Opposition parties: any dialogue outcomes not approved by the people is invalid
2 February, 2013 – ABNA

Bahrain opposition parties stated in the final communiqué of Friday 1st February mass rally that as the second anniversary of the 14 February pro-democracy revolution approaches, the Bahrainis are on streets to show their persistence to their legitimate demands and that their movement will not end until demands for democracy and freedom and dignity are met and rights are respected.

Opposition parties: any dialogue outcomes not approved by the people is invalid (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Bahrain opposition parties stated in the final communiqué of Friday 1st February mass rally that as the second anniversary of the 14 February pro-democracy revolution approaches, the Bahrainis are on streets to show their persistence to their legitimate demands and that their movement will not end until demands for democracy and freedom and dignity are met and rights are respected.

On ground, the pro-democracy movement has continued for two years with nonstop daily protests and assemblies to prove that betting on an end to this revolution before democracy is achieved is fantasy, they stated.

The opposition parties pointed out that the announced dialogue is vague and under fog, and does not reflect a real and serious approach to respond to the people’s demands. Any dialogue that does not fulfill the people’s demands for a democratic transition and does not enable the people to manage their country’s affairs will lack value and its outcomes cannot be taken into consideration. Sovereignty is for the people and any dialogue outcomes not acknowledged by the people will be invalid, they stressed.

The opposition parties stressed that the popular demands raised in the 14 February revolution that had erupted two years ago in 2011have not been abandoned, the same demands are raised today and they represent the minimum which cannot be waived or bargained.

The opposition parties strongly believe that keeping prisoners of conscience including opposition figures and leaders behind bars, in addition to the ongoing arbitrary arrests and unjust trials and unfair dismissals of medics and loyal patriotic cadres from work all indicate the real approach of the regime towards the popular demands.

The opposition parties, once again, assured that the movement on ground will not stop, the peaceful protests will continue to take to streets in all areas across Bahrain, this is an active movement which cannot stop under any circumstances until the people of Bahrain realize freedom and democracy. …more

Fresh wave of revolt hits Gulf countries
3 February, 2013 – By Tony Iltis – GreenLeft

It is now two years since spontaneous mass uprisings against political and economic injustice started to sweep through the Arab countries. This began a period of heightened class struggle known in the West (but not the Arab countries) as the Arab Spring.

The initial uprisings followed a broadly similar pattern: mass street protests demanding the resignation of a brutal and corrupt dictator. But the protests were as much against the effects of neoliberalism — such as include unemployment, food and energy insecurity, removal of subsidies, privatisation and increased inequality — as against political repression.

The different paths of the uprisings in the two years since in part reflects the relative strength of the different regimes in the region. But it also reflects the response of the West, which has varied considerably between different countries.

West’s response

The West’s response has ranged from aiding the crushing of protests by dictatorships to direct military intervention against Muammar Gadaffi’s dictatorship in Libya.

The uprisings took the West by surprise. Not only did they reflect and fuel anti-neoliberal protests in Europe (and influence the Occupy protests in the US), within two months two pro-Western dictators had been overthrown: French puppet President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian tyrant notorious for his slavish obedience to US and Israeli diktats.

Moreover, the uprisings challenged the traditional justification for the West’s continual military interventions in the region: spreading democracy. Mass, mostly non-violent, demonstrations appeared to be achieving democracy while 10 years of US-led occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan had failed.

NATO militarily overthrew Gaddafi in 2011 to reassert its official role of “bringing democracy”. Despite Libya now being neither remotely democratic nor entirely under Western control, the West considers this mission accomplished.

In his January 21 inauguration speech, US President Barack Obama reaffirmed: “We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”

The corporate media has dutifully aided the Western response to the Arab uprisings. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt are declared completed and ongoing protests are explained away with the racist subtext that Arabs have some innate difficulty with democracy.

Continuing protests in most other Arab countries go unreported in the West. The exception is Syria, whose dictator, Bashar Assad, is allied to the West’s rivals, Russia and Iran, and has materially supported some armed resistance to Israel in Lebanon and Palestine.

The West’s diplomacy and selective indirect military aid has strengthened undemocratic elements in the opposition and helped turn a mass uprising into a civil war. Despite this, the saturation media coverage of Syria has turned the Arab Spring into a Western-inspired struggle for democracy against anti-Western tyranny.

The hypocrisy of the Western narrative becomes glaring in the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — an alliance of oil-rich absolute monarchies led by Saudi Arabia, the West’s closest ally in the Arab world. …more

Bahrain: Widespread Suppression, Scant Reforms
ABNA – 2 February, 2013

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s failure to release political prisoners or hold accountable high officials responsible for torture, and its escalating campaign to silence human rights defenders, exposes the government’s fraudulent claims that it is carrying out promised reforms, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.

In 2012, authorities jailed human rights defenders for participating in peaceful demonstrations and criticizing officials, arbitrarily revoked the citizenship of dozens of opposition political activists, and frequently used excessive force to suppress peaceful protests, as well as those in which demonstrators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails. The government shelved the key November 2011 recommendations of an independent commission to address gross human rights abuses during the punishing repression of the largely peaceful mass demonstrations of early 2011.

“Unfortunately, 2012 was the year that Bahrain’s ruling family showed it prioritizes repression over reform,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “This year the government needs to act on its reform rhetoric by setting free all peaceful protesters, including the protest leaders still serving long prison terms for exercising their right to free speech and peaceful assembly.”

In its 665-page report, Human Rights Watch assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including an analysis of the aftermath of the Arab uprisings. The willingness of governments to respect rights will determine whether the Arab uprisings will give birth to genuine democracy or authoritarianism in new clothes, Human Rights Watch said.

Throughout 2012, the authorities regularly rejected demonstration permit requests from opposition groups and, in October, issued a two-month ban on demonstrations. According to opposition groups, at least 25 protesters and bystanders died in protest-related injuries in 2012. At least 15 of the deaths have been attributed to excessive or unlawful use of teargas. At least two security officers died of injuries from a Molotov cocktail attack, and the government said that clashes with anti-government protesters injured 1,500 policemen in 2012.

On August 16, a criminal court sentenced Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), to three years in prison for organizing and participating in three demonstrations between January and March. In December, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdicts on most of the charges but reduced his sentence to two years. Security forces in December arrested Sated Yusuf al-Muhafadha, acting vice president of the BCHR, and prosecutors charged him with “disseminating false news” for allegedly posting on his Twitter account a photograph of an injured protester shot during an anti-government demonstration in Manama. He was released on January 17, 2013 pending trial. …more

State Department delists MEK as terrorist organization
28 September, 2012 – Joel Gehrke – The Washington Examiner

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decided to end the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) status as a foreign terrorist organization, despite its past terrorist attacks on American citizens, based on recent good behavior and a renunciation of violence.

“With today’s actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK’s past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992.” the State Department said in a statement. “The Secretary’s decision today took into account the MEK’s public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, their historic paramilitary base.”

The State Department said it still “has serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members.” …source

MP Slams Al-Khalifa over Using Terrorists against Bahraini Protestors
3 February, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian lawmaker rapped the al-Khalifa regime’s readiness to host the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCR), and said the regime intends to use the MKO as means of suppression against protestors in the tiny Persian Gulf Island.

“The Al Khalifa regime is trying to support the terrorist MKO to suppress public protests in Bahrain and use the group in line with its objectives,” Mohammad Saleh Jokar, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Saleh Jokar said on Saturday.

Jokar, however, said that neither the MKO, nor any other force can confront Bahraini people’s rightful protests.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty’s over-40-year rule, end of discrimination, establishment of justice and a democratically-elected government as well as freedom of detained protesters.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.

The MKO, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran. …source

Bahraini Opposition Figure Blasts Al-Khalifa for Using Different Torturing Techniques
4 February, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Ali al-Mashima, the son of Bahrain’s renowned opposition leader Hassan al-Mashima, lashed out the al-Khalifa regime for using various torturing techniques against revolutionary forces in the country.

The prison guards blindfold and handcuff the inmates and keep them in that position for the whole day, and while lying them on the ground, they start beating them as well as insulting them, Ali al-Mashima told FNA on Sunday.

He said security forces and prison guards use different torturing techniques, such as electric shock and pouring cold water on them in humid and dark prison cells and then keeping them in front of a cooler and in freezing conditions, not just to take confessions, but to humiliate the revolutionary leaders and opposition figures to wear off their resolve and determination.

In August 2011, al-Mashima said that various torturing techniques are used in the al-Khalifa prisons to extract information and punish the revolutionary forces, and revealed that Bahrain’s prince has a direct role in the torturing and interrogation of the detainees.

“Nasser, the son of the Bahraini king is involved in the torturing of the detainees and this has been revealed and proved to us,” Ali al-Mashima’ told FNA at the time.

He also reiterated that Sheikh Mohammad al-Meghdad and Sheikh al-Mahrous, two of the opposition leaders, have confirmed the presence of Nasser al-Khalifa in the process of their interrogation and torturing.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty’s over-40-year rule, end of discrimination, establishment of justice and a democratically-elected government as well as freedom of detained protesters.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured. …source

Bahraini Opposition Figure: Foreigners Constitute 90% of al-Khalifa Security Forces
2 February, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- 90% of the forces used by al-Khalifa regime to suppress countrywide protests are foreign nationals, a Bahraini opposition figure and journalist revealed on Saturday.

“The regime which speaks about the dual-nationality of the opposition has brought thousands of people from other countries, including Pakistan and other Asian countries and Arab states like Yemen, to Bahrain and gives them Bahrain’s citizenship and employs them in the army,” Mohammad al-Moussavi told FNA.

He said that 90% of the security forces in Bahrain are foreigners hired by the al-Khalifa regime to suppress the people, adding that the remaining 10% are Sunnis who fight against the majority Shiites.

In Bahrain, protesters and police clash almost daily as demonstrations are banned.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty’s over-40-year rule, end of discrimination, establishment of justice and a democratically-elected government as well as freedom of detained protesters.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured. …source

Bahrain officer given jail time after fatally shooting protester
By Emily Alpert – 1 February, 2013 – LA Times

A Bahrain police officer was sentenced to seven years in prison after fatally shooting a protester, state media reported, the latest verdict tied to the turmoil in the Persian Gulf nation.

The victim, Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, was the first person to lose his life as unrest erupted in the island nation nearly two years ago. Chief Prosecutor Nawaf Abdullah Hamza told the official Bahrain News Agency that the defendant “fired bullets from his rifle at the victim,” causing the injuries that killed him.

The shooting occurred on the first day of anti-government protests in Bahrain. Though Hamza said the unnamed officer was dealing with riots, a state-commissioned independent report found there were no disturbances reported in the area at the time Mushaima was shot.

“The fact that [Mushaima] was shot in the back at close range indicates that there was no justification for the use of lethal force,” the commission wrote in its report. It listed Mushaima as one of 35 people who died in connection with the unrest over the course of two months.

Bahrain pledged to hold officers accountable for abuses after the release of that report, which described torture and beatings during a government crackdown on demonstrators.

The government says it had investigated abuse allegations, retrained police and undertaken other reforms. Several cases have now gone to court: In December, two other police officers were sentenced to seven years in prison for beating an opposition member to death.

Dissidents and human rights groups have been unimpressed, however, complaining that police are shown leniency but peaceful protesters face lengthy sentences. Last month, a Bahraini court upheld life sentences for eight people among a group of dissidents jailed for plotting to overthrow the state, charges condemned by rights groups as punishing free speech.

The Bahrain News Agency reported Thursday that the officer who shot Mushaima was charged with “beating leading to death,” the same charge made against the two officers sentenced in December, according to the opposition party Wefaq.

Maryam Khawaja, acting president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, called the charge “absurd” and the sentence “not adequate at all.”

“This is not someone who was beaten to death. He was shot in the back,” Khawaja said in a phone interview Friday. The larger problem is that “none of the higher officials in Bahrain have been held accountable,” she said. …more

Bahrain: Police Officer Accused of Torture is Rewarded with Promotion to High Government Position
01 February, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is concerned about the culture of impunity that governs the police forces in Bahrain, and allows for officers accused of torture to be promoted, instead of prosecuted.

Credible torture allegations have been made against Bassam Al-Miraj for several years by local and international human rights organizations. In 2010, Human Rights Watch published the findings of an investigation they conducted in Bahrain, and concluded that there were many allegations that linked Al-Miraj to the systematic torture in the Bahraini prison system. A video release by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, also from 2010, contains many testimonies from victims who implicate Al-Miraj in the torture they were subjected to.

Instead of ordering an investigation into these allegations, the King has promoted Al-Miraj to be the General Director for Anti-Corruption, Economic and Electronic Security in the General Directorate. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its extreme disagreement with this decision, and calls for an end to the culture of impunity that rewards human rights abuses. Reform will never be realized in Bahrain as long as officers are free to act without fear of reprisals.

The King’s decision to not pursue accountability is a clear indication that the government of Bahrain is not interested in reforming the police forces. This is why torture remains to be a serious problem in Bahrain, and the BCHR continues to receive a large volume of reports of torture allegations.

The BCHR calls for:

– An immediate investigation, that is both fair and transparent, into the allegations of torture against Bassam Al-Miraj and the dozens of other security officers who have been implicated in torture and other human rights abuses.

– Compensation and reparations for the victims of torture, and the initation of a rehabilitation center for victims of torture.

– An end to the culture of impunity that governs the police forces, and sweeping reforms to ensure that transparency and accountability are guaranteed. …more