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

The regime in Bahrain has made direct accusations and threats against the Shiite sect in the country, at a time of continued domination and control by the regime and the ruling family, of the legislative, judicial and executive powers in Bahrain.

The Bahraini Regime insults it’s Shiite community with direct threats and accusations
30 July, 2013 – ABNA

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The regime in Bahrain has made direct accusations and threats against the Shiite sect in the country, at a time of continued domination and control by the regime and the ruling family, of the legislative, judicial and executive powers in Bahrain. It is adapting the state for the benefit of its own projects, going against the direction of the will of the people and confiscating their rights.

The latest accusations came from a Government spokesperson that spoke openly about treason and threatened a large component of Bahraini society. This behavior reflects the systematic sectarian targeting and inflaming of tensions to create religious conflict between citizens.

Al Wefaq National Islamic Society said that the Bahraini society is bigger than to respond to the destruction and fragmentation projects that the regime is trying to implement, disregarding the higher national interest.

This had led to the people to demand a state based on citizenship rather than tribal, sect or ethnicity. Al Wefaq added that this discrimination is formally and systematically organized at all levels and is being promoted by regime officials. It includes threats to crush, kill and torture against the majority of citizens. Shockingly this has come from a main Adviser to the King of Bahrain, in the context of continued demands and protests for an end to dictatorship and democratic transition.

Along side the regime officials who are threatening and calling for revenge, there is also a large group of paid writers and supporters to back them up. “There is an urgent need for an international stance on what is being perpetrated, incited and systematically pushed for. The United Nations must take a clear stance to stop the continuous use of excessive force against peaceful protesters in Bahrain. We have suffered the dark days of emergency law (so-called national security status) with the worst ever human rights violations, as documented in the BICI report. Including systematic torture, extrajudicial killings, demolishing mosques and shrines, targeting professionals and political dismissals from their jobs and many other violations, which practically prove the serious absence of state.

These violations revealed the awful face of the inhumane approach adopted by the authorities in Bahrain; where there are no laws or legislation but only vindictiveness and hostility against pro-democracy and anti-authoritarianism popular struggle.

Al Wefaq will consider the international silence and unclear stances on the repression in Bahrain as a green light for more human rights violations and a stand on the wrong side of history. The international community must call for an immediate stop to all kinds of repressive measures against peaceful protesters; and call the government of Bahrain to adhere to its international obligations and start to swiftly start a real and inclusive democratic transition that will positively respond to the people’s legitimate aspirations of justice, equality and fair political representation. …source

Letter from the BYSHR to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism
30 July, 2013 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

Mr. Ben Emmerson
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism
Email: srct@ohchr.org

Manama, 30 July 2013

Dear Special Rapporteur,

The National Assembly (80 members from the Council of Representatives and Shura Council) held on Sunday – 28 July – an extraordinary session in order to discuss giving extensive powers to the Executive Authority in the area of counter-terrorism, the session was attended by 12 ministers, among them was the Minister of Interior and Minister of Justice. The Assembly endorsed 22 recommendations which are submitted to the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa; the King later issued a statement in which he agreed to all the recommendations.

The recommendations included extensive powers to the Executive Authority and especially the Security Forces, and they were presented in the context of ‘counter-terrorism’ in Bahrain. The Legislative Authority gave extensive powers to conduct wide-ranging amendments to Law (58) of the year 2006 regarding terrorism.

In July 2006, the former Special Rapporteur Mr Martin Scheinin addressed a letter to the Bahraini Authorities in which he criticized the law, and he expressed his concern regarding the broad definition of terrorism, and that some actions are not considered terrorist, and that some articles hold the person accountable according to intention, and that some actions do not cause the death or harm to anyone, in addition to that the law restricts freedom of establishing associations and assemby, and that the law lends itself to criminalizing peaceful demonstrations which are considered one of the rights of civil society.

Since February 2011, the human rights situation in Bahrain has dramatically worsened, with widespread and serious human rights violations carried out against those who have partaken in or are perceived to have supported pro-democracy protests in the country. The BICI found evidence of torture, deaths in custody, and arbitrary detention, and concluded that the abuses “could not have happened without the knowledge of higher echelons of the command structure” of the security forces. The government has so far failed to ensure a process of independent review and accountability for individuals, particularly at the command and supervision level, who may be responsible for these violations. Instead the government has continued a widespread campaign of harassment against opposition activists, demonstrators, and human rights defenders.

The government of Bahrain has attempted to deflect international criticism by accepting more than 143 of 176 recommendations during its recent Universal Periodic Review, but for the most part has denied that human rights violations have occurred and avoided putting its statements into practice, including seriously addressing continuing violations and accountability for past abuses. We remain highly concerned over the lack of independent, effective and transparent investigations with regards to allegations of torture, lack of due process and killings of protestors. Contrary to the government’s assertions, in our assessment the key recommendations made by the BICI are not being implemented.

The Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced a number of security incidents during the past months – bombings, finding stores that contain homemade bombs and weapons – and within few hours the Ministry arrests the suspects, as it indicates in its press statements, however the Ministry of Interior does not allow independent and unbiased investigation in these security incidents, and it did not present any real evidence other than the press statements.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights-BYSHR had documented dozens of cases where the Public Prosecution uses the Terrorism Law, where the presence of a lawyer is not permitted during the preliminary investigation, in addition to the torture allegations in the Criminal Investigation Department.

The Bahraini Authorities also used the law against human rights defenders, as had happened to Mr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Mr Naji Fateel – administrative member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights – as they were arrested and trialed according to the Terrorism Law, and they were subjected to torture and abuse (for more information on Naji Fateel: http://byshr.org/?cat=53 )

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights-BYSHR calls you to request a visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain and to inform the Authorities to stop using the anti-terrorism law that restricts fundamental liberties and contributes in repression.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Mr. Mohammed Al-Maskati
President
Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights
…source

Bahrain: Horrific torture tales at Alkhalifa kangaroo court
By davidswanson – 29 July, 2013 – warisacrime.org

The past few days have witnessed one of harshest campaigns, collective punishment and en-mass trials in the country. Scores were kidnapped from their homes, offices or the street, taken to torture chambers and subjected to most horrific treatment. The towns of Samaheej, Duraz, Sitra, Karzakkan and others were raided by armed security men and hooded militias to induce fear in the hearts of Bahrainis. Those detained suffered great deals of torture to the extent that the regime’s torture personnel have denied that they had arrested some of them, leading to fears that some prisoners may have perished in the torture chambers. This campaign of state-terrorism started at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan to disorientate the people and divert them from the path of worship and struggle.

At the same time the Alkhalifa kangaroo courts resumed their sessions to send more Bahrainis to prison on trumpeted charges. On Thursday 25th July scores of Bahrainis were brought into these courts only to be humiliated by the Alkhalifa judges. Among them was Raihana Al Mousawi, one of two women arrested during the Formula 1 race in April. At her last appearance two weeks ago she told the court that she had been subjected to torture, abused and stripped off her clothes. The judge refused to document her torture complaints and failed to take any action to investigate these heinous crimes.

The group which is being tried is accused of being members of the 14th February Coalition. Among those present were Jihad Mohammad Ali and Ali Habib who were limping as they entered the court room due to the severe torture they had endured. A third person was Abd Ali Al Singace whose hand and neck had wrappings indicating the extent of torture. The fourth was Naji Fateel who had removed his shirt in the last session to expose the horrific wounds due to severe beating and hanging from the hands and legs. Another person was Hamid Al Safi who became furious when he saw Raihana Al Mousawi at the court again after her first ordeal two weeks ago. The judge ordered his removal from the court. Three others were also brought; Jaffar Al Jamri, Mohammad Ali Ashoor and Abd Ali Mohammad Khair. The Bahraini patriots started detailing their torture ordeals , but the judge kept interrupting them and asking them to stop talking. The ruling family had prevented a representative of Front Line D efenders and a Bahraini human rights activist, Mohammad Al Masqati from attending in order to keep the lid on those tales of horror. The session was abruptly brought to an end when the defence team refused the presence of one of the Alkhalifa members and the son of a prominent regime’s crony as judges. The families of the Bahraini victims were not allowed into the court room.

A Bahraini young man, Salman Ahmad Al Nakal, was arrested on Wednesday 24th July on the causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He was taken to an unknown location and nothing has been heard of him since.

The hopes of those who had been relentlessly promoting the Alkhalifa crown prince that he may lead a reconciliation process were dashed in the past two days after he uttered statements that exposed his real nature and that he is no more reformist than the rest of his family members. While visiting the house of one prominent people he called on the Bahrainis to apologise to the his family for calling for their natural and legitimate rights. He insisted that the victims of his family’s state terrorism stop their political campaigns and ask for forgiveness from those who have been abusing and torturing them. The people reacted in fury to those comments that were ill-placed and ill-advised. If anything, those words have exposed the reality of his personality and that he is not different from the rest of the Alkhalifa thugs. Those remarks came only a few days after he had met with the military and security personnel and thanked them for the crimes they are committing on dail y basis against Bahrainis. If this is the kind of man the Western allies have in mind to lead what they perceive as “reconciliation” process, then the whole exercise has exposed its futility and failure.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
26th July 2013
…source

More restrictions imposed on freedom of expression by the Bahraini regime
22 July, 2013 – ABNA

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The National Democratic Opposition Parties in Bahrain condemned the arbitrary measures taken by the regime against the people by banning pro-democracy protests and imposing more restriction on the right of assembly to prevent the people from calling for their rights.

The opposition parties stated that the right to protest in the capital Manama has been absolutely banned by the regime as it is now completely forbidding the people from their right to protest and assemble.

On Friday 19th, the regime banned two peaceful protests organized by the opposition parties in Bahrain. By this, tge regime is imposing more suffocating measures on the freedom of expression in the country.

The opposition parties stressed the ban on protests is unlawful and unconstitutional and is a form of oppression where the law used to punish dissidents. This is completely unacceptable, the opposition said.

The right to protest is a humanitarian right that is guaranteed by international covenants and laws and cannot be confiscated by the Authority nor any other party, the opposition democratic parties added.

The ban comes in the context of the repressive security escalation and campaign of incitement.

The opposition parties pointed out that all Bahrainis have the right to protest and to express their opinons. The regime adds more human rights violations to its shameful record by the people from exercising their basic humanitarian right to protest for democracy.

Thus, the international community is demanded to take a clear stance on this systematic escalation taken by the regime against the people of Bahrain.

19July 2013

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society (AlWefaq)

National Democratic Action Society (Waad)

National Democratic Gathering Society (AlQawmi)

Unitary National Democratic Assemblage (Wahdawy)

Ekhaa National Society (Ekhaa)

…more

Bahraini authorities raid homes and torture suspects for confessions
24 July, 2013 – albawaba

(AFP/MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH) Bahraini protestors run for cover during clashes with riot police following a protest against the ruling regime.

Security forces in Bahrain have been raiding dozens of homes each day since April, arbitrarily arresting young men, and torturing them to force confessions to some crime, a local rights group said on Tuesday.

Plainclothes police, some of them dressed in neon-colored vests and black ski masks, knocked down doors of houses in at least 10 villages across the tiny Gulf monarchy on Monday and arrested several people, Yousif al-Muhafda, deputy-head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), said.

In the latest home invasions on Tuesday, Muhafda documented raids in at least four villages including al-Shakhtoura, Sehla, Nabi Saleh and Ma’ameer with a number of arrests.

“In one day, there are at least 30-35 house raids,” the rights activist told Al-Akhbar.

“Many times they aren’t looking for specific people. They just storm a house and ask the family if they have any young men,” Muhafda added.

In a period of five days from July 17 – 21, the BCHR documented over 60 arrests, 140 injuries from birdshot, and 150 house raids.

Hundreds of others have been arrested in a recent escalation of house raids, which began during a massive crackdown on activists ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix in the capital Manama in April.

Some of those taken into custody included persons with physical and mental disabilities. For example, Qassem Ghaloum Ahmad, who suffers from a mental disability, was detained last week in arbitrary arrests. Before him, security forces had arrested blind and deaf youths.

“Bahrain is now living under martial law,” Muhafda said. “The house raids never stop. For 24 hours yesterday (Monday), they went from one village to the next.”

Once arrested, the mostly-young Bahrainis are held in Dry Dock Prison where they are routinely beaten and tortured with no access to family or a lawyer.

Afterwards they are sent to the criminal investigation office where they are blindfolded and asked to sign a document confessing to a crime. If they refuse, or ask to see a lawyer, they are sent back to Dry Dock for more beatings.

Such was the case with prominent activist Naji Fateel who has been imprisoned since May on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and attending an illegal gathering, Muhafda, who is familiar with the incident, said.

Authorities in western-backed Bahrain have been attempting to crush a popular pro-democracy uprising that erupted in February 2011. …more

Bahraini Opposition Vows to Continue Protests
28 July, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Bahrainis will continue their protests against the government because the ruling regime has failed to propose a political solution to meet people’s demands, a top Bahraini opposition figure said.

Mohammed al-Motawa, a senior official of the Unity Democratic Gathering Society (Wahdawy), told al-Alam on Saturday, the revolutionary people of Bahrain have not received a clear and transparent answer from the regime yet and are still waiting to see what the king has to offer for ending the crisis in the country.

Al-Motawa said the regime tried to silence the voice of revolutionaries and imprison political activists instead of listening to their demands.

Bahraini regime enjoys enormous military tools and green light from regional and international powers, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the US, to clampdown popular protests, he added.

The politician urged Manama regime not to be afraid of respecting people’s rights and avoid killing innocent activists.

Bahraini political parties offered their demands and proposals in a meeting with a group of government representatives on Saturday but Manama regime has refused to answer the request yet.

Bahrain is in the middle of a popular uprising that erupted in mid-February 2011 in the small Persian Gulf island nation, with demonstrators calling for democratic reforms.

The Manama regime promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states to help them silent the protests.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses.

A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that the Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force in the crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters. …more

Bahraini forces escalate house raids, arbitrary arrests: NGO
23 July, 2013 – Al Akhbar

Security forces in Bahrain have been raiding dozens of homes each day since April, arbitrarily arresting young men, and torturing them to force confessions to some crime, a local rights group said on Tuesday.

Plainclothes police, some of them dressed in neon-colored vests and black ski masks, knocked down doors of houses in at least 10 villages across the tiny Gulf monarchy on Monday and arrested several people, Yousif al-Muhafda, deputy-head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), said.

In the latest home invasions on Tuesday, Muhafda documented raids in at least four villages including al-Shakhtoura, Sehla, Nabi Saleh and Ma’ameer with a number of arrests.

“In one day, there are at least 30-35 house raids,” the rights activist told Al-Akhbar.

“Many times they aren’t looking for specific people. They just storm a house and ask the family if they have any young men,” Muhafda added.

In a period of five days from July 17 – 21, the BCHR documented over 60 arrests, 140 injuries from birdshot, and 150 house raids.

Hundreds of others have been arrested in a recent escalation of house raids, which began during a massive crackdown on activists ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix in the capital Manama in April.

Some of those taken into custody included persons with physical and mental disabilities. For example, Qassem Ghaloum Ahmad, who suffers from a mental disability, was detained last week in arbitrary arrests. Before him, security forces had arrested blind and deaf youths.

“Bahrain is now living under martial law,” Muhafda said. “The house raids never stop. For 24 hours yesterday (Monday), they went from one village to to the next.”

Once arrested, the mostly-young Bahrainis are held in Dry Dock Prison where they are routinely beaten and tortured with no access to family or a lawyer.

Afterwards they are sent to the criminal investigation office where they are blindfolded and asked to sign a document confessing to a crime. If they refuse, or ask to see a lawyer, they are sent back to Dry Dock for more beatings. …more

Bahrain: Horrific torture tales at Alkhalifa kangaroo court
29 July, 2012 – SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association) – The past few days have witnessed one of harshest campaigns, collective punishment and en-mass trials in the country. Scores were kidnapped from their homes, offices or the street, taken to torture chambers and subjected to most horrific treatment. The towns of Samaheej, Duraz, Sitra, Karzakkan and others were raided by armed security men and hooded militias to induce fear in the hearts of Bahrainis. Those detained suffered great deals of torture to the extent that the regime’s torture personnel have denied that they had arrested some of them, leading to fears that some prisoners may have perished in the torture chambers. This campaign of state-terrorism started at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan to disorientate the people and divert them from the path of worship and struggle.

At the same time the Alkhalifa kangaroo courts resumed their sessions to send more Bahrainis to prison on trumpeted charges. On Thursday 25th July scores of Bahrainis were brought into these courts only to be humiliated by the Alkhalifa judges. Among them was Raihana Al Mousawi, one of two women arrested during the Formula 1 race in April. At her last appearance two weeks ago she told the court that she had been subjected to torture, abused and stripped off her clothes. The judge refused to document her torture complaints and failed to take any action to investigate these heinous crimes.

The group which is being tried is accused of being members of the 14th February Coalition. Among those present were Jihad Mohammad Ali and Ali Habib who were limping as they entered the court room due to the severe torture they had endured. A third person was Abd Ali Al Singace whose hand and neck had wrappings indicating the extent of torture. The fourth was Naji Fateel who had removed his shirt in the last session to expose the horrific wounds due to severe beating and hanging from the hands and legs. Another person was Hamid Al Safi who became furious when he saw Raihana Al Mousawi at the court again after her first ordeal two weeks ago. The judge ordered his removal from the court. Three others were also brought; Jaffar Al Jamri, Mohammad Ali Ashoor and Abd Ali Mohammad Khair. The Bahraini patriots started detailing their torture ordeals , but the judge kept interrupting them and asking them to stop talking. The ruling family had prevented a representative of Front Line Defenders and a Bahraini human rights activist, Mohammad Al Masqati from attending in order to keep the lid on those tales of horror. The session was abruptly brought to an end when the defence team refused the presence of one of the Alkhalifa members and the son of a prominent regime’s crony as judges. The families of the Bahraini victims were not allowed into the court room. …more

Bahrain: No Justice for Human Rights Defenders
28 July, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) express their grave concern over the lack of justice in Bahrain. Bahraini citizens, including human rights defenders and journalist, have been victims of the judicial system where trials do not meet the international standards and follow the due process. Human rights defenders, Naji Fateel, and Nazeeha Saeed, are just two examples of the unfair judicial system, which is used to create false charges against human rights defenders and activists.

Naji Fateel, a board member of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), was arrested on 2 May 2013 from his home in Bani Jamra and held incommunicado for 3 days before being transferred to the Dry Dock prison. The Public Prosecution Office ordered his detention for 45 days. On 23 May 2013, Naji was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment for “illegal assembly”. On 12 June 2013, Bahrain national television aired names and photos of Bahraini citizens it claimed that they are behind the set up of the so-called “Coalition of 14 February”, Naji was one them.

Naji Fateel faces the alleged charged of “establishing a terrorist group for the purpose of disturbing public security, disabling constitution and law, preventing public institution and authorities from performing their duties, attacking public and personal rights, and harming national unity”, under the internationally condemned ‘Terrorism Law’. In his first court hearing, which was held on 11 July 2013, Naji talked publicly about the torture he was subjected to and took his shirt off to show the torture marks on his back. However, instead of taking immediate action and carry out an immediate, impartial and thorough investigation into the allegations of torture, the judge did not allow the defendants to complete their testimonies and refused to take note of their allegations.

On 26 July 2013, the second hearing of the trial was held, and yet in another violation to his legal rights, Naji Fteel was not brought to court, which is believed to be due to his public allegations that he had been tortured during his interrogation and detention. BCHR’s head of documentation, Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafadha, has attended the trial on behalf of BCHR and GCHR. He stated that “the investigation with Naji Fateel and others involved in the case was not about the “Coalition of 14 February”, rather about their participation in protests, the Pearl roundabout, and other activities.” He added that “the court took an illegal decision when postponed the hearing to 5 September 2013 in order to call the witnesses, although the lawyers did not request that.” He concluded by saying “it is clear that this court is violating the international standards for fair trials as they want to continue this ‘mockery of justice’ without the lawyers and defendants.”

The lawyers in the “Coalition of 14 February” of which Naji is one of the defendants, have submitted a letter to the court explaining the reasons why the judge Ali Khalifa Al-Dhahrani should step down. The letter stated that the defendants are accused of aiming to “prevent the public institution and authorities from performing their duties” and no doubt the House of Representatives is one of these institutions which is headed by Khalifa Al-Dharani, the father of judge Ali Al-Dhahrani who is heading the court which deals with this case. This, in addition to the fact that the House of Representative and its members have publicly stated their pro-government positions in relation to the case which may influence the court, thus a conflict of interest is present here, according to article 221 of the code of criminal procedure law. The letter was submitted on 25 July 2013, however, the lawyers did not receive any response as yet.

The second case is that of human rights defender and journalist, Nazeeha Saeed, Bahrain correspondent for France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya, who was subjected to torture in Riffa police station at the hand of security personnel in 2011. Describing her torture Nazeeha stated that “she was blindfolded, kicked, punched, and slapped. Her hair was pulled, she was whipped with plastic tubing, had a shoe forced into her mouth and her head dunked into a toilet. An unknown, caustic liquid said to be urine was poured onto her face, she was repeatedly insulted and mentally abused and asked to make a false confession.” …more

Bahrain press hails new ‘anti-terror’ powers
29 July, 2013 = Agence France Presse – The Daily Star

DUBAI: Bahrain’s pro-government press on Monday hailed tough new powers given to the authorities to address what they say is an upsurge in “terrorist” violence linked to Shiite-led pro-democracy protests.

The loyalist-dominated parliament, which is boycotted by the Shiite opposition, gave authorities powers to revoke the citizenship of anyone “recognised as guilty of committing or inciting an act of terrorism.”

At an extraordinary session on Sunday requested by King Hamad in the midst of a parliamentary recess, MPs also recommended “a ban on gatherings and rallies” in the capital.

It called for emergency law to be declared in the Sunni-ruled Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom if the need arose in the run-up for a major opposition demonstration called for mid-August.

MPs urged authorities to prosecute political groups that “incite and support acts of violence and terrorism,” as well as those that use media social networks to “spread false information.”

The Al-Ayam newspaper described the recommendations as “historic,” and a reflection of a “national consensus to fight terrorism” in the kingdom.

The authorities say there have been a growing number of shootings and bombings targeting police stations and patrols in Shiite villages outside the capital in recent months, which they blame on “terrorists.”

But they have often used the term in the past to refer to Shiite demonstrators who have kept up pro-democracy protests despite a 2011 crackdown backed by Saudi-led Gulf troops, sparking repeated clashes with security forces.

A car bomb exploded outside a Sunni mosque, close to the royal court in Rifaa, south of Manama, on July 17 without causing any casualties, officials said. There have since been three arrests.

In mid-February, a police officer was killed by a petrol bomb during clashes with protesters, after a teenager was shot dead during a demonstration marking the second anniversary of the launch of the protests.

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

Strategically located across the Gulf from Shiite Iran, Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and is an offshore financial and services centre for its oil-rich Gulf Arab neighbours.

…more

US, EU Pose as Honest Brokers While Backing Egypt’s Military Assault on Democracy
Finian CUNNINGHAM – 20 July, 2013 – Strategic Culture Foundation

Egypt’s political turmoil took on surreal dimensions this week with the swearing in of the military-backed interim civilian government. The procedure was shown «live» on national television, as if to lend an image of «transparency» and «accountability».

The central figure in the cabinet photo-op, dressed in khaki military uniform, was the head of the Egyptian armed forces, General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. He was the man who led the military arrest of former president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July, and in turn, ushered in his replacement, Adli Mansour, the country’s top judge, who had served under the ancien regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Adding gravitas to the occasion were the visits to Cairo this week by senior US diplomat, deputy secretary of state, William Burns, and the head of the European Union’s foreign office, Lady Catherine Ashton. In separate meetings, Burns and Ashton met with interim president Mansour and the new caretaker prime minister, Hazem Al-Beblawi.

The rhetoric from Burns and Ashton could have been written by the same speechwriter, with both diplomats appearing to stress civic virtues of «inclusivity» and «non-violence».

The US State Department said that Burns would emphasize «an end to all violence and a transition leading to an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government».

For her part, Lady Ashton said she would «reinforce our message that there must be a fully inclusive political process, taking in all groups which support democracy».

However, stripping away the trite rhetoric, the core message in practice is that Washington and the EU are endorsing and legitimizing an unprecedented military intervention in Egypt’s supposedly new democratic era. This era was supposed to have arrived following the popular ouster of the Western-backed Mubarak dictatorship in February 2011, during the heyday of the Arab Spring.

Egypt’s transition to civilian government culminating in the June 2012 presidential election of Mohamed Morsi was far from perfect. Morsi’s tight association with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood left him open to accusations of monopolizing power and not including other parties. During his year in office, street protests mounted into million-man marches that reached a crescendo on 30 June, the anniversary of his inauguration.

Nevertheless, the inescapable fact is that Morsi was legally elected. His deposition under orders from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) can therefore be defined as a coup – albeit carried out initially with a semblance of popular support. Adding to the anomaly is that the Egyptian constitution has been suspended by the military and a cabinet of 35 unelected ministers, none of whom have a popular mandate. Like ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room, both Washington and Brussels have pointedly refrained from uttering the word «coup». To do so would put them in the invidious public position of openly supporting military coup, which is of course what they are doing in effect, but nevertheless trying to conceal with vacuous verbiage.

The man who led the military ouster of Morsi, defense minister Al-Sisi said at the time of Morsi’s arrest that the SCAF would take a backseat from the affairs of the interim government. The impression given was that the military was acting in a chivalrous manner to facilitate a new phase in civilian politics. But when the new cabinet was unveiled this week the salient position of Al Sisi in the government was underscored by his taking a second portfolio of deputy prime minister – in addition to defense. That is a clear sign that the Egyptian military establishment intends holding sway over the decision-making and policies of a nominally «civilian» administration. …more

Shock at the sale of weapons to ‘repressive regimes’ misses the real issue: what the arms trade tells us about power

Building an empire through arms
17 July, 2013 – Richard Seymour – The Guardian

Why does Britain arm human rights abusers? On the face of it, this is a nonsensical question. The British state is a human rights abuser, from Iraq to Afghanistan. On a scale calibrated according to those atrocities, what do a few bits of kit to Iran matter? What ethical barrier should stop Britain sending crowd control ammunition to Saudi Arabia, or assault rifles to Bahrain? Yet this is to deflect an important political question.

The arms industry accounts for 1.2% of all exports and 0.2% of all jobs in the UK. Economically, it is negligible. And, were it not for high-pressure sales and marketing departments working in the British government on behalf of the industry, it would be even more puny. So what accounts for the extent of state efforts to find clients for the manufacturers of weapons? Why has the British government always found the means to subsidise important arms purchases, through export credits?

Here, it is not sufficient to invoke commercial cynicism or corruption. To explain it, one must insist on the “primacy of politics”. That is, arms flows are centrally about powerful states taking sides in global political struggles, whether they are open and violent as in Bahrain in 2011, or submerged as in Belarus today. The transfer of weapons is simply one particularly sharp and bloodied edge of the projection of imperial power.

In and of themselves, individual trades may be of limited significance. Some news stories have alighted on a few transfers of minor significance to Iran and Syria, which seem to be at odds with Britain’s current foreign policy stance. Rather than sifting through the receipts for arms trades, like tea leaves, looking for patterns, it makes more sense to begin by asking what the geopolitical priorities of the producer states’ are, and how arms sales contribute to realising them.

This is unhelpfully obscured by well-meaning moral condemnations of “arming repressive regimes”. All regimes are repressive to some extent – that’s what weapons are for. The question is what strategic alliances are being forged and sustained. Any British government these days will send a small mountain of arms to Saudi Arabia and Israel on a regular basis. Both of these are states which the British empire had a role in creating, and both represent long-term strategic commitments on the part of the UK. On the other hand, some arms flows reflect temporary tilts, tactical interventions. Examples include the increased flow of weapons to Bahrain two years ago, or – in the early 2000s – to Indonesia when it was suppressing the Acehnese rebellion.

This is not to deny that immediate economic considerations have a role. Once the British state has decided that its arms industry is an important lever, it becomes necessary to support its operation by seeking as many clients as possible. The arms selling wing of the UK Trade & Investment department employs 160 civil servants. More broadly, arms development and sales has had a peculiar, fluctuating combination of economic functions since the end of the second world war. It has enabled states with large military complexes to boost growth and employment through temporary military expenditures, and has given them a means through which to indirectly organise national economies.

Moreover, the strategic pre-eminence of the arms industry for the British state – the existence of taxpayer-funded lobbying and marketing bodies within the state, dedicated to specifically supporting arms deals – makes it ripe for clientelism, bribery and corruption. According to the late Robin Cook, BAE Systems “appeared to have the key to the garden door at Number 10” under New Labour.

However, the commercial considerations would be relatively insignificant, the corruption easily extirpated, were it not for the political role the arms trade fulfils. The old-fashioned word for it is imperialism. …source

Dealing Death From Both Sides of the Aisle – Arms-for-Dictators: a Bi-Partisan Tradition
by JAMES ELLIOTT – 19 July, 2013

The fringe issue of arms export criteria became headline news today, with the Independent’s splash on an ‘arms for dictators’ scandal. A parliamentary report by the Committees on Arms Export Controls raised a few eyebrows, but the embarrassment of the government approving arms sales to 25 out of 27 of the countries blacklisted as human rights abusers will soon vanish.

Of the 3,000 export licenses our government has approved, many have gone to Russia and Iran, who both support and arm the Syrian government. Items have been sent to Sri Lanka, Belarus, China and Zimbabwe – all of which feature prominently on the Foreign Office’s list of states with worrying civil rights records.

David Cameron is known for this. Only two weeks ago I wrote about his trip to the dictatorship of Kazakhstan with arms firm Rolls-Royce, where he boasted about British trade prospects. This follows on from Cameron’s tours of the gulf, where he has joined with arms firms to sell weapons to regimes who repress democracy. During the Arab spring in Bahrain and Egypt, demonstrators have been attacked with British-made tear gas, smoke canisters and demolition charges. Cameron’s arms-dealing jollies were interrupted by the Libyan Revolution, and the revoking of arms exports was a post-facto admission he was very wrong to have sold them in the first place. This dirty record was already known, for example, Amnesty have said that, “In 2009 the Saudi air force used UK-supplied Tornado fighter-bombers in attacks in Yemen which killed hundreds – possibly thousands – of civilians.”

For Conservatives who love to harp on about the strong rule of law, or Lib Dems who present themselves as the party of human rights, this makes for uncomfortable reading. Protecting democracy and human rights is supposed to be non-partisan, uncontroversial and supported by all. But it seems that the only thing non-partisan about human rights is that their violation through arms exports receives cross-party support, and Labour supporters have little to feel smug about given our own party’s track record.

The atrocious arms policy of Tony Blair is best explained by monitoring sales to Israel. When the Second Intifada broke out, the value of UK military export licences to Israel almost doubled from £12.5m in 2000 to £22.5m in 2001. Did this prove a good strategy? Between 2000 and 2010, 6371 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, half of whom were not participating in hostilities.

After Blair’s departure, the silent scandal continued, as David Miliband was forced to admit that British components were used in Operation Cast Lead, an attack on the Gaza strip in 2008-9 which left 1,400 Palestinians dead, and saw Israel accused of war crimes by Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the UN. This cosiness looks set to continue if Labour wins in 2015, as I have argued in the wake of the recent Labour Friends of Israel lunch and Douglas Alexander’s hawkish speech.

Israel was not the only recipient of Labour’s bloodstained generosity. The genocidal General Suharto, who devastated East Timor, tends to stick in the memory, while China and even Assad’s Syria were invited to arms fairs.

Because the arms industry is given a £700m subsidy, all of us, as taxpayers, voters and citizens, are collectively responsible for these outrages. There is nothing exclusively ‘left-wing’ about supporting human rights, but the conflict between rights and business proves too much for some.

In fact, it is the relationship between business, politics and the law that needs to be re-examined here. It is clearly unacceptable to have a situation where Sherard Cowper-Coles, Britain’s ambassador to Saudi, is allowed to help flog BAE’s £46bn arms sales to that dictatorship, only to get a job with BAE afterwards. …more

UK approves £12bn of arms exports to countries with poor human rights
Richard Norton-Taylor – The Guardian- 16 July, 2013

Israeli soldiers stand on the tanks stationed at an army deployment area
Nearly 400 arms export licences for ‘Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories’, for equipment valued at nearly £8bn, have been approved Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

More than 3,000 current export licences for arms and military equipment worth more than £12bn have been approved for 27 countries classified by the Foreign Office as “of concern” because of their poor human rights record, a cross-party group of MPs reveals on Wednesday.

Countries for which significant sales have been approved include Israel – the destination of the bulk of the arms sales – Saudi Arabia, China, and Zimbabwe, according to the arms export controls committee’s annual report, drawn up by MPs from four separate select committees.

The chairman of the committee, the former Conservative defence minister Sir John Stanley, said: “The scale of the extant strategic licences to the FCO’s 27 countries of human rights concern puts into stark relief the inherent conflict between the government’s arms exports and human rights policies.”

He added: “The government should apply significantly more cautious judgments when considering arms export licence applications for goods to authoritarian regimes‚ which might be used to facilitate internal repression‚ in contravention of the government’s stated policy.”

The approval of nearly 400 arms export licences for “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories”, for equipment valued at nearly £8bn, includes components for body armour, parts for “all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection”, assault rifles, pistols, military support vehicles, and small arms ammunition.

However, most of the exports in terms of value consisted of cryptographic equipment, used for decoding and encoding communications, the Guardian understands.

More than 400 current export licences to Saudi Arabia include vehicles, components for military communications equipment, crowd-control ammunition, handgrenades, smoke/pyrotechnic ammunition and teargas/irritant ammunition.

For the first time, the arms export controls committee’s report gives details for all 27 countries identified by the Foreign Office as being “of human rights concern”, the number of existing export licences and the nature of the arms and arms-related goods approved.

In the past, details of the licenses were published by different departments around Whitehall and not collected together.

The total value of the exports is not known because some of them are approved with open-ended licences. …more

The Public Prosecution interrogates Rayhana Al-Musawi on her torture without the presence of her lawyer
17 July, 2013 – Al-Wefaq.net

On Tuesday 16th July the Public Prosecution interrogated the female detainee Rayhan Al-Musawi on her claims that personnel of the Ministry of Interior tortured her. Al-Muswi was subjected to degrading, humiliating, illegal and immoral ill-treatment, that included being stripped of her clothes in order to force a false confession that she was part of the “14 February Plot” as alleged by the Authorities. The detainee had testified about her torture in front of a judge on 11th July.

However the judge refused the claims of torture and recorded the incident as psychological harassment. This proves a lack of impartiality and transparency in the case.

Following her claims Al-Musawi was taken to the to the Public Prosecution building, under strict security measures, where she was interrogated for 45 minutes without informing her lawyer.

The Public Prosecution had previously refused a request made by the defense lawyers for power of attorney in her case. The trial lacks the most basic legal guaranties for defendants and which the Interior Ministry claims to provide.

A forensic Doctor saw al-Musawi on the morning of Tuesday, having already given the Public Prosecution full details of her torture and forced undressing to bring about a confession.

Al-Muawi was the only female amongst the defendants, including political and human rights activists, who appeared in court on 11th July.
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Bahraini Regime Forces Attack Protesters’ Houses in Several Villages
17 July, 2013 – FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi-backed Bahraini regime forces attacked dozen of houses in a village near the capital Manama, as crackdown on anti-regime protesters continues.

Bahrain’s main opposition party, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, said that regime forces have rummaged through the protesters’ homes in the village of Diraz on the Northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf country. The group added that the forces have also stormed into the houses in Sitra and Hamad, the Sanad residential area and al-Dair village, press tv reported.

On Monday, a 55-year-old Bahraini identified as Saeed Abdullah Marzouq died after regime forces shot tear gas into residential neighborhoods in the village of Diraz.

The latest fatality comes ahead of a planned anti-regime protest on August 14, the date that marks the withdrawal of British forces from the Persian Gulf Island back in 1971.

Last year, Amnesty International warned about the Bahraini regime’s misuse of tear gas against protesters and called for an investigation into the tear gas-related deaths.

Bahrainis have been staging anti-regime demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms 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.

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

Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations is met. …more

Bahrain Torturers Must Be Held Accountable
17 July, 2013 – Brian Dooley – HRF – Huffington Post

It’s been two years since the King of Bahrain commissioned human rights lawyer Cherif Bassiouni to investigate the events of February and March 2011. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) duly confirmed in November 2011 what Human Rights First and other leading international human rights organizations had already reported — that dozens of people had been killed, thousands had been arrested, and there had been widespread use of torture in custody.

The King promised to put things right and implement all of the recommendations made in the BICI report. It hasn’t happened. The culture of impunity identified in the BICI hasn’t been properly addressed, and this month has seen a new spate of torture allegations.

Prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel claims to have been tortured in custody, including being electrocuted in his genitals, suspended from the ceiling and threatened with rape. He is one of 50 defendants charged with terrorism-related offenses in the 14th of February Youth Coalition Cell case which opened on July 11. Others accused for their involvement with that coalition report having been forced to sign confessions under torture. A young woman activist, Rihana Almousawi, appeared in court this month and said she had been stripped naked during detention, reportedly threatened with rape and electrocution. It is also reported that she was forced to stand naked in front of an open door so those outside could see her.

On July 1, Bahraini courts acquitted two security officials, Lt-Colonel Mubarak ben Huwail, Director of Drug Detection, and Lieutenant Noora Bint Ebrahim Alkhalifa, of torturing medics during March and April 2011. Human Rights First has received consistent and credible reports from a number of former detainees alleging that Ben Huwail and Al Khalifa (a member of the ruling family) tortured or mistreated them in detention. …more

Bahraini regime forces attack protesters’ houses in several villages
17 July, 2013 – Islamic Invitation Turkey

Bahraini regime forces have attacked dozens of houses in several villages near the capital, Manama, as the crackdown on anti-regime protesters continues.

Bahrain’s main opposition party, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, said that regime forces rummaged through the protesters’ homes in the village of Diraz on the northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf country. The group added that the forces have also stormed houses in Sitra and Hamad, the Sanad residential area and al-Dair village.

On Monday, a 55-year-old Bahraini identified as Saeed Abdullah Marzouq died after inhaling toxic tear gas fired by regime forces into residential neighborhoods in the village of Diraz.

The latest fatality comes ahead of a planned anti-regime protest on August 14, the date that marks the withdrawal of British forces from the Persian Gulf Island back in 1971.

Last year, Amnesty International warned about the Bahraini regime’s misuse of tear gas against protesters and called for an investigation into the tear gas-related deaths.

Bahrainis have been staging anti-regime demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms 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.

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

Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations is met. …more

Bahrain opposition fears protest crackdowns
15 July, 2013 – Seattle-pi

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Opposition groups in Bahrain are appealing for authorities to call off crackdown warnings over plans for a major anti-government rally next month.

Protest factions in the Gulf nation have called for large demonstrations Aug. 14 inspired by the toppling of Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi.

Bahrain has been wracked by 29 months of near nonstop unrest as majority Shiites seek a greater political voice in the strategic Sunni-ruled kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Authorities have vowed a harsh response to next month’s planned demonstrations, apparently fearing it could sharply escalate the ongoing street clashes.

A joint statement by five opposition groups Monday urged authorities to remove the threats and allow the “right for peaceful protest.” It also expressed worries over possible arrest sweeps. …source

Exposing the Hypocrisy of ElBaradei and his Liberal Elites
The Grand Scam: Spinning Egypt’s Military Coup
by ESAM AL-AMIN – 19 July, 2013 – Counter Punch

Every coup d’état in history begins with a military General announcing the overthrow and arrest of the country’s leader, the suspension of the constitution, and the dissolution of the legislature. If people resist, it turns bloody. Egypt is no exception.

As the dust settles and the fog over the events unfolding across Egypt dissipates, the political scene becomes much clearer. Regardless of how one dresses the situation on the ground, the political and ideological battle that has been raging for over a year between the Islamist parties and their liberal and secular counterparts was decided because of a single decisive factor: military intervention by Egypt’s generals on behalf of the latter.

As I argued before in several of my articles (as have others), there is no doubt that President Mohammad Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) committed political miscalculations and made numerous mistakes, especially by ignoring the demands of many of the revolutionary youth groups and abandoning their former opposition partners. They frequently behaved in a naïve and arrogant manner. But in any civilized and democratic society, the price of incompetence or narcissism is exacted politically at the ballot box.

Elections and Obstructionism: Do Elections Matter?

To their frustration, the liberal and secular opposition failed time and again to win the trust of the people as the Egyptian electorate exercised its free will when tens of millions went to the polls six times in two years. After overthrowing the Mubarak regime a month earlier, they voted in March 2011 by seventy seven percent for a referendum, favored by the Islamists that charted the future political roadmap. Between November 2011 and January 2012, they voted for the Islamist parties with overwhelming majorities in the lower (seventy three percent) and upper (eighty percent) houses of parliament. In June 2012, they elected, albeit narrowly, for the first time in their history, the civilian Muslim Brotherhood candidate as president in a free and fair election. Finally, last December the Egyptian people ratified by a sixty four percent majority the country’s new constitution. The next parliamentary elections were scheduled for this summer had not the Mubarak-appointed Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) intervened yet again and invalidated the new election laws.

From the standpoint of the MB and its Islamist allies the SCC played an obstructionist role throughout this process. To their consternation, in June 2012 the court dissolved the lower house of parliament within four months of its election on technical grounds. It was also aiming to dissolve the upper house of parliament as well as the Constitutional Constituent Assembly (CCA) – the body charged with writing the new constitution – days before it was to finish its work. This forced Morsi to intervene and issue his ill-fated constitutional decree on November 22, 2012, in order to protect the CCA from judicial nullification. In an attempt to force its collapse, all secular members of the CCA resigned en masse even though its formation and the parameters of the process were agreed upon in advance, as evidenced by an opposition member who announced it in April 2012.

However, Morsi’s declaration proved to be a watershed moment that galvanized the opposition, which predictably accused him of an authoritarian power grab. In turn, Morsi argued that his decree was necessary to build the democratic institutions of the state that were being dismantled by the SCC one by one. Under intense public pressure he backtracked and cancelled the decree within three weeks, but only after he ensured that the new constitution would be put to a referendum.

After a vigorous public campaign by the opposition to reject the constitution, it was approved by the public by almost two to one. The next constitutional step would have been parliamentary elections within sixty days. But even though the election laws were similar to the laws agreed upon by all parties in the 2012 elections, the opposition complained that the laws favored the Islamist parties and threatened to boycott the elections. Within four months, the SCC twice rejected and halted the elections on technical grounds, thus further solidifying the perception in the eyes of the Islamists that the Mubarak-appointed court continues to thwart the country’s budding democratic institutions.

Strange Bedfellows: The Unholy Trinity of Gulf Sheikhdoms, the Fulool, and Egypt’s Secular Opposition

On April 22, 2011, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed brought his intelligence and security chiefs to meet with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and his security officials to discuss the ramifications of the Arab Spring. Bin Zayed warned that unless the GCC countries developed a proactive policy to preempt the wave of popular uprisings sweeping the Arab World at the time, none of the region’s monarchs would survive. Three weeks later in an emergency summit meeting in Riyadh he delivered the same message to all the GCC heads of state. While Qatar remained indifferent to his message, the other five countries were receptive. Bin Zayed and Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the Saudi intelligence chief, were tasked with submitting an effective plan to counter the Arab Spring phenomenon in the region. Subsequently, King Abdullah solicited and received the help of King Abdullah II of Jordan to join this effort while Qatar was excluded from all future meetings.

For decades, the UAE had been very close to Mubarak and his cronies. Billions of dollars of ill-gotten fortunes looted from the country were deposited in banks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. After the overthrow of Mubarak, dozens of security officials and corrupt businessmen quietly left Egypt and relocated to the UAE. When Mubarak’s last Prime Minister, Ahmad Shafiq lost the presidential elections to Morsi in June 2012, he also moved to the UAE. By the fall of 2012, it became evident that the UAE hosted a web of individuals who were plotting the overthrow of Morsi and the MB.

Within a few weeks of the formation of the new government, Shafiq supporter and spokesman for his political party Mohammad Abu Hamid, announced on August 21, 2012, fifteen demands culminating in the goal of toppling the “Muslim Brotherhood or Ikhwan Government.” He warned against the “ikhwanization” of the state, i.e. the appointments of MB members in crucial state positions, and blamed them for the lack of basic services to the public. Abu Hamid also called for subsequent mass protests in Tahrir Square as he accused Morsi of power grab, dictatorship, and judicial interference, long before the president issued his hapless constitutional decree three months later. He further demanded the banning of the MB and its political affiliate, as well as the arrest of its leaders, who he accused of treason. All of his demands would subsequently become the talking points of every opposition party and anti-Morsi media outlet. …more

British govt. encourages chemical weapons use in Bahrain, Syria
18 July, 2013 – By Finian Cunningham – PressTV

Official data provided by the London-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade shows that the British government approves hundreds of export licenses for the supply of weapons to the Bahraini regime. Britain continues to approve of this trade with Bahrain even though it earlier said that it would suspend the supply of weapons when reports of repression emerged during 2011.”

Little Sajida Faisal had only just come into this world. But five days after her birth, she was dead, killed by suffocation from tear gas. She died on 11 December, a Sunday, in 2011 in her family home in the Bahraini village of Belad al-Qadeem.

Her father later told how Bahraini riot police had been firing tear gas into the streets for several days without stop. The whole village was under a toxic cloud of chemical gas, and with military checkpoints everywhere, the residents of Belad al-Qadeem were effectively held hostage, forced to breathe in the deadly fumes.

The family tried their best to shield the baby from the smoke seeping into the home. Her mother dabbed Sajida’s face with water and that of her older sister, three-year-old Sarah. But it was no good. Sajida’s father said the newborn baby’s skin began to turn blue and then she died. He managed to get past the checkpoints hemming in the village to rush the infant to the hospital. But it was too late. The doctor confirmed that the baby girl had died from suffocation. Even if she had survived, the doctor said the lack of oxygen would probably have left her brain-damaged.

Ever since that day, Sajida’s family has been living with the pain of her horrible death. That pain is compounded because the Bahraini regime wrote in the official death certificate that the cause was bacterial meningitis.” Of course, the regime is lying. To say “suffocation from tear gas fired by Bahraini police” would be admission of the crimes against humanity that the civilians of Bahrain have been subjected to, ever since they began protesting for the democratic overthrow of the Al Khalifa monarchy in mid-February 2011.

According to records kept by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, over the past two years at least half of the total deaths caused by the Bahraini regime security forces have resulted from tear gas suffocation. The very young, elderly and infirmed are most at risk.

There is little doubt that the excessive use of toxic chemicals is a deliberate policy of repression. The repression is aimed at “collectively punishing” the civilian, mainly Shia, population who have steadfastly supported the pro-democracy movement against the unelected Sunni royal rulers. Typically, the riot police do not limit their deployment of tear gas to disperse protesting youths on the streets. Regime forces routinely fire inordinate numbers of canisters into surrounding streets, with the effect of saturating whole villages and districts of the capital, Manama, with toxic fumes. The following day, entire skip-loads are filled up with the empty gas canisters swept off the streets by residents.

But the misconduct of regime forces is even more sinister. In addition to indiscriminate blanketing of neighborhoods, there are reported incidents of police officers breaking windows or doors and firing gas canisters into homes.

The excessive use of toxic gas in civilian areas goes hand-in-hand with house raids by the regime. In the past two weeks, Bahraini police have stepped up warrant-less arrests against dozens of civilians in villages across the Persian Gulf island. The raids have been accompanied by even greater use of tear gas. This week, the latest victim of suffocation from the gas was Saeed Marzouq, 55, who died while regime forces raided his village of Diraz. The village is seen as particularly supportive of the Shia-led pro-democracy movement and has been subjected to intense repression.

Ironically, in this same week, the British foreign secretary William Hague announced that his government would be sending protective gas masks abroad. Not to Bahraini civilians, but to Syria. Moreover, the British equipment to protect against toxic chemicals is not being sent to Syrian civilians, but to the foreign mercenaries fighting a covert war on behalf of Britain, the US and France and their Persian Gulf Arab allies to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. Consistent reports show that it is the Western-backed mercenaries in Syria who have been using chemical weapons against civilians to leverage their objective of terrorizing the population into relinquishing support for the Damascus government.

An official Russian report last week concluded that the Western-backed militants are using unguided rockets crudely fitted with chemical warheads, including the deadly nerve agent Sarin. These weapons are banned under international law. Therefore, their use is a war crime.

Perversely, the British government is intending to send gas masks to al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups – whom the British claim to be pro-democracy rebels – even though the evidence is growing that it is these groups who are guilty of wielding chemical weapons. If that responsibility is proven, then that makes the British government and its other Western allies indictable for complicity in war crimes in Syria.

That would add to similar indictable crimes that the British government is already complicit in, in Bahrain. Fittingly, there is a logical pattern here. In Syria, the British government is supporting militants using chemical weapons to sabotage democracy, while in Bahrain the British government is supporting a regime that is also using chemical weapons to sabotage democracy, or at least efforts to
establish democracy.

The description of “tear gas” may sound legitimate, but in the case of pandemic use against civilians in Bahrain it is far from legitimate. Tear gas or CS gas is officially meant for sparing use to fend off rioting crowds. These gases are highly toxic when used at saturation levels and especially in enclosed places, such as homes. In practice, therefore, the way in which these toxic materials are used in Bahrain in civilian residences constitutes a chemical weapon of mass destruction. Such use is a violation of international laws banning the use of chemical weapons, which makes it a crime against humanity.

As in Syria, the British government stands accused of crimes against humanity from the use of chemical weapons in Bahrain. Official data provided by the London-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade shows that the British government approves hundreds of export licenses for the supply of weapons to the Bahraini regime. Britain continues to approve of this trade with Bahrain even though it earlier said that it would suspend the supply of weapons when reports of repression emerged
during 2011.

Among the hundreds of items of weaponry sold to Bahrain from Britain are the following: CS gas, riot-control irritants, smoke generators, smoke canisters, smoke ammunition, stun grenades, “toxins”, and smoke grenades.

This trade with Bahrain is in spite of the stated British policy that it “does not supply weapons to countries where such arms could be used for internal repression”.

A British parliamentary committee on arms control this week reported that Britain supplies weapons to 27 countries which its own foreign office has listed for concern over human rights. The top two recipients of British weapons in the list of 27 – comprising more than 90 percent of a $19 billion annual trade – are Israel and Saudi Arabia. These two regimes are indictable for war crimes and crimes against humanity and yet they are both armed to the teeth by Britain.

In the case of Saudi Arabia, Britain supplies among other tools of repression: armored cars, crowd-control ammunition, tear gas, smoke grenades and stun grenades. For more than two years, since March 2011, British-equipped Saudi forces have been present in Bahrain to shore up the Khalifa regime. Saudi military dressed as Bahraini riot police accompany Bahraini officers during their deadly raids on Shia villages where families are on a daily basis poisoned in their own homes. The probable fact is that little baby Sajida Faisal was killed by forces wielding toxic gas made in and sold by Britain. Her death along with dozens of innocent Bahrainis in a very real way originates from toxic political decisions made in London.

The criminal use of chemical weapons of mass destruction by irregular militants in Syria and by regular security forces in Bahrain has a common denominator: both are supported by the British government to kill democratic freedom. …source

Bahraini regime forces raid houses of anti-regime protesters, arrest 30
10 July, 2013 – PressTV

Bahrain has been hit by political turmoil since mid-February 2011, with protesters calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.”

Bahraini regime forces have raided the houses of anti-regime demonstrators in several villages, arresting more than 30 people.

The Bahraini opposition group al-Wefaq said the regime forces raided dozens of houses in the country over the past 48 hours.

A child is reportedly among those arrested by the Saudi-backed security forces.

Bahraini forces frequently raid the houses of anti-regime protesters in the country.

Bahrain has been hit by political turmoil since mid-February 2011, with protesters calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On July 5, thousands of protesters marched on the Budaiya Highway, west of the capital Manama, demanding the release of political prisoners.

The demonstration, called by al-Wefaq, came a day after the party’s Secretary General Ali Salman said that Bahrain’s Interior Ministry had arrested more than 640 individuals on various charges during the last three months.

At least 13 opposition leaders are held in prison for being involved in protests against the Bahraini regime.

The regime’s courts have handed down life sentences to seven of the activists, including prominent activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. Others have received jail terms ranging from five to 15 years.

Following the eruption of the protests, the Bahraini regime launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states to assist the suppression.

Dozens of Bahraini people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses. …source

U.S. Navy Officer Presents New Strategy for Bahrain
26 June, 2013 – POMED

Commander Richard McDaniel, USN, Federal Executive Fellow at Brookings’ Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, published a report entitled “No ‘Plan B:’ U.S. Stretegic Access in the Middle East and the Question of Bahrain,” on how the U.S. should respond to the continued uprisings in Bahrain against the monarchy in order to maintain military access, “diversify the U.S. footprint,” and positively affect Bahrain’s progress towards better governance and human rights reform. McDaniel argues that maintaining the 5th fleet’s presence in Bahrain is in the U.S.’s and Bahrain’s strategic interest, and could grant the U.S. greater leverage in encouraging democratic reforms. The 5th Fleet has also helped the U.S. build strong political, economic, and cultural ties with Bahrain, and losing naval access to Bahrain would hinder the United States’ capacity to deter Iran, combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, and maintain freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.

McDaniel characterized the opposition in Bahrain as a Shi’a uprising, but points out that only a small minority of Shi’a Bahrainis adhere to the same religious doctrine as Ayatollah Ali Khameini, and even fewer are ethnic Persians or carry political allegiance to Iran’s leadership (pp. 7-11). However, McDaniel contends that “many fear that the Bahraini youth will grow weary of slow reform and begin to radicalize…the longer it takes Bahrain to implement reforms the likelier it becomes.”

McDaniel blames the U.S.’s “close relationship with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain [as] the reason the State Department has only applied moderate pressure for reforms” in Bahrain. He also argues that “the United States should view democratic reforms, wherever they occur, as in its best interest (p. 9),” and that “the biggest threat to U.S. access is not democratic reform that leads to a constitutional monarchy, but a lack of reform that [results] in continued instability, unrest, and the empowerment of radical leadership (p. 11). ” To this end, he argues that the U.S. should develop a “Plan B” to move the 5th fleet in the event that Bahrain becomes too unstable. The alternatives, however, are more expensive, strain the U.S.’s relationship with Bahrain, reduce the U.S’s ability to respond quickly to a regional crisis, and hurt the U.S.’s ability to push for democratic reforms (pp. 23-27).

Regardless, McDaniel argues that “Bahrain is a major non-NATO ally, therefore the U.S. has an obligation to stand with it during challenging times while still encouraging democratic reform. Voluntarily removing the U.S. footprint from Bahrain would do little to improve the situation, potentially create a power vacuum, destabilize the region, and eliminate the moderating effect that U.S. influence has had on the Bahraini crisis…The U.S. should leverage elements of national power to promote positive change, understanding that it has a moral obligation to stand on principle and strongly encourage democratic reform (26).”
…source