President Obama leaves trail of murder and torture with shamless weapons sales to tyrants

Obama administration approves arms shipment to Bahrain
by Sanjeev Bery – 28 January, 2012 – Human Rights Now

Despite continued human rights violations against civilians, Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin reports that the Bahraini government is about to get even more military armaments from the United States. According to the article, which quotes key members of Congress, the Obama Administration has approved a new sale of US arms and/or military equipment to Bahraini security forces.

In a question and answer session with reporters on Friday, US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated that the US Government planned to “release some previously notified equipment needed for Bahrain’s external defense and support of Fifth Fleet operations.”

Ms. Nuland went on to add, “This includes spare parts and maintenance of equipment. None of these items can be used against protestors.” Pay close attention to the word “includes.” What else is in the sale?

Of course, the challenge with this is that there is no way to independently verify what the US Department of Defense and State Department are allowing Bahraini security forces to buy. Foreign Policy’s Rogin reports that because the sale – or multiple sales – all fall below the $1 million mark, the US Government doesn’t have to make the details public.

Given the track record of the Bahraini government in violently responding to protestors’ demands, any US transfer of weapons, ammunition, or military equipment must be looked at closely. In Egypt, Yemen, and Bahrain, the US government has a bad history of providing weapons to those who have ultimately been willing to point them at their own people. The Bahraini government continues to demonstrate that willingness, even after significant international criticism.

On January 26th, Amnesty International reported on over a dozen deaths that followed the excessive use of tear gas and other crowd control agents by Bahraini security forces. But the violence didn’t start there. In the protests against the Khalifa monarchy during early 2011, at least 47 people died. More have alleged torture following arrest, and thousands have been fired from their jobs. It is unclear how many were reinstated in the aftermath. …more