Zero Dark Thirty: Hollywood’s gift to American power
The Guardian – 25 January, 2013 – Slavoj Žižek

Here is how, in a letter to the LA Times, Kathryn Bigelow justified Zero Dark Thirty’s depicting of the torture methods used by government agents to catch and kill Osama bin Laden: “Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time.”

Really? One doesn’t need to be a moralist, or naive about the urgencies of fighting terrorist attacks, to think that torturing a human being is in itself something so profoundly shattering that to depict it neutrally – ie to neutralise this shattering dimension – is already a kind of endorsement.

Imagine a documentary that depicted the Holocaust in a cool, disinterested way as a big industrial-logistic operation, focusing on the technical problems involved (transport, disposal of the bodies, preventing panic among the prisoners to be gassed). Such a film would either embody a deeply immoral fascination with its topic, or it would count on the obscene neutrality of its style to engender dismay and horror in spectators. Where is Bigelow here?

Without a shadow of a doubt, she is on the side of the normalisation of torture. When Maya, the film’s heroine, first witnesses waterboarding, she is a little shocked, but she quickly learns the ropes; later in the film she coldly blackmails a high-level Arab prisoner with, “If you don’t talk to us, we will deliver you to Israel”. Her fanatical pursuit of Bin Laden helps to neutralise ordinary moral qualms. Much more ominous is her partner, a young, bearded CIA agent who masters perfectly the art of passing glibly from torture to friendliness once the victim is broken (lighting his cigarette and sharing jokes). There is something deeply disturbing in how, later, he changes from a torturer in jeans to a well-dressed Washington bureaucrat. This is normalisation at its purest and most efficient – there is a little unease, more about the hurt sensitivity than about ethics, but the job has to be done. This awareness of the torturer’s hurt sensitivity as the (main) human cost of torture ensures that the film is not cheap rightwing propaganda: the psychological complexity is depicted so that liberals can enjoy the film without feeling guilty. This is why Zero Dark Thirty is much worse than 24, where at least Jack Bauer breaks down at the series finale.

The debate about whether waterboarding is torture or not should be dropped as an obvious nonsense: why, if not by causing pain and fear of death, does waterboarding make hardened terrorist-suspects talk? The replacement of the word “torture” with “enhanced interrogation technique” is an extension of politically correct logic: brutal violence practised by the state is made publicly acceptable when language is changed.

The most obscene defence of the film is the claim that Bigelow rejects cheap moralism and soberly presents the reality of the anti-terrorist struggle, raising difficult questions and thus compelling us to think (plus, some critics add, she “deconstructs” feminine cliches – Maya displays no sentimentality, she is tough and dedicated to her task like men). But with torture, one should not “think”. A parallel with rape imposes itself here: what if a film were to show a brutal rape in the same neutral way, claiming that one should avoid cheap moralism and start to think about rape in all its complexity? Our guts tell us that there is something terribly wrong here; I would like to live in a society where rape is simply considered unacceptable, so that anyone who argues for it appears an eccentric idiot, not in a society where one has to argue against it. The same goes for torture: a sign of ethical progress is the fact that torture is “dogmatically” rejected as repulsive, without any need for argument.

So what about the “realist” argument: torture has always existed, so is it not better to at least talk publicly about it? This, exactly, is the problem. If torture was always going on, why are those in power now telling us openly about it? There is only one answer: to normalise it, to lower our ethical standards.

Torture saves lives? Maybe, but for sure it loses souls – and its most obscene justification is to claim that a true hero is ready to forsake his or her soul to save the lives of his or her countrymen. The normalisation of torture in Zero Dark Thirty is a sign of the moral vacuum we are gradually approaching. If there is any doubt about this, try to imagine a major Hollywood film depicting torture in a similar way 20 years ago. It is unthinkable.
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Bahrain: Few Days after Call for Dialogue, 43 people arrested for protesting in Manama
28 January, 2013 – ABNA.co

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – On 25 Jan 2012 hundreds of Bahrainis took the streets in the capital Manama and peacefully protested to demand rights, including the right to self-determination, despite restrictions. The Ministry of Interior set up security checkpoints and road blocks on streets leading to the capital to restrict access. Despite the restrictions, people managed to get into Manama, and were violently attacked by a large number of security forces with tear gas and stun grenades, which also impacted people passing by and the shop keepers in the old market. Tear gas was shot from close distance on the people in the narrow allies of Manama crowded with protesters and shoppers.

The Ministry of interior has called the protest “illegal” in a statement, criminalizing freedom of assembly, at a time when Bahraini law only requires a notification rather than authorization for rallies.

Members of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights have recorded at least two cases of injuries from stun grenades, one male victim who was shot in his leg, and one female who was shot in her shoulder from the back.

A policeman was caught on video slapping a Bahraini citizen, Abdulla Alsaba’a, who is a member of a political opposition society in Bahrain, before he got arrested.

Reporters of international media covering the protest were not saved from assaults and harassments. Mazen Mahdi, EPA photojournalist reported that he was hit by a police sound grenade which was thrown blindly into the crowd. He sustained a minor injury. In addition he was stopped twice for ID check in Manama by the same security unit, in what appeared to be an attempt to hamper his work.

Mass arrests were conducted by riot police accompanied with dogs. According to lawyer Reem Khalaf who was present at AlHoora police station, 43 people were arrested including a Saudi man and an injured man. All of them were held overnight. 15 detainees were interrogated at the public prosecution on Saturday, and the rest were interrogated on Sunday. They all received a 45 day detention order pending investigation on charges of “illegal gathering”, “participating in an unauthorized demonstration” and “disobeying the authorities when asked to disperse”.
Among the detainees is a blogger and activist Nader Abdulemam (@NaderAbdulEmam) who was threatened with arrest few days ago over twitter from a pro-government anonymous user. In addition to the above-mentioned charges, Nader is also accused with incitement to participate in unauthorized march.

Faisal Mushaima was arrested and taken to the Bahrain-Gateway (Bab AlBahrain) police station. When his brother, Abdulhadi Mushaima, an elderly man and the father of Ali Mushima, the first victim of extra judicial killing by police on Feb 14, 2011, went to check on him, he was also arrested and told that he is “wanted” by the police. He was kept in detention for several hours and he was moved to the clinic at the ministry of interior as he suffered from a high level of diabetes. He was later released due to his health deterioration.

A member of the Bahrain Society for Human Rights, Hussain Radhi, was arrested while he was monitoring the protests and documenting human rights violations.

A member of the Islamic Scholars Council, cleric Fadhil AlZaki was also arrested. …more

Authorities cracking down hard on news providers again
28 January, 2013 – Amnesty International

Reporters Without Borders voices renewed concern about news providers in Bahrain, in particular, Ahmed Humaidan, a photographer detained since 29 December, and Sayed Yousef Al-Muhafda, a human rights activist who will go on trial tomorrow on charges of circulating false news (LINK).

“We are sounding the alarm about the recent arrests of journalists and human rights activists in Bahrain and we condemn the government’s nearly two-year-old policy of harsh repression,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The authorities clearly want to obstruct journalists and prevent the flow of information about demonstrations and their suppression by the security forces.”

Vice-president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and head of its documentation department, Al-Muhafda was arrested on 17 December and was held for a month before finally being released on 17 January pending trial.

He is charged with deliberately disseminating false news on Twitter with the aim of inciting violence because, on 17 December, he posted a photo taken on 14 December of a young injured demonstrator together with the Tweet: “#Bahrain I can confirm one shotgun injury now in #Manama.”

In a letter to Bahrain’s attorney general, Human Rights Watch explains that the security forces used force to disperse a group of about 30 demonstrators at around 9:15 p.m. on 14 December in the Manama district of Al-Makharqa, in the course of which a demonstrator sustained a gunshot injury to the leg.

Shortly afterwards, a photo of the injured leg was posted on several online forums. The same photo was posted on Bahrain Online on 17 December with the caption “picture of the injury of one of the youth in Manama with shot gun.”

Al-Muhafda posted the photo on his Twitter account on 14 December. It was posted again on his account on 17 December, while he was attending a demonstration at which the security forces did not open fire.

Reporters Without Borders calls on the judicial authorities to change the charges against Al-Muhafda and, in particular, to drop the claim that he acted with the deliberate aim of inciting violence. The purpose of these charges is to severely punish his commitment to the free flow of information about human rights in Bahrain.

Humaidan, 25, who has received 143 international awards for his photography, has been held since his arrest on 29 December after a month of continual harassment by the security forces.

Around 15 plain-clothes police officers took him by force to a detention centre where, handcuffed and blindfolded, he was interrogated for two days and then placed in solitary confinement for the next five days. His family was not able to visit him until 6 January, when he said he had been subjected to psychological torture and death threats. …source

Saudi-backed forces, mourners clash in Bahrain
27 January, 2013 – PressTV

Heavy clashes have reportedly erupted between anti-regime protesters and Saudi-backed security forces in the Bahraini village of Daih.

Protesters clashed with security forces, as they were moving towards Manama’s Pearl Square, also known as Martyr Square, the birthplace of the popular uprising that began two years ago.

Security forces fired tear gas and gunshots to break up the rally, which was also held to commemorate Qasim Habib Ja’far, an eight-year old boy who lost his life after inhaling tear gas fired by the Al Khalifa regime forces a few days ago.

Over the past months, a number of Bahrainis, including children, have died due to the inhalation of poisonous tear gas fired by Bahraini forces.

Last year, Amnesty International warned about the Bahraini regime’s misuse of tear gas against protesters and called for an investigation into the tear gas-related deaths.

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

The Manama regime has arrested many rights activists, doctors and nurses since the uprising began.

Bahrainis say they will continue anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations is met. …source

Egypt’s leader declares emergency after clashes kill 49
27 January, 2013 – By Edmund Blair, Yasmine Saleh – Reuters

CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi declared a month-long state of emergency on Sunday in three cities along the Suez Canal which have been the focus of anti-government violence that has killed dozens of people over the past four days.

Seven people were shot dead and hundreds were injured in Port Said on Sunday during the funerals of 33 protesters killed at the weekend. A total of 49 people have been killed in demonstrations around the country since Thursday and Mursi’s opponents have called for more protests on Monday.

“Down, down Mursi, down down the regime that killed and tortured us!” people in Port Said chanted as the coffins of those killed on Saturday were carried through the streets.

In a televised address, Mursi said a nightly curfew would be introduced in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, starting Monday evening. He also called for dialogue with top politicians. About 200 people protested in Ismailia after the announcement.

“The protection of the nation is the responsibility of everyone. We will confront any threat to its security with force and firmness within the remit of the law,” the president said, adding that he offered condolences to families of the victims of those who died in the cities.

In Cairo the newly appointed interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim was ejected from the funeral of one of the police officers who died during Saturday’s clashes in Port Said, according to witnesses and police sources.

A police officer at the funeral said many of his colleagues blame the interior minister on the deaths of at least two policemen during Saturday’s clashes as he did not allow the police there to carry weapons and were only given teargas bombs.

State television said seven people died from gunshot wounds on Sunday. Port Said’s head of hospitals, Abdel Rahman Farag, told Reuters more than 400 people had suffered from teargas inhalation, while 38 were wounded by gunshots.

Gunshots had killed many of the 33 who died on Saturday when residents went on the rampage after a court sentenced 21 people, mostly from the Mediterranean port, to death for their role in deadly soccer violence at a stadium there last year.
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ADHRB Calls for Independent Investigation into Death of Eight-Year-Old Boy Following Tear Gas Attack
28 January, 2013 – ADHRB

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) strongly condemns the death of an eight-year-old boy from Karbabad village in Bahrain on Saturday, and calls for an independent investigation into his death. Qassim Habib died after experiencing respiratory problems believed to have been triggered by exposure to the heavy use of tear gas in his village on January 17.

“Qassim’s death is another example of the indiscriminate use of tear gas against civilians by the Government of Bahrain,” said ADHRB Director Husain Abdulla. “The pervasive use of tear gas as a weapon by Bahrain’s police force has resulted in injury to dozens of protesters and innocent bystanders, and death to at least 30 more. This violence needs to stop, not today, not tomorrow, but yesterday.”

The use of tear gas by the Government of Bahrain has been documented by various human rights organizations. A report published in August 2012 by Physicians for Human Rights, for instance, chronicled the “relentless and indiscriminate” use of toxic chemical agents (i.e., tear gas) against Bahraini citizens, resulting in the “maiming, blinding, and even killing of civilian protesters.” According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the “extensive use of tear gas” is the number-one cause of death by authorities in Bahrain, contributing to 31 percent of all such deaths.

ADHRB calls on the Government of Bahrain to stop all attacks on civilians and to discontinue the use of tear gas until a full and independent investigation into tear gas-related injuries and deaths in Bahrain can be completed. ADHRB also calls on the government to hold officers accountable for using tear gas in an excessive or improper manner. The international community must also pressure the Government of Bahrain to put a permanent end to such attacks. Finally, ADHRB asks that the suppliers of tear gas cease the distribution of such articles to the Government of Bahrain until an independent investigation into allegations of the misuse of crowd control devices can be conducted. …source

Bahrain: Defender Al-Muhafdha going back to court tomorrow, leading human rights defenders remain in jail
28 January, 2013 – ABNA.co

Bahrain: Defender Al-Muhafdha going back to court tomorrow, leading human rights defenders remain in jail
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) welcome the release of human rights defender Said Yousif Al-Muhafdhah, the Acting Vice President and Head of Documentation Unit of BCHR by an order from a Bahraini court on 17 January 2013. In the meantime, we express concern that the defender may face prison sentence if convicted as he goes back to court tomorrow to stand for a trial.

Al-Muhafdha was arrested on 17 December 2012 while monitoring a protest in Manama and documenting police attack on peaceful protesters. He was charged for allegedly “spreading false news over twitter” in a reference to a tweet in which he exposed the human rights violations conducted by authorities in Bahrain. Al-Muhafdha was detained in isolation from the other prisoners of conscious until 17 January 2013, when the Lower Criminal Court decided to release him on bail of 100 Bahraini dinars, pending his trial which was postponed to 29 January 2013.

The Bahraini authorities continue to hold in custody leading human rights defenders, including the founder of the BCHR and GCHR Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who serves life in prison, detained since 9 April 2011, severely tortured in detention as he explained to the court, and had his military sentence upheld by Court of cassation this month in a disregard to the findings and recommendations of the Bahraini commission of inquiry regarding the prisoners of conscience. Also, leading human rights defender and president of BCHR, Nabeel Rajab is serving a 2 years prison sentence since 9 July 2012 for exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly as envisaged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rajab is being held in isolation from the prisoners of conscious, sharing a cell at Jaw central prison with 2 none Arabic speaking criminals.

The release of Al-Muhafhda comes one week after a statement by the OHCHR in which they called for his immediate release. The GCHR and BCHR urge the OHCHR to take more actions to ensure the release of the other imprisoned human rights defenders in Bahrain.

Al-Muhafdha will be going back to court at a time in which the government of Bahrain has called for a political dialogue. The GCHR and BCHR call on the government of Bahrain to prove their seriousness in relation to the proposed dialogue by taking some real actions to show their respect to the human rights movement in Bahrain such as the following steps:

1. Immediately release detained human rights defenders Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab, and drop all charges against them. The GCHR and BCHR believe that these measures have been taken against them to hinder their legitimate and peaceful work in defense of human rights.

2. Drop all charges against Said Yousif Al-Muhafdha and put an end to the targeting of human rights defenders in Bahrain.

2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and are free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

3. abide by the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular its Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, as well as Article 12(1) that provides “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and Article 12(2) (“the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually or in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”)
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Bahrain: An 8 year-old-boy and an 87 year-old man; Two Victims in One Month of the Tear Gas Collective Punishment
27 January, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

This YouTube video reportedly documents the amount of teargas which was thrown on the house of the victim. …more

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An Appeal to United Nations to ban punishments by the Saudi Regime against expatriate workers
28 January, 2013 – By Zulkifli Nazim – Asia Times

Many expatriates from various countries who are employed in Saudi Arabia are subject to severe hardships, misfortune and afflictions because of the prevailing laws of that country.

The Saudi Government is at liberty to implement its Company Laws and recruiting and employment systems etc., but when it comes to the question of enforcement of Criminal Procedure Codes, it must be emphasized that the countries which have sent these workers, under the protection of their governments, should take precedence over Saudi Laws.

Citizens of other countries cannot be victims of such barbaric laws of the Saudi Regime. These laws are nothing but 8th Century Arab tribal customs which have been infused with the word “Shari’ah” to make it sound legitimate and religious.

Islam or whatever the religion, has nothing to do with these barbaric customs of the despotic Saudis. These barbaric laws were designed by the Saudi Regime to meet the barbaric, savage and wild demeanour and deportment of the people of their own country and it has nothing to do with those who are being employed by and in that country.

It is imperative, therefore, that every country that sends their people to work in that country must, first, ratify an extradition treaty with that country especially in respect of those employed in Saudi Arabia; and any serious crimes by those employed must be subject to this treaty for extradition of the individual to the country of origin of the worker to be tried according to the laws of that country.

The whole world is aware of the hundreds of Saudi Citizens who have committed crimes in foreign lands being extradited and/or repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia cannot meet the desperate demands of the necessary workforce for their sustainability and economy and hence they “import” people to do their ”dirty” work for their own benefit. My question is “Why should these skilled, sem-skilled and unskilled people with various disciplines and vocations, advertised and sanctioned by the Saudi Regime, and who have actually gone there to fill the absolutely essential vacancies, demands and needs of various occupations in Saudi Arabia, which the majority of the Saudis are incapable of, be subject to any form of Saudi Laws of barbarism?”

This arrogance of the Saudi Regime had gone on unabated and unquestioned for too long a time. Don’t you think that it is high time that the representatives bent on achieving justice to all nations – vis-à-vis – The United Nations and all their members, step in at global level and every individual government of every country take action at national level, enforce the most urgent and essential action to eradicate this menace and threat to the expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia? …source