Posts from — April 2013

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights says Saudi-backed Bahraini troops have detained 120 people during the past week, including 20 children and 2 women.

Bahraini regime arrests 120 people in a week

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The Center said in a report on Saturday that “Saudi-backed Bahraini troops continued to arrest citizens and breach their homes during April 16-22. Within these days, they have arrested 120 people, 20 of whom children and 2 women.

“The regime’s troops have breached more than 61 homes during the period. At least 48 regions in Bahrain were exposed to public punishment by al-Khalifa troops.

More than 24 trial sessions were held for Bahraini citizens, some of which being extended, and also 35 of the detainees were released,” the report said. …more

The report mentioned that 132 arrests (105 males, 2 females and 24 children) have taken place. While 69 houses were arrested and 27 citizens were injured and 33 cases of torture by the regime forces were reported.

Bahrain regime committed wide violations during 10 days in concurrence with the F1 race
24 April, 2013 – ABNA

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The Liberties and Human Rights Department (LHRD) in al-Wefaq National Islamic Society issued a report highlighting the wide violations Bahrain military and security authorities committed in concurrence with the Formula 1 race from 13th to 22nd April, 2013.

The report clarified that the violations took place one week before the Formula 1 race started in concurrence with the race’s preparations and continued for 10 days.

The report mentioned that 132 arrests (105 males, 2 females and 24 children) have taken place. While 69 houses were arrested and 27 citizens were injured and 33 cases of torture by the regime forces were reported.

The report also stated that more than 27 areas were subjected to collective punishment by the use of toxic gasses and the forces’ provocative presence in residential areas. In addition to security pursuits in alleys.

First: Arrest cases

132 citizens have been arrested (105 males, 2 females and 24 children), while 40 detainees were released during the same period. The LHRD noticed that the number of arrests increased during the Formula 1 race period between 19thand 21st of the current month. It said 43 were arrested on Friday 19th and 45 were arrested on Sunday 21st from different areas.

The report confirmed that all arrest cases took place without legal arrest warrants or inspection orders in private house raids. A bug number of the detainees were made to stand before the Public Prosecution which then issued orders to keep them in detention for more than one month while most were not given a chance to call lawyers. The detainees told their family members that they were subjected to mistreatment and harassment; some said they were subjected to torture.

Second: Torture and injury cases

Citizens were subjected to the regime forces attacks which left 27 with injuries by the use of fire arms (birdshot guns) and by weaponizing teargas canisters to injure the protesters. The reported injuries varied from moderate to serious, some were to the face and head.

A number of citizens were subjected to torture, 33 cases were documented, as the forces tend to brutally assault protesters during arrest. The forces beat the protesters with batons and guns to retaliate, according to detainees.

Third: House raids and collective punishment

The regime forces raided 69 private houses and buildings in different areas over ten days (between 13th- 22nd April 2013) claiming to be searching for “suspects”. In most of the cases, the LHRD documented vandalism and robbery of private property and belongings as well as breaking doors. In some cases, inhabitants were beaten, pepper-sprayed and insulted. One case of firing live ammunition on three houses by unknown persons was documented in the village of Aali. The firing resulted in material damage in the houses.

More than 27 cases of collective punishment were documented. Residential areas were rained with teargas and a state of insecurity was imposed in those areas.

Fourth: Attachments; video footages

1. The regime forces point bisrdshot guns from house rooftops HERE

2. Intensive firing on houses at night HERE

3. Rescuing a family which’s house was targeted with toxic teargas HERE

4. Brutal arrest of youth HERE

5. Children beated for no reason HERE

6. Regime forces arrest a child HERE

…source

Bahrain: Crackdown Intensifies in Wake of F1 Race
23 April, 2013 -Bahrain Center for Human Rights

As the world’s attention shifts away from Bahrain, the authorities have sharply intensified the crackdown on ordinary citizens. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights are both seriously concerned for the well being of Nafeesa Al-Asfoor and Rayhana Al-Mosawi who were arrested on April 22nd after peacefully protesting at the F1 race with t-shirts and slogans that support the freedom of imprisoned human rights activist Zainab Al-Khawaja and imprisoned photographer Ahmed Humaidan.

The husband to Rayhana Al-Mosawi was also arrested and interrogated, but has been released. Both women have been charged under the terrorism law for attempting to detonate a bomb at the F1 race, according to the defendants’ lawyers. Both activists stand accused of:

(1) joining an illegal group aimed at disrupting the provisions of the Constitution, terrorism was among the means used to achieve or execute the objectives;

(2) awareness of a terrorist schema without informing the authorities.

The official Ministry of Interior statement about the arrest states that:
“On the second day of the Grand Prix, police assigned to the BIC gate stopped two girls who were acting suspiciously. After searching them it was found that one of them was carrying a pillow stuffed under her dress. The girl told police she was testing the security procedures as part of a recce for a terrorist act. The girls were referred to the Public Prosecutor.”
(Link to the MOI statement: http://www.policemc.gov.bh/news_details.aspx?type=1&articleId=14173

The BCHR and the BYSHR believes that the decision to charge these women as terrorists under such outrageous charges is intended to send a clear message to other peaceful protesters that there will be severe consequences for speaking up for human rights. Their initial detention period will be for sixty days.

The BCHR has received reports that the women were forced to provide names of other individuals, and implicate them in illegal activities. The BCHR has documented a pattern of behavior by the authorities to use torture to extract false confession from human rights activists and pro-democracy protesters.

On the same day that the Bahraini authorities imprisoned these women on trumped-up charges, the U.N. Office of the Special Rapporteur on Torture or Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment announced that they would again delay their visit to Bahrain at the request of the Bahraini authorities. The Special Rapporteur, Professor Juan Mendez, was also denied access in March of 2012 when he was last scheduled to visit the country.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights demand that:

1. The immediate release of Nafeesa Al-Asfoor and Rayhana Al-Mosawi, and the dropping of all trumped-up charges against them.

2. The Special Rapportour on Torture be allowed to visit the country and speak with the dozens of prisoners and ordinary citizens who have reportedly been tortured by the authorities.

…source

U.N. Expert Says Bahrain Canceled Visit in Torture Inquiry
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE – 24 April, 2013

GENEVA — A United Nations expert who was due to visit Bahrain next month to look into reports that the authorities there have abused and tortured protesters in detention said on Wednesday that the Bahraini government had effectively canceled the trip.

Bahrain’s decision “does not enhance transparency with regard to the situation in the country, nor demonstrate a commitment to redress impunity regarding any violations,” said the expert, Juan E. Mendez, in a statement released in Geneva. Mr. Mendez is based there as the United Nations’s special rapporteur on torture.

The cancellation follows a week of clashes between the police and opposition demonstrators in Bahrain, mostly in villages outside Manama, the capital. They were timed to coincide with a Formula One auto race in Manama, which attracts international media attention. The race took place on Sunday without incident, but the protests signaled a simmering challenge to the ruling Al Khalifa family.

Mr. Mendez had been scheduled to meet a number of key government ministers and officials during a visit that had been discussed since September 2011. An independent commission of inquiry reported late that year that some detainees in Bahrain had been tortured to death and others subjected to physical and psychological abuse to extract confessions or as punishment. The commission and the U.N. Human Rights Council recommended a number of reforms; Mr. Mendez said in a telephone interview that his visit would have given him an opportunity to see how much the Bahrain government had done to implement them.

He was originally scheduled to go to Bahrain in February 2012, but the Bahraini authorities canceled the visit on short notice, saying that there had not yet been enough progress on the reforms. Similarly, the letter delivered to Mr. Mendez this week canceling next month’s visit said that talks with the opposition in Bahrain had not progressed as fast as expected and that the visit could damage their chances of success. …more

Facing Tear Gas – Campaign to End the Global War on Democracy
War Resisters League

Since February 14th, 2011, Bahrain has been witness to a mass uprising. Inspired by the several neighboring uprisings in the Arab world, protesters have been demanding political and economic reform, and often the downfall of the regime. These demands include constitutional reformation, the formation of an elected, representative government, and an end to corruption, which is widespread in the kingdom.

Bahrain maintains a monarchical system ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and and elite political class often closely tied to the al-Khalifa family. The monarchy has a history of silencing the dissident voices of the population through methods of torture, detention, and in the phrasing of a comprehensive Physicians for Human Rights report “weaponizing tear gas.” These actions have led to an increase in global attention, along with increased inquiry into Bahrain’s excessive use of force and human rights violations.

After the protest in the capital city of Manama and across Bahrain, King Hamad declared a State of Emergency for 3 months, effectively removing the protesters from their camp at the centre. The declaration was supported by the foreign military intervention of Saudi troops on March 14th. This crackdown however, did not crush the uprising, but rather decentralized it, breaking it up to myriad village-based movements, such as in Sitra and Durz. Once the State of Emergency was lifted, various political groupings, most prominently the Coalition of February 14th Youth, began to organize weekly protests of tens of thousands of opposition activists. The police response to these peaceful and unarmed protesters has been brutal. (In a campaign of intimidation ran by the police, there have been several house raids in Shi’a neighborhoods, beatings at checkpoints, denial of medical care, as well as detention and torture. Oppostion figures though, cross Bahrain’s geographical and sectarian communities, as the diversity of the movement has consistenly shown.)

A report released by a commission of inquiry established by King Hamad in June 2011 has confirmed the Bahraini government’s various violations of human rights and have silenced government claims that the protests were instigated by Shi’a Iran. Around the time of the report Bahrain sentenced several prominent movement figures to life in prison, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, there have been sporadic movements demanding economic, social, and political rights. Since 1783, Bahrain has been ruled by the Al Khalifas. Bahrain became an independent state apart from the British protectorate in 1971. The first parliamentary election took place in 1973. The constitution and the assembly were dissolved two years later. The year 1992 saw a popular uprising demanding the return of Parliament and constitution. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa muted the uprising in 2001 with reforms that were supported by an overwhelming majority of the Bahraini population. However, the following year, the government issued a new constitution appointing the majority of power to the upper half of Parliament as opposed to the popularly elected lower half. This led to the boycott of the 2002 parliamentary elections by many opposition parties, yet in 2006 Al Wefaq won a majority vote. This created a split in opposition associations, with organizations such as the Haq Movement seeking change outside of that brought about within Parliament. Since then, tensions and repression have increased dramatically, culminating in the ongoing mainly decentralized revolt. The Bahraini revolution continues . . . …source

US State Department 2012 Human Rights Report: Bahrain
19 April, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Bahrain is a monarchy. King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the head of state, appoints the cabinet consisting of 29 ministers; approximately half are members of the Sunni Al-Khalifa ruling family. The parliament consists of an appointed upper house, the Shura (Consultative) Council, and the elected Council of Representatives. Approximately 17 percent of eligible voters participated in parliamentary by-elections for 18 seats vacated in September 2011. Independent human rights organizations did not consider the elections free and fair. On May 19, the king ratified constitutional amendments broadening the powers of the elected chamber of parliament. Security forces reported to civilian authorities during the year.

The most serious human rights problems included citizens’ inability to change their government peacefully; arrest and detention of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to their torture in detention; and lack of due process in trials of political and human rights activists, medical personnel, teachers, and students, with some resulting in harsh sentences. Some protesters engaged in lethal acts of violence against security forces, including the use of improvised explosive devices, Molotov cocktails, and other improvised weapons.

Other significant human rights problems included arbitrary deprivation of life; arrest of individuals on charges relating to freedom of expression; reported violations of privacy; and restrictions on civil liberties, including freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and some religious practices. The government sometimes imposed and enforced travel bans on political activists. Discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, nationality, and sect persisted, especially against the Shia population. There were reports of domestic violence against women and children. Trafficking in persons and restrictions on the rights of foreign workers continued to be significant problems.

Beginning in February 2011, the country experienced a sustained period of unrest including mass protests calling for political reform. In 2011, 52 persons died in incidents linked to the unrest, and hundreds more were injured or arrested. The government prosecuted some police personnel implicated in abuses committed during the year and in 2011. Courts convicted six individuals of crimes related to police abuse, resulting in prison sentences ranging from three months to seven years. It was unclear whether any of those convicted were in prison at year’s end. Many of the trials continued. In the pending cases, charges ranged from misdemeanor assault and battery to murder. The government took some steps to address the “culture of impunity,” which the 2011 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report identified.

Human Rights in Bahrain- Report by State Department HERE

…source

Shame on Western deception!
24 April, 2013 – By Jim W. Dean – PressTV

Rank and file Brits can look east to Iran to see rank and file Iranians suffering also, but at the hands of the same Western elites. And when they see how Iran is reinventing itself the Brits might want to entertain some regime change themselves, the housecleaning kind, including all the Friends of Israel harlots.”

I read with astonishment in Press TV how the British government has debased itself in front of the whole world by refusing to allow Shell Oil Company to settle its USD 2 billion in accounts payable to Iran. The last I heard, Britain was not at war with Iran, nor has Iran attacked British interests anywhere.

The story continues on into the stratosphere of craziness when Shell tried to pay the debt in medical supplies which again, the British regime blocked. Shell then tried to arrange food shipments through Cargill, obviously intended to benefit the Iranian people who are not supposed to be under sanctions, and that too was blocked.

That a Western country would prevent medical and food supplies entering a country it is not at war with, as payment for an agreed account, I never imagined I would see the day. Shame on the British government, and all those involved in staining their national honor. I can hear Tony Blair saying now, ‘I told you I wasn’t so bad.’

The EU sanctions are going down in history as a perverse misuse of what was originally deemed to be targeted on anything that could be supportive of Iranian nuclear weapons development. This was done despite our joint intelligence report and the IAEA never finding evidence of any. We have Western countries with 10,000 nuclear weapons choosing to punish those who do not, on the grounds that they might have one… ‘Someday.’ That folks is a hustle.

What we have instead is sanctions fraud on steroids. Even Hillary Clinton said that goal was not to target the Iranian people, but she was lying through her teeth. Regime change has always been one of the key goals, the West’s thinking that hard times in Iran would spur its people to overthrow their government. That fantasy has gone down in flames. …more

Interview with Author of The Arab Awakening Unveiled: Understanding Transformations and Revolutions in the Middle East
by Esam Al-Amin – 11 April, 2013 – Interview by Jadaliyya

Jadaliyya (J): What made you write this book, and how would you describe it?

Esam Al-Amin (EA): The Arab Awakening Unveiled: Understanding Transformations and Revolutions in the Middle East is a collection of essays about the Arab uprisings and awakening movement, arguably the most important phenomenon that has taken place in the Middle East in the past century. I hope that the book provides thoughtful analysis and a keen understanding of this historical moment, as well as important aspects of US policy towards the Middle East and the Muslim World. For example, the book examines the main causes and effects of the Arab revolutions, especially in Egypt, and describes in details the role of each player in the political dynamics that has been taking place in the last two years across the Arab World, but particularly in Egypt. In addition, American foreign policy objectives and maneuvers vis-à-vis the changes brought about by the uprisings are also discussed and analyzed in many of these articles.

J: What particular topics does this work address?

EA: The first part (about three-quarter of the book) discusses the Arab revolutions, with a particular focus on Egypt. But it also covers other countries such as Tunisia, Syria, and Libya. The second part addresses other events in the Middle East, especially with regard to the Palestinian cause, as well as some aspects of American foreign and domestic policy. For example, several articles address Obama’s Cairo speech, Israel’s aggressive settlement policy, the failed peace process, and the futile Palestinian bid at the UN. This part of the book also covers issues from the Iranian elections and nuclear program to the impact of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the offensive YouTube clip on the Prophet Muhammad.

J: Who do you hope will read this book, and what sort of impact would you like it to have?

EA: The book is written for experts as well as non-experts. Hopefully, those who are interested in acquiring a deep understanding of the phenomenon of the Arab Spring, and why and how it came about, as well as what its future might entail, would find the book useful and illuminating. It is also addressed to those who are interested in, and focused on, American policy in the Middle East. It would be instructive if policy and opinion makers would also read the book and get a different view from the conventional wisdom in Washington.

J: How does your work contribute to and/or diverge from recent scholarship on revolutions in the region?

EA: I think what distinguishes The Arab Awakening Unveiled from others is that it combines critical facts about the discourse and trajectory of the revolutions as well as neutral and in depth analysis of the monumental events that took place in the last couple of years in the heart of the Arab world. Unfortunately, such multi-dimensional analysis is absent from most English language publications about the Arab Spring phenomena. For example, many articles in the book analyze the roots and consequences of the Islamic-secular divide and how this conflict has resulted in the unsettling current state of affairs in Egypt. Another article, for instance, provides sober analysis of the possible scenarios awaiting the popular revolution turned civil war in Syria.

J: In your view, what is the most important contribution of this book?

EA: Perhaps the most important contribution is the series of essays on the Egyptian revolution, which describe and explain in detail its complexity, the real forces behind it, and its historical developments, including the role of each player in the political dynamics in Egypt in the last two years since ousting Mubarak. Moreover, the book’s prologue attempts to place the Arab Spring phenomenon in its historical context since the dawn of Western imperialism in the Arab world, as well as the centrality of Palestine in the last century within the Arab awakening conscience and resistance movements. Furthermore, the most significant challenges facing these revolutions are laid out and discussed, and thus the ultimate outcome of their success or failure will be determined based on the response to these challenges by the various political movements and the people of the region.

J: What other projects are you working on now?

EA: I am currently working on multiple projects, including a book on the history of the Palestinian issue addressed to high school students, so that it can be used as textbook or supplementary material in social studies classes. Another book I’m writing is focused on the Chronicles of the Egyptian Revolution, to be published by the revolution’s third anniversary next year.
[Read more →]

Bahraini Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab Suffering Abuse in Prison
22 April, 2013 – World Movement for Democracy

The BBC News reports that leading Bahraini democracy and human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been denied medical treatment at Jaw Prison, where he is currently serving a two-year prison sentence. According to his wife, Sumaya, Mr. Rajab suffers from a back injury he sustained in 2005 when he was beaten by police. The injury requires him to see a doctor regularly for treatment. Sumaya has asked the prison to provide him with a specialized doctor so he can receive treatment for pain that is “so severe that sometimes he cannot move,” but her requests have been repeatedly denied.

The World Movement for Democracy has written numerous alerts about Mr. Rajab, who serves as the director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). Mr. Rajab was originally sentenced to three months in prison for a tweet, and then to three years in prison for participating in and calling for a peaceful protest. That sentence was later reduced to two years.

According to a statement released on April 22 regarding Mr. Rajab’s ill-treatment and continued imprisonment, the GCHR “believes that these actions are directly related to his human rights work in Bahrain.” The World Movement for Democracy strongly urges the Bahraini Government to grant Nabeel Rajab immediate access to medical treatment, and joins the GCHR in calling for his immediate release and that of all of his fellow prisoners of conscience and activists. …more

Bahrain blocks visit of UN torture rapporteur
By Bill Law – BBC News – 23 April, 2013

The Bahraini government has postponed indefinitely a visit by Juan Mendez the UN special rapporteur on torture.

According to the country’s official news agency the trip has been called off “until further notice”.

This comes just days after the release of a US State Department report on human rights in Bahrain which spoke of “significant” violations including torture in detention.

The Gulf kingdom has been wracked by civil unrest for two years.

The violence has left at least 50 people dead.

An independent enquiry established by King Hamad al-Khalifa in 2011 found that there had been numerous abuses. The king accepted the report and promised accountability and reform.

But human rights organisations in Bahrain and outside the country say that the promised reforms are happening either too slowly or not at all. And they allege that human rights abuses are continuing.

The US State Department Bahrain 2012 Human Rights Report spoke of “serious human rights problems,” including “citizens’ inability to change their government peacefully; arrest and detention of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to their torture in detention; and lack of due process in trials of political and human rights activists”.

Mr Mendez had originally intended to visit Bahrain in 2012 but that too was called off. Pointing to this second postponement Brian Dooley of US based Human Rights First called the decision “a huge blow to the credibility of Bahrain’s reform process”.

“It seems like the Bahrain regime is frightened of what more international scrutiny might reveal. It’s very telling that they’ve shut Mendez out again,” said Mr Dooley.

A spokesperson in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) described the decision as “disappointing” and noted that Alistair Burt, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State had raised the issue with the Bahraini government “stressing the importance we and the international community place on the visit”.

The FCO said: “We hope that a new date for this visit can be found soon.” …more

Bahrain: Protests for democracy defy the ‘Formula of Blood’
23 April, 2013 – Socialist Worker

Yusur Al Bahrani looks how the arrival of the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain has sparked off a new round of protests

Thousands of outraged protesters could not stop the controversial Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain.

But they have exposed the brutality of the regime and attracted global attention.

The Bahraini government tried to use the race to paper over grave ongoing human rights abuses.

Thousands took to the streets in a series of protests a week prior to the race and during it, under the slogan “democracy is our right”.

Bahraini security forces killed one peaceful protester, Salah Abbas, during last year’s Formula One race.

Since then the government has increased its crackdown on peaceful protesters, activists and ordinary people.

People in Bahrain call the race “Formula of Blood”.

Many protested peacefully. Formula One organisers have shamelessly ignored the concerns of people in Bahrain.

Ali Salman, secretary general of the Al-Wefaq opposition party, agreed to meet Formula One’s boss, Bernie Ecclestone.

But the meeting never took place.

The opposition wanted to explain the rightful demands of the people in Bahrain that Formula One organisers ignored.

On 20 April, protesters tried to march to the Pearl Roundabout, which is known as Martyrs’ Roundabout.

Tens were arrested and injured. Government forces then raided homes hunting for activists.

Alaa Shehabi is a Bahraini woman activist who posted on Twitter about her horrific experience during the day.

She wrote, “Police have locked us up in a room. Women beaten up. Used CSS Spray (tear gas). Can hear screams upstairs. Shooting from upstairs.”

Revolutionary youths bought Formula One tickets and burnt them during protests.

Some youths burned tyres and filled the skies with black smoke that was captured by the cameras during the race.

The government of Bahrain considers burning tyres a terrorist act.

Yet it is the one of the few means of peaceful resistance for angry young protesters.

Minors have been detained, tried, and given harsh sentences under an anti-terrorism law that criminalises young protesters who burn tyres or block roads.

Nabeel Rajab, the president of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said during last year’s Formula One, “We would prefer if it they didn’t take part.

“I am sure the drivers and teams respect human rights.”

He is now serving a two?year sentence for peacefully exercising his right of freedom of expression.

Shockingly, Ecclestone said to journalists last Saturday, “I keep asking people, ‘What human rights?’ I don’t know what they are… The rights are that people who live in the country abide by the laws of the country, whatever they are.”

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman Al-Khalifa refused to address the issue of systematic human rights abuses escalating during the race.

He said, “This weekend is really about sport”.

Now the “sport” weekend is over, but people in Bahrain continue their battle for democracy.

Hundreds have been imprisoned, while major opposition figures had their citizenships stripped.

We can help ordinary people in Bahrain by exposing the hypocrisy of the Western governments that back Al-Khalifa regime.

Bahrain: Two Girls Arrested for ‘Terror Plot’ on Formula 1 Race
By Gianluca Mezzofiore – 23 April, 2013 – IB Times

Bahraini authorities have arrested two girls for allegedly planning to attack the Sakhir race circuit during the controversial Formula 1 grand prix which took place last weekend.

AFP has named the two girls as Nafisa al-Asfur and Rihanna al-Musawi (ages unknown), and claims they will be detained for 60 days on charges of trying to “bomb the Sakhir circuit” in the run-up to the race.

State news agency BNA quoted police as saying they arrested “two girls who were trying to carry out a terrorist act at Bahrain’s international circuit in the south, as the kingdom was hosting the Formula One race”.

The Bahraini authorities refused to give further details about the suspects, but said one of them had concealed a pillow under her clothes.

They were held at the entrance to the circuit on Saturday, the second day of practice sessions. Earlier, the interior ministry said a weapons cache including 1,000 homemade firebombs was found in a warehouse.

The race went ahead without disruption despite the backdrop of daily clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police in villages outside Sakhir. A British TV crew was forced to leave the tiny Gulf kingdom after they reported on the violent clashes taking place between protesters and the government.

Tensions heightened ahead of the race after authorities launched a crackdown on opposition activists, with local sources reporting increased house raids and arbitrary detention of protesters.

Police fired tear gas and clashed with students during a raid on Jabreya Secondary School for Boys in the capital Manama last week. Students had staged a protest demanding the release of 17-year-old Hassan Humidan, arrested in the days prior the grand prix.

Pro-democracy activist and acting president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Maryam Al-Khawaja said that the “crackdown is worsening” after media and TV cameras left Bahrain at the end of the race.

“Word of advice to Bahrain regime: you can uncover millions of ‘terrorist cells’ but it won’t make the demand for rights and dignity vanish,” she tweeted.

The activist group Human Rights First has slammed the Bahraini government’s decision to cancel UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez’s visit to the country.

“Mendez was originally supposed to travel to the country in February 2012 but that visit was cancelled by the Bahrain government just a few weeks before he arrived,” said a statement.

“Despite repeated promises that he would be allowed in next month the same thing has happened again. The US government should publicly call for his immediate access to Bahrain.

“These delays only fuel the suspicion that the regime has a lot to hide.”

The Bahraini government agreed for Mendez to visit in April 2013. However, the Bahrain News Agency has recently announced his visit is to be delayed indefinitely. …more

Bahrain uprising threatens US hegemony
By Finian Cunningham – 12 November, 2012

The Western-backed Bahraini monarchy has been facing continuous street protests… since February 2011 calling for an elected government to replace decades of misrule and corruption under one family. While the self-styled royal rulers and their hangers-on live in absolute luxury -– never having worked a day in their pampered lives -– the majority of Bahrainis live in poverty and under constant harassment from regime goons and death squads hired from neighbouring Sunni countries, such as Yemen and Pakistan.”

Connecting the dots of recent dramatic events in Bahrain spells one unmistakable message — the US-backed Al Khalifa regime is on the political ropes. It is desperately trying to defeat a determined pro-democracy movement that just won’t lie down or go away.

The regime is fighting for its very survival under unrelenting pressure from the mainly Shia population, who won’t back down in their demand for human dignity and freedom, no matter how much they are brutalized and terrorized.

But it’s not just the survival of the Khalifa regime that is at stake. It’s the entire US-backed order of Arab monarchies which has been in place for over six decades, and which is now showing cracks in the dam. This order has historically guaranteed the West a reliable source of oil; and more recently it is crucial to shoring up the bankrupt petrodollar system that Anglo-American global capitalism depends on.

Moreover, the Persian Gulf Arab dictatorships are a lucrative destination for the American and British weapons industries. The latter vital interest was underscored last week by the visit of British prime minister to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — whose sole mission was to sell $9 billion-worth of fighter jets to these regimes. The Pentagon is also planning to sell Saudi Arabia $6.7 billion-worth of military transport planes, on top of the $60 billion deal signed off last year. In an age of debt-ridden American and British capitalism, the Arab dictators are vital sources of cash.

This crucial geo-strategic backdrop to Bahrain explains the escalating repression in the tiny island kingdom against civilian protesters, with a blanket ban invoked by the regime on all public demonstrations. Bloggers and organisers caught or suspected of agitating on social media have been dealt with instant imprisonment.

Then last week saw the rulers making the extraordinary Orwellian move of deleting the nationality status of 31 Bahraini pro-democracy leaders — a move that has shocked human rights observers and which contravenes the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imagine a government making its own citizens “non-nationals.” How sinister is that?

Those draconian moves followed on the heels of suspicious explosions in the capital, Manama, and earlier last month in the village of Eker, which claimed the lives of two Indian workers and a policeman, respectively. …more

Bahraini Prison Authorities Accused of Denying Medical Treatment to Nabeel Rajab
22 April, 2013 – Human Rights First

Washington, D.C. – Prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab should be given immediate access to the medical attention he requires, said Human Rights First today. Rajab, President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), is serving a two-year prison sentences for tweeting about protests, and is reportedly being denied medical treatment for a back injury.

“Nabeel shouldn’t be in prison in the first place, but while he is, Bahrain authorities have a duty to provide him with necessary medical treatment,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “Nabeel’s wife, Sumaya, told me she just spoke to her husband on the phone. She said whenever Nabeel goes to the prison clinic, he just gets the same inadequate medication and he is forced to sit or lie down most of the day because of the severe pain.”

Rajab says he has had chronic disc problems in his back since a beating by the police eight years ago and that he is being denied proper medical attention and medication. Families of other political prisoners, including that of Mahdi Abu Deeb, President of the Bahrain Teachers Association, also say necessary medical treatment is being denied to detainees.

“It’s hard to see why the Bahrain regime would want to attract more negative attention to itself by failing to treat Nabeel’s injury,” said Dooley.

Rajab is one of the most respected and well known human rights activists in the region. In 2012, Human Rights First awarded the BCHR the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty. …more

Saudi Arabia Sends More Tanks, Arms to Bahrain
22 April, 2013 – AlManar

Saudi Arabia has sent more tanks and weapons for its troops in Bahrain during the Formula One Grand Prix auto race in Manama.

F1 protestersBahrani activists said on Sunday that the tanks were sent by heavy military transport vehicles, which crossed the main bridge that links the two neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Bahraini security forces clashed with pro-democracy protesters, who held demonstrations on Sunday across the country against the Grand Prix race.

The violence erupted when police attacked protesters blocking roads in Manama. The protesters burnt tires on roads in villages outside Manama, according to witnesses.

Protests have increased in Bahrain as the Manama regime prepares to host the controversial sporting event.

On Saturday, police fired tear gas at anti-regime demonstrators calling for the cancelation of the sporting event. …source

Bahrain F1: What happens when the cameras are gone?
by Maryam Al Khawaja – 21 April, 2013 – The Independent

Should it matter that two years later, despite ongoing, grave and widespread human rights violations, the Formula One is returning to Bahrain?

Should sports and human rights be interlinked? In February 2011, hundreds of thousands of people in Bahrain took to the streets to demand self-determination, rights, and dignity.

Their basic demands were met by the regime’s horrifically violent crackdown, backed by its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and international allies. Two years later, the most prominent human rights defenders in the country remain behind bars, some of them denied family, lawyer, and hospital visits for over a month. Today, jails contain hundreds of political prisoners, excessive use of force takes place against protesters on a daily basis, reports of torture persist, hospitals are still militarized, and the culture of impunity continues. But why is any of this relevant to the Grand Prix race?

It matters for two main reasons.

The first is that holding the Formula One race in Bahrain causes human rights violations to occur. A year ago, BCHR president Nabeel Rajab (now in prison) and colleague John Lubbock wrote a joint article in the Guardian about human rights violations that occurred inside the Bahrain International Circuit; violations which continue to go without accountability. In the past week there have been around 60 arrests, most made in residential areas close to the Formula One circuit, and people are tear-gassed inside their homes. Security forces attacked 4 different high schools, like Jabreya Secondary School for Boys, conducting arrests and tear-gassing students. Despite the presence of cameras, a protester was caught on camera being beaten then arrested by security forces in Sanad in broad daylight. The practice of severely beating protesters, and the use of unofficial torture centers in Bahrain has been ongoing for more than a year now. All this is an attempt to downscale protests during the race period, meaning that for the Bahrain Grand Prix to take place, something resembling martial law is required.

The second reason is that the people of Bahrain are calling for it to be cancelled, as are local and international NGO’s, because the regime is attempting to use it for the political whitewashing of their ongoing human rights violations. Hosting the Formula One Race in Bahrain sends a message of “everything is back to business as usual”. The regime’s constant use of words like “terrorists” and “vandals” to demonize its critics is part of its campaign to push aside calls made every day for democracy as the regime continues its violent crackdown. These are terms used by the chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, Zayed AlZayani. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Bahraini’s have taken to the streets calling for the cancellation for the Formula One race, but to no avail. Their calls fell on deaf ears as security forces attacked them with teargas, stun grenades, and birdshot pellets.

Justin Gengler wrote in his Foreign Policy article “Who Needs the Bahrain Grand Prix” that:

“..the race, hosted not far from Sakhir Palace, was conceived mostly as a diversion for society’s elite, and aptly demonstrated the misplaced social and economic priorities of the ruling family.”

There are those who say that the Formula One should not be canceled, but instead used as an opportunity to get media attention for the situation on the ground. It is true that media attention is not only appreciated, but also crucial to improving the situation on the ground in Bahrain. The question is not whether Bahraini’s benefit from the media attention which will highlight their plight as they continue their struggle for rights and freedoms, but rather what takes place during the race – and more importantly, what happens after the cameras are gone.

Salah Abbas Habib was well respected amongst the protesters. He was a father of four young children, and their only provider. During last year’s race, he was stopped by security forces, severely beaten, and shot with pellets. His dead body was found the next morning.

A group of minors were arrested in April 2012 in preparation for the Formula One. Some of them were thrown off the roof of the house they were in. They were reportedly severely beaten, which in some cases amounted to torture. They remained in prison until June that year. Some are currently in hiding, because they are wanted by authorities. Others are in prison after getting sentenced. The plight of these minors did not stop with the end of the race. …more

Between Bahrain’s villages and F1 circuit, a stark contrast
20 April, 2013 – Rueters – By Alexander Dziadosz

(Reuters) – Young men hurl rocks and petrol bombs at police. Police fire tear gas and stun grenades. Thousands gather to demand an end to a Formula One car race they see as a public relations stunt to gloss over chronic human rights abuses.

But except for the odd plume of black smoke, hardly any sign of Bahrain’s two-year-old political crisis reaches the Grand Prix race site at the Sakhir circuit in the desert about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the capital Manama.

“When they talk about human rights, I don’t know what the human rights are or what it’s all about,” Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters when asked about the political situation in Bahrain.

Hosting Formula One is a point of pride for Bahrain’s rulers, who pay an estimated $40 million a year for the privilege. An image of the circuit is on the country’s half-dinar note.

Speaking a day ahead of the race, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa – seen as one of the country’s more reform-minded officials – said it was a chance to bring the country together.

“There are families out there – fathers, mothers, children – having the best times of their lives without regard to either ethnicity, sect or social income. So, I’m happy. And I go out there and I walk among the people and I’m comfortable,” he said.

SHARP CONTRASTS IN TINY COUNTRY

Along the palm-lined streets of the Formula One paddock, foreign women wear mini-skirts and sleeveless shirts – a blunt contrast to the full black dresses and veils favoured in nearby villages.

Moving just a few hundred meters can make for a dizzying transition in the country, only a quarter the size of Luxembourg. In downtown Manama and the main roads, nothing appears amiss.

But tucked just behind bland suburban strip malls, entire neighbourhoods are coated in graffiti, some decrying the race as “Formula Blood” – others calling for the downfall of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa. Bricks, broken wood, and burn marks are evidence of protests.

Many in these mostly Shi’ite villages see the race as a ploy to deceive the world into thinking there is nothing wrong in a country they say needs urgent democratic reform. Others frame it as part of the corruption they say is widespread.

“In Bahrain, Formula One brings benefits only to the individuals behind it. The people of Bahrain don’t get any benefit from the race,” said Mohamed al-Sughayer, a 61-year-old financial consultant, at a recent protest.

“Go around in any village, and would you believe this country has had oil for 80 years?”

Almost nightly clashes between protesters and police – as well as regular peaceful rallies – have hit the Gulf Arab island kingdom since pro-democracy demonstrations started in February 2011 at the height of the Arab Spring.

The Formula One race was cancelled that year during an uprising in which a government-commissioned report said 35 people died – a figure the mostly Shi’ite Muslim opposition says is too low. …more

Foreign journalists deported as Bahrain engulfed by pre-F1 protests
20 April, 2013 – RT

Two Bahraini anti-government protesters were injured on Saturday following clashes with police, who used teargas and rubber bullets. Three foreign journalists were deported from the country as F1 is to kick off.

Clashes in Bahrain have continued overnight with two people injured in an attack on police, AFP reports, adding practice sessions for Sunday’s Formula 1 race at the Sakhir circuit in the south were unaffected by the unrest.

Protests and clashes broke out in nearly 20 villages on Friday evening and night, according to Sayed Yousif al-Muhafda from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

“The riot police came and attacked them with teargas and shotguns and rubber bullets,” Muhafda said to Reuters.

Government officials have been trying to downplay the scale of violence, describing the overnight clashes as “the normal sort.”

“They are trying to exaggerate for the media before the Formula One race. They are working very hard to show a bad image of Bahrain,” Information Minister Samira Rajab said.

On Friday three journalists working for Britain’s ITV were asked to leave Bahrain. The country’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) explained the ITV team was deported because it “exercised media activities without obtaining a license from the competent authorities.”

ITV, however, insists its journalists had the media visas necessary to work in the country.

“Our news team were on assignment with visas approved by the Bahraini authorities,” a spokeswoman for ITV News is cited by The Guardian.

Last year, Bahrain denied entry to many journalists, including those representing the media holding rights to broadcast Formula 1 grand prix.

ITV Journalists were expelled on Friday, the same day the US Department of State issued its 2012 country report, pointing at Bahrain’s human rights violations.

“In practice the government limited freedom of speech and press through active prosecution of individuals under libel, slander, and national security laws; firing or attacking civilian and professional journalists; and proposing legislation to limit speech in print and social media,” the report says. …more

NGOs Release Two New Reports on Torture in Bahrain
20 April, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- REDRESS and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) issued a significant new report on torture in Bahrain.

Entitled Bahrain: Fundamental Reform or torture without end? the report describes torture as an integral part of the ongoing crisis in Bahrain, bahrainf1.wordpress.com reported.

The press release reads in part, “In 2011 the Bahrain International Commission of Inquiry (BICI) found that torture and ill-treatment had been used systematically to respond to protests in Bahrain. While the Government of Bahrain has taken some steps to implement the recommendations of the BICI, torture and ill-treatment continue and obligations towards victims have not been met.”

“Bahrain must address the legacy of torture and ill-treatment, as the practice continues to be documented in a number of different contexts, both in detention and by riot police who are ostensibly controlling protests,” said Lutz Oette, counsel at REDRESS. “Providing victims of torture and ill-treatment the reparation promised after the BICI report, and guaranteed to them under international law constitutes an overdue and important first step towards that end.”

Earlier Friday, the Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organisation (BRAVO) issued its latest report: Resurgence of Sexual Violence as a Torture Technique in Bahrain.

The report summary reads,” sexual violence in its many forms has re-emerged as a torture technique in Bahrain. The Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry report contains a disturbing litany of testimonies from victims of sexual violence occurring since February 2011.”

“Human Rights Watch had noted ongoing violations before 2010 but there has been a dramatic upsurge in rape, sodomy, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation of detainees in recent years.”

“Despite numerous testimonies and the findings of the BICI report the Bahraini government denies that sexual violence occurs in their prisons and detention centers.
Bahrain is a signatory of the Convention Against Torture and should repeal laws such as Law 56, 2002, which offers impunity for those responsible.”

BRAVO calls for an independent review of all claims of sexual violence against detainees in Bahrain under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The reports come just days after the death of Colonel Ian Henderson, a British citizen who, for several decades, headed state security in Bahrain as an advisor to the government. Grave accusations of torture have been leveled against Henderson, earning him the nickname “The Butcher of Bahrain”. In 1984, he received a CBE from Queen Elizabeth, for his “services to British interests in Bahrain”. Middle East expert Emile Nakleh, who encountered Henderson in the 1970s, wrote about him on Thursday in a piece entitled: Ian Henderson and Repression in Bahrain: A Forty-Year Legacy.
Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty. …more

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

Session: 2012-13
Date tabled: 15.04.2013
Primary sponsor: Clark, Katy
Sponsors: Anderson, David, Hemming, John, Long, Naomi, Lucas, Caroline, Slaughter, Andy

That this House calls for a boycott of the forthcoming Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix on moral grounds, given the continued human rights abuses committed by the Bahrain government against its citizens as detailed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations; believes that if it went ahead, the race would be used by the Bahrain government to present a false image to the world; is concerned that the human rights situation has not improved since the 2012 race; notes that the Bahrain government has failed to implement reforms it pledged to enact in 2011; and further notes that the Bahrain government is keeping prominent human rights defenders and political activists behind bars and continues to suppress, injure and kill peaceful protestors with excessive tear gas and birdshot. …more