Articles and More!: Bahrain

Showing posts with label Bahrain. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Car bomb explodes in Bahrain capital, F1 race unaffected

At Not Just The News, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by Not Just The News and how it is used.

Log Files

Like many other Web sites, Not Just The News makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user"s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Not Just The News does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie

Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on Not Just The News.

Google"s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to Not Just The News and other sites on the Internet.

Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on Not Just The News send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

Not Just The News has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. Not Just The News"s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browser"s respective websites.

Car bomb explodes in Bahrain capital, F1 race unaffected

Sunday, March 9, 2014

What’s Really Going On: Bahrain vs. Ukraine, Can You Spot the Difference?

At Those Damn Liars, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by Those Damn Liars and how it is used.

Log Files

Like many other Web sites, Those Damn Liars makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user"s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Those Damn Liars does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie

Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on Those Damn Liars.
Google"s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to Those Damn Liars and other sites on the Internet.
Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on Those Damn Liars send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

Those Damn Liars has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. Those Damn Liars"s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

What’s Really Going On: Bahrain vs. Ukraine, Can You Spot the Difference?

Saturday, February 15, 2014

The world at war: The mind, journalism, freedoms... The Use Of Politicized Judiciary in Bahrain Against Human Rights Activists

The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) express their deep concern for the on-going targeting of the detained activist and human rights defender Zaynab Al-Khawaja by the Bahraini authorities who continue their efforts to fabricate new charges and issuing new sentences that aim at extending her detention period in prison and preventing her from exercising her peaceful work in the field of human rights.

The human rights activist Zaynab Al-Khawaja who is spending an imprisonment sentence for several cases in Isa Town Women Prison since 27 February 2013, is subjected to an ongoing judicial harassment that has never stopped. The Criminal Court issued on 27 January 2014 a new sentence in absentia against Al-Khawaja where she was sentenced to 4 extra months of imprisonment in two new cases in which she was accused of destroying property of the Ministry of Interior during her detention at Isa Town police station last May, in an indication to her ripping the photo of Bahrain’s King Hamad Isa Al-Khalifa.

Al-Khawaja mentioned that she was informed about the trial an hour before holding it, and she was only able to call her lawyer 5 minutes before the trial which was not enough time for the lawyer to attend the hearing. Before issuing this sentence, it was set that Al-Khawaja finishes her previous sentence on 13 February 2014.

Zaynab Al-Khawaja was arrested on 27 February 2013 to serve a prison sentence for two charges: “entering a restricted zone which is the Pearl Roundabout” and “participating in an unauthorized demonstration”. While in prison, additional prison sentences were issued against her in several cases on alleged charges that include “assembling”, “insulting a public employee” and “ripping the King’s photo” where the total issued sentences against her reached 12 months and which was supposed to end in 13 February 2014. (Please refer to the list of cases and sentences against the activist Al-Khawaja on this link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JkGo_Uhldvfs3SQbb0TTilzGSxtemKvTmqtwBRB0o_c/edit)

In addition to the new sentences, Al-Khawaja is still facing another case on the charge of publicly cursing and insulting the police, because of defending another prisoner in June 2013. The First Lower Criminal Court postponed the session from 5 February 2014 to 26 March 2014 to hear the defense witnesses, this is at a time when Al-Khawaja is still boycotting the court sessions in protest against the politicized sentences against her and the blatant disregard for the guarantees of a fair trial and not adhering to the international standards by the Bahraini Courts.

It is also feared that the Bahraini authorities may deliberately stirs further cases again against the activist Al-Khawaja when her release date approaches or in the near future. Noteworthy, Al-Khawaja is suffering from degrading and maltreatment since her detention by depriving her from family visits for several months due to refusing to wear the prison uniform, and then depriving her from going out in the prison yard to get exposed to the sun, and placing her with prisoners who are infected with Hepatitis type A and B, that is without giving her any vaccination against the infection. Last December information was received about her being subjected to humiliating treatment when she had to receive medical treatment at the prisoners’ clinic[1]. She also suffered from a lot of harassments to prevent her from meeting the representative of the Danish Embassy who was forced to wait outside prison for an hour despite having a prior appointment for the visit.

The GCHR and the BCHR believe that ripping the King’s photo is a means of peaceful expression of opinion, and that passing imprisonment sentences by the court under this charge is a direct violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”.

Although Alkhawaja was legally sey to be released on 13 February 2014, according to the official records, but she was not released on this date. Despite constant calls and inquiries by the lawyer, the prison administration kept delaying the processing of her paperwork until after hours. This once again proves the systematic targeting of Zainab Al-Khawaja due to her peaceful and legitimate human rights work.

The GCHR and the BCHR believe that the constant judicial harassments and maltreatment in prison that the human rights activist Zaynab Al-Khawaja is being subjected to aims at keeping her for the longest period possible in detention, and which forms a systematic and continuous revenge by the Authorities for her past peaceful activities and her set defense for the rights of the people of Bahrain without any exception. One of the reasons behind these systematic violations is the absence of concrete international pressure on the Bahraini government to compel it to respect the conventions it signed in respect to protecting human rights defenders.

The GCHR and the BCHR urge the international community and especially Bahrain government’s close allies to put pressure on the Bahraini government in order to:

Immediately and unconditionally release Zaynab Al-Khawaja and all the other detained human rights defenders and the prisoners of conscience in Bahrain;

Put an end to all sorts of harassments including the politicized trials against human rights defenders in Bahrain;

Put pressure on the Government of Bahrain to guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

Global Research

The world at war: The mind, journalism, freedoms...

The Use Of Politicized Judiciary in Bahrain Against Human Rights Activists

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Alcoa Will Pay $384 Million Penalty For Bahrain Bribes

In what’s being called one of the largest U.S. anti-corruption settlements on record, Alcoa and an affiliate it controls have agreed to pay millions in fines and criminal and civil penalties. The companies acknowledge paying bribes to royal family members in Bahrain.

According to the SEC, “Alcoa will pay $ 175 million in disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, of which $ 14 million will be satisfied by the company’s payment of forfeiture in the parallel criminal matter. Alcoa also will pay a criminal fine of $ 209 million.”

NPR’s John Ydstie reports for Friday’s Morning Edition:

“Alcoa World Alumina, a joint venture majority owned by Alcoa, admitted that it paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks through shell corporations to members of the Bahraini royal family. The bribes were made to ensure the companies’ right to supply alumina, a raw material used to make aluminum, to a state-owned company in Bahrain.

“The firms made separate settlements with the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The charges came under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that prohibits the bribery of foreign officials.”

“The bribes were paid as far back as 1989 and Alcoa has already settled another legal suit involving the corrupt activity,” John adds.

The company’s stock slumped after the settlement was announced – and after Alcoa also announced it had missed Wall Street analysts’ quarterly earnings estimates.

The news comes months after Alcoa was removed from the Dow Industrial Average along with several other companies, as Mark reported. That move was attributed to the corporations’ sagging stock prices.

News

Alcoa Will Pay $384 Million Penalty For Bahrain Bribes

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Bahrain English News Bulletins 19-09-2013

Log Files

Cookies and Web Beacons

DoubleClick DART Cookie

Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on Not Just The News.

Google"s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to Not Just The News and other sites on the Internet.

Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.

Not Just The News has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

Bahrain English News Bulletins 19-09-2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Bahrain police close art display on pro-democracy uprising

Share this

Reprints

Anti-government protesters hold pictures of detained Al Wefaq party deputy leader Khalil al-Marzouq during a rally to show support for him near his home in Jabal Al Habshi village, west of Manama, September 23, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed

DUBAI | Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:38am EDT

DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahraini authorities have shut and dismantled an exhibition on anti-government protests staged by the main Shi’ite opposition group al-Wefaq, saying it violates the law and incites hatred.

Unrest has gripped Bahrain, a Western ally which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, since the 2011 uprising led by majority Shi’ites demanding reforms and more share in running the kingdom ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa dynasty.

The “Museum of the Revolution” exhibition was closed on Wednesday two days after al-Wefaq opened it at one of its offices, displaying samples of used riot-control munitions, paintings and artifacts depicting the pro-democracy protests.

“The General Directorate of the Capital Governorate Police has found materials inside a building that the (al-Wefaq) society had transformed into a location intended to reinforce hatred,” state news agency BNA said on Thursday.

“Organizers were summoned and legal action was taken against them.”

The show displayed photos of the 2011 uprising, inspired by Arab revolts elsewhere, when demonstrators camped out at the Pearl traffic circle for weeks before authorities smashed their camp and tore down the Pearl monument itself.

A life-size statue of an armed police officer, personal belongings of protesters killed by security forces and tear gas canisters used at the time were also on display.

“The building houses a number of departments and units in addition to a museum that documents human rights violations perpetrated by the regime and as documented in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry,” al-Wefaq said in a statement.

CONFESSIONS UNDER TORTURE

The commission, set up by the Bahraini government and led by U.N. human rights lawyer Cherif Bassiouni, published a report in 2011 that said the security forces had used widespread and excessive force, including confessions under torture.

Authorities in Bahrain quelled the February 2011 revolt with help from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf states.

But protests and clashes have persisted and talks between government and opposition failed to end the political crisis.

The government says it has sought to curb the brutality of security forces by dismissing those responsible and introducing cameras at police stations to monitor abuses.

But the opposition complains that little progress has been made in addressing grievances that led to the protests.

Bahraini Shi’ites complain of discrimination in areas such as jobs and public services – something the government denies.

The opposition wants a constitutional monarchy, but calls by some hardliners for the overthrow of the monarchy have alarmed the Sunni minority, which fears the unrest serves Iran.

(Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Sami Aboudi and Alistair Lyon)

Link this

Share this

Digg this

Reprints

Reuters: Arts

Bahrain police close art display on pro-democracy uprising

Bahrain shuts down exhibition on anti-government uprising

Published time: October 31, 2013 15:48

Bahraini women stand in front of an art installation at the “revolution museum” on October 28, 2013 in Manama. (AFP Photo)

Bahraini riot police have stormed a building housing an exhibition dedicated to anti-government uprising and shut down the display, which was organized by the main opposition group, on grounds it contains “incitement material” and violates the law.

The raid on the “Museum of Revolution” exhibition came on Wednesday, two days after Shiite opposition group al-Wefaq opened it in one of their offices.

The display included scenes depicting ongoing unrest in Bahrain, such as protesters killed in clashes with security forces and alleged torture inside jails, as well as samples of used riot-control munitions and used tear gas canisters.

“The General Directorate of the Capital Governorate Police has found materials inside a building that the [al-Wefaq] society had changed into a location intended to reinforce hatred. This is a violation of the penal code in Bahrain,” the Gulf Kingdom’s state news agency, BNA said on Thursday.

The public prosecutor ordered the confiscation of these materials, while the organizers of the exhibition “were summoned and legal procedures were taken against them,” the agency writes.

A veiled Bahraini woman stands in front of an art installation at the "revolution museum", set up by the opposition group al-Wefaq Society, aiming to document human rights violations perpetrated by the Bahraini regime against opposition activists, on October 28, 2013 at the group

Unrest has gripped the Persian Gulf Kingdom since February 2011 when an Arab Spring-inspired uprising, launched by majority Shiites, demanded reforms and more share in the country led by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa dynasty.

For about two months thousands of anti-government demonstrators had been camping at the Pearl Roundabout in the heart of Bahrain’s capital, Manama, before government forces violently dispersed protesters and dismantled the monument that stood at the center of the square.

Photos of the 2011 revolt, and, also a life-size statue of an armed police officer, and personal belongings of killed protesters were also on display at the now shut-down Bahraini exhibition.

“The theme of the museum irritated authorities as it documents many incidents since the uprising in 2011 until now,” said Al Wefaq’s lawyer, Abdullah al-Shamlawi, as cited by AP.

Despite the violent crackdown, sporadic anti-government protests have continued in Bahrain. Last week, thousands took to the streets demanding more reforms and chanting anti-government slogans.

At least 65 people have been killed since the 2011 popular uprising, though rights groups believe the death toll is higher.

A blindfolded Bahraini man experiments an interactive art installation at the "revolution museum", set up by the opposition group al-Wefaq Society, aiming to document human rights violations perpetrated by the Bahraini regime against opposition activists, on October 28, 2013 at the group

According to an Amnesty International 2013 report, “scores of people remained in prison or were detained for opposing the government, including prisoners of conscience and people sentenced after unfair trials”.

The rights group said Bahrain’s security forces “continued to use excessive force against protesters, resulting in deaths, and allegedly tortured or otherwise ill-treated detainees”. At the same time, only a few security officers were “prosecuted for human rights violations committed in 2011, perpetuating a climate of impunity”.

Earlier in October, UK based rights group, Bahrain Watch, exposed an enormous tear gas tender issued by Bahrain’s Interior Ministry in June, which sought supplies of 1.6 million tear gas canisters and 145,000 stun grenades.

Bahrain, one of Washington’s key allies in the region, hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and participates in US-led military coalitions. Unlike cases in Syria or Libya, where governments also used violence against protesters, Washington has been rather restrained in its reaction to the Bahraini crisis, meeting the crackdown with words only but not actions.

RT – News

Bahrain shuts down exhibition on anti-government uprising

Monday, October 7, 2013

9 sentenced in Bahrain to life imprisonment over ‘terrorism’

Published time: October 07, 2013 15:43

Bahraini women hold a placard reading ‘Stop dictatorship in Bahrain’ as they take part in an anti-government protest in the village of Jannusan, west of the capital Manama, on September 27, 2013. (AFP Photo)

A court in Bahrain sentenced nine people to life in prison on charges of forming a militant group, manufacturing explosives and plotting attacks aimed at destabilizing the restive Gulf kingdom.

Four of the defendants were present in court for the verdicts and the remaining five, tried in absentia, saw an additional 10 years tacked onto their life-sentences for failing to turn themselves in.

Life imprisonment in Bahrain entails 25-years behind bars.

According to the Bahrain News Agency, the convicted men had turned a Manama warehouse into a bomb factory, where they had prepared explosives to attack security forces, civilians and private and public property “with the aim of undermining the stability of the country and harming its economic foundations”.

Investigators say in searching the suspects’ homes and other locations utilized in their plot, they seized highly explosive packs of nitro-glycerin and nitro-cellulose.

“A memory chip confiscated from suspects included video clips, lessons on manufacturing bombs and explosives, Al-Qassam-type rockets, anti-tank weapons and also methods for procurement of substances usable in making bombs. DNA tests and fingerprints from the locations were proven to be compatible with those of a number of the suspects,” ANA continued.

Some of the men were implicated in a November 2011 bombing that damaged cars near the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre in the capital Manama.

Monday’s ruling brings to 104 the number of Shi’ites jailed since September 29 in connection with violence in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.

Late last month in a mass show trial spanning six separate cases, 95 Bahraini protesters were sentenced to between three and 15 years in prison for allegedly trying to topple the country’s constitutional monarchy, organizing bombings and inciting anti-government rallies.

The defendants received a total of 808 years in prison.

Unrest has gripped Sunni-ruled Bahrain since February 2011, when the majority Shi’ites started an uprising for greater political rights.

In August, King Hamad issued a decree instituting stricter punishments for “terror acts” in the strategically important kingdom, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The penalties include a minimum 10-year jail term for an attempted bombing. If the attack results in casualties, the sentence can be life imprisonment or possibly the death penalty.

The government crackdown has seen at least 89 people killed since the protests first began according to the International Federation for Human. Despite the violence, demonstrators continue to stage rallies in villages outside Manama, where clashes with police are a regular occurrence.

RT – News

9 sentenced in Bahrain to life imprisonment over ‘terrorism’

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Thousands protest in Bahrain over opposition leader arrest

Published time: September 28, 2013 12:49

Anti-government protesters holding banners saying “Stop Dictatorship In Bahrain” as they participate in a rally called by Bahrain’s main opposition Al Wefaq in Budaiya, west of Manama, September 27, 2013 (Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed)

Large crowds of Bahrainis have protested west of the country’s capital, Manama, over the arrest of a prominent opposition figure, just hours after another rally ended with clashes with police.

The former deputy speaker of parliament, Khalil Marzooq, was arrested Sept. 17 on charges of “inciting and advocating terrorism.”

Anti-government protesters holding anti-government banners participate in a rally called by Bahrain

On Friday, protesters hit the streets of Manama, waving Bahraini flags and chanting, “Revolution until victory,” and, “We will not forget the martyrs.”

image by @AlWefaqEN The rally was largely peaceful, but followed another protest in a nearby village that saw clashes between the police and protesters who tried to approach Pearl Square in Manama, considered to be the cradle of Bahrain’s revolution.

“Police were the target of a terrorist act of Molotov cocktails being thrown and partly setting on fire a vehicle of law enforcement officers in Shaharkhan village west of Manama,” AFP reported the Interior Ministry as saying.

Security forces fired teargas to disperse the demonstrators.

Protests started on Thursday night in Manama and nearby Shiite villages, with people demanding the release of political prisoners.

Marzooq is the secretary-general of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq. Marzooq was deputy speaker in Bahrain’s 40-member parliament before 18 al-Wefaq MPs walked out in February 2011 to protest violence against demonstrators.

The Gulf state is a predominantly Shiite country and has seen frequent unrest since authorities cracked down hard on the popular uprising against the ruling Sunni monarchy in 2011.

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

Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed

A Bahraini woman wearing a Guy Fawkes mask used by the Anonymous movement flashes the

General Secretary of Bahrain

A Bahraini girl holds up her national flag as she takes part in an anti-government protest in the village of Jannusan, west of the capital Manama, on September 27, 2013 (AFP Photo / Mohammed Al-Shaikh)

image by @AlWefaqEN

RT – News

Thousands protest in Bahrain over opposition leader arrest

Friday, September 13, 2013

Death of Bahrain activist sparks violent protest (VIDEO)

Published time: September 13, 2013 13:36

At least 12 protesters have been arrested in the north of Bahrain after a mass funeral of an opposition activist turned into a violent rally.

Protesters threw stones and street debris at riot police in the north of Bahrain, following a mass funeral of a 22-year-old activist in the village of al-Daih on Thursday, according to RT’s video agency, Ruptly.

Demonstrators, who blocked roads with burning tires and cement blocks, were confronted by Special Security Forces officers, who arrived on tanks and riot jeeps and fired tear gas at the rally participants.

Mohammed Abduljalil Yousif, an opposition activist, died on Wednesday and was immediately pronounced a ‘martyr’ by his fellow protesters, who believe he was run over by a police car.

An alternative theory concerning the young activist’s death has been put forward by unnamed sources, cited by Gulf Daily News. They say Mohammed Abduljalil was killed by a tree, which he and his friends were trying to cut down in order to block a road as part of their protest activity.

“His friends panicked when one of the trees fell on him and he was lying in a pool of blood,” the daily is citing the source. “They didn’t call police, but took him to IHB [the International Hospital of Bahrain] where he was pronounced dead.”

It’s not the first time protesters are claiming their fellow activist was run over by a police car. One of the most recent cases was in November 2012, when demonstrators accused police of killing a 16-year-old boy. The incident caused rioting as well.

Situation in Bahrain has been volatile with regular rallies staged by the opposition ever since the country’s ‘Arab Spring’ uprising was suppressed two-and-a-half years ago. The Shiite-led revolt back then was crushed by security forces protesting the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty.

Human Rights Watch says more than 80 people have died in uprisings since they began in February 2011.

One of the most vocal critics of the government, activist Nabeel Rajab, has been serving a three-year term in jail since August 2012.

Reports of human rights violations in Bahrain have become a loaded issue for Washington, as the kingdom is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

A series of massive and violent rallies took place in April, while the country was hosting the Formula One race and protesters were trying to draw the attention of the international community to the lack of democratic freedoms in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s parliament responded with new tough laws passed in July. The legislation bans protests in the capital and gives authorities the right to strip citizenship from those convicted of violence.

The UN has repeatedly called on Bahrain for it to permit entry of the United Nation’s envoy to the kingdom to investigate allegations of human rights abuse. Bahrain has refused to comply.

RT – News

Death of Bahrain activist sparks violent protest (VIDEO)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Violence "inevitable" as Bahrain beefs up security ahead of protests

Published time: August 14, 2013 09:43

Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed

Download video (28.86 MB)

Bahrain has stepped up security around Shiite Muslim villages to block nationwide anti-government protests planned for Wednesday. Activists fear government violence against protesters is “inevitable.”

Unlike in Egypt, where protesters against the recently ousted Muslim Brotherhood government were backed by the military, Bahrain’s security forces remain loyal to the government. Authorities warned they would “forcefully confront” any large demonstrations. Concrete barriers lined major streets in the capital, Manama, and security checkpoints surrounded by barbed wire guarded roads leading to the city from majority Shiite neighborhoods. Protesters have been urging the Sunni Muslim ruling family to allow democracy.

“Based on what we are following in the field, the government violence against protesters is inevitable,” a spokesman for the group organizing the rallies, Hussain Yousif, told AP. “But we need to go ahead and show the world and the government that the Bahraini people have the right to express their political demands,” he added.

While protesters insist they’ll remain peaceful and defiant, there have been attacks in recent weeks around Bahrain, including some from bombs made with natural gas canisters.

Citing the fear of violence, the US temporary closed its embassy in Bahrain on Wednesday after the activists called on people to meet near it. The kingdom is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and is the Pentagon’s main base to counter Iran’s expanding military presence in the Gulf and protect oil shipping lanes through the Gulf of Hormuz.

The protests have been organized by the Tamarod Bahrain campaign, which features several opposition groups and has adopted the name of Egypt’s Tamarod movement. They are expected to stage nonviolent protests in nine areas of the country, with the largest expected in Manama. Wednesday coincides with the 42nd anniversary of Bahrain’s independence from Britain. It also marks 2 1/2 years since the current wave of unrest started.

“The government will forcefully confront the suspicious calls to violate law and order and those who stand behind them through decisive measures,” Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa told the official Bahrain News Agency on Monday.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s largest opposition group, the Islamist al Wefaq Society, said it was not planning to join the protesters, but made it clear it supported the right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

RT correspondent Lucy Kafanov says that the Bahrain government has dealt with all protests firmly in the country, since the beginning of the Arab Spring. “Bahrain has been rocked by political unrest since 2011. For the past two years the majority Shiite opposition has been pushing for democratic reforms, but those demands have been met with an iron fist,” Kafanov said.

The opposition is demanding a constitutional monarchy with a government chosen from within a democratically elected parliament. It claims there is discrimination against majority Shiites in areas such as employment and public services. The government has denied any discrimination.

“There have been lots of violations in Bahrain, but unfortunately there’s rarely anything in the Western media regarding all the violations. Torture is a daily act,” Jalal Fairooz, former opposition MP from the Wefaq Party, told RT.

“Over the past week three major human groups, including Amnesty International, have issued a very strong urging for the UK government and other foreign governments to stop supporting the dictator and try to enforce respect of human rights,” Fairooz said. “But unfortunately the money and petrodollars talk louder than principles in the West.”

While there is no clear epicenter of revolt in Bahrain’s uprising history, like Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the capital’s Pearl Square was cleared by police raids and sealed off from the public in the early weeks of the unrest. The organizers of the nationwide protests have called instead on Bahrain residents to flood the streets. The Tamarod campaign leaders have urged workers to join in a general strike and for shop owners to close their businesses. The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on workers and business owners to ignore the protests.

Clashes have calmed down in recent months after the ruling family introduced some reforms, including giving the elected parliament more oversight powers and promising deeper investigations into alleged abuses by security forces. Many Shiites have dismissed the reforms as window dressing, however, saying that the monarchy is still in control of all key decision-making.

Bahrain’s parliament has passed strict new laws to curb opposition activists, including banning protests in the capital and giving authorities the right to remove citizenship from those convicted of violence.

Courts also have jailed prominent opposition figures and others, including some with alleged links to Iranian-backed groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Bahrain and other Gulf states claim that Iran, a majority Shiite country, has a hand in the protests. Iran denies the claim.

Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa office, said Bahrain should allow the protests to take place.

“The fact that some protesters perpetrate acts of violence in some demonstrations does not justify a blanket ban on demonstrations and protests in the capital city,” Stork said. “Bahrain’s total ban on protests clearly violates the right of citizens and residents to come together to raise political demands peacefully.”

RT – News

Violence "inevitable" as Bahrain beefs up security ahead of protests

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Bahrain says deports U.S. teacher for writing articles on radical websites

ABU DHABI | Sun Aug 11, 2013 2:59am EDT

ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Bahrain has deported a U.S. nursery school teacher it says wrote articles on social media sites linked to radical groups and for violating the terms of her work permit as the kingdom intensifies its crackdown on dissent.

The Ministry of State for Communications did not identify the woman but said she wrote under a pen name and had broken the law by working as an unaccredited journalist.

The teacher wrote articles for online publications including As-Safir newspaper, which is linked to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah, and the outlawed Bahrain Center for Human Rights newsletter, the state news agency said on Saturday.

No one at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights was available for comment.

The ministry had received a complaint about the woman who used Twitter and other social media to write articles “deemed to incite hatred against the government and members of the Royal family, as well as spreading misinformation and encouraging divisions in Bahraini society based on religious sect”, it said.

Bahrain, a majority Shi’ite country ruled by the Sunni al Khalifa family, has been buffeted by unrest since the start of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, with mostly Shi’ite Bahrainis agitating for democratic reforms and more say in government.

The island, which is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet and sits between top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and Iran, has expelled several foreigners for involvement in documenting unrest.

In February 2012, two American rights activists were deported for trying to report on events marking the first anniversary of demonstrations for democratic reforms.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Link this

Share this

Digg this

Reprints

Reuters: Most Read Articles

Bahrain says deports U.S. teacher for writing articles on radical websites

Reuters: Top News

Bahrain says deports U.S. teacher for writing articles on radical websites

ABU DHABI | Sun Aug 11, 2013 2:59am EDT

The Ministry of State for Communications did not identify the woman but said she wrote under a pen name and had broken the law by working as an unaccredited journalist.

No one at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights was available for comment.

The island, which is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet and sits between top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and Iran, has expelled several foreigners for involvement in documenting unrest.

In February 2012, two American rights activists were deported for trying to report on events marking the first anniversary of demonstrations for democratic reforms.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Link this

Share this

Digg this

Reprints

Reuters: Top News

Bahrain says deports U.S. teacher for writing articles on radical websites