Regime must free the political prisoners, cede power – no other alternative in sight but al Khalifa regime violence unto destruction of the State

cb editor: While FP Chief Ashton’s comments are welcome, she seems to miss the point as do many others, especially in the West, that whether these trials are held in Military or Civilian Courts they are a SHAM, they are trumped up, false charges meant to justify detention and to crush all opposition to a ruling and tyrannical Monarchy. Due process has been absent as warrant-less arrests, beatings and charge-less detentions continue to this day.

It seems either naivety or simply a ruse for anyone to suggest, given the climate of politics and human rights abuse, that any trial in any court bringing charges against the opposition leadership, prisoners of conscience and the arbitrarily detained could ever be fair or just at this point in history. What is absent in the present narrative are the charges against those committing real crimes, the al Kahlifa regime. It’s time for International powers to put coercive pressure on the al Khalifa’s to release all opposition leadership and prisoners of conscience and begin a fair and equitable process for ceding power. Barring this revolution and it’s unpredictable outcome seems inevitable.

EU’s Catherine Ashton hails release of Bahrain medics
By AFP – Published: September 8, 2011

BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton hailed Thursday the release on bail of Shiite medics in Bahrain who had been detained during pro-democracy demonstrations this spring in the Gulf state.

While applauding the special court’s decision to release seven doctors and three ambulance drivers, pending the verdict on September 29, she called for the need to use civil courts.

Ashton “again urges the Bahraini authorities to conduct all trials of civilians in civilian courts, with due process and full rights to a fair and transparent trial, as promised by His Majesty King Hamad last month,” a statement from her office said.

She added that she looks forward “the upcoming conclusions of the independent Commission of Inquiry on the events surrounding the unrest earlier this year.”

Some of the released medics had led a hunger strike for more than a week, according to the opposition.

The independent panel of foreign experts set up by Bahrain’s monarch to investigate the crackdown on protesters said more than 100 detainees had gone on hunger strike, 17 of whom were hospitalised after their health deteriorated.

Bahraini authorities have charged 24 doctors and 23 nurses — including several women — from Manama’s central Salmaniya hospital of incitement to overthrow the regime, during the protests in the Gulf kingdom that is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty.

All the medical staff have now been released pending the verdicts, Bahaini officials said. …source