Posts from — September 2013

Bahrain: Special Investigations Unit Makes Claims to False Achievements and Colludes to Extract Revenge On Political Prisoners, Prisoners of Conscience
16 September, 2013 – Bahrain center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses dissatisfaction over the Bahraini authorities continued avoidance to comply with the recommendations which aim to limit human rights violations. Many official institutions were established which propose to value the protection of human rights, while in reality they follow the government’s official policy of impunity and discrimination. The BCHR has monitored the performance of the Special Investigations Unit at the Public Prosecution over the course of a year and a half, and concluded that this unit is only one of the many attempts of the Bahraini regime to present the image of reforms, while acting as a tool to punish political prisoners and prisoners of conscience for their peaceful activism.

The Special Investigations Unit was established on February 28, 2012 after an order from Attorney-General Ali AlBuainain to establish a specialized unit at the Public Prosecution for the investigation of torture crimes, abuse and ill-treatment that may have been committed by government officials. Specifically, this unit is designed to investigate into the facts arising from the events in 2011 during the three month state of emergency declared by the government, and which are included in the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), as well as any facts or other issues decided by the Attorney-General to be referred to the Special Investigations Unit.

The establishment of this Unit came as an implementation to recommendation No. 1716 of the BICI report, which stated “To establish a national independent and impartial mechanism to determine the accountability of those in government who have committed unlawful or negligent acts resulting in the deaths, torture and mistreatment of civilians with a view to bringing legal and disciplinary action against such individuals, including those in the chain of command, military and civilian, who are found to be responsible under international standards of “superior responsibility”.

However, what is witnessed on the ground in Bahrain is quite different from the recommendation. The unit is headed by the Chief Prosecutor, and there is no mechanism in which the use of the independent experts to conduct investigations is compulsory, which stands in violation to the very essence of the recommendation, particularly as the involvement of the Public Prosecution itself in the abuse of detainees during the investigation period has been documented. In the investigation cases referred to the unit, some of the cases were documented while others were suspended, and many resulted in the acquittal of those involved in torture as occured in the case of doctors lawsuit against Mubarak bin Huwail and Noora AlKhalifa. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) believes that the formation of this Unit was primarily intended to stop international human rights pressure on the government, while the reality shows a deliberate avoidance of real reforms that are at the heart of the recommendation. …more

Bahrain Shia groups quit reconciliation talks
18 September, 2013 – AlJazeera

Bahrain’s main Shia Muslim groups have suspended participation in reconciliation talks with the Sunni-led government after the detention of an important opposition figure.

Bahrain’s public prosecution said Khalil al-Marzooq, a former deputy parliament speaker, was detained on Tuesday accused of instigating violence and having links to bombings and other attacks.

Marzooq, a senior member of Al Wefaq, the main Shia political bloc, was ordered to be held for 30 days during the investigation.

His supporters claim he was targeted in attempts to punish the opposition after recent criticism from European officials about government crackdowns on dissent.

The decision by the Shia groups closes one of the main channels for dialogue.

Repeated rounds of political talks have failed to significantly close the rifts between the Sunni establishment and Shia factions, who began an Arab Spring-inspired uprising in early 2011 to seek greater political rights.

According to the government, more than 65 people have died in the unrest, but rights groups and others put the death toll higher. …source

In US-Backed Bahrain, Detention and Torture of Children is Routine
John Glaser – AntiWar.com – 16 September, 2013

“Bahrain security forces routinely detain children without cause and subject them to ill-treatment that may rise to the level of torture,” Human Rights Watch said in a report this week.
Obama meets with Bahrain King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa

Obama meets with Bahrain King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa

“Rounding up kids, throwing them in jail and beating and threatening them is no way for a country to treat its children,” said Joe Stork, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). “The Bahraini authorities need to look into these allegations and immediately call a halt to any arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of children.”

HRW:

Information recently obtained from victims, family members, and local rights activists suggests that Bahraini authorities often hold children for long periods in detention and subject them to similar forms of mistreatment as adult detainees, including beatings and threats of torture. The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires governments to protect children from ill-treatment and torture, to give all child detainees – those under 18 – special protections and to separate them from adults in detention.

A human rights probe back in 2011 found that the U.S.-backed dictatorship in Bahrain has engaged in “systematic” torture since the start of Arab Spring protests several years ago.

But Bahrain has long engaged in torture in its time as a U.S. ally. One year before the democratic protests broke out, HRW released a report revealing torture including “electro-shock devices, suspension in painful positions, and beatings.” Many detainees also reported being threatened with rape or murder, or that their families would be harmed.

A confidential State Department cable was issued at the same time acknowledging the widespread torture, indicating the Obama administration was fully aware of the abuse, but continued unconditional U.S. support.

The people being tortured and beaten are being detained for entirely illegitimate reasons. The regime has outlawed protesting, specifically prohibiting “sit-ins, rallies and gatherings in the capital Manama.” It is also illegal to “incite hatred” against the security forces (whatever that means), and people can be thrown in prison for calling the king a “dictator” on Twitter (something that has happened to at least eleven people).

Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration has been mum about the vicious crackdown in Bahrain over the course of nearly three years now. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is stationed in the tiny Persian Gulf island, giving Washington control over the flow of oil through the Persian Gulf, through which over 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil transits. …more

IHS Jane’s report: Nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country’s civil war.

Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists
By Ben Farmer, Ruth Sherlock – UK Telegraph – 15 September, 2013

Opposition forces battling Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria now number around 100,000 fighters, but after more than two years of fighting they are fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands.

The new study by IHS Jane’s, a defence consultancy, estimates there are around 10,000 jihadists – who would include foreign fighters – fighting for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda..

Another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists who share much of the outlook of the jihadists, but are focused purely on the Syrian war rather than a wider international struggle.

There are also at least a further 30,000 moderates belonging to groups that have an Islamic character, meaning only a small minority of the rebels are linked to secular or purely nationalist groups.

The stark assessment, to be published later this week, accords with the view of Western diplomats estimate that less than one third of the opposition forces are “palatable” to Britain, while American envoys put the figure even lower.

Fears that the rebellion against the Assad regime is being increasingly dominated by extremists has fuelled concerns in the West over supplying weaponry that will fall into hostile hands. These fears contributed to unease in the US and elsewhere over military intervention in Syria.

Charles Lister, author of the analysis, said: “The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict. The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out.”

The study is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with activists and militants. The lengthy fighting has seen the emergence of hundreds of separate rebel bands, each operating in small pockets of the country, which are usually loyal to larger factions.

Rebels from Jabhat al-Nusra at Taftanaz air base, Idlib, in 2011 (AP)

Two factions linked to al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) – have come to dominate among the more extremist fighters, Mr Lister said. Their influence has risen significantly in the past year.

“Because of the Islamist make up of such a large proportion of the opposition, the fear is that if the West doesn’t play its cards right, it will end up pushing these people away from the people we are backing,” he said. “If the West looks as though it is not interested in removing Assad, moderate Islamists are also likely to be pushed further towards extremists.”

Though still a minority in number, ISIL has become more prominent in rebel-held parts of Syria in recent months. Members in northern Syria have sought to assert their dominance over the local population and over the more moderate rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The aim of moderate rebel fighters is the overthrow of their country’s authoritarian dictator, but jihadist groups want to transform Syria into a hard-line Islamic state within a regional Islamic “caliphate”.

These competing visions have caused rancour which last week erupted into fighting between ISIL and two of the larger moderate rebel factions.

A statement posted online by Islamists announced the launch of an ISIL military offensive in the eastern district of Aleppo which it called “Cleansing Evil”. “We will target regime collaborators, shabiha [pro-Assad militias], and those who blatantly attacked the Islamic state,” it added, naming the Farouq and Nasr factions.

Al-Qaeda has assassinated several FSA rebel commanders in northern Latakia province in recent weeks, and locals say they fear this is part of a jihadist campaign to gain complete control of the territory.

As well as being better armed and tougher fighters, ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra have taken control of much of the income-generating resources in the north of the country, including oil, gas and grain.

This has given them significant economic clout, allowing them to “win hearts and minds” by providing food for the local population in a way that other rebel groups cannot.

ISIS has also begun a programme of “indoctrination” of civilians in rebel-held areas, trying to educate Syria’s traditionally moderate Sunni Muslims into a more hard-line interpretation of Islam.

In early September, the group distributed black backpacks with the words “Islamic State of Iraq” stamped on them. They also now control schools in Aleppo where young boys are reportedly taught to sing jihadist anthems.

“It seems it is some sort of a long-term plan to brainwash the children and recruit potential fighters,” said Elie Wehbe, a Lebanese journalists who is conducting research into these activities. …source

Extremists in Syria admit killing 30 Alawites
16 September, 2013 – Shia Post

Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremists in Syria say they are targeting members of the Alawite community in the country, adding that they massacred dozens of Alawites in three Homs villages last week.

On Sunday, terrorist group Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks in which at least 30 Alawites, including several women, children and elderly men, were shot dead in cold blood.

Al-Nusra said in an internet statement that its militants entered the villages of Massudiyeh, Maksar al-Hissan and Jab al-Jerah in Homs province and carried out the massacre.

The group said one of its jurists asked them to slay Alawites whom he called “enemies of God”.

“… this was the first time these villages were entered and such a high number was killed,” it added.

Last month, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, a commander of al-Nusra, threatened to target Alawites with rockets.

“On top of that we will prepare a thousand rockets that will be fired on their towns in revenge for the Damascus Ghouta massacre,” he said in an audio recording posted on YouTube on August 25.

Al-Nusra and other militant groups fighting against the Syrian government and people accuse Damascus of launching the August 21 chemical weapons attack which they claimed killed about 1400 people.

The government has rejected the accusation, saying it has proof that the militants were behind the attack.

On August 24, the Syrian forces found chemical agents in tunnels dug by the militants in Jobar, near Damascus. A number of soldiers suffocated as they entered the area.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence. …source

Bahrain to shut Shia clerics’ council amid new protests
16 September, 2013 – Tehran Times

According to agencies, the ministry said it wanted the office of the Olamaa Islamic Council to be closed and its assets liquidated for “functioning outside the law.”

The lawsuit came as authorities in the Sunni-ruled monarchy crack down on opposition action by Shias, who make up the majority of the population in the Gulf archipelago.

The council, which is led by prominent cleric Issa Qassem, “violates the constitution and the laws of the kingdom,” the ministry said, accusing its members of “using it to practice politics under a confessional cover.”
The council also “adopted the call for the so-called revolution,” the ministry charged, referring to the protests against the government, which erupted in February 2011 and were dispersed a month later.

Meanwhile, a Bahraini court jailed on Sunday three dissidents for 10 years each after convicting them of attempting to kill police officers during anti-government protests, lawyers said.

The trio, Jaafar Ali, Hussain Mansur and Mustafa Abdulkarim, had been charged of attempting to kill three policemen “with premeditation” on February 16, in the village of Karzakan, southwest of Manama.

The public prosecution had also accused the men of “possessing homemade shotguns, as well as employing violence against police, and participating in an unauthorized protest.”

Home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Persian Gulf from Iran, Bahrain still sees demonstrations on almost daily basis.

According to the International Federation for Human Rights, around 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since the violence first broke out in 2011. …source

Bahrain courts ignore testimonies of torture
17 Septemebr, 2013 – ABNA.co

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Testimonies of torture, brutal assault and coerced confession are repeatedly given by detainees before courts in Bahrain. But the courts do not take any measures in such cases. A number of detainees accused in the claimed “Riffa bombing” have boycotted Sunday’s hearing session (15th September) because they do not trust the judiciary, the detainees’ lawyers said.

The defense lawyers said the detainees have been repeatedly subjected to torture while the courts have failed to take necessary measures.

Al-Wefaq had demanded that an independent and impartial commission be formed to investigate incidents claimed to have happened by the security apparatuses, such as the Riffa bombing. A big number of claims made the security apparatuses have been proven false before courts, leading to the natural conclusion that they lack credibility.
…source

Bahrain protest condemns threats to deport cleric
17 Septemebr, 2013 – PressTV

People in Bahrain have held a fresh anti-regime demonstration south of the capital Manama to condemn the regime’s threats to send a senior cleric into exile.

The demonstration was held on the island of Sitra on Monday in response to the Al Khalifa regime’s threats to deport Ayatollah Hossein Nejati, who is Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s representative in Bahrain.

The protest turned violent after Saudi-backed Bahraini security forces fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Manama has recently revoked the citizenship of Ayatollah Nejati and his family members as well as 31 other Bahrainis in a move that has been widely described as unconstitutional.

The Bahraini regime began pressures on Ayatollah Nejati after some of the country’s distinguished religious scholars met him to pledge their allegiance.

Tension has heightened in the tiny Persian Gulf country over the past few days following the killing of Mohammed Abdul Jalil Yousif, a young activist, by the regime forces last week.

According to activists, the 20-year-old was run over by a vehicle belonging to the security forces.

The Bahraini uprising began in mid-February 2011.

Bahrainis primarily called for political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests. …source

The chemical weapons of Ghouta came from the Turkish Army
Voltaire Network – 17 September, 2013

The TV channel Al-Ikbariya broadcasted, on Sunday the 15th of September 2013, a long interview of a prisoner reporting the way that he had transported chemical weapons from a Turkish military base to Damascus.

According to this report, the Turkish army was aiming to provoke an international intervention against Syria.

This limited bombing would have been accompanied by a vast communication initiative.

This broadcast was followed by a debate between general Ali Maksoud and the political specialist, Thierry Meyssan, regarding the Turkish implication in the conflict and the Russian proposition of Syrian signing of the Convention forbidding the use of chemical weapons.
…source

Syria security official says rebels have missiles, sarin gas
17 September 17, 2013 – Agence France Presse

DAMASCUS: Syria rebels possess ground-to-ground missiles and sarin, and a UN report on chemical weapons use shows they carried out attacks near Damascus, a high-ranking Syrian security source said Tuesday.

“I categorically deny that we have used sarin gas, for the reason that we had no interest in doing so. We were winning in the battlefield,” the official said a day after a UN report on an August 21 attack was published.

“It is generally the losers who adopt such a suicidal attitude. On the contrary, the army was winning,” he told AFP.

The UN investigation team said in its report that it had “clear and convincing” evidence that sarin gas was used in an August 21 attack on rebel areas near Damascus, and that chemical weapons have been used on a “relatively large-scale” in the 30-month-old Syrian conflict.

The UN report does not say who used the weapons, though the opposition and its allies have blamed Assad’s troops.

According to the Syrian security source, “the terrorists locally manufacture ground-to-ground missiles, and it is highly likely that they used them to transport” the toxic chemical sarin.

President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has systematically referred to opponents and rebels fighting its loyalists as “terrorists”.

“Of course the rebels know how to load missiles with sarin. They have been trained by the US, French and British secret services, which are active on the ground,” said the source.

Asked why the Syrian army stocked chemical arms, he said: “At a particular time in history, there was the desire to have this kind of weapon to create a strategic balance with Israel.

“It was nothing more than a way to dissuade the Zionist enemy, which has an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.”
…source

Tuesday Sep 17, 201303:48 PM GMT
Russia steps up naval presence in Mediterranean amid US threats
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Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey must turn in chemical arms: Iran MP
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov address a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, September 12, 2013, after agreeing on a deal on Syrian chemical weapons.
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov address a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, September 12, 2013, after agreeing on a deal on Syrian chemical weapons.
Tue Sep 17, 2013 5:10AM GMT
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Following three days of intense talks in Geneva, Switzerland, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the details of a plan that would identify and purge Syrian chemical weapons.”
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UN report fuels anti-Assad push at UN

An Iranian lawmaker says the Israeli regime, Saudi Arabia and Turkey must also turn over their chemical weapons, as Syria has agreed to, if a US-Russia deal on Syrian chemical arms is to be implemented.

Spokesman for Iran’s Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Hossein Naqavi Hosseini made the remark on Monday, adding that the US demand from the Syrian government to hand over its chemical arms while also intending to take military action against the Middle Eastern country is illogical and contrary to international norms.

US President Barack Obama had said in 2012 that Washington’s “red line” on Syria would be the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to other parties.

One year later, on August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and its foreign-backed opposition claimed that the Syrian government had carried out a chemical attack on suburban Damascus, killing over a thousand people.

Damascus categorically rejected the accusation.

Nevertheless, the unsubstantiated claim prompted the US to start repositioning military assets in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria. Repeated threats were also issued by the US against the crisis-hit country, alarming the world that a new US war could be just around the corner.

However, events seemed to take a different course when Syria nodded to a Russian proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control.

Later, following three days of intense talks in Geneva, Switzerland, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the details of a plan that would identify and purge Syrian chemical weapons. Syria had earlier announced its readiness to join the international convention that bans chemical weapons.

Naqavi Hosseini called for a US pledge of not attacking Syria, describing such a guarantee as key to the implementation of the plan for the Syrian chemical weapons to be put under international supervision.

This plan should not be implemented unless the US guarantees that it will not engage in an attack against the people and government of Syria, Naqavi Hosseini said.

The United States will experience a worse situation than what it went through in Vietnam in case it does engage in a military offensive against Syria, he added.

Syria’s Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari said on September 12 that the “main danger of WMD is the Israeli nuclear arsenal.”

The Tel Aviv regime also possesses chemical weapons but “nobody is speaking about that,” the Syrian envoy added.

Ja’afari said Syria’s chemical weapons served as “a mere deterrence against the Israeli nuclear arsenal” and other WMDs, referring to a declassified CIA report on Israel’s chemical weapons program.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also said that the Syrian chemical arms were intended for deterrence purposes against Israeli nukes.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since 2011.

Syria deal needs to face down US terror
13 September, 2013 – PressTV

Russia’s diplomatic efforts to avert a potential international conflagration over Syria are to be lauded. But it would be preferable if Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and others in Moscow refrained from referring to US officials as “our American partners.”

Washington is not a “partner” or “colleague” to anyone who is serious about upholding international law and peace. Its behavior is that of an outlaw state that needs to be faced down, not pandered to.

Ironically, Washington says that the world needs to take a tough stance towards President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, otherwise other alleged tyrants will be emboldened. The truth is that the world needs to take a tough stand on Washington to curb its predatory aggression that seems to know no bounds.

Lavrov and his American counterpart John Kerry are currently holding talks in Geneva in a bid to come up with a credible formula by which the Syrian government can hand over its stockpile of chemical weapons.

The proposal that Syria submits these weapons to international control was formally announced at the start of the week by Russia’s top diplomat.

It was greeted enthusiastically by the Syrian government, which within days signed up to the international Chemical Weapons Convention banning such munitions. US President Barack Obama also made a surprise swerve from his war agenda, disclosing in a televised nation-wide address that he would explore the Russian initiative.

This development appears to provide a welcome diplomatic alternative to the drive for war that the United States has been pushing. The US threat of military action against Syria escalated dramatically since 21 August following an alleged chemical weapons attack near the Syrian capital, Damascus, in which it appears that several hundred people were killed.

With US warships toting more than 200 cruise missiles mobilized in the East Mediterranean and plans to deploy long-range B-52, B-1 and B-2 fighter bombers, the world was watching the makings of a catastrophic collision, given that any such attack on Syria would inevitably draw in other antagonists, including nuclear-powered Israel and Russia, as well as Iran and America’s allies Britain, France and the Persian Gulf monarchies.

Hence, there was palpable international relief when Russia proffered the gambit for Syria to decommission its arsenal of chemical weapons.

The plan, in principle, has been endorsed by European governments, China and Iran, and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

However, the chemical solution, so to speak, is being framed in a manner that does not bode well. It is incumbent on Russia and others to ensure that the US and its allies do not abuse the initiative to create just another lever for their criminal agenda of regime change against the Syrian government.

At the opening of the Geneva meeting on Thursday between Lavrov and Kerry, the American diplomat displayed his usual arrogance by asserting in the joint press conference that “the Syrian regime” was guilty of using chemical weapons. Kerry also said that the US reserved the right to use military force if Damascus does not deliver on commitments to disarm these munitions.

This high-handed attitude from Kerry flies in the face of the facts that the perpetrators of the latest chemical weapon attack near Damascus were the Western-backed militants. Russia’s Lavrov should have abruptly struck down this American arrogance and calumny.

Disturbingly, the Russian diplomat showed too much humor and camaraderie in the face of outrageous American criminality.

The Americans and their Western allies have not presented a scintilla of credible evidence to support provocative claims that the Assad government used chemical weapons. Western claims are negated by Syrian government denials, and by official Russian reports that it was the so-called rebels who committed this and previous chemical weapons crimes, in a blatant effort to trigger the very kind of military intervention that Washington is threatening.

Several other sources refute Western assertions, such as admission by the militant groups themselves, and testimony from recently released European journalists who say their militant captives acknowledged responsibility for the attack.

The release of classified US army files also show that Washington knew that the mercenary groups were in possession of the deadly nerve agent sarin. The latter disclosure supports other evidence that the US and its allies colluded in the atrocity on 21 August, which they have audaciously blamed on the Syrian government.

On the basis of fabrication and lies, Washington dispatched an armada of warships in order to point a gun at the head of the Syrian people.

Moreover, the Obama White House threatened that it would attack Syria unilaterally regardless of the United Nations Security Council. As Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, noted, such action amounts to the crime of aggression. Even without firing a single cruise missile, the mere threats that Washington has issued and continues to issue constitute a crime of aggression.

Syrian President Assad is entirely correct therefore to insist that his country’s disarmament of chemical weapons must be on condition that the US drops its unlawful military threat immediately.

Furthermore, any proposal to remove Syrian government chemical munitions must be part of a multi-lateral process.

Some of the other urgent factors that need to be addressed include Western stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction that are threatening peace and stability in the Middle East, principally those of Israel, which is why Syria has historically acquired its arsenal.

Another essential part of a multilateral process is for the US and its allies to halt immediately the supply of weapons and mercenaries into Syria. This criminal covert destabilization has been going on for more than two and half years and is the primary reason why the country is ensnared in a conflict that has resulted in 100,000 deaths and up to seven million refugees out of a population of only 22 million.

Washington’s state terrorism is central to the problem in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons by foreign-backed mercenaries. The US is in no moral or legal position to lay down demands on the Syrian government over its compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Syria’s ally Russia needs to adopt a more militant attitude towards the US and its Western co-conspirators. The US is not a colleague or partner. It is a criminal party that should feel the full force of international law.

Pretending otherwise is only pandering to Washington’s state terrorism, and instead of finding a chemical solution to the Syrian crisis, the very real danger is that we are only postponing American aggression. …source

Bahrain: Security Forces Detaining Children
By Albany Tribune – 15 September, 2013

Bahrain security forces routinely detain children without cause and subject them to ill-treatment that may rise to the level of torture, Human Rights Watch said today, based on reports from victims, family members and legal rights activists.

On September 12, 2013, the European Parliament issued a further resolution on the deteriorating rights situation in Bahrain, urging it, among other things, “to respect the rights of juveniles, to refrain from detaining them in adult facilities, and to treat juveniles in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Bahrain is a party”.

“Rounding up kids, throwing them in jail and beating and threatening them is no way for a country to treat its children,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Bahraini authorities need to look into these allegations and immediately call a halt to any arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of children.”

Information recently obtained from victims, family members, and local rights activists suggests that Bahraini authorities often hold children for long periods in detention and subject them to similar forms of mistreatment as adult detainees, including beatings and threats of torture. The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires governments to protect children from ill-treatment and torture, to give all child detainees – those under 18 – special protections and to separate them from adults in detention.

Bahraini rights groups told Human Rights Watch that the detention of children suspected of involvement in anti-government protests is common. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights recorded 15 such detentions in August and said that the number of child arrests makes it impossible to document every detention to ascertain its lawfulness and the age of the people involved. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights recorded 22 such detentions since August 1.

Murtada al-Muqtad, the brother of an arrested boy, told Human Rights Watch that police arrested a group of 14 people, including 9 boys between the ages of 15 and 17, on September 5 at a swimming pool near the Ain Adhari National Park. He said that they were among a group from the nearby town of Bilad al-Qadim who had rented the swimming pool to enjoy a last night out before school started on September 8.

Al-Muqtad said that Jafar al-Muqtad, the youngest of the group at 15, called his family the day after his arrest, but it was not until September 9 that he was able to tell his family that he was in Dry Dock detention center and describe the circumstances of his arrest. He said that six police cars arrived at the swimming pool at 4 a.m., arrested the 14 people who were still there and blindfolded, punched, and kicked the group of youths while detaining them. He also said that interrogators later mistreated them, pressing them to confess to a September 2 attack on a police officer with Molotov cocktails. On September 11, officers at Dry Dock refused the family’s request to see him.

Murtada al-Muqtad said that his younger brothers had not had access to a lawyer or social worker, though the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Bahrain and nearly every country in the world, requires that “every child deprived of his or her liberty… has the right to prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance.”

In a separate incident, more than 10 plain-clothes and uniformed police went to the home of another 15-year-old boy, Ali Rustam, in the village of Al Arad in the early hours of September 8 and arrested him, Bahraini rights activists said. They said that Rustam, who has diabetes and requires four daily injections of insulin, had not had any contact with his family since then. …more

Main Opposition: Bahraini People Seeking Downfall of Al-Khalifa Regime
15 Septemebr, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- The secretary-general of Bahrain’s main opposition group al-Wefaq underlined international condemnation of the country’s discriminatory laws, and stressed that the overthrow of the Al-Khalifa regime is the ultimate goal of the Bahraini nation.

“The people’s choice is expressed through the ballot box, and the laws which don’t meet people’s demands have no value and the international community doesn’t give credit to suppressive laws in Bahrain either,” Sheikh Ali Salman said on Sunday.

“The Bahraini people are demanding the ouster of the government and not the approval of dictatorial laws and the UN should interfere to materialize the people’s demands,” he added.

Salman said that the Bahraini people want to hold free and transparent elections to choose their own rulers.

Bahrain, a small Persian Gulf state, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by bouts of unrest since February 2011 when an uprising led by members of the Shiite majority demanded the al Khalifa dynasty give up power.

The authorities crushed the revolt but protests and clashes have persisted despite continuing talks between government and opposition.

At least 80 people have been killed since the protests erupted in Bahrain in early 2011, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the Human Rights Council on Monday that she was frustrated with reports of widespread human rights violations in Bahrain.

“I regret to report that the human rights situation in Bahrain remains an issue of serious concern,” she said. “The deep polarization of society and the harsh clampdown on human rights defenders and peaceful protesters continue to make a durable solution more difficult to secure.”

“I reiterate my call on Bahrain to fully comply with its international human rights commitments, including respect for the rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” Pillay said. …source

Bahrain opposition welcomes UN condemnation of Al Khalifa regime
15 September, 2013 – Islamic Invitation Turkey

The secretary general of Bahrain’s main opposition group, al-Wefaq has welcomed a new statement by UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay on condemning the Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on peaceful protests in the tiny Persian Gulf Arab nation.

“During her recent remarks, Navi Pillay has condemned the Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on Bahraini civilians and government-sponsored terrorism against them,” Sheikh Ali Salman said on Thursday, referring to her address to the Human Rights Council about human rights violation in Bahrain.

Referring to the public calls for fall of the regime, he said that “I am sure that most of the people in Bahrain want the ouster of the current regime and the establishment of a popular government.”

The Sheikh also underlined the need for holding open referendum in Bahrain to meet the demand of people.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the Human Rights Council on Monday that that she was frustrated with reports of widespread human rights violations in Bahrain.

“I regret to report that the human rights situation in Bahrain remains an issue of serious concern,” she said. “The deep polarization of society and the harsh clampdown on human rights defenders and peaceful protesters continue to make a durable solution more difficult to secure.”

“I reiterate my call on Bahrain to fully comply with its international human rights commitments, including respect for the rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” Pillay said.

The small Persian Gulf Arab state, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by bouts of unrest since February 2011 when an uprising led by members of the Shia majority demanded the al-Khalifa dynasty give up power.

The authorities crushed the revolt but protests and clashes have persisted despite continuing talks between government and opposition.

At least 80 people have been killed since Arab Spring-inspired protests erupted in Bahrain in early 2011, according to the International Federation for Human Rights. …source

On Int’l Day of Democracy: the tyranny rules Bahrain and the vast majority demand democracy
16 September, 2013 – ABNA.co

On Int’l Day of Democracy: the tyranny rules Bahrain and the vast majority demand democracy
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society said in a statement marking International Day of Democracy that Bahrain is living under the dominance of the tyranny and authoritarianism. According to the Economist’s Democracy Index, Bahrain is classified as an authoritarian regime with full absence of democracy.

The dictatorship in Bahrain is a result of the tribal rule in place of the people’s will. However, the people of Bahrain had raised their demand for democracy back in the 70s, following their country’s independence. Bahrain has not witnessed any state of democracy, it has long been under the control of a dynasty that uses repression and national resources to rip the social fabric and harm national unity.

Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has called leaders “to hear, respect and respond appropriately to the voices of the people”. This is a clear call to resort to the people who are the‘source of all powers’ and legitimacy in forming authorities.

The people of Bahrain are well enlightened to live real democracy through self-determination far from any official guardianship of a small group that controls power and wealth, and which contradicts the fundamental basis of democracy in the world, making Bahrain victim to setback and authoritarianism.

Principles relating to freedom, respect of human rights, periodic integral elections through public voting are all necessary elements of democracy. Nonetheless, these elements are stated in the constitution of Bahrain in Article 1, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 21, paragraph (3) “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures”.

While the United Nations is celebrating the International Day of Democracy under the slogan, “Strengthening Voices for Democracy”, the Bahraini people’s voice in deciding how they are governedis totally absent and it is marginalized in the Judicial Authority. As for the Legislative Authority, integral free elections do not exist and a fair electoral system is absent. In Bahrain, 1 voice in areas loyal to the regime can be equivalent to as much as 6 voices in opposition areas. In one governorate, where the loyalists make the majority, 6 representatives are elected, while another governorate with the same number of voters, but where opposition is majority, elects only one representative. Thus, gerrymandering is blatant in Bahrain.

Freedom House has considered Bahrain ‘not free’ in its 2013 index, while it ranked 150 in authoritarian regimes for the same year, according to the Economist Democracy Index. …source

Bahrain seeks fast track trials in terrorism cases
4 September, 2013 – 24×7 News

His Royal Highness Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has instructed the concerned judicial sides to adopt mechanisms to fast-track litigation procedures, especially regarding terrorism cases, so as to activate the recommendations of the National Assembly on toughening anti-terror penalties and protecting community.

HRH Premier was commenting on reports on the success of the security forces in identifying 54 terror cases since 2012, 88% of which have been referred to the Public Prosecution and are currently being examined by the courts, with only two final verdicts issued.

This came as HRH Premier chaired here on Wednesday a high-level work meeting devoted to the security situation in the kingdom.

The Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa briefed HRH Premier on the efforts exerted by the Interior Ministry to eradicate terrorism and violence, noting that four policemen martyred, 54 ones were seriously wounded, two residents died and 5 others were injured.

He added that a total of 192 suspects accused of terrorism charges had been arrested.

HRH Premier was informed about the efforts made by the relevant sides to follow-up on the implementation of mechanisms to control money-raising for public purposes and keep track of suspicious accounts in order to block them and dry up terrorism-financing resources, in line with the recommendations of the National Assembly.

The Prime Minister praised the efforts exerted by the Interior Minister and the Ministry’s affiliates, and stressed that all government sides should be committed to applying the penal laws on whoever breaks the law, disrupts order or harms the citizens’ security or property without leniency or excess.

He also reviewed the precautionary measures required to face any repercussions or emergency, and got assured on the steps taken by the ministries to ensure the stability of services and food supply, stressing that those measure have to be effective and efficient. …source

Bahrain Jails 3 More Citizens ’for Security Reasons’
Local Editor – AlManar – 15 September, 2013

Bahrain revolutionA Bahraini court jailed on Sunday three citizens for 10 years each after accusing them of attempting to kill police officers in last February during anti-government peaceful protests in the village of Karzakan, lawyers said.

The trio, Jaafar Ali, Hussein Mansur and Mustafa Abdulkarim, had been charged of attempting to kill three policemen “with premeditation” on February 16, , southwest of Manama.

The public prosecution had also accused the men of “possessing homemade shotguns, as well as employing violence against police, and participating in an unauthorized protest.”

They opened fire on police as security forces were dispersing a protest in the village, the prosecution said.

Bahrain, a Gulf kingdom ruled by the Al-Khalifa dynasty, was rocked by peaceful demonstrations in February and March 2011.

Home to the US Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Gulf from Iran, Bahrain still sees sporadic demonstrations, mostly outside the capital Manama.

According to the International Federation for Human Rights, around 80 people have been killed in Bahrain by Al-Khalifa forces since the uprising first erupted in 2011. …source

Bahrain’s human rights black hole – When will there be enough?
9 September, 2013 – PressTV

Countless reports of physical and psychological abuses have been reported, documented and witnessed by rights groups since 2011, painting the horrific realities of life under a repressive, amoral and unlawful regime.

But… reports that the regime brutalized and unlawfully detained a pregnant Shiite woman have incensed activists around the world and created a popular backlash of such magnitude that it could very well mark a turning point in the opposition movement.”

If Syria is quite rightly monopolizing much of the world’s attention as fears of a global war are slowly materializing now that Washington has put in motion its rhetoric of war, walls of terror and despair are closing in on Bahrain, a once joyful and united nation.

Plagued by protracted political and social unrest, the people of Bahrain have since 2011 relentlessly called on their government and leader – King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah – to implement broad social, political, judicial and constitutional reforms as to reflect their democratic aspirations.

Unbending and unwilling to renounce his kingly privileges for the sake of justice or democracy, King Hamad has so far met his people’s demands with fire and lead, thus prompting a national resistance movement.

While political activists and politicians of the opposition remained true to their peaceful aspirations, determined to see through change without resorting to violence, the regime, led by King Hamad has been ever increasingly sinking to new levels of infamy.

Countless reports of physical and psychological abuses have been reported, documented and witnessed by rights groups since 2011, painting the horrific realities of life under a repressive, amoral and unlawful regime.

But if al-Khalifa has authorized and even instructed its security apparatus to act viciously against whomever would dare rise in opposition to his rule, reports that the regime brutalized and unlawfully detained a pregnant Shiite woman have incensed activists around the world and created a popular backlash of such magnitude that it could very well mark a turning point in the opposition movement.

Many Bahrainis have already asked how one could even contemplate agreeing to any form of political agreement with a regime that could behave beyond what is humanly tolerable, or even acceptable.

Because if torture and sectarian-based repression are indeed despicable human rights violations, the persecution of a pregnant woman falls under crime against humanity.

The case of Nadya Ali

Earlier this month the authorities ruled that Nadya Ali, a young wife and mother-to-be would have to remain in detention pending trial, based on fabricated allegations that she physically assaulted law enforcement officers.

As reported by Ahlul Bayt News Agency, “Nadya has been facing false accusations, after she was stopped at a checkpoint on 30th May, during a security clampdown on the village of Bani Jamra. The complaint against her is lacking in credibility, especially with the plaintiff holding the power of arrest. Nadya has been held continuously since her arrest, although has not yet been convicted of any crime. Therefore her detention is considered a punishment against her and her unborn child, outside the course of both justice and humanity.”

Nadya’s family have told reporters time and time again that the young woman’s terrifying ordeal with the law started when she and her husband were stopped at a checkpoint in Bani Jamra.

Without giving any reason or justification, the police demanded that Nadya’s husband step out of his vehicle, before they moved to handcuff him and threw him in a van to be transported to the police station and processed.

As Nadya protested, stressing her husband’s innocence, not understanding why the police would perceive him to be a threat, officers turned their attention to her. In what can only be characterized as a random and sectarian-based targeted attack, police confiscated her ID card, warning she would face prosecution should she continue to resist.
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