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