…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end

The media coverage of the war in Syria examines only military, diplomatic and humanitarian action. It ignores profound transformation. However, one does not survive a sea of ​​violence without changing profoundly. From Damascus, where he has lived for two years, Thierry Meyssan describes this evolution.

Syria has Changed
by Thierry Meyssan – 4 November, 2013 – Voltaire Network

While in Damascus, the Special Envoy of the Secretaries General of the Arab League and the UN, Lakhdar Brahimi, presented “his” draft peace conference project, Geneva 2. A conference whose objective would be to end the “civil war”. This terminology rehashes the analysis of one side against another, of those who argue that this conflict is a logical continuation of the “Arab Spring” against those who argue that it has been manufactured, fueled and manipulated from the outside.

The war according to the armed opposition

For Westerners and the majority of the National Coalition, Syria is experiencing a revolution. Its people have supposedly risen up against a dictatorship and aspire to live in a democracy like the United States. However, this view is contradicted by the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army. For them, the problem is not one of freedom, but the personality of Bashar al-Assad. They would be willing to keep the same institutions if the President agreed to step aside for one of his vice-presidents. However, this version is in turn contradicted by the fighters on the ground, for whom the problem is not the personality of the president, but the tolerance that he stands for. Their goal is to establish a Wahhabi system where religious minorities would be subdued or destroyed, and where the Constitution would be replaced by Sharia law.
Freedom of expression

At first, when snipers were killing people, it was said that it was the regime gunmen who were trying to impose fear. When cars exploded, it was said it was a false flag attack by the secret services. When a massive attack killed members of the Security Council, Assad was accused of having eliminated his rivals. Today, nobody doubts that these crimes were the work of jihadists and they continue to commit more.

In the beginning, there was emergency law. From 1963 on, demonstrations were banned. Only a trickle of foreign journalists was allowed entry and their activities were closely monitored. Today, emergency law has been lifted. There are still few demonstrations because of the fear of terrorist attacks. Numerous are the foreign journalists in Damascus. They move freely without any supervision. Yet most continue to report that the country is a horrible dictatorship. They are allowed to go on in hopes that they will tire of lying when their governments cease to preach the “overthrow of the regime.”

Initially, Syrians did not watch national television channels. They considered these to be propaganda and their preferred source was Al- Jazeera. On live TV, they followed the exploits of the “revolution” and the crimes of the “dictatorship”. But with time, they found themselves confronted directly with events. They saw for themselves the atrocities of the peudo-revolutionaries and they often owed their survival solely to the national army. Today, people watch national television much more, and especially Al- Mayadeen, a Lebanese-Iraqi channel that recovered the audience of Al Jazeera in the Arab world and who is developing an openly nationalist point of view.
Freedom of conscience

At first, the armed opposition claimed to be multi-denominational. People from religious minorities supported it. Then came the Islamic Courts sentencing to death and slitting the throats of the “bad” Sunni “traitors” to their community, the Alawites and Shiites, tortured in public, and Christians expelled from their homes. Today everyone understands that one is always a heretic when one is judged by “the pure ones”, the Takfirists.

While intellectuals argue that Syria was destroyed and needs to be redefined, people know what it is and are often willing to die for it. Ten years ago, every family had a teenager they were trying to exempt from military service. Only the poor were considering a career in the armed forces. Today, many young people enrol in the army and their elders join the popular militias. They all defend eternal Syria where various religious communities live side by side and they all venerate the same God when they have one.

During the conflict, many Syrians themselves evolved. At first they mostly watched events from the sidelines, most declaring not seeing themselves in any camp. After two and a half years of terrible suffering, everyone who remained in the country had to choose to survive. War is but an attempt by the colonial powers to blow on the embers of obscurantism to incinerate civilization. …more

Syria says Kerry statements threaten peace talks
3 November, 2013 – Agence France Presse

DAMASCUS: The Syrian foreign ministry Sunday denounced statements by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Syria saying they could cause proposed peace talks on the 31-month conflict to fail.

A statement said that repeated comments by Kerry “threaten to cause the failure of the Geneva conference, are a flagrant violation of Syrian affairs and an aggression against the Syrian people’s right to decide their future.”

Kerry, who is pressing a peace conference in Geneva, said in Cairo on Sunday that Washington and its allies may differ over “tactics” on the Syrian conflict but they shared the goal of a handover of power.

…source

Leading FSA commander quits, lashes out at lack of support
4 November, 2013 – By Marlin Dick – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: A leading rebel commander from the mainstream Free Syrian Army announced his resignation Sunday, in the wake of infighting among rebel groups, battlefield setbacks and a lack of political support. Col. Abdel-Jabbar Ukaidi, the head of the Aleppo Revolutionary Military Council of the FSA, had harsh words for the international community and the Syrian opposition-in-exile for failing to offer sufficient support for the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Ukaidi has been one of the most prominent FSA commanders based inside Syria, leading rebel assaults in Aleppo and, most notably, personally showing up in Qusair earlier this summer in a failed bid to defend the central Syrian town against an offensive by regime troops and Hezbollah fighters.

Ukaidi’s resignation comes amid a flurry of discussion and meetings in preparation for a proposed Geneva II peace conference, with the opposition National Coalition continuing to insist on guarantees for Assad’s departure from power.

But Western countries have been exerting heavy pressure on the Coalition to attend Geneva, an option that most rebel groups and civilian activists reject.

Ukaidi said the international community had proven that it had been “conspiring against the people and the uprising,” and had even more scathing words for the political opposition based outside the country, as he offered sarcastic congratulations “for your hotels and your political posts.”

“You hardly represent yourselves,” Ukaidi said, adding that politicians were more interested in carrying out foreign agendas rather than seeing to the needs of the Syrian people.

Ukaidi also blamed a number of rebel leaders for in-fighting and focusing on seizing power in rebel-held areas rather than focusing on the drive to topple the regime, but did not single out particular rebel groups by name.

Ukaidi said he took the decision to resign because of the lack of responses to the latest flurry of pleas for inter-rebel unity, “which has led to retreats on various battlefronts, the last one being [the town of] Safira,” southeast of Aleppo.

Government troops last week managed to take the town, which is expected to help re-supply government forces fighting rebels in Aleppo.

In a Facebook post after the rebel withdrawal from Safira and prior to his resignation, Ukaidi said the town fell, “but not because a lack of ammunition – may God witness that we put all of the Revolutionary Military Council’s capabilities in the hands of the operations room on the Safira front.”
…more

Saudis, allies to boost aid to Takfiris, report says
3 November, 2013 – Shia Post

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region will ‘strengthen military support’ for the foreign-backed Takfiri militants in Syria, says a US daily.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the move came after a decision by US President Barack Obama “not to launch airstrikes against Syria.”

“Persian Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, are moving to strengthen their military support for Syrian rebels and develop policy options independent from the United States,” the Poststated.

The US daily also said that the Saudis plan to “expand training facilities they operate in Jordan.”

The report came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Sunday as part of efforts to repair Washington’s frayed relations with Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said last month that Riyadh’s ties with Washington have been deteriorating for a while over several issues including Syria.

According to some Persian Gulf officials whose names were not mentioned in the Post article, a parallel operation independent of US efforts is being discussed by the Saudis with other countries in the region.

In September, Saudi Arabia guaranteed to continue its financial and logistic support for the militants, including terrorist al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, during a meeting held in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to statistics compiled by the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the turmoil. …source

Saudi Arabia – Various Munitions and Support
15 October, 2013 – Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Media/Public Contact: Lorna Jons Transmittal No: 13-49

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2013 – The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Oct. 11 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of various munitions and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $6.8 billion.

The Government of Saudi Arabia has requested a possible sale of 650 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missiles-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), 973 AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW), 400 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, 1000 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), 40 CATM-84H Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), 20 ATM-84H SLAM-ER Telemetry Missiles, 4 Dummy Air Training Missiles, 60 AWW-13 Data Link pods, 10 JSOW CATMs, 40 Harpoon CATMs, 20 ATM-84L Harpoon Exercise Missiles, 36 SDB Captive Flight and Load Build trainers, containers, mission planning, integration support and testing, munitions storage security and training, weapon operational flight program software development, transportation, tools and test equipment, support equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated total cost is $ 6.8 billion.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability in the Middle East.

This proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future regional threats. These munitions will strengthen the effectiveness and interoperability of the air force of a potential coalition partner, enhancing the coalition operation. In December 2011, Saudi Arabia signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) to purchase 84 new and 70 refurbished F-15SA multi-role fighter aircraft and associated weapons. The armaments in this request are separate and distinct from those in the F-15SA LOA, but are intended for that platform. Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing these weapons into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of these weapon systems will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractors will be The Boeing Company in St. Louis, Missouri; Raytheon in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of approximately 2-4 additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Saudi Arabia. The actual number and duration will be determined in joint negotiations as the program proceeds through the development, production, and equipment installation phases. …more

The Inevitability of the US-Saudi Rift
By Wayne Madsen – Strategic Culture Foundation

TEHRAN (FNA)- A number of seasoned observers of Middle Eastern affairs agree that US-Saudi relations are at their lowest ebb since US President Franklin D. Roosevelt established America’s “special relationship” with the Saudi monarchy on February 14, 1945, just a few months before FDR’s death.

Subsequent to the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt met Saudi King Ibn Saud on board the USS Quincy on Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal in Egypt. Roosevelt and Saud inked the “Quincy Agreement”, by which the United States would provide Saudi Arabia with military equipment and training in return for the US establishing a military base at Dhahran in the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia guaranteeing the United States a steady flow of Saudi oil. Except for the Arab oil embargo instituted against the West in the 1970s, the Quincy Agreement has survived six Saudi kings.

However, the Quincy Agreement is in trouble. There are a number of reasons why US-Saudi relations have fractured. They include:

• The decision by the Barack Obama administration to cancel a US military strike against Syria in return for a US-Russian concordat to oversee the removal from Syria and ultimate destruction of chemical weapons.

• The Obama administration’s decision to engage Iran through direct diplomatic negotiations.

• Increasing evidence by US intelligence of Saudi links to Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda-linked terrorists operating around the world.

• Reduced US dependency on Saudi oil as a result of increased US carbon fuel output from the fracking of shale reserves in the United States.

• The closeness of the head of the Ri’asat Al-Istikhbarat Al-‘Ama, the Saudi General Intelligence Agency, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, to the Bush family and other leading Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney.

• Saudi concern that the US has turned its “Arab Spring” resources against Saudi Arabia in a low-level manner through the “Car Key Revolution”, a widespread protest by Saudi women who broke Saudi law by driving cars.

After the US supported the Arab Spring “Jasmine Revolution” in Tunisia that toppled longtime Tunisian strongman President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali – who received refuge in Saudi Arabia — and the “Lotus Revolution” that ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power, Riyadh grew increasingly concerned that the mass demonstrations against unpopular regimes would spread to “the Kingdom”. In fact, Saudi forces quickly suppressed a few demonstrations in Saudi Arabia and sent in military forces to ruthlessly put down a pro-democracy uprising in neighboring Bahrain. The Saudis were never comfortable with the accession to power in Egyptian elections of the Muslim Brotherhood, particularly the presidency of Mohamed Morsi. The Saudis, therefore, instructed the pro-Saudi Nour Party in Egypt to support the military coup that toppled Morsi and replaced him with General Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi.

Although Sisi has Nasserite sympathies, the Saudis view him much more favorably than they do the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi’s establishing of closer relations with Iran was viewed as a threat to the Saudi regime and a breakdown of the established balance of power in the region. Obama’s decision to curtail the supply of military weaponry to Egypt following the ouster of Morsi further inflamed relations between Riyadh and Washington. To make up for the cut-off in US assistance to Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates pledged $12 billion in aid to Cairo in July of this year. The Saudis also joined Israel in voicing opposition to the cut off of American military assistance to Cairo, evidence of the growing relationship between Saudi Arabia and the nation that Saudi King Faisal once referred to as the “Zionist regime” as he presented beautifully-bound copies of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” to visiting dignitaries. …more

Bahraini court sentences four activists to life
3 November, 2013 – PressTV

A court in Bahrain has sentenced four anti-regime activists to life in prison and six others to 15-year jail terms, as the country’s prosecutors begin interrogation of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman.

Bahraini opposition sources said on Sunday that the activists were handed prison sentences for taking part in anti-regime protests.

Earlier this week, ten protesters were also imprisoned over similar charges.

The court rulings are issued at a time when Bahraini regime forces have intensified their crackdown on opposition leaders.

Reports say the Manama regime has begun the interrogation of Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary-general of the main opposition group, al-Wefaq.

The Saturday summoning of Sheikh Salman sparked protests across Bahrain.

The demonstrators expressed solidarity with the al-Wefaq leader.

The Bahraini opposition group believes the summoning of Salman “to be part of the political blackmail and revenge against the peaceful opposition that is asking for democracy.”

The Manama regime is under fire for its heavy-handed crackdown on protests.

On October 30, Bahraini regime forces stormed and shut down an exhibition, dubbed the revolution museum, which was opened by al-Wefaq.

The party says it will lodge a complaint with the United Nations over the raid on the exhibition, which had been organized in an effort to portray the brutal regime clampdown on peaceful protests.

In September, Wefaq’s deputy leader, Khalil al-Marzouq, was arrested on charges of “inciting protests” against the ruling Al Khalifa family. The opposition party said the detention was “a clear attack on political activism in Bahrain.”

Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising began in Bahrain in early 2011. …source

Bahrain: Intensified judicial harassment faced by Mr. Mohammed Al-Maskati and other members of BYSHR
4 November, 2013 – fidh

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Bahrain.

The Observatory has been informed by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights and Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) about intensified judicial harassment faced by Mr. Mohammed Al-Maskati, President of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), and other members of BYSHR.

According to the information received, on October 22, 2013, Mr. Mohamed Al-Maskati was summoned to Al-Khamis Police Station where he was interrogated on charges of “inciting hatred against the regime”, based on a speech he made on September 8, 2013 in Jidhafs Town, where he spoke on the concept of non-violence and the importance of peacefully demanding the respect of rights as well as on the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). He was released only after signing a pledge to appear before the Public Prosecution upon request. The police investigation is therefore ongoing.

The Observatory recalls that two other BYSHR members are currently in detention. BYSHR co-founder and blogger Naji Fateel has been detained since May 2013 and was sentenced on September 29, 2013 to 15 years in prison for “the establishment of a group for the purpose of disabling the constitution” under Article 6 of the Terrorism Act. His trial on appeal is due to start on November 18, 2013. Mr. Hussain Abdulnabi has been in pre-trial detention since September 6, 2013 on charges of “illegal gathering” and “rioting”. The next hearing will take place on November 7, 2013.

The Observatory condemns these acts of harassment against Mr. Al-Maskati and the arbitrary detention of Messrs. Naji Fateel and Hussain Abdulnabi, which merely aim at curtailing their human rights activities. The Observatory also notes that several human rights defenders remain in arbitrary detention or are subject to judicial harassment in the country.

Background information:

On October 17, 2012, Mr. Al-Maskati appeared before Bahrain’s public prosecution on charges of “participation in illegal protests” in relation to a peaceful gathering held in Manama on October 12, 2012. He had been summoned the day before to Al Hoora police station, where he had been kept overnight before being referred to the prosecutor’s office. He was released on bail on the same October 17, 2012 but charges against him have remained pending since then. On June 19, 2013, Mr. Maskati appeared before the Lower Criminal Court under these same charges Mr. Maskati’s lawyers asked for the case file, and the judge decided to adjourn the case to July 9, 2013 and then to December 9, 2013.

Previously, on September 23, 2012, Mr. Al-Maskati and other Bahraini human rights defenders who had cooperated with the United Nations (UN) had received threats of reprisals while they were in Geneva to participate in the 21st session of the UN Human Rights Council. Mr. Al-Maskati was notably threatened with death through more than a dozen anonymous phone calls.

Mr. Naji Fateel was arrested without warrant by security men in civilian clothes at his home in the village of Bani-Jamra at dawn of May 2, 2013 and held incommunicado for three days, during which time it is reported that he was severely tortured. He was allegedly subjected to severe torture at the Criminal Investigation Directorate. According to reports he was subjected to electrical shocks to his genitals, left foot and back in addition to simulated drowning, severe beatings, threats to publish his wife’s photographs (taken from a camera confiscated by the security forces when his house was raided), verbal abuse using uncivilized words, hanging by his hands from the ceiling, sexual harassment and threats of rape, standing for hours, and sleep deprivation. He was taken to the Ministry of Interior hospital twice for treatment due to the torture.

Mr. Fateel had been arrested last year on February 14, 2012 while he was participating in a peaceful march toward the Pearl Roundabout area, the now restricted centre of the 2011 protests for rights and democracy. He was previously detained between December 2007 and April 2009, a period during which he was also reportedly tortured.

On May 22, 2013, Naji Fateel was sentenced to six months imprisonment on charges of attending illegal gatherings. He was charged in another case with the establishment of a group for the purpose of disabling the Constitution under Article 6 of the controversial Terrorism Act. …more

The 2013 Rafto Prize to Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) – the fight for “inconvenient” human rights in the Gulf
24 October, 2013

The 2013 Rafto Prize is awarded to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) for their long and courageous fight for fundamental human rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of association in Bahrain. By awarding the Rafto Prize to BCHR, we turn the spotlight on the systematic violations of human rights in a region where abuse is too often met with silence from western governments. …more

Unions try to stop tear gas being shipped to Bahrain
26 October, 2013 – Australia Asian Worker Union

The popular and worker led uprising in Bahrain that started over two years has been suppressed by the government by continual attacks involving thousands of arrests, beatings and heavy use of tear gas.

A recently leaked report documenting an order for a huge amount of tear gas and stun grenades is a confirmation that the only solution from the Government of Bahrain is more repression. An international campaign has started to try and halt the shipment of tear gas to Bahrain. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is pressuring its government to stop Korean companies supplying the lethal chemicals.

…source

…more on Korea Protest

Bahrain: An Oasis for Torture
26 June, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses grave concern about the ongoing systematic torture in Bahrain with full impunity for the violators. Over the past year, the BCHR has documented dozens of torture cases, inside and outside formal detention centres, from the moment of arrest and at times even after receiving a sentence. Torture in Bahrain usually occurs in the dark, during times of enforced disappearance; and due to impunity officers even videotape their victims after. Not only has no official been held accountable for torture, on the contrary, some of the violators were promoted.

In April 2013, the Government of Bahrain effectively cancelled the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Mr. Juan E. Méndez, which was schedule to take place from 8 to 15 May 2013. In an official statement, Mr. Méndez stated:

“This is the second time that my visit has been postponed, at very short notice. It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss.”

“The culture of impunity, and the main reason why systematic torture continues in Bahrain, extends far beyond the pro-democracy movement in 2011; the best example being Decree 56 which was issued by Hamad bin Isa Alkhalifa in 2002 granting those responsible of crimes of torture in the 90’s full amnesty. The lack of accountability locally and internationally fosters the continuation of such violations; impunity must end immediately; starting with high officials in the Government of Bahrain” – Maryam Al-Khawaja, Acting President of BCHR

It is important to note here that the cases presented are only a sample of the many cases received by the BCHR. Due to the culture of impunity many victims of torture fear retribution after speaking about their ordeal.

In addition, this report covers cases of ongoing torture. It is important to note that victims of torture have not been able to receive rehabilitation; and those who are still detained are also denied adequate medical care.
Torture during time of arrest

On 24 May 2013, Redha Abdullah Isa Al-Ghasra (25 years old) was brutally arrested after civilian cars surrounded his motorcycle. Activists and tweeps (users on Twitter) broadcasted on their twitter accounts a sound recording of someone screaming in pain, which they claimed was a voice recording of the detainee Redha Al-Ghasra while security forces were reportedly beating and torturing him on the street (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxZuVSbPeXQ). Pro-government twitter accounts published photographs of Al-Ghasra while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground, with blood on his face (see: https://twitter.com/Deertybhr/status/337845219053674496). More details on this case on http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/6146.

Faisal Mansour Eid Nasser (28 years old) was arrested on 9 March 2013. He was reportedly beaten by approximately 15 security officers, punching and kicking, while he was being transported from his home to the interrogation center. He was verbally abused using vulgar language, and he was threatened with rape, as well as threats to rape his mother and sisters. This was while he was being interrogated to disclose the hiding place of a number of people who are wanted.

Torture in Detention for Confessions

During his time at the Criminal Investigations Department, Faisal Mansour was blindfolded for the entire period and he was forced to stand for long periods of time during which he was not allowed to sit down at all. To add to that, he was also deprived from sleep for approximately four nights.

Furthermore, in order to force him to confess to the charges brought against him – despite his denial – he was handcuffed from behind, then kicked with boots and beaten with hands and an object, believed to be a plastic stick, on different parts of his body. He was verbally abused using vulgar language and his religious beliefs were cursed. He was also subjected to sexual assault by unknown officers; one of the interrogators reportedly pulled down Faisal’s pants and sexually molested him by pulling his genitals; telling him to confess to the charges against him and testify that others accused participated with him, otherwise he will be subjected to rape.

One of the investigators reportedly told Faisal: “I’m going to put your name on every case, even if you did not participate in it”. Faisal Mansour, while blindfolded, was forced to sign a statement without knowing its content.

Faisal told the BCHR that during his detention at the Dry Dock prison, he was taken from his cell on 25 April 2013 to the Criminal Investigation Department again to interrogate him in a new case. He was forced to sign a ready-made statement which he was not allowed to read, under the threats of rape and beatings.

Hussein Ramadan Mohamed Shaaban (34 years old) was arrested on 23 April 2013. He was reportedly threatened that his wife would be raped at the time of his arrest if he refused to cooperate with them. He was held for 6 days at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) where he was reportedly forced to stand for the entire period without sitting at all; during which he was blindfolded. In addition, he was deprived from sleep for the whole period of his detention at the CID, and he was handcuffed from behind for long periods which caused him pain in his shoulder and back; which he still suffers from. He was reportedly threatened with rape if he refused to sign the confessions and he was subjected to continuous verbal harassment.

The Implication of the Public Prosecution

At the public prosecution, Faisal Mansour reported that the prosecutor screamed at him, threatening that if he did not confess to the charges against him he will be taken back to the Criminal Investigations Department and exposed to more beatings; reportedly adding: “I’m going to beat you while you’re here”. …more

OP-ED: Bahraini Opposition Shuns Bogus Dialogue
By Emile Nakhleh – 30 October, 2013 – IPS

WASHINGTON – Bahraini opposition groups announced on Tuesday their opposition to participating in the dialogue that is supposed to start tomorrow. According to the Bahrain Mirror, the five opposition groups that signed the joint statement included al-Wifaq, Wa’d, al-Minbar, al-Tajammu’, and al-Ikha’.

The statement maintained that during the eight months of the so-called national dialogue, the government exploited the process as a public relations tool and did not show seriousness of purpose, a clear agenda for reconciliation, or a date certain for closure. The government ignored the six points which the opposition presented at the beginning of the second round of the dialogue in late August.

These points called for halting anti-opposition incitement, which the regime feverishly pushed through its media; promoting genuine national reconciliation; releasing political prisoners; and ending violations of peoples’ homes, such as breaking down doors; vigilante justice; and unlawful arrests.

Since the hiatus in the dialogue in the past few weeks, regime arrests and repression continued unabated, violations of human rights proceeded at a faster pace, arrests of protesters, including minors, increased, fired workers have not been allowed to return, and the regime’s actions against the Shia majority became much uglier.

The adoption of the 22 amendments by the pro-government legislature has given the prime minister and the king added “legalistic” leverage to proceed with their policy of sectarianism and discrimination. Sham trials and unreasonable lengthy jail sentences have been meted out to hundreds of protesters.

The international community, including most Western countries, have condemned these practices and called on the Al-Khalifa regime to cease and desist from these policies and begin a process of serious national reconciliation.

Some mainstream opposition activists in the past week came under heavy pressure from their “friends” to participate in the dialogue. Tuesday’s statement shows the opposition did not succumb to the pressure from pro-regime elements to participate in the dialogue. They accuse the government, instead, of focusing on the “process” of the dialogue, not its substance.

The regime continues to deprive some Bahrainis of their citizenship and push others to leave the country, while at the same time giving Bahraini citizenship to Sunni foreign nationals in order to decrease the size of the Shia majority. Some within the opposition have supported participating in the dialogue, arguing it would be better to engage the regime despite its insincerity and continued repression.

Other opposition activists fear that their non-participation would engender more regime violence, cause more deaths and injuries, and increase arrests and sham trials. Many mainstream activists within the opposition have shunned the dialogue because they doubted it would yield tangible results.

The regime has spent much time on the process of “a dialogue about the dialogue” and not on putting the country on a stable peaceful path. It relies on this charade to avoid making serious concessions to the Bahraini people.

The ruling family’s refusal to respond to the people’s demands for power sharing and genuine political and economic reform will continue regardless of whether the dialogue resumes Oct. 30 or not. Al Khalifa’s actions against their people belie their public statements in defence of national reconciliation.

Al Khalifa seem to be playing a dangerous chicken and egg game, which in the long run will deepen sectarianism and violence and will make national reconciliation much more difficult. International human rights organisations, the European Union, and the United Nations have all seen through this game and have condemned these tactics and policies.

The Al Khalifa family, like other Gulf Arab families, believes it is entitled to rule the country as it sees fit because it owns it. The regime hopes that perceived diminishing U.S. influence in the Arab region, especially the rift between Washington and Riyadh, will push the Bahraini crisis to the backburner of regional policy. The regime continues to buy nasty and deadly weapons to fight public demonstrations.

Having failed to silence their people’s calls for justice, equality, and freedom for two and a half years, the king and his prime minister would be foolish to think they could succeed in the coming months and years.

Instead of bogus dialogue, the king should exercise real leadership by having his son and crown prince lead a true national reconciliation dialogue in which all segments of society will participate. The decision of the five opposition groups against participation in the dialogue was correct and legitimate.

The author is former Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program at CIA, a Research Professor at the University of New Mexico, and author of “A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World and Bahrain: Political Development in a Modernizing Society”. …source

Bahrain Crown Prince Salman: Economic Development Will Quell Political Unrest
By Shane Croucher – 29 October, 2013 – IBTimes

Bahrain Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa speaking at the World Islamic Economic Forum in London (Reuters)

A senior Bahraini politician and crown prince has insisted the reason for and answer to his country’s recent political unrest is “economic”, even as demonstrators demand complete overhaul of the autocratic monarchy-based political system.

Bahrain’s repressive Sunni government has largely kept a lid on the Arab Spring protests in its country by using force to quell demonstrations, locking up and torturing the political opposition, and cracking down on free expression among the largely Shia population.

Speaking at the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in London, Bahrain’s Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, deputy supreme commander and deputy prime minister, said: “This year’s forum looks at our ‘changing world’ and ‘new relationships’. It speaks very firmly to my personal agenda and that of my country.

“While we in the Middle East are not the entirety of the Islamic world, undoubtedly the world’s focus has been on our political developments. But the driver, the catalyst and, ultimately, the solution to our region’s issues, lies as much in economic development, in enhanced opportunity, and in education.

“Through these there is the opportunity of delivering lasting, transformative change and prosperity across class, religion, sect, tribe and race.”

Opposition al-Wefaq party leader and resigned MP Ali Alaswad previously told IBTimes UK that only political reforms and an elected and accountable government can force the country’s regime to respect basic human rights principles such as the right to protest peacefully.

Alaswad, who fled his country after his home was targeted by Bahraini security forces, said that “first, there should be political reform” leading to democratic elections.

He added: “If there’s an elected and accountable government, the Prime Minister, for instance, can be questioned in the parliament. This is not possible now.”

Disturbing reports from human rights organisations working in Bahrain have exposed how political prisoners are being tortured.

Human Rights Watch has accused the US government of turning a blind eye to abuses in Bahrain. The EU and UK has a number of export controls on arms trading with Bahrain after government forces used violence against unarmed demonstrators.

The UK parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee will hold an inquiry into the human rights abuses perpetrated by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Acting president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BHCR) Maryam Al-Khawaja has said the country’s government has only become “emboldened by inaction from the international community”. …more

Bahrain Crackdown Extends to Exhibit on Crackdown
By ROBERT MACKEY – 31 October, 2013 – NYT

One day after the police in Bahrain raided the offices of an opposition party to confiscate materials being used in an exhibition on the security crackdown following the 2011 uprising, the authorities released a video statement in which a spokesman contended that the display of painting, spent tear-gas canisters and the belongings of dead protesters was being used to illegally “reinforce hatred.”

The opposition activist Ala’a Shehabi heaped scorn on the police spokesman’s attempt to justify the crackdown on remembering the crackdown, calling it a “tragicomedy.”

Two spokesmen for the party, al-Wefaq, denounced the raid on its “Revolution Museum” exhibit at a news conference on Thursday.

S.Hadi “yesterday we had added to the #RevolutionMuseum a scene simulating home raids, then it was raided!”
#Bahrain http://t.co/AbcbXnhhjev — AlwefaqEN (@AlWefaqEN) 31 Oct 13

Raid of alWefaq’s building makes us more convinced that #Bahrain needs transition to democracy, why is force used against peaceful activism? — AlwefaqEN (@AlWefaqEN) 31 Oct 13

Before the exhibition was shut down, supporters of the uprising against the kingdom’s monarchy documented it on YouTube and in images posted on Twitter.

#Bahrain ’s #RevolutionMuseum
A painting of the Pearl monument symbol of the revolution in the historic Pearl 2011 http://t.co/uq01YZ1BM9
— Hasan (@3lsari) 29 Oct 13

#Bahrain #RevolutionMuseum
personal belongings of ali saqer who was tortured to death inside detention on 9-4-2011 http://t.co/qql2YLUF1K
— Hasan (@3lsari) 29 Oct 13

#Bahrain ’s #RevolutionMuseum
the camera of the photographer the martyr ja’affer al-karrany http://t.co/FfnknmKduR
— Hasan (@3lsari) 29 Oct 13

#RevolutionMuseum Show facts including the demolition of mosques! Is this who scare you to surround #AlWEFAQ http://t.co/FYkBKfGWTz — WeRallNabeelRajab (@Sajaya86) 30 Oct 13

#Bahrain #RevolutionMuseum: 7 panoramas documenting the violations of the regime #idlenomore
http://t.co/rKARVX4avk http://t.co/0e2UGU4sKM — el-hashimi (@elhashimi1) 31 Oct 13

Organizers of the exhibition told The Associated Press that the panoramas and collections of personal items were inspired in part by the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

As my colleague Kareem Fahim reported, the crackdown on dissent seemed to escalate again last month with the arrest of Khalil al-Marzooq, a former member of Parliament and a leader of Wefaq, mainstream opposition group which had been engaged in dialogue with the government.

The struggle by activists to preserve memories of the uprisings across the Arab world in 2011 has been an ongoing theme in the region for the past two years. Last month, the British-Egyptian filmmaker Omar Robert Hamilton worked with the Cairo-based scholar and researcher Mohamed Elshahed on a video for the Guggenheim documenting the ephemeral Revolution Museum that has appeared and disappeared at moments of great upheaval in Tahrir Square. …source

31 October, 2013

About Alliance of Youth of Change

Youth of Change is a political alliance that brings together several revolutionary movements in Bahrain under a unified and strategic political program in order to bring an end to the two-century old rule of Al-Khalifa dynasty.

Founding Statement
The outbreak of the February 14th revolution in Bahrain was a continuation of a prolonged struggle for survival between the native people and the Al-Khalifa dynasty. The struggle began over two centuries ago. Throughout the struggle, the Al-Khalifa dynasty has committed all sorts of crimes: murder, rape, torture, detention, exile, theft and starvation.

The revolution’s outbreak was spontaneous, and was fuelled by the regime’s lethal actions against the masses that gathered peacefully on 14th of February to protest against state corruption. However, the regime’s brutality has backfired, prompting protestors to escalate their demands and call for total regime change and self-determination.

Despite wide media negligence, direct foreign military intervention under disguise of the so called “Peninsula Shield”, and the emergence of internal counter-revolution, the revolution has prevailed and maintained its strength and determination. Well-organized and strategically-focused youth groups have begun to emerge, with vision that extends beyond toppling the dictatorship regime. Their ultimate goal is to build a democratic state.

The concept of Youth for Change has evolved as various revolutionary groups and movements within Bahrain and abroad discussed domestic and regional developments. The objective was to develop a program that would lead to the downfall of the ruling monarchy and secure the opportunity for a democratic change.

Who are we?
Alliance of Youth for Change brings together several opposition groups within Bahrain and abroad that seek regime change in Bahrain. Due to the risky situation in Bahrain, the capital of the United Kingdom London was chosen for its strategic importance to host the political and media activities.

Terms of Reference

The following general principles represent the terms of reference and constitution. Youth for Change pledges to follow Islamic guidelines throughout its work.

– The Al-Khalifa regime has lost the legitimacy to rule.
– The people have the right to overthrow the illegitimate regime and determine their own fate.
– The best political, economic and social systems are to be determined by the people through democratic and transparent means.
– Maintain independent decision-making process from all external parties and powers.

Youth for Change has set a number of well-defined strategic as well as tactical goals to make sure the goals of the revolution are achieved. Among these goals:

– Support and coordinate the various revolutionary movements within Bahrain and abroad and unite their political objectives and strategies.
– Convey the real demands of the people of Bahrain to the world.
– Develop tactical and strategic schemes based on the terms of reference.
– Provide innovative ideas at all levels to the mainstream opposition.
– Develop communication channels with neighboring nations.
– Solidify and expand the alliance to include other revolutionary factions and movements.
– Ensure the youth generation leads the decision-making in all critical areas during and after the revolution.

Relationship with other Revolutionary Factions and Movements
Youth for Change strongly believes in the collaborative work with all revolutionary factions and movements that share the same principles and goals.

Relationship with Formal Opposition Societies
Youth for Change expects from the formal opposition societies to escalate their demands to match the demands of the people. It is hoped the formal opposition societies will adopt regime change and stop relying on the foreign powers that only take their economic greed into account.

Relationship with The Ruling Dynasty of Al-Khalifa
Youth for Change considers the entire regime of Al-Khalifa as illegitimate and does not make exceptions. On this basis, Youth for Change has cut all ties to the ruling dynasty. The conflict in Bahrain is a struggle for survival between the people and the ruling dynasty that is trying to disturb the original demographic composition of the nation for political purposes.

Relationship with Neighboring Nations
The people of Bahrain share many deep and ancient ties with their neighbors including religion, language and kin. Youth for Change looks forward to strengthening these ties, especially with nations that suffer from dictatorships.

Stance on Regime Supporters in The West
Western governments led by the United States and United Kingdom claim they stand for democracy, universal human rights and self-determination. However, they adopt a double standard approach on Bahrain and the Gulf region in general for the sake of their selfish economic interests. The West governments shall learn that financial relationships that do not benefit the interests of the people, and military bases that do not contribute to the safety of the people remain at risk at all times.

A Message to Our People
We bow to our people, who have remained steadfast, and maintained dignity and determination against the Al-Khalifa regime, their supporters in the West, and the invading GCC forces. We assure our people that the Al-Khalifa regime’s end is inevitable. And we vow to walk the path of the revolution till the goals are achieved.

Alliance of Youth of Change, Bahrain
October 31st 2013
…source

Washington Continues to Support Al-Khalifa Regime in Bahrain
29 October, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Activists of the opposition in Bahrain contacted the local press, warning that Washington is indeed supporting the al-Khalifa regime, despite a recent statement that it had suspended all aids and military collaboration.

Bahrain which is looking to purchase a large amount of tear gas canisters is believed to have turned to its long term American ally, Islam Times reported Monday.

Activists produced a series of documents to support their claims. Bahrain government wants to purchase 2 million gas bombs and other crowd control weapons.

An international inquiry in November 2011 found that 35 people had died during Bahrain’s uprising, most of whom were protesters but also including five security personnel. The opposition puts the death toll at more than 80.

The US-based Human Rights First (HRF) advocacy group earlier this month urged Washington to speak out against the planned teargas shipment.

According to Bahrain Watch, the leaked document came in the form of a tender issued by the Interior Ministry’s Purchasing Directorate. It invited arms manufacturers to supply the ministry with “teargas cartridges and sound grenades.”

In March 2012, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the use of teargas had led to a number of deaths of protesters and bystanders in Bahrain.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a US-based group that campaigns for medical staff working in crisis zones, said in August 2012 that the Bahraini government used teargas indiscriminately, causing severe injuries to some civilians.

Bahrain has denied that charge. …source

Nasrallah Slams Riyadh for Derailing Syria Peace Talks
29 October, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi Arabia is seeking to derail the long-delayed Geneva II peace conference aimed at ending the conflict in Syria and is enraged over the Syrian government’s gains, Hezbollah Secretary General said.

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah also slammed Saudi regime’s meddling in the internal affairs of Lebanon and hindering the country’s efforts to form a new government, Al-Alam reported Monday.

“The world has come to an understanding that a military solution (in Syria) is no longer valid and the only acceptable solution is a political one via an unconditional dialogue,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech commemorating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of al-Rassoul al-Azam Hospital.

“But there is one country, … the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and it is still very angry over the prospects of a political solution in Syria,” he added.

Nasrallah said the kingdom had exhausted all available means to force the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s government, such as sending tens of thousands of fighters and spending an estimated $30 billion.

“The fighting side did all it can to target the government and bring it down but failed to reach any results,” he said.

The prospects of a military solution subsided, Nasrallah said, in light of divisions within the Syrian opposition and the rebels, the Syrian army’s recapture of several areas and the collapse of a possible US-led attack on the conflict-ridden country.

“The stubbornness and insistence on (a military solution) will only lead to further fighting, casualties and destruction as well as repercussions on neighboring countries,” Nasrallah said.

He also advised Saudi Arabia not to pass up the opportunity for peace talks in Geneva II, noting that time was not on the opposition’s side.

“Given the current developments, it is best that you go forward with a political solution in Syria,” he said.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Reports indicate that the western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.
…source



Nasrallah: Saudi “anger” fueling Syrian war
28 October, 2013 – Al Akhbar

After two and a half years of relentless bloodshed, the whole world with the exception of Saudi Arabia has reached the conclusion that there can be no military solution to the Syrian crisis, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech Monday.

He accused the Wahhabi-ruled kingdom of letting its “anger” over failing to topple President Bashar al-Assad cloud its judgement and prevent political dialogue from taking shape.

“There is one regional country that is still very angry …. because it did not achieve its goal. They brought tens of thousands of fighters from all over the world [to Syria], … sent weapons, money,” Nasrallah said.

“[There has been] international pressure, sieges, sanctions and incitement [against the Syrian government]. Everything that could have been done was done, and nothing happened.”

“We cannot continue to have the region ignite in flames just because one country is angry,” he added.

The international community is trying to push the proposed US-Russian “Geneva II” peace conference tentatively scheduled for late-November, but leading factions of both Syria’s political and armed opposition groups have either flatly rejected dialogue, or demanded that conditions be set before coming to the table.

A coalition of 19 rebel groups on Sunday labelled as traitors any opposition faction that engages in peace talks with the Syrian government.

Nasrallah said that despite infighting among Syria’s opposition, they all “drink from the same tap,” in a reference to the Saudi kingdom.

“All of those whose hearts beat for Syria, or those affected by the conflict, must point their fingers at those who are preventing such dialogue and a solution in Syria,” he said.

He added that the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation should use their influence to push Syria’s opposition to attend next month’s peace conference without pre-conditions. …more

What a Surprise: U.S.-Based Iran “Experts” Promoting Israeli Policy
by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett – 29 October, 2013

As the new round of nuclear diplomacy between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 unfolds, an informal coalition of forces is coalescing in the West to oppose any prospective deal in which the United States would “accept” safeguarded uranium enrichment in Iran. Of course, Israel and the pro-Israel lobby are at the heart of this coalition. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s remarks about the Iran nuclear talks on NBC’s Meet the Press this past Sunday, see here, are emblematic of the “zero enrichment” camp:

“The question is not of hope; the question is of actual result. The test is the result. The result has to be the full dismantling of Iran’s military nuclear program. If that is achieved, that would be very good. If it’s achieved peacefully, it’s even better…I think the pressure has to be maintained on Iran, even increased on Iran, until it actually stops the nuclear program—that is, dismantles it. I think that any partial deal could end up in dissolving the sanctions. There are a lot of countries waiting for a signal, just waiting for a signal, to get rid of their sanctions regime. And I think that you don’t want to go through halfway measures…

As far as the freezing of assets—as far as I remember, those assets were frozen for three reasons: one, Iran’s terrorist actions; two, its aggressive actions, particularly in the Gulf; and three, its continued refusal to stop the production of weapons of mass destruction. You know, if you get all three done, and they stop doing it—well, then, I suppose you could unfreeze them…Those sanctions weren’t Israeli sanctions. I’ve always advocated them, but the international community adopted very firm resolutions by the Security Council, and here’s what those resolutions say: they said Iran should basically dismantle its centrifuges for enrichment (that’s one path to get a nuclear weapon) and stop work on its plutonium heavy-water reactor (that’s the other path for a nuclear weapon).

It’s very important to stress that it’s for nuclear weapons. Nobody challenges Iran’s or any country’s pursuit of civilian nuclear energy. But seventeen countries in the world, including your neighbors Canada and Mexico, have very robust programs for civilian nuclear energy, and they don’t enrich with centrifuges, and they don’t have heavy water plutonium reactors.

Here comes Iran and says, ‘I want civilian nuclear energy.’ I don’t know why, because they have energy, with gas and oil, coming out of their ears for generations. But suppose you believe them. Then you ask, ‘Why do you insist on maintaining a plutonium heavy water reactor, and on maintaining centrifuges that can only be used for making nuclear weapons?’ And the answer is because they want to have residual capability to make nuclear weapons. And you don’t want that, and UN resolutions don’t want that, Security Council resolutions. And I propose sticking by that.”

U.S. inattention to Libya breeds chaos
By David Ignatius, 25 October, 2013 – Washington Post

For a case study of why America’s influence has receded in the Middle East, consider the example of Libya. Some simple steps over the past two years might have limited the country’s descent toward anarchy. But Libya became so toxic after the Benghazi attack that the United States has been slow to provide help.

When Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan visited Washington in March, he made a straightforward request: He needed U.S. help in training a “general-purpose force” that could protect officials of the democratically elected government and safeguard Libya’s basic services. He explained that, without such protection, government officials couldn’t move safely around the country to do their work.

Helping Libya should be a no-brainer. The United States and its NATO allies spent billions toppling the regime of Col. Moammar Gaddafi in 2011, and they have a big investment in creating a secure state. Instead, Libya has become a nation of lawless militias. Zeidan’s government can’t even hold meetings safely. The United States should have begun training security forces immediately after Gaddafi was toppled. Every day of delay is a mistake.

The Obama administration has approved, in principle, a plan to train 6,000 to 8,000 Libyans outside the country. But the situation in Tripoli is so chaotic that Libyans haven’t yet made a formal request for this assistance. U.S. officials said it won’t start until the spring, at the earliest.

President Obama is said to have decided at a Cabinet meeting this month that “we have not been doing enough” as the chaos grew in Libya and that he wants to “accelerate” assistance, according to a senior administration official. That’s good — better late than never — but it’s an open question whether Congress will let Obama do what’s needed.

Congressional Republicans deserve much of the blame. The GOP has staged more than a year of near-hysterical attacks about alleged failures and coverups involving the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on the U.S. compound in Benghazi that left four Americans dead. The relentless GOP sniping and second-guessing had the inevitable consequence: Nobody wanted to risk another Benghazi; U.S. diplomats hunkered down at the embassy in Tripoli; and Libya policy went in the deep freeze.

Here’s how bad the Libya phobia has become: When the Department of Homeland Security recently began drafting a rule that would allow Libyan students and workers to come to the United States for education and training, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) thundered that “it is shocking that the Obama administration is turning a blind eye to real terrorist threats that exist in Libya today.” And Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) denounced the move as “unbelievable.”

What continued in the Libya vacuum were secret U.S. counterterrorism operations. These culminated in the Oct. 5 raid that snatched al-Qaeda militant Anas al-Libi in Tripoli and brought him to New York for trial on charges stemming from the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. This was a laudable operation, but counterterrorism is not America’s only interest in Libya.

The raid produced an embarrassing backlash: Zeidan, the pro-American prime minister, was kidnapped by angry militiamen from his hotel in Tripoli and held for hours. The gunmen released him partly because they didn’t want to fight other armed gangs for control of the hostage. Zeidan said he hadn’t approved the U.S. mission, but his cover of deniability was frayed when Secretary of State John Kerry insisted the operation was “legal and appropriate,” implying it had Libyan approval. …more