded him in custody in Hooth Al-Jaff prison for seven days pending an investigation on charges of spreading false information on Twitter.

On December 25, 2012, Mr. Sayed Yousif AlMuhafdhah was presented before the Public Prosecution, which renewed his detention by 15 days.

On December 27, 2012, the Public Prosecution referred the case to the Court. …source

Zainab Alsairafy, @SAIDYOUSIF’s wife: my daughters r asking “where’s dad” & I don’t know wt to tell them

Another Bahraini Human Rights Activist Faces Twitter-Related Charges

For Immediate Release: January 7, 2013

Washington, DC – Human Rights First urges the Bahraini authorities to either immediately release prominent human rights defender Said Yousif Al-Muhafdhah or to charge him with an internationally-recognizable offense.

“Bahraini human rights defenders and civil society leaders continue to face threats, arrests and prosecutions for peaceful human rights activities,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “His detention fits a pattern of civil society leaders being targeted and harassed.”

Al-Muhafdhah, acting Vice President and Head of the Documentation Unit at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), was arrested and detained on December 17, 2012 while observing a demonstration held in Manama to mark the anniversary of two protesters who were killed in 1994. He remains in custody and has been questioned for “disseminating false news over Twitter.” He is accused of tweeting that the police had shot and injured a young man with birdshot. His latest arrest follows a series of arrests over the last several months. On December 25, Al-Muhafdhah appeared before the prosecutor-general in Manama who decided to extend his detention for 15 additional days. His next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday January 9.

Al-Muhafdhah is an internationally-recognized human rights defender and was one of the leaders of civil society who met with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for a briefing when the senator visited the country last month.

The BCHR was awarded the 2012 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty by Human Rights First. The award was presented at the organization’s annual Human Rights Summit last month to Maryam Al-Khawaja, acting President of BCHR. The President of BCHR, Nabeel Rajab, is serving a two-year prison sentence for charges also related to the use of Twitter.

Today the Bahrain Court of Cassation confirmed the verdicts given by a military court in 2011 to 20 leading dissidents, including BCHR founder Abdulhadi Al Khawaja. Seven of the men were tried in absentia and all had had their sentences confirmed in today’s final appeal. …source

Press freedom violations recounted in real time (from 1st January 2013)
4 January, 2013 – Reporters without Borders

04.01.2013 – Netizen begins serving two-year jail term, journalist freed

Reporters Without Borders has learned that Sayeed Haeri, a netizen and member of the Human Rights Reporters Committee, was arrested on 12 December after responding to a summons to Tehran’s Evin prison and has begun serving a two-year jail sentence on a charge of anti-government propaganda.

Originally arrested on 20 December 2009, he was released conditionally on 11 March 2010 on bail of 500 million toman (500,000 euros). In September 2010, a Tehran revolutionary court sentenced him to two and a half years in prison and 74 lashes. An appeal court reduced the sentence to two years in prison six months later.

Two other members of the Human Rights Reporters Committee are already in prison. They are Shiva Nazar Ahari, who was arrested on 8 September 2012, and Sayeed Jalali Far, who was arrested on 30 July 2011. Ahari is serving a four-year sentence while Far is serving a three-year sentence.

Reporters Without Borders has also learned that Reza Ansari Rad, a journalist who worked for several reformist news outlets, was released on 15 December after being deemed to have completed a one-year sentence on a charge of anti-government propaganda.

Imposed in 2010, the sentence was upheld by a Tehran appeal court in March 2012 and Rad began serving it on 4 May. …source

Iran supports Syrian president’s plan to resolve crisis
8 January, 2013 – Shia Post

The Iranian foreign minister has expressed Tehran’s support for the plan proposed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resolve the crisis in Syria.

“In line with its fundamental stance with regards to resolving the Syrian crisis in a political manner, Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s initiative in proposing a comprehensive plan to defuse the crisis in this country,” Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday.

Salehi also hailed the Syrian president’s emphasis on Damascus’ continued support for Palestine and resistance against Israel.

In a key speech on Sunday, Assad said his government is always ready to hold talks with the opposition and political parties and will call for a “comprehensive national dialog” after foreign parties end their support for the militants and the terrorist activities end in the country.

Salehi said implementing the plan could pave the way for building a stable and bright future for the Syrian people and the region.

He also called on all Syrian parties and opposition groups as well as regional and international parties to use this opportunity and make efforts to resolve the current crisis and provide grounds for the realization of a Syrian-Syrian resolution in order to prevent instability and crisis from spreading in the region.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants fighting the Syrian government are foreign nationals. …source

Families of prisoners protest in Saudi Arabia
8 January, 2013 – Shia Post

The families and relatives of prisoners in Saudi Arabia have protested outside a government building in Eastern Province, Press TV reports.

The Saturday rally is taking place outside the governor’s office in the city of al-Dammam in Eastern Province.

Reports say regime forces deployed in the area have prevented protesters from storming the building.

Anti-regime protests have escalated in Saudi Arabia since a teenage protester was shot dead by the regime forces during a demonstration to demand the release of political prisoners last week.

Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province has been the scene of anti-regime protests since February 2011.

Saudi protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah in Eastern Province. They primarily demand the release of all political prisoners, social justice and an end to systematic discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have turned into protests against the repressive Al Saud regime, especially since November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.” …source

House of Saud’s doomed bid for survival
6 January, 2013 – By Finian Cunningham – PressTV

The largesse of the Saudi rulers is only viable if it can sell oil at a price. The trouble is that the world economy is flat on its back. The kingdom’s top five customers are the US, Japan, China, South Korea and India. But Asian demand for Saudi oil is dependent on their export-led economies finding customers in the US. The slowing Asian economies, China in particular, is evidence of the structural problems of American and European societies, where poverty and unemployment have become endemic under relentless austerity measures. ”
Saudi Arabia’s latest budget announcement – the biggest in the kingdom’s 80-year history – had the world’s financial press swooning last week. It came as an almost delirious distraction from the relentless austerity news coming out of the United States and Europe.

USD219 billion is to be pumped into the Saudi economy by the government in Riyadh. In an age of capitalist austerity, the Saudi spending plan may seem like socialism on steroids.

By contrast, as part of its so-called fiscal cliff deal, Washington is planning to execute USD110 billion in cuts to government spending later this year. Bear in mind that the Saudi population is only six percent of the United States, the House of Saud’s largesse is, to put it mildly, wildly lavish. Such spending plans are in stark contradistinction from the rest of the world, beleaguered as it is with recession and fiscal bankruptcy.

The world’s other exceptional big government spender, China, announced late last year that it was allocating some USD150 billion on new infrastructure projects – a relatively modest fraction of the Saudi spend.

A Saudi finance ministry was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that the new budget would focus on “investment programs that enhance strong long-term sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities for citizens”.

While US President Obama is targeting health and education for draconian cuts, the biggest part of the Saudi spend is conversely on these same public goods – some 37 percent – or USD80 billion.

But this largesse from the House of Saud towards its 20 million subjects is less to do with generosity and well-being of the nation and more to do with trying to buy political survival. The bigger the largesse, the greater the sign of desperation among the Saudi rulers.

Since the eruption of political protests across the Arab region against Western-backed autocratic rulers in early 2011, the government in Riyadh has increased its year-on-year public spending by nearly 60 percent compared with 2009 and 2010. Notably, in March 2011, shortly after the Arab uprising deposed Tunisia’s Ben Ali and Egypt’s Mubarak and was knocking on Saudi Arabia’s backdoor in Bahrain, the House of Saud made an exceptional budget announcement then of USD130 billion – to fund new housing, wage increases and unemployment welfare.

Given these recent public expenditures by the House of Saud, one would expect the kingdom to be a veritable land of plenty and contentedness. This is far from the social reality. Saudi Arabia continues to reel from weekly protests against its rulers. Indeed, the protests have become increasingly vociferous in calling for the downfall of the Saudi regime – despite the inordinate wads of money that the regime is throwing at the public.

The apparent robust fiscal position of the Saudi rulers actually points up deep structural weaknesses and conflicts within the kingdom. It is a symptom of the many contradictions in Saudi society that are driving discontent against the ruling order.

Some 70 percent of the Saudi population is under the age of 30. This demographic is in contrast to the decrepit House of Saud led by the aging and ailing King Abdullah. The House of Saud is reckoned to comprise an inner circle of about 2,000 family members – some 0.1 of the country’s total population – most of them the progeny of the founder of the state, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. The latter is reputed to have had as many as 22 wives and sired more than 40 sons, of whom 20 are still alive.

Following the death of Ibn Saud in 1953, the throne passed on to his sons. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia’s tightly controlled hereditary system mandated that rule would from then on pass from brother to brother, rather than father to son. King Abdullah (89), who reportedly went into a coma last month following a 14-hour surgical operation, is the fifth son of Ibn Saud to take the throne since 1953. …more

It would seem the Obama administration is inadvertently working toward a new “9/11” scenario as it is about to reap the “blow-back” that shamed, General Petraeus organized in an effort to implode Syria. The next “9/11” is apt in include a full on assault with Chemical Weapons delivered to al Qaeda by Saudi “Intelligence Chief”, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Mr. President your greed, stupidity and ineptitude precede you. And for those so called “Human Rights” advocates in the West who revel in the demise of Hafez Assad, does it look like Assad is so delusional now? Perhaps the scale of Human Disaster that lies beyond Assad’s ouster should be rethought with a bit of sobriety with the realization that “regime change” is not Democracy and implosion of a Sovereign State is not Revolution. Maybe the question should be; who is more delusional, self righteous Western liberals in pursuit of careers opportunities with a Political Journal, the State Department or Congressional Staff or Hafez Assad? Hmmm… Phlipn Out.

Saudi spy chief calls for al-Qaeda leadership of anti-Syria militants

The Saudi Arabian spy chief has ordered al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, to take leadership of the foreign-backed militants in Syria through assassinating the members of the so-called Free Syrian Army.

According to Syrian media, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has decided to bring the militants fighting the Syrian forces under the umbrella of al-Nusra Front.

According to Prince Bandar’s orders, any militant commander who refuses to join the terrorist group should be assassinated.

Last month, the US State Department designated al-Nusra Front group as a terror organization linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are reportedly arming and funding militants fighting the Damascus government to implement Western countries’ plans in the Arab county.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants fighting the Syrian government are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused the foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes. …source

Bahrain: Escalating state violence against peaceful protesters in lack of international accountability and using western arms
24 December, 2012

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its grave concern over the escalated use of excessive force by the authorities in Bahrain against peaceful protesters. The BCHR regularly documents a large number of injuries caused by shotgun pellets, tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and sound grenades. Despite the seriousness of these injuries, victims are most often treated in private homes out of fear of being arrested from the militarized hospitals. The following description of injuries was prepared in collaboration with doctors in Bahrain in order to present the most thorough and accurate description of these human rights violations as possible.

On the 17th of December, 2012, a peaceful, pro-democracy protest was held in Manama which was violently attacked by security forces and resulted in many severe injuries being reported that day (bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/5572). Among the injured was a young woman who was peacefuly protesting when she was hit by a direct shot to her foot with a 1kg tear gas canister. As a result, she sustained a 3-bone fracture in the foot that required immediate treatment. Fearing arrest she was treated and operated on in an undisclosed location. In regard to full recovery, the prognosis is poor and it is expected that she will suffer from long-term pain and deformity.

On the same day, a young man was directly shot at with a tear gas canister in his forearm which resulted in an open fracture in his forearm and a shattered bone. He too sought medical care and was operated on in secret out of fear of arrest. However, his recovery depends on the quality of care and follow-up treatment which is only available in the Salmaniya Medical Complex which is currently under military control.

This photo is of a protester who was shot by the security forces with shotgun pellets and is currently suffering from a very large number of pellets currently lodged in his body. Due to the severity of his injury and pain he is trying to seek medical help from multiple sources as the main hospital in Bahrain is under military control and he can expect to be arrested from this hospital.

Several teenagers were shot in the face with shotguns and are at risk of blindness in one or both eyes. One of those protesters is currently in very poor condition with the possibility of losing sight in both eyes; he is seeking private medical care. Also, three more protesters are suffering from eye injuries, they are in critical condition and the possibility of losing sight in is high. It is still unclear whether their condition will improve at the moment. …more

Bahrain: Shiite clerics must ‘prohibit’ violence
By REEM KHALIFA – 7 December, 2012 – AP

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain’s Shiite religious leaders must more forcefully denounce violence as a key step to ease the kingdom’s 22-month uprising, the country’s crown prince said Friday at the opening of an international security conference.

The appeal by Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa underscores the view of Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy that Shiite clerics should be held partly responsible for rising violence in the strategic Gulf nation. It also suggests authorities could increase pressure on top Shiite clergymen, whom he referred to as ‘ayatollahs’ — a term more often associated with senior religious figures in rival Iran.

“I call on all those who disagree with the government, including the ayatollahs, to condemn violence on the street unequivocally . And more, to prohibit violence,” the crown prince told policymakers and political figures gathered for the annual two-day conference known as the Manama Dialogue. “Responsible leadership is called for and I believe dialogue is the only way forward,” he added.

More than 55 people have died in the unrest since February 2011, when Bahrain’s majority Shiites escalated a long-simmering drive for a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled country.

The monarchy has offered some concessions, including giving the elected parliament expanded powers. But it falls far short of Shiite demands to loosen the Sunni rulers’ controls over key government appointments and policies.

Shiite religious leaders, including the most senior cleric Sheik Isa Qassim, have never publicly endorsed violence, but have encouraged peaceful anti-government protests to challenge authorities. Breakaway groups during demonstrations often clash with riot police.

The conference includes high-level envoys from Bahrain’s Western allies, which have so far stood behind the kingdom’s leadership but are increasingly troubled by rising violence and continued crackdowns on the opposition. The U.S. delegation is led by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and includes Arizona Sen. John McCain.

The crown prince thanked a host of nations for assistance during the crisis, but noticeably did not refer to the U.S. in his remarks — an omission that underlined the two countries’ increasingly strained ties. He criticized nations that “selectively” criticize Bahrain’s leadership, without citing specific countries. …more

UN human rights office disappointed by Bahrain’s decision to uphold conviction of 13 activists
8 January, 2013 – UN News Centre

2013 – The United Nations today expressed disappointment over Bahrain’s decision to uphold the convictions of 13 pro-democracy activists in spite of concerns raised by an independent human rights panel and appeals by the international community.

“We regret that Bahrain’s highest court on Monday upheld the convictions of 13 activists for their role in pro-democracy demonstrations, after two years of trials and despite the conclusions of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the appeals by the international community concerning the judicial procedure and allegations of torture,” a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Cécile Pouilly, told reporters in Geneva.

“These persons are political and human rights activists and we are concerned they may have been wrongly convicted for legitimate activities. We are also concerned by the extreme harshness of some of the sentences, including imprisonment for life,” she added.

In early 2012, the Gulf country experienced clashes between security forces and demonstrators, a year after widespread civil protests first emerged there. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was established by the King of Bahrain in June 2011 to investigate incidents that occurred during the country’s unrest.

At the news briefing, the OHCHR spokesperson also condemned the arbitrary detention of the Vice President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Said Yousif Al-Muhafdhah, who was arrested on 17 December 2012 while monitoring a protest in the capital, Manama.

Mr. Al-Muhafdhah was also sending messages on the online platform Twitter about attacks on protesters and posted a picture of a demonstrator wounded during the protest. According to the UN agency, the case is expected to be reviewed by the public prosecution office on Wednesday.

“We call on the Bahraini authorities to release him immediately,” Ms. Pouilly said. …source

28 Saudi women, children arrested; protesters demand release
7 January, 2103 – Shia Post

Saudi protesters have taken to the streets across Saudi Arabia after the arrest of 28 women and children.

The protesters condemned the recent of women and children who were demonstrating against the ruling Al Saud regime and demanding the release of their relatives who are still behind bars despite serving their jail terms.

On Sunday, protests were held in the capital Riyadh, the holy city of Mecca as well as Buraydah, earlier in the day, Saudi forces detained dozens of women and children during an anti-regime protest rally in the city of Buraydah.

The protesters were demanding the release of their relatives jailed for political reasons.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah in Eastern Province.

The demonstrations turned into protests against the Al Saud regime after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the province.

Saudi forces have also arrested dozens of people including prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

The country’s officials warned in October, 2012 that they would deal “firmly” with anti-regime demonstrations. Amnesty International slammed the warning, and urged the authorities to “withdraw their threat.” …source

Al-Assad Presents Three-Stage Political Solution, Condemns Terrorist Attacks
Local Editor – moqawama.org

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivered a key speech on the situation in Syria on Sunday, assuring that his government will always extend its hand for dialogue with the opposition and political parties.

Describing his proposal as a peace plan, he called for a reconciliation conference with “those who have not betrayed Syria”, to be followed by the formation of a new government and a general amnesty.

He assured that the ongoing conflict in Syria is nor between the state and the opposition but rather between the Syrian nation and its enemies.

“The first stage of a political solution would require that regional powers stop funding and arming (the opposition), an end to terrorist operations and controlling the borders,” he said in a speech in central Damascus, his first public comments in months.
He also stressed that the government “will not have dialogue with a puppet made by the West.”

“Government will call for a comprehensive national dialogue in the near future,” he stated.

Moreover, al-Assad noted that Syria wants peace and reconciliation, adding that “the armed groups must stop their terrorist acts.”
“Those Syria faces today are those who carry the al-Qaeda ideology,” he said. “There are those who seek to partition Syria and weaken it. But Syria is stronger and will remain sovereign. This is what upsets the West,” he explained.
The Syrian president warned “there is an agenda to partition Syria, especially with foreign mercenaries brought in the country to fight side by side with the terrorist armed groups.”

He iterated that Syria is for all the people and therefore all should unite in protecting it.
He lauded people in the villages that tried to block the entrance of militants from Turkey, adding that “the nation is for those who protect it.”
Bashar al-Assad assured at the end of his speech that liberating the Golan Heights will remain a cause to Syria, just like the Palestinian cause remains to be a central cause.
“We will remain to support the Resistance against the sole [Israeli} enemy,” he accentuated.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence. …source

Hagel: Next US Secretary of War
Local Editor – moqawama.org

US President Barack Obama is ready to nominate former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of war, the Daily Beast reported Friday, citing sources privy to the process.

According to key Democrats working on the nomination, Obama reached the decision this week, after ruling out Ash Carter, the current deputy secretary of defense, and Michèle Flournoy, a former top Pentagon official, for the position.

In parallel, the nomination is expected to be announced on Monday or Tuesday.

It is worth mentioning that “Israel” and AIPAC are leading a campaign against Hagel, who is known for his opposition to Iranian sanctions and support for direct unconditional talks with the leaders of the Islamic Republic.

Moreover, he called for direct negotiations with Hamas.

Meanwhile, Hagel attracted support from pundits and former US national security officials known for their opposition to what to be a vast pro-“Israel” lobby.

According to the Daily Beast, when he was a senator, Hagel often made sure not to sign letters circulated by the American “Israel” Public Affairs Committee. He also voted against resolutions proposing sanctions against Iran and branding the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. In 2009, when he was out of office, Hagel signed a letter urging the Obama administration to encourage the Palestinian Authority reconcile with Hamas. …source

Obama and torture
4 January, 2013 – WSWS

As the Obama administration prepares to begin its second term, with its liberal and “left” apologists speculating on prospects for progressive action, events have once again made clear that the Democratic president is continuing and deepening the crimes of his predecessor.

In his first four years in office, Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, worked aggressively to shut down all investigations into CIA torture and other crimes committed in the name of the “war on terrorism.” It intervened in case after case to quash lawsuits seeking to hold accountable those who had illegally abducted and tortured thousands of individuals. It sought dismissal of legal actions seeking to uncover information about these crimes by invoking state secrecy.

The result of this sordid policy is that the torturers and those who gave them orders, from the CIA interrogators all the way to the White House, have enjoyed complete immunity. This is the foul political climate in which a fascistic film like Zero Dark Thirty, implicitly justifying torture and implicating the entire American people in this crime, can receive multiple awards and critical acclaim.

But, as a report this week in the Washington Post makes clear, the actions of the Obama White House have not been directed merely at covering up and exonerating the crimes of the past, but of making it possible to continue them on a qualitatively new level.

The Post recounts the fate of three men—two of them Swedish citizens and the third a longtime British resident, all of Somali origin—who were detained as they traveled through the African country of Djibouti and thrown into prison cells, where they were subjected to repeated interrogations by US intelligence operatives over the course of several months.

The supposed crime of these secret detainees was supporting al-Shabab, an Islamist militia that has controlled large swathes of southern Somalia. While the organization has been implicated in no attacks against the US, it has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by Washington, which has placed bounties on the heads of al-Shabab leaders.

Underlying this designation is the US government’s bid to exploit the “war on terrorism” pretext to tighten American control over Somalia, a strategic territory whose coastline abuts the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the link between the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean through which much of the world’s oil is shipped.

Entitled, “Renditions Continue Under Obama, Despite Due-Process Concerns,” the Post article states: “The men are the latest example of how the Obama administration has embraced rendition—the practice of holding and interrogating terrorism suspects in other countries without due process—despite widespread condemnation of the tactic in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.”

Arrested last August, the three men were produced in a New York federal court only on December 21. What had happened to them over the course of the intervening four months was not disclosed by federal prosecutors.

The report cites a 2011 case against another alleged al-Shabab supporter, an Eritrean, who was rendered to a Nigerian jail for US interrogation. Testimony of an American interrogator in his case described how the individual was first subjected to illegal methods of interrogation by a “dirty team” of US agents before being turned over to a “clean team” that read him his Miranda rights against self-incrimination and then sought to obtain a confession that could hold up in a US court of law.

Depicted here is what former Vice President Dick Cheney once described as going over to the “dark side,” a euphemism that encompassed rendition, torture and extra-judicial killings.

The report on the three men charged as al-Shabab supporters comes just weeks after the European Court of Human Rights issued a stinging decision ruling that the abduction, rendition and protracted “forced disappearance” of Khaled El-Masri, who was grabbed by the CIA in Macedonia nearly nine years ago, in and of themselves “amounted to torture.”

During the years he was held incommunicado, El Masri was subjected to multiple acts of torture, including sodomy, sensory deprivation, physical assaults, forced feeding and denial of medical care. This is the point of rendition and secret detention: to create the conditions for “breaking” a detainee. This was the case under Bush, and it remains so under Obama.

What has changed? According to the Post article, an “impasse” with Congress over the fate of the US military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and barriers to the administration’s proposal to try alleged terrorists in US courts “have led to a de facto policy under which the administration finds it easier to kill terrorism suspects” by means of drone missile attacks, while rendition “has become even more important than before.”

On the same day as the Post report, a New York federal judge rejected a lawsuit demanding that the US government make public a memorandum spelling out the Obama administration’s legal justification for claiming the right to assassinate US citizens, including New Mexico-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, killed in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.

Judge Colleen McMahon’s decision amounted to a statement of impotence on the part of the judiciary in the face of the decade-long assault on democratic rights and the gross criminality of the executive branch. …more

Bahraini judiciary topples the report of the BICI
Model: Bahrain13 case of political and human rights leaders in the so-called issue of “Alliance for the Republic”

7 January, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

This memorandum:

1. This memorandum reviews several inconsistencies between the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal in case No. 124/2011 dated 04/09/2012 and the reported observations and recommendations associated with this case in the report issued by the “Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry” on November 23, 2011. Which makes this case ideal model to test the seriousness of the Bahrain authorities to apply the recommendations of the committee on its anniversary.

The timing of the issuance of this memorandum comes before the final verdict by the appeal Court in the case, and expected to be 7th Jan 2013.

2. And what makes the BICI report have a strong link for the Bahrain13 case:

1. That all the charges in this case involving juveniles witnessed by Bahrain in February / March 2011, and the king of Bahrain has formed the BICI committee to look in the course of events that took place in Bahrain during February and March 2011 and the resulting aftermath ..” (According to the Royal Order No. 28 of 2011).

2. That the BICI report presented in detail the role of the accused in the events, and what they suffered during the arrest, search, detention, investigation and in the national safety courts, which are directly related to the seriousness of the accusations and the legality of the evidence and judgments.

3. That King had received the BICI report and accepted it. He then ordered state agencies to the implementation its recommendations.

3. This memorandum is based primarily on the citation and comparison between the texts of the Supreme Court of Appeal decision issued in the case (which is in 77-pages) and the report published by the BICI.

Although the total number of defendants in this case are 21 Bahraini political figures and human rights activists, this note will focus only on the thirteen defendants against whom the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced.

Topics of the memorandum and the main conclusions:

First: the role of the accused “Bahrain13” in the events of February and March 2011: The BICI findings refute the responsibility of the defendants in the juvenile and planning of the events, and addresses the BICI differently on the Alliance for the Republic.

Second: the BICI report documenting the violations during the arrest and search, and lawyers argue that “what is built on falsehood is false,” the appeals court ignored all of that in its condemnation of the accused.

Third: The BICI report documented the violations (on Arbitrary arrests, detention, solitary confinement, torture and ill-treatment) and recommended achieving a neutral and independent investigation but the Court of Appeal ignored all that and rely on its judgment on testifies taken forcibly and based on witnesses who were involved in torturing the defendants.

Fourth: Court of Appeal ignored the BICI conclusion and recommendation concerning the topic “arrest and trial in relation to freedom of expression, assembly and association,” and criminalised the defendants who exercised these freedoms by expanding the interpretation of Bahraini laws which restrict freedoms, for the purpose of convicting defendants of inciting violence and terrorism.

Fifth: The Court of Appeal condemns some of the accused of spying, despite the fact the BICI report denied it stating that there are no signs of external interference in the events.

Sixth: a final summary.

First: the incompatibility between the BICI report and the rule of “the Supreme Court of Appeal” with respect to: the nature of the role of the accused in this case in the events of February / March 2011, and the reasons for the escalation of these events, and the “Alliance for the Republic”:

1. Came in the judgment of the “Supreme Court of Appeal” on 24.07.2012, that: “… on the subject of the thirteen appeals, and when the incidents are well known to the court, .. is obtained that the impact of the arrest of the terrorist cell known as the twenty-five, the trial (it was on 15/8/2010 .. which was six months prior to the events) have been monitoring the movement of the first defendant (Abdul Wahab Hussein Ali) and he is an official in the unauthorised Al-Wafa Islamic Party – and to form a group aimed to violate the laws and regulation ie, the Alliance for the Republic, intended to change the regime in the kingdom and disrupt the provisions of the Constitution and the laws in coordination with leading the so-called Al-Haq movement , the Bahrain Freedom Movement and Islamic Movement and Salvation Movement who are residents in London are accused of second (Hassan Ali Hassan Mushaima) .. and others is appellants .. in conjunction with some activists within the plaque They accused (Abdul Jalil Radhi Mansour al-Miqdad) .. and (Abdulhadi Abdullah Al-Khawaja) .. (Salah Abdullah Al-Khawaja), (Mohammed Hassan Jawad) .. and (Mohammed Ali Radhi Ismail). They all agreed on the composition of the so-called coalition of for the Republic .. The defendant (Abdul Wahab Hussein Ali) took advantage of the emergence of some calls that have been talking on over the internet .. to choose 14th Feb .. to claim certain rights, as they called to do demonstrations and marches .. on that day with the composition of groups to work with all area .. with work on the exploitation of houses of worship .. to incite public disorder and riots and vandalism .. for implementation of the scheme aimed at regime change and the Constitution .. …more

Bahrain’s Top Court Upholds Sentences Against Uprising Leaders
By REUTERS – 7 January, 2013 – NYT

DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahrain’s highest court upheld prison sentences against 13 leaders of the 2011 uprising on Monday, a defence lawyer said, a ruling that could stir up further unrest in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state.

The case has drawn international criticism from rights groups and come under scrutiny from U.S. officials keen for acquittals to help restore calm in a country it counts as a regional ally against Iran.

Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in political turmoil since a protest movement led by majority Shi’ite Muslims erupted in February 2011 during a tide of revolts against governments across the Arab world. Bahrain accuses Shi’ite power Iran of encouraging the unrest.

The sentences, originally handed down by a military court in June 2011 and upheld by a civilian court in September last year, range from five years in prison to life sentences.

“This verdict is final, there are no more appeals possible, it is the last stage of litigation,” lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told Reuters by telephone from Manama.

Twenty uprising leaders had been sentenced but only 13 filed appeals. The remaining seven men had been tried in absentia because they were out of the country or in hiding, Jishi said.

Bahrain’s main opposition Al Wefaq condemned the decision. “These judgments confirmed the rulings issued before by the military court which were condemned by the whole world. I think it is accurate to call these rulings political persecution,” Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman told Reuters.

“It confirms that the Bahrain regime is refusing to take its chances to reform and seems to be deepening its own human rights crisis,” said Brian Dooley, director of the Human Rights Defenders Program at U.S.-based group Human Rights First.

The men who received life sentences – 25 years in Bahrain – included rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and opposition leader Hassan Mushaimaa, who has advocated turning the kingdom of Bahrain into a republic.

Ibrahim Sharif, leader of the opposition Waad party and the only Sunni among those convicted in the case, is serving a five-year sentence.

The hearing was attended by a number of foreign diplomats, Jishi said, highlighting fears that the outcome could have an impact on unrest in the island kingdom.

Several protesters gathered in front of the court on Monday in support of the uprising leaders, Wefaq said via Twitter.

ACCUSED SAY THEY WANTED ONLY DEMOCRATIC REFORM

The Sunni Muslim ruling Al Khalifa family, backed by troops from Saudi Arabia and police from the United Arab Emirates, put down the uprising with martial law. Thousands were arrested and military trials were conducted during the martial law period.

Washington has called on its ally to talk to the opposition, but unrest has continued. Police and demonstrators clash almost daily and each side blames the other for the violence.

The main charges the convicted men faced were “forming a terrorist group with intent to overthrow the system of government”, as well as collaboration with a foreign state.

The men deny all charges, saying they wanted only democratic reform in the Gulf Arab monarchy. …more

Bahrain: Upholding the Verdicts against the Opposition Leaders and Prominent Activists
7 January, 2013 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

The Authority Does Not Respect the International Community, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the International Conventions

7 January 2013

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern for upholding the verdicts against opposition leaders and prominent activists by the Court of Cassation – 7 January – and the verdicts were upheld against:

1-Abdulwahab Hussain Ali ( life sentence imprisonment)
2-Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa ( 5 Years imprisonment)
3-Hassan Ali Mushaima.( life sentence imprisonment)
4-Abdulhadi Al Khawaja ( life sentence imprisonment)
5-Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace.( life sentence imprisonment)
6-Mohammed Habib Al Safaf. ( Mohammed Habib Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
7-Saeed Mirza Ahmed. ( Saeed AlNouri) ( life sentence imprisonment)
8-Abduljalil Mansoor Makk. (Abdul Jalil Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
9-Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos.( 5 years imprisonment)
10-Salah Hubail Al Khawaj.( 5 years imprisonment)
11-Mohammed Hassan Jawad.( 15 years imprisonment)
12-Mohammed Ali Ismael. ( 15 years imprisonment))
13-Abdul Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan ( Abdulhadi AlMukhodher) ( 15 years imprisonment)

Defendants ( in Absentia) :

14-Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh.( 15 years imprisonment)
15-Ali Hassan Abdullah.( Ali Abdulemam) ( 15 years imprisonment)
16-Abdulghani Ali Khanjar.( 15 years imprisonment)
17-Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab.( life sentence imprisonment)
18-Abdulraoof Al Shayeb.( 15 years imprisonment)
19-Abbas Al Omran.( 15 years imprisonment)
20-Ali Hassan Mushaima.( 15 years imprisonment)

The Bahraini Authorities do no respect the international community, such as the UN Human Rights Council (the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review), the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United States (the Congress and U.S. administration), and the European countries (the European Parliament, the European Union), where the international community demanded the immediate release of the political figures and to initiate a serious dialogue between the Authority and opposition. It did not even pay attention to the demands of the international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Frontline Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights First, the International Federation for Human Rights, Freedom House and others.

The Bahraini Authorities did also not respect the report of the ‘Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’ established by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, for the following reasons:

First: the role of those accused in the events of February and March 2011: the Independent Commission of Inquiry refutes the responsibility of the accused in the planning and escalation of events, and portrays a different image for the Coalition for the Republic.
Second: the Independent Commission of Inquiry documents the violations related to arrest and search, and the lawyers defend by saying that ‘What is built on falsehood is false’, however the Court of Appeal neglects all that when convicting the accused.
Third: the Independent Commission of Inquiry documents the violations (related to arbitrary arrest and detention in isolation of the outside world, torture and abuse) and recommends a neutral and independent investigation; however the Court of Appeal neglects that and deliberately depends in its verdicts on statements taken forcibly, and on testimonies taken from those involved in torturing the accused.
Fourth: the Court of Appeal neglects the conclusions and the recommendation of the Independent Commission of Inquiry in regards to ‘detention and prosecution in relation to freedom of expression, assembly and organization’, and it criminates the accused for practicing these liberties, by expanding on the interpretation of the Bahraini laws that restrict liberties, in order to condemn the accused of inciting violence and terrorism.
Fifth: the Court of Appeal condemns some of the accused of communicating (with other countries), despite the Independent Commission of Inquiry denying that there is any evidence of any external interference in the events.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) confirmed that the Bahraini Authorities does not respect the International Conventions which it has ratified:

1. Convention against Torture
Refer to the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (refer to observations: 1230, 1233, 1234, 1235, 1237, 1238, 1240, 1241) and (refer to the cases related to this issue: 1 to 12, 23, 7)

2. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Refer to the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (refer to observation: 1291)

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) demands:

1. the immediate release of the opposition leaders and prominent activists, and to drop the charges related to freedom of opinion and expression and the freedom of peaceful gathering;
2. hold accountable those responsible for torture and abuse and to prosecute them before a fair court;
3. initiate a justice and reconciliation project and reimburse the victims;
4. permit freedom of opinion, expression and freedom of assembly.

The Football Gulf Cup in Bahrain: Athletes in Prison and In Front of Court
4 January, 2013 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR)

Introduction:

This report is released on the occasion of holding the Football Gulf Cup in Bahrain from 5th to 18th January 2013. This report, which is being released in collaboration with “National Committee for the Defense of athletes”, observes the names of athletes who have been subjected to violations since the protests in 14 February 2011 – until now; the Bahraini authorities had suppressed the protests of 14 February and arrested thousands of citizens due to expressing their opinions.

The Cases:

The Bahraini authorities pressed “criminal” charges against the athletes in order to punish them for their participation in the protests, the cases are as follows:

1. The case of attempted murder and assembling in the Pearl Roundabout: the accused is Mr. Hamad Al-Fahad, a specialist in motor sport, and the date of arrest is 17 February 2011. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in a military court that does not meet the requirements of fair trial.

2. The case of kidnapping a security officer: all the ones accused were acquitted except for the Bahrain and Gulf champion in the Jiu Jitsu sport Mr. Mohammed Mirza who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, noting that he was arrested in a checkpoint after he was subjected to various types of physical and mental torture in a number of detention centers. He was forced to sign a confession that states him carrying out the crime of kidnap.

3. The case of assembling near the Financial Harbour: the ones accused are two handball players from the Etihad club, and they are Mr. Murtadha Salah Darwish and Mr. Jassim Ramadan, and the sports fan Mr. Baqer Al-Shaabani. The first was kidnapped from his room without his parent’s knowledge. The houses of the second and third were raided without a raid and arrest warrant. The accused were subjected to various types of physical and mental torture, confirming that there is no evidence that condemns the accused, except for the confessions that are extracted under torture and duress.

4. The case of ‘Rayat-al-Izz’ (assembling in the village of Nuwaidrat): the accused are four athletes, three of them play for Nuwaidrat Club, and they are Mr. Ali Dhaif, Mr. Ali Faisal, Mr. Ghassan Abbas, and the fourth plays for the Ahli Club and he is Mr. Ahmed Hasan Abdul-wahab. All the accused were arrested arbitrarily without showing a warrant to raid their houses or to arrest them. They have been subjected to various sorts of physical and mental torture.

5. The “handball” national team player Mr. Ali Al-Mulani: he was arrested from a checkpoint, and he faced a military trial. The court sentenced him to 3 years in prison, and the Civil Court upheld the verdict of the Military Court.

6. The endurance race “equestrian sports” supervisor Mr. Mahmood Abdul-Saheb: he is accused in four cases of assembling. The civil courts upheld the verdict of the military verdict of three years in prison.

7. The “volleyball” national team player Mr. Saleh Mahdi: he turned himself in at a detention center, and he was one of those accused of participating in the athletes demonstration (a demonstration held in the Pearl Roundabout), the Public Prosecutor dropped the charges against them, however he was brought forth to a military trial during the State of Emergency and the court sentenced him to 5 years in prison; the sentence was later commuted to two years and a half.

8. The Nasser Club “volleyball” player Mr. Ridha Abdul-Hussein: he was arbitrarily arrested and sentenced in a military court since he works in the military. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

The Detainees:

1. Mr. Jaffar Al-Asfoor, Mr. Amjad Al-‘Adhab, Mr. Salman Amer, Mr. Ahmed Al-Saudi, Mr. Ahmed Marhoon and Mr. Ali Jawad Al-Asfoor (they play for the Etifaq Club).

2. Mr. Mohammed Khamis and Mr. Hakeem Al-Arabi (they play for the Shabab Club).

3. Mr. Abdullah Alawai and Mr. Mahdi (they play for the Bahrain Club).

4. Mr. Hasan Abdul-Jalil Al-Ekri and Mr. Hussein Al-Sardoob (they play for the Etihad Club).

5. Mr. Ridha Hasan.

6. Mr. Hussein Abdul-Ghani “a gymnast”.

7. Mr. Hussein Shamsan.

8. Mr. Abulla Saai “an administrator in the junior team in the Malkiya Club”

Recommendations:

1. To immediately release the athletes who are being prosecuted for expressing their opinions;
2. To stop targeting the athletes and allow them to express their opinion in a peaceful manner;
3. To immediately and urgently investigate the allegations of torture and abuse. …source

Bahrain: Free Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman
6 January, 2013 – Act Now

In partnership with the Education International, the world’s largest federation of unions, representing thirty million education employees in about four hundred organisations in one hundred and seventy countries and territories, across the globe.

Update: Mrs Jalila al-Salman, acting Chair of the BTA (in lieu of Mahdi Abu Dheeb, detained since April 2011), was transferred to the Women Prison of Isa Town on 7 November after being summoned without explanation to the Investigation Department in Manama. Her lawyer and family were not allowed to accompany or contact her. Neither could she go home before being transferred to the prison.

On 21 October an appeal court upheld the guilty verdict against the Bahraini Teachers’ Association (BTA) leaders, Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman, but reduced their prison sentences to five years and six months respectively. Mahdi and Jalila, respectively President and Vice-President of BTA, were arrested in 2011 after supporting calls for reform in Bahrain. Whilst in detention they were subjected to torture and forced to sign “confessions”.

In September 2011, a military court convicted them of attempting to overthrow the ruling system by force and inciting hatred of the regime. The report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry last year found that the authorities had grossly exaggerated, if not manufactured, many claims brought against thousands of ordinary people who had been caught up in the February 2011 Arab Spring protests. Mahdi and Jalila’s only “crime” was to have the temerity to promote respect for the values of solidarity, equality and democracy.

We need you to increase pressure on the Bahraini Government to respect human and trade union rights. EI calls on authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mahdi, to ensure that Jalila does not serve any of her remaining sentence, and to drop all charges against them. …more