Posts from — August 2013

Al Khalifa regime prepares bloodbath
By Finian Cunningham – 13 August, 2013 – PressTV

The scene is being prepared in Bahrain for a bloodbath following a hate-filled speech this week by Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa in which he effectively declared war on the population, equating pro-democracy protesters with terrorists and foreign agents.

“This island will burn to a cinder all those who seek to tamper with its security and stability,” said the Khalifa premier. This corrupt ruler should be arrested for inciting mass murder, and yet the British and American government sponsors of the Bahraini regime say nothing of condemnation. Indeed, these Western governments and their silent news media are complicit in the crimes against humanity in Bahrain.

Khalifa bin Salman is the oldest unelected prime minister in the world, holding office since 1971 when the Persian Gulf kingdom was granted nominal independence by Britain. One of the richest men in the world, he is notorious for plundering the oil wealth of the Bahraini people for his own aggrandizement and that of this crony family – all with British and American government approval.

Earlier this month the Western-backed Khalifa regime invoked even more draconian police-state emergency powers via its unelected rubber-stamp parliament. These powers criminalize all public demonstrations and free speech. The regime has thus given itself a legalistic green light to allow its mercenary police to use lethal force against pro-democracy protests, and to carry out mass arrests and disappearances of anyone it smears as “inciting hatred and violence”.

This applies to the majority of Bahrain’s mainly Shia population who for the past two years (and decades before that) have been demanding an elected representative government to replace the Khalifa absolute monarchial dictatorship.

The Khalifa elite is a Sunni clan, originally from Central Arabia, who were imposed on Bahrain’s indigenous population under the British Empire. Since 1783, the Khalifa regime has subjugated the Bahraini people with oppressive laws and all forms of exploitation, while denying their democratic right of national self-determination.

In recent months, the regime has stepped up its brutal repression towards the Shia population – some 70 per cent of nation. House raids by masked plain-clothed paramilitaries have targeted villages across the island hauling off hundreds of civilians to unknown detention centers.

Among those disappeared are human rights activists, citizen journalists, photographers and lawyers, women and children. This targeting is a deliberate state terrorist measure to silence reports of the crimes that the regime is escalating against the populace.

Some of those detained include award-winning photographers Hussain Hubail and Ahmed Humaidan, as well as journalist Mohammed Hassan.

Bahraini legal sources attest that the detainees have been subjected to torture and gross mistreatment. Another unlawfully detained is female peace activist Rihanna al-Musawi. The mother of three has also been tortured, including being stripped naked in front of male guards and beaten. Her abuses include having her head shoved down a toilet.

Bahrain is thus being sealed off from the outside world, with Western complicity, so that the regime can step up its slaughter of innocent civilians.

In tandem, there is evidence that the Khalifa dictatorship is being supervised by Western intelligence in ways to intensify the repression. Britain has always retained a tight relationship with their Khalifa stooges, ever since nominal independence.

This week marks the country’s so-called Independence Day on 14th August, when
British troops vacated the island in 1971. The occasion should really be called Dependence Day because of the parasitic relationship that Britain holds over Bahrain, with the Khalifa regime serving as the local enforcer of British interests against the democratic aspirations of the majority.

Since 1971 to this day, the Khalifa apparatus of repression and torture is maintained through British security intelligence and expertise. The United States is also a guarantor of Khalifa repression through the presence of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet base. But it is Britain that oversees the nitty-gritty of Bahrain’s barbarity. …more

Bahrain : Torture and incommunicado detention of Mr Mohamed Hassan and detention of his lawyer Mr Abdul Aziz Moussa
Mohamed HassanMohamed Hassan
9 August, 2013- Front Line Defenders

On 7 August 2013, human rights defender and blogger Mr Mohamed Hassan was led before the General Prosecutor in Manama following more than a week of incommunicado detention. Subsequently, his lawyer Mr Abdul Aziz Moussa was detained on 8 August 2013 after he reported on Twitter the visible signs of torture he had seen on Mohamed Hassan.

Before his arbitrary arrest on 31 July 2013, Mohamed Hassan acted as a media contact point for various foreign news stories, which included coverage of anti-government protests and police crackdowns in Bahrain.

On 31 July 2013, Mohamed Hassan was taken from his home by masked men, associated with the Ministry of Interior, and detained incommunicado at the Criminal Investigation Department. He was brought to a meeting with the General Prosecutor on 3 August for which he was denied legal counsel, and charged with “calling for gatherings”.

On 7 August, for the first time, he was able to access legal representation, and was further charged with “operating accounts that call for changing the regime”, “inciting hatred of the regime” and “calling to disobey the law”. Mohamed Hassan remains in detention at El-Hod El-Gaf prison for a period of 45 days pending an investigation.

After the meeting of 7 August, Mohamed Hassan’s lawyer, Abdul Aziz Moussa, reported visible signs of torture on his client’s arms on his Twitter account, confirming the human rights defender’s reports that he had been subjected to torture while in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department. Subsequently, the human rights lawyer was summoned for an interrogation on 8 August. The authorities claimed that Abdul Aziz Moussa had “disclosed confidential information about the investigation”, and decided to keep the lawyer in detention for a week pending investigation.

The support Mohamed Hassan provided to international media, such as The Sunday Telegraph, has previously made him a target for the Bahraini authorities. In June 2012, he was summoned for interrogation and accused of “writing for a website without a license” – an act that does not in fact require a license in Bahrain. He was also arrested on two consecutive days, 21 and 22 April 2012, while accompanying press groups. On the former occasion, he reported being beaten on the leg with a gun barrel. On both days he was released without charges.

The current detention of Mohamed Hassan is part of an alarming wave of suppressive actions targeting human rights defenders and peaceful protesters. The clampdown has intensified in recent days, particularly targeting individuals perceived as sympathetic to the “tamarrod” movement, which calls for a nation-wide protest on 14 August 2013.

On 28 July 2013, the Bahraini National Assembly made a series of alarming recommendations in an extraordinary session, such as “banning sit-ins, rallies and gatherings in the capital Manama”, which, in addition to constituting a violating of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, could potentially sanction in advance repressive actions against peaceful human rights activities, and exclude them from appeal or Royal pardon.

Front Line Defenders considers that the arrest and detention of Mohamed Hassan and Abdul Aziz Moussa to be directly related to their activities in defence of human rights. In the light of the credible reports that Mohamed Hassan was tortured while in custody, Front Line Defenders fears that the safety and the physical and psychological integrity of Mohamed Hassan and Abdul Aziz Moussa are at serious risk. …more

Bahrain: Urgent appeal in relation to the arrest and detention of Mr Mohammed Hassan, Mr Hussain Hubail and Mr Qassim Zain Aldeen
ARTICLE 19 – 08 Aug 2013

To the Special Rapporteur:

We respectfully request that you consider this urgent appeal in relation to the arrest and arbitrary detention by the Government of Bahrain of blogger Mohammed Hassan, freelance photographer Hussain Hubail and freelance cameraman Qassim Zain Aldeen. We request that you urgently intervene to secure their immediate release and declare their arrest and continuing incommunicado detention a gross violation of their human rights, including the right not to be arbitrarily detained as protected by Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the right to freedom of expression as protected by Article 19 ICCPR. In addition, Mr Hassan was reported to show signs of torture, which is a violation of his rights under Article 7 ICCPR and Bahrain’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture.

Arrest and detention of Mr Mohammed Hassan

Mr Mohammed Hassan is a 28-year old independent blogger who has been publishing on human rights and politics in Bahrain since 2007. He was arrested and taken from his house by masked security agents at 2:00 in the morning on 31 August 2013.[1] Mr Hassan was not presented with an arrest warrant and his computer and phone were confiscated. He was taken away from his home without any indication as to where he would be taken. Later reports said that Mr Hassan was transferred to Dry Dock Prison, the Ministry of Interior’s short-term detention unit where the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights recently reported an escalation of the harassment of detainees,[2] and that he showed signs of torture. He has not had access to legal counsel and his family has not been notified of his whereabouts.

Allegedly, Mr Hassan is being accused of being a member of the 14 February media group.[3] He has been harassed and detained because of his work several times since the beginning of 2012. In June 2012, he was summoned for questioning about his writing as well as his alleged involvement in the Bahraini opposition. In addition to writing his blog,[4] which he stopped doing on 29 April 2013, Mr Hassan worked as a fixer for several news organisations.

Arrest and detention of Mr Hussain Hubail

Mr Hussain Hubail is a 20-year old a freelance photographer of opposition protests in Bahrain. He was also arrested on 31 August 2013, upon which he disappeared at Bahrain airport.[5] The only sign from him since has been a 36 seconds call to his family, which took place several days after his arrest. His family has not been informed of Mr Hubail’s whereabouts and is concerned he might be exposed to torture. Mr Hubail has also not had access to legal counsel.

Allegedly, Mr Hubail also faces accusations of being a member of the 14 February media group. His work has been published by Agence France-Presse, Voice of America[6] and various other news outlets. Earlier this year, Mr Hubail was awarded a photography prize by independent newspaper Al-Wasat for his photo capturing protesters amidst teargas at a demonstration.[7]

Arrest and detention of Mr Qassim Aldeen

Mr Qassim Zain Aldeen is a 25-year old freelance cameraman who films opposition protests in Bahrain. He was arrested on Friday 2 August and taken to an unknown location. Until this moment, his family has been unable to obtain any information on his whereabouts from the authorities. It is also not known on grounds of which alleged criminal offence Mr Aldeen was arrested.

Mr Aldeen’s work is published by local websites and blogs. He was previously arrested and detained for over 6 months in 2012.

Request for urgent action

Mr Hassan, Mr Hubail and Mr Aldeen were arrested without being shown an arrest warrant and without any indication as to what they were being arrested for. They are being held at undisclosed locations, without access to legal counsel or their relatives. When Mr Hassan was last seen, he showed signs of torture. Whatever the formal charges may be that they face, there are strong suspicions that their arrest and detention is in fact related to their work as independent journalists; Mr Hassan, Mr Hubail and Mr Aldeen all published on matters unfavourable to the Bahraini government and were previously harassed and even arrested because of their work. …more

Bahraini rights groups reach out to international community for help ahead of mass protests
6 August, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights – ifex

In the past few weeks, the human rights situation in Bahrain has been rapidly deteriorating ahead of planned mass protests on 14 August. With many of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders behind bars, local NGOs have inadequate resources to keep up with the unfolding situation, and it is becoming increasingly challenging for them to ensure the safety of their members.

Bahraini human rights defenders should not be left to stand alone. We urge international human rights organizations to attempt to visit Bahrain over the coming week, in order to document and monitor ongoing protests, especially on 14 August when Bahrain is expected to come under lockdown. The government has already declared that all protests in the capital Manama are banned.

International human rights organizations have done a good job of highlighting the human rights situation in Bahrain, though their physical presence in the country has been lacking due to a state policy of controlled access. Nonetheless, their presence is important, as witnesses and in solidarity with those fighting for justice, human rights, and democracy.

We call on mainstream media networks to dedicate particular attention to the situation in Bahrain in the build up to August 14 and to send journalists into the country. What happens in the coming week could be critical.

To the government of Bahrain’s closest allies; Mr. David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, we urge you to remain neutral, if not supportive of the peoples’ right to self-determination. This is not a call for intervention, but rather we urge you to live up to claims of ethical foreign policies that take human rights into consideration and to end your active support of the government of Bahrain.

Finally, we call on the United Nations and its Special Rapporteurs to be proactive and to reiterate the rights of Bahrainis to free speech, freedom of assembly, the right to adequate medical care, and to pressure the authorities to refrain from using force, particularly tear gas and birdshot, ahead of August 14. Public statements reminding those who are responsible of guaranteeing these rights are needed as well as activating direct channels with officials in such positions.

For the past two and a half years, the Bahraini regime has failed to realize its pledges to implement both the Universal Periodic Review and Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recommendations. Domestic and international accountability mechanisms have so far failed, and Bahrainis have decided that 14 August is another step in the current struggle for justice.

We, the undersigned, will be on the ground in Bahrain during this period to monitor and observe the human rights situation. We hope that you will commit time, resources, and effort to support HRDs in the country in any capacity.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Other signatories
Bahrain Human Rights Society
European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights
Bahrain Watch
Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights
Bahrain Human Rights Observatory
…source

S&P downgrades Bahrain’s Al Baraka Bank to junk status
by Abhinav Ramnarayan – 8 August, 2013 – Reuters

LONDON, Aug 8 (IFR) – Bahraini lender Al Baraka has been downgraded to junk status by Standard & Poor’s, the only credit rating agency that rates the bank.

The Islamic lender’s rating was reduced from BBB- to BB+ with a negative outlook on the back of increased sovereign and economic risk in the regions where it operates, S&P said in a statement.

The move follows the ratings firm’s review of the sovereign credit-worthiness of some of the countries where Al Baraka operates, particularly Egypt and Jordan.

“We expect the operating environment and credit conditions in the MENA region, especially Jordan and Egypt, to remain tough over the coming 12-18 months. Consequently, we foresee an adverse impact on (Al Baraka’s) business and financial profiles,” S&P said.

The negative outlook reflects S&P’s view that the lender’s capitalisation could deteriorate if, for instance, Egypt defaults and economic conditions worsen in Jordan.

This is the first time that Al Baraka has been downgraded since S&P first gave it a rating of BBB- in 2007.

Earlier this week, the lender said that net income for the second quarter of 2013 rose 11 percent from a year ago to $42 million. …source

‘Hooligans in US government have no idea as to how Iran sanctions harm America’ – expert
Evgeny Sukhoi – Voice of Russia -7 August, 2013

The US Senate continues to pressure Barack Obama, this time not regarding his planned meeting with Vladimir Putin, but concerning Iran and its nuclear program. The Senators believe America should increase sanctions on the country following the election of Iran’s new president. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani gave his first press conference in Teheran advising other nations to “speak to Iran through the language of respect, not through the language of sanctions”. The Voice of Russia discussed the situation with Shabbir Razvi, a political analyst and director of the International Dialogue Foundation from London.

Why do you think the US Senate is urging for tougher sanctions on Iran without even waiting for any tangible moves on the part of Teheran and the newly elected president?

It is quite curious and really paradoxical in the manner in which the Congress and the Senate are operating in the US. There are mixed signals coming out from the USA, the White House spokesman talks about establishing better relationships while at the same time the Congress has already passed further tightening and extreme sanction and 76 US Senators are urging president Barack Obama to toughen the line against Iran. I think the hooligans who occupy the Senate and Congress really have no idea as to how they are actually harming the US by continuing these sanctions against Iran.

Obviously Iran is facing a challenge, the economic challenge internally and trading issues with oil and other items that Iran may require. However not doing business with Iran it is America that is losing out at this moment.

So, that is from a purely business point of view if you like. But from a political and international fallout it clearly shows that US policy makers are not really thinking of the American individuals, the US nationals but perhaps have been guided by another nation who wants to have a belligerent approach to Iran. I really can’t see what is in it for the US by continuing these extreme sanctions against Iran.

Would it be wise for the US to maintain an aggressive approach towards Iran in the current situation?

The US policy makers are keep on saying that all options are on the table. When they say “all options”, obviously they are saying “more threatening, more sanctions”, and Mr. Rouhani is trying to have a new rapprochement with the US and European nations and I think it is a great opportunity for us living in the UK and others in the US and so on to take this opportunity that Iran is providing rather than continuing with the same stories that is continued for the last 35 years since the inception of the Islamic revolution in Iran.

I am sure your listeners would recall that Iran had a war of 8 years which was inflicted upon it by Saddam Hussein who was really an instrument of what the west wanted to do to emasculate Islamic revolution at that time and continuously after that Iran surrounded by American forces in Qatar, in Bahrain, in Saudi Arabia, in Kuwait, all over the place in Gulf region.

So, really at the end of the day I think Iran is giving an opportunity for our policy makers in Washington, London and Paris to have a more sensible approach and approach that will be beneficial for all humanity rather than trying to threaten Iran and not really giving it due dignity that Iran deserves.

Rouhani says Iran is ready to have serious talks with the West, however, in the past such talks did not bring any substantial results. Do you think the country’s new president really means what he is saying now?

I think not only Mr. Rouhani, but previous leaders, Mr. Khatami or Mr. Rafsanjani and others, because Iran has had 7 presidents, even Mr. Ahmadinejad who has been portrayed as some vicious character also provided an opportunity for Washington, London and Paris to have more sensible approach to Iran but there has always been pressure on the policy makers in Washington from Israel, if you like, to continue in the same vein, trying to isolate Iran, trying to put sanctions.

When you think about economic crisis that we are facing in Europe and America with high unemployment, with austerity measures and so on, it really smacks off cutting one’s nose despite one face by putting extra sanctions on Iran, we are closing the opportunities for our businesses, our export houses to benefit with trade from Iran. …source

Saudi Arabia Donates $100 Million to UN Counter-Terrorism Centre
7 August, 2013 – By Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office

WASHINGTON – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated $100 million to the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT). The announcement was made tonight in Makkah during King Abdullah’s annual Eid Al-Fitr address following the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“I announce the donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of $100 million to support this center and work for its activation under the umbrella of the United Nations, calling on all other nations to take part in support of this center to get rid of the forces of hatred, extremism and criminality as this is the inevitable duty for whoever sees that terrorism is a demolishing tool that aims at threatening the world security and peace,” said King Abdullah in his speech, which was delivered on his behalf by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja.

Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir commended the donation, stating, “This tremendous contribution reflects King Abdullah’s commitment and determination to enhance international cooperation to fighting terrorism.”

Under the directives of King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia has forged partnerships with foreign governments and multilateral organizations to protect national security and reinforce counterterrorism strategies.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with the United Nations to create the UNCCT and donated $10 million to its establishment. The initiative for this center was conceived in 2005, when King Abdullah held the Counter-Terrorism International Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The center is located at the UN headquarters in New York City. UNCCT works with experts to discuss counterterrorism related subjects and reinforce current United Nations counterterrorism initiatives. …more

The history of British involvement in Bahrain’s internal security
by Marc Owen – 8 August, 2013 – openSecurity

John Yates is only the most recent Briton to be given a public role in Bahrain’s internal security. Since founding the Bahraini police force, the British influence is as strong as ever.

Britain has played a prominent role in protecting Bahrain’s government and its Ruling Family from internal and external threats ever since Bahrain became an informal protectorate in 1861. This protection has ranged from overt strategies, such as direct military intervention, to subtle ones, such as the export of surveillance technologies for use by Bahrain’s Ministry of the Interior. Even after Bahrain’s Independence in 1971, Britain has continued to play an important, albeit less direct role in Bahrain’s internal and external security.

As recently as 2012, an agreement concerning military cooperation was signed between the two countries. In 2011 ex assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police John Yates was brought in to reform the Bahrain police after they brutally repressed the pro-democratic uprising of 2011. But Yates is only the most recent Briton to be given a public role, albeit as a private citizen, since Bahrain’s independence. The British relationship was foundational for Bahrain’s security sector, and is as strong as ever: perhaps less direct, but no less insidious.
From protection to intervention

In order secure their domination of trade routes to India, the British conducted a series of treaties with tribal leaders along the Persian Coast in the 1800s. The first of these agreements was the General Maritime Treaty of 1820, and it recognised the Al Khalifa as the legitimate rulers of Bahrain. A subsequent agreement, the ‘Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship’, turned Bahrain into an informal protectorate of Britain in 1861. However, in exchange for control over Bahrain’s foreign policy, Britain were now bound to protect the Bahraini government from external aggression.

Despite the so-called treaty of ‘friendship’, most British administrators despised the Ruling Family, with one official describing them as ‘uneducated, vain, lazy, and inclined to oppress’. Britain’s relationship with the Al Khalifa grew progressively worse in the 1920s, when the Ruling Family’s oppression of the indigenous Shia Baharna increased. Persia, incensed by the maltreatment of their Shia co-religionists, threatened to go before the League of Nations to complain how British protection allowed the Al Khalifas to oppress with impunity.

In an attempt to address this disquiet from Persia, at that time an important ally, Britain took increasing responsibility for Bahrain’s internal security policy, and imposed a number of reforms – including the creation of a police force. Britain also deposed the recalcitrant ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Isa bin Ali Khalifa, and put Isa’s weaker son Hamad on the throne. Hamad was given a force of mostly Baluchi troops to deter Isa and his allies from engaging in further acts of oppression against the Baharna. This force promised to be a more efficient security solution for the British, whose coercive methods prior to the 1920s revolved around the use of gunboats to intimidate belligerent tribal elements. …more

BAE: Bahrain eyes Eurofighter
8 August, 2013 – Ma’an New

LONDON, England (AFP) — Bahrain is interested in buying the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, British defense group BAE Systems said on Wednesday.

“Bahrain has expressed an interest in Typhoon and the UK government is leading very early discussions. BAE Systems is supporting the UK government in these discussions,” a BAE Systems spokeswoman said.

Bahrain’s King Hamad held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on Tuesday.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is made by BAE Systems in a consortium with the European airspace groups EADS and Finmeccanica of Italy.

BAE and Saudi Arabia signed a £4.5-billion ($7.0-billion) deal in 2007 to supply seventy-two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Riyadh, but the contract has faced obstacles over the cost.

Oman, a Gulf state which like Bahrain has close links to Britain, ordered twelve of the jets last year.

BAE Systems also hopes to sell sixty of the jets to the United Arab Emirates, where it is facing competition from the Rafale jet made by France’s Dassault Aviation.

Bahrain has been rocked by Shiite-led protests since 2011, which has forced its allies such as Britain to review the defense equipment that it exports to the Gulf state.…more

US; the real global terror alert
6 August, 2013 – By Finian Cunningham

Sixty-eight years ago this week, the United States wiped out more than 200,000 people when it dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Tens of thousands more victims were to die over the ensuing years due to slow, painful deaths from cancers and birth defects.

Yet the US – the only state to have ever used atomic weapons – has never apologized or made any atonement for this singularly horrific crime. Officially, the US justifies it as a legitimate attack during war even though many historical sources show that there was absolutely no military necessity for the bombings.

Even former president and top military commander Dwight Eisenhower would later go on record as saying that the A-bomb attacks on Japan in August 1945 were completely unnecessary.

The unleashing of the atomic infernos on mostly civilian populations was simply this: an act of supreme terrorism. It was an act of barbarity callously calculated by the US planners to demonstrate their country’s demonic power to the rest of the world – and the Soviet Union in particular. This premeditated rationale makes it an unpardonable crime of the highest order.

Fast-forward sixty-eight years on, the US government has this week issued a global terror alert, closing down more than 20 diplomatic sites across the world and vacating staff from various countries. Following suit are the British and French governments who have shut their embassies in Yemen on the basis of an unspecified, secret terror alert issued by Washington.

The rest of the world is thus obliged to believe the word of Washington over this unverifiable warning.

Of course, it is a propaganda stunt, aimed at renewing the whole fraudulent ‘war on terror’ charade and distracting from recent politically embarrassing developments, such as the vast scope of illegal surveillance against US citizens and the rest of the world; or the increasing public awareness of the collusion between American and Western intelligence and regime-change terrorism in Syria.

This is the same American political establishment that launched wars on Afghanistan and Iraq on the back of spurious and outright mendacious claims over the alleged 9/11 terror attacks and weapons of mass destruction.

This is the same government, along with Britain and France, that secretly claims the Syrian armed forces of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons – when the hard evidence is that it is actually the US-backed foreign mercenaries who have launched these weapons to kill civilians.

This week, the US military killed more people in Yemen with its assassination drones under presidential executive orders, just as it has done every week over the past 10 years as it wages covert and overt criminal wars in several countries simultaneously.

These US-led wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Libya and Syria have caused as many as two million, mainly civilian, deaths.

And yet ludicrously, the US government is putting the world on alert against terrorism. Even more ludicrously, the Western news media are amplifying this warning from the world’s biggest terrorist state as if it is a benign service to international public safety.

In this awful anniversary week of Hiroshima and Nagasaki it is rather astounding that the perpetrator of that genocide is still strutting the globe as if it is God almighty. On a global terrorist offender list, the United States is the paramount offender without compare. …more

Iran’s leader reaches out to U.S., vows to resolve nuclear row
6 August, 2013 – By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s incoming President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday offered an olive branch to the United States in talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, raising hopes of progress after years of stalemate.

Rouhani, seen in the West as a relatively moderate leader, told his first news conference since taking the oath on Sunday that he was “seriously determined” to resolve the dispute and was ready to enter “serious and substantive” negotiations.

Hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue have risen with Rouhani’s victory over conservative rivals in June, when voters chose him to replace hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a cleric whose watchword is “moderation”.

Western countries and Israel have said in the past that they believed Iran was trying to achieve nuclear weapons capability, but Tehran says its program is purely for peaceful needs.

Rouhani said Iran would not abandon its nuclear program, which it would uphold “on the basis of international law”.

“We will not do away with the right of the nation,” the 64-year-old said.

“However, we are for negotiations and interaction. We are prepared, seriously and without wasting time, to enter negotiations which are serious and substantive with the other side.”

“If the other party is also prepared like we are, then I am confident that the concerns of both sides will be removed through negotiations within a period which will not be very long.”

LAST TALKS DEADLOCKED

His words were likely to reinforce a sense of cautious optimism in the West, despite the fact that negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have long frustrated both sides.

The last high-level talks between Iran and world powers – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – were held in April and failed to break the deadlock.

Since Rouhani’s victory at the polls, the United States has said it would be a “willing partner” if Iran was serious about finding a peaceful solution to the issue.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki qualified those remarks on Tuesday.

Rouhani’s inauguration “presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community’s deep concerns over their nuclear program,” she said.

But Psaki added, “there are steps they need to take to meet their international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, and the ball is in their court.”

Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator, dodged a question on whether he would like to meet President Barack Obama during a visit to the United Nations in New York.

“If we see there is no covert secret agenda and there are good intentions, who will be meeting and who will be negotiating, these will be sideline issues,” Rouhani said with a wry smile.

Hoping to seize on Rouhani’s appointment, Russia on Tuesday said fresh talks between Iran and world powers must not be delayed and should take place by mid-September. Rouhani has yet to name his nuclear negotiator.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking during a visit to Italy, said Russia “absolutely agreed” with Rouhani, and criticized moves to tighten sanctions against Iran, saying it was a time for dialogue, not ultimatums.

“Now it is critical to support the constructive approach of the Iranian leadership,” he said in comments carried on Russian news agencies.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is due to meet Rouhani for the first time as president in September.

In a letter to the new leader on Tuesday, the European Union said Rouhani had “a strong mandate to engage in dialogue” and added that it hoped for a new round of talks “as soon as practicable.”

SANCTIONS RANKLE

Rouhani warned against what he called the “carrot and stick” approach of the United States of offering talks and at the same time ratcheting up sanctions, which have had a deepening impact on Iran’s economy over the last 18 months.

The measures have already cut Iran’s oil exports by more than half compared to pre-sanctions levels of about 2.2 million barrels per day, helping to devalue Iran’s currency and contributing to a steep rise in inflation.

“It is said (that) through sanctions they check Iran’s nuclear activities. This is totally unfounded, and they themselves are cognizant of this fact … It has nothing to do with the nuclear issue. It is pressuring people.”

Rouhani’s election has led to divisions in the United States, with Obama’s administration cautiously welcoming the prospect of new talks and many in Congress arguing that the result of the vote showed sanctions had been effective.

Washington should “realize the fact that the solution is solely through talks and the threats will not solve any problem,” Rouhani said.

“If anyone thinks through threats they can impose their will on the Iranian nation, they are making a very big mistake. This dual approach will not yield any result. This brings into question the honesty of American officials.”

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pressure on Iran had, in fact, been effective.

“Iran’s president said that pressure won’t work. Not true! The only thing that has worked in the last two decades is pressure,” he said in a statement.

“And the only thing that will work now is increased pressure. I have said that before and I’ll say it again, because that’s important to understand. You relent on the pressure, they will go all the way. You should sustain the pressure”.

Rouhani blamed what he called a “war-mongering group” in the U.S. House of Representatives for voting last week to increase sanctions on Iran.

Referring to Israel, he said the group “pursues the interests of a foreign country and receives most of its orders from the same country … even U.S. interests are not being considered”.

The United States and Israel have said all options, including military action, are open to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear arms. …source

Germany scraps old surveillance pact with US, Britain over NSA leaks
2 august, 2013 – RT

Germany has dissolved a fifty-years-old surveillance pact with the United States and Britain in response to a “debate about protecting personal privacy” in the country, which was sparked by revelations of the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The agreement that dated back to the late 1960s gave the US, Britain and France the right to request German authorities carry out surveillance operations so as to protect their troops stationed within the country.

“The cancellation of the administrative agreements, which we have pushed for in recent weeks, is a necessary and proper consequence of the recent debate about protecting personal privacy,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement on Friday.

Germany was currently in talks with France to cancel its part of the agreement as well, a German official told AP on condition of anonymity.

Following Snowden’s leaks, which disclosed the span of the NSA surveillance program and revealed that Germany is the most spied on EU country by the US, there has been a heated nationwide debate on whether the alleged massive privacy breach of German citizens should have been allowed.

The documents leaked Snowden say that the US spy agency combs through half a billion of German phone calls, emails and text messages on a monthly basis.

Weeks before German national elections, the country’s opposition parties demanded to clarification to what extent the government knew of the NSA’s intelligence gathering in Germany. This comes amid reports of seemingly close ties the two national spy agencies – the NSA and the BND – have had over the years.

German government officials have insisted that American and British intelligence agencies were never given permission to break Germany’s strict privacy laws. …more

Pre-emptive Crackdown in Bahrain against planned Tamarrod protests
2 August, 2013 – bahrain Watch

The Bahrain government is currently engaged in a new crackdown on activists and wider civil liberties. In the past few days alone, dangerous new legislation has been introduced, there have been many arrests including prominent activists, and the government has “sanctioned a witch hunt” through the creation of a “hotline” for citizens to report websites and social media accounts deemed to be against “public interests and targeting national unity and civic peace”. Security has been ratcheted up with reports of increased police presence in many different areas. Three deaths have occurred over the past week in “suspicious” circumstances, according to the opposition. All involved traffic accidents. Hussain Kadhem was in police custody at the time of his death. Two youths were fugitives when they were killed. Their family believe they were being chased by police. Meanwhile another protester is intensive care after being run down.

The government’s crackdown comes in advance of August 14th, when opposition groups are preparing a day of mass protest under the banner ‘Bahrain Tamarrod’ (Rebellion). The date is also symbolic. It marks the day when Bahrain gained independence from Britain in 1971 and has long been an occasion for opposition protest as the Bahrain government refuses to celebrate it. Bahrain Tamarrod was first announced on July 4th. The idea quickly gained support from the full spectrum of opposition groups and societies. On July 15th, Government Spokesperson Sameera Rajab warned against “involvement” with the movement. Despite this, popular support for Bahrain Tamarrod grew, whilst pro-government supporters and politicians began to escalate their calls for a crackdown.

On Sunday, July 28th, the National Assembly met to discuss new “anti-terrorism” legislation, having been recalled by King Hamad a few days prior. The politicians made a series of recommendations which were quickly supported by a range of government officials, including the Prime Minister, Crown Prince and even the Human Rights Minister. The recommendations were condemned by the opposition and by multiple local and international NGOs, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First.

The government has wasted no time in implementing them. On July 29th, King Hamad wrote to the Prime Minister, reportedly calling for “essential speedy implementation of these recommendations”. The Prime Minister subsequently directed “all ministries and concerned departments” start working on their implementation. He then chaired an extraordinary session of the Cabinet, who claimed that the recommendations would “inaugurate a new era of security, stability and safety in Bahrain.” In contrast, the BBC’s Bill Law wrote: “The recommendations if implemented in full would effectively return the country to a state of martial law.” …more

Banana Republic Without Bananas
An Impending Bloodbath in Egypt: Will It Break the Coup?
by ESAM AL-AMIN – 1 August, 2013 – CounterPunch

There is no parallel in modern history to the recent events in Egypt, which have so quickly and effortlessly stripped people of their will. Within a year, the nation that went to the polls in free and fair elections to elect the lower and upper houses of parliament, choose the first civilian president in a multi-candidate race, and approve a new constitution, remarkably witnessed the reversal and invalidation of its nascent democratic institutions. After the triumph of the great Egyptian uprising in February 2011, such a tragic outcome was not the anticipated feat of its promising trajectory.

But the setback to the march of freedom and democracy in a region that has been plagued with despotism, repression, foreign domination, and corruption, could not have taken place without the active scheming and subversive action by myriad players led by the fulool counter-revolutionaries, or Mubarak loyalists and corrupt oligarchs, as well as the “deep state,” which is a decades-old web of corruption and special interests entrenched within the state’s institutions. Former justice minister Ahmad Makki detailed in recent interviews the depth of the entrenched elements of Mubarak loyalists including the judiciary, which actively undermined Morsi’s introduction of real reforms. Other actors who were dismayed by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the Islamists in general, also played a critical role in dislodging them from power and creating a constitutional crisis. These players have not only included most secular, liberal and leftist parties and elites, but have also involved foreign powers such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which saw the Egyptian revolution as a threat to their interests. Moreover, youth groups and ordinary citizens were frustrated with the slow progress in fulfilling the declared promises of the revolution, namely “decent living, freedom, social justice, and human dignity.”

A Military Coup with Civilian Co-conspirators

As I argued before, the July 3 military coup was not in response to calls for a second wave of the revolution as falsely presented by the anti-Morsi forces. It was a determined and well-orchestrated plot to oust the democratically elected president after a single year in power. One of the co-conspirators, Mona Makram Ebeid, plainly exposed some of the details in her speech before the Middle East Institute (MEI) on July 11. Ebeid is a veteran of Egyptian politics, jumping between the regime de jure and the opposition. She was not only appointed to the legislature by Mubarak as well as Morsi, but she also served as an advisor to the Military Council during the transitional period. As a Coptic Christian woman who espoused a secular outlook, she embodied the elements of an ideal minority representative. She was also appointed to the Constitutional Constituent Assembly –  the body charged with writing the constitution – before the mass resignation of its secular members last November. According to her statement before the MEI, she was invited on the morning of June 30 to a meeting at the mansion of former Mubarak loyalist and housing minister Hasaballah Al-Kafrawi. Seated next to him was retired Gen. Fuad Allam, a former deputy chief of Egypt’s internal security service and a hardline MB foe. Having led the unit that monitored and investigated the religious groups for over two decades, Gen. Allam was one of the most notorious torture experts in the world. Among the attendees were also two-dozen secular journalists, academics, and opposition leaders. During the meeting, Minister Kafrawi stated that he had been in touch with the army, the Coptic Pope and Sheikh al-Azhar. He added that army chief Gen. Abdelfattah Sisi had privately requested a “written popular demand” in order to intervene on behalf of the opposition.  By 3:00 PM, a statement by over 50 anti-Morsi public figures was delivered to the army demanding its intervention. Since the organizers had previously announced that the demonstration at Tahrir Square would launch at 5:00 PM, the statement issued that morning was in fact requested by the army and provided by the secular opposition before any meaningful anti-Morsi demonstration had ever come onto the streets.

If the military is in charge, can anyone still say it’s not a coup?

Gen. Sisi ousted President Morsi on July 3 as his co-conspirators, including opposition leader Muhammad ElBaradei, were looking on. The anti-Morsi forces believed they had outmaneuvered the hapless president, the MB, and their Islamist allies.  Furthermore, they were convinced that within days their Islamist opponents would accept their fate and recognize the new status quo. If not, the new military-led regime was ready to beat them into submission using its Mubarak-era hardline tactics.

But contrary to these expectations, the MB, their Islamist allies, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens who believed their votes had been discarded, took to the streets in large demonstrations. Tens of thousands camped out in major squares in Cairo, Giza, and around the nation. In their desperate attempt to scare off the demonstrators, the police and the army had committed within few days several massacres that included the July 5 carnage near the Presidential Guards social club that left over 50 people dead and hundreds wounded.

In his attempt to disguise the military rule behind a civilian façade, upon declaring the coup on July 3 Gen. Sisi appointed the head of the Supreme Court as the interim president. A few days later he chose ElBaradei as Vice President and economist Hazem Al-Beblawi, as Prime Minister. As the anti-coup demonstrations persisted for almost four weeks, Gen. Sisi delivered a speech on July 24 asking the public to demonstrate in the streets to give him “a mandate and an order” to crackdown against “violence and terrorism.”  It was a brazen request to use brutal tactics to subdue the anti-coup protesters, who incidentally had called for massive demonstrations across Egypt to take place on the same day in their call to reinstate Morsi, activate the constitution, and restore the parliament.   ...more

Journalist arrested, another believed to be held in Bahrain
1 August, 2013 – Committee to Protect Jornalists

New York, August 1, 2013–A Bahraini blogger has been detained and a photographer is missing amid signs that Bahraini authorities are trying to crack down on critical voices ahead of protests planned for August 14, according to news reports.

“Bahraini authorities have a record of suppressing critical news and commentary, which has had the effect of obscuring the extent of the country’s unrest from the rest of the world,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Sherif Mansour.

Masked security agents arrested blogger Mohamed Hassan at his home in Sitra early on Wednesday, news reports said. The agents confiscated Hassan’s computer and cell phone, the reports said. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights told CPJ that authorities have denied having Hassan in custody at the Dry Dock Detention Center in the town of Hidd, where the family believes he is being held. Authorities have not disclosed the charges against him.

Authorities have harassed and detained Hassan several times since early 2012. Hassan, who often covered human rights and politics in Bahrain for his blog, Safybh, was previously summoned for interrogation in June 2012 in connection with his writing and involvement in the Bahraini opposition, according to the Bahraini Center for Human Rights. He stopped writing his blog on April 29, 2013. He has also worked as a fixer for news organizations.

Another journalist, Hussein Hubail, a freelance photographer who is also Hassan’s friend, has been reported missing, according to news reports. The accounts said the journalist had not been heard from since he sent a message on Wednesday that said he believed police were going to arrest him while at the airport. …more

Amnesty Int’l: Bahrain:New anti-terrorism powers would pose further risk to human rights

BAHRAIN: NEW ANTI-TERRORISM POWERS WOULD POSE FURTHER RISK TO HUMAN RIGHTS
13 July, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Amnesty International warns against the imminent adoption of proposed amendments by the Bahraini authorities to the anti-terrorism legislation as it will lead to further violations of Bahrain’s international human rights obligations.

In response to recent increase in violence and in anticipation of planned large demonstrations by the opposition, on 28 July Bahrain’s parliament held an extraordinary session and then submitted 22 recommendations to Shaikh Hamad Bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain. The recommendations toughen punishments laid out in the 2006 anti-terrorism law. On 29 July the King welcomed the recommendations and ordered his Prime Minister to ensure that they are implemented urgently by the government. Bahrain’s constitution (Article 38) gives the King the power to issue decrees that have the force of law when parliament is in recess. In these circumstances the government prepares the draft amendments and the King ratifies them.

The recommendations include the banning of all sit-ins, public gatherings and demonstrations in the capital Manama indefinitely, giving the security forces additional sweeping powers to “protect society from all terrorist acts and incitement to such acts”; increasing punishment for anyone propagating false information about Bahrain in social media networks; taking legal action against certain political associations which incite and support violent and terrorist acts; taking all possible measures to impose peace and security, even if it means imposing a state of national safety (state of emergency); and the imposition of harsher sentences on anyone involved in acts of “terrorism” and violence and anyone inciting others to use violence; the revocation of Bahraini nationality from anyone committing terrorist acts or incitement to such activities,

Given the manner in which authorities have abused existing legislation to suppress dissent, Amnesty International fears that these recommended amendments will further erode the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

The 2006 anti-terrorism legislation, known as “Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts,” defines terrorism in an overly broad and ambiguous manner. Amnesty International has expressed concern about provisions in the law that place arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression and gives the Public Prosecution excessive discretion. The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism expressed fears in 2006 that the restrictions on freedom of association and assembly in the law would allow the criminalization of peaceful demonstrations by civil society. The UN Committee against Torture expressed in 2005 concerns about the broad and vague definition of terrorism and terrorist organizations and the erosion of judicial safeguards in the then draft law.

Since February 2011 when large anti-government protests started the human rights situation in Bahrain has deteriorated sharply. Scores of opposition activists were arrested and tried before military courts. Many were tortured. Some, including 13 prominent figures, are serving lengthy sentences of up to life. Dozens of people died, including from torture, but mainly as a result of unnecessary and excessive use of force during protests. Human rights activists have been jailed for their work.

In recent weeks violence has increased. There have been incidents where young men threw Molotov cocktails at policemen and police cars. On 17 July a car bomb exploded near al-Riffa’, south of Manama. No one was hurt and the bombing was condemned by opposition parties. The security forces have responded with mass arrests, excessive use of force, including through the use of shot-guns and tear gas, and reportedly torture and other ill-treatment of detained suspects. In the early hours of 29 July at least 27 people, mostly youth, were arrested in the village of Dar Kulaib where clashes between security forces and protestors had taken place.

Despite these measures sporadic protests have continued. Bahraini opposition groups are planning to organise large protests on 14 August. Planning for this has started on social media networks. The event is called “Tamarrod” (rebellion). …more