Bahrain: Hiding Torture and Human Rights Abuses?

Peace activist in Bahrain. Photograph courtesy of Al Jazeera

Πηγή: Descrier
April 23 2013

The image the Bahraini government promotes to the world is one of a moderate and reforming regime that is open to trade and tourism, as demonstrated by its hosting of the F1 Grand Prix last weekend. However, beneath that veneer is a country where reports of government crackdowns and arrests of children are common, and a place where the UN special rapporteur on torture is not welcome.

The Bahraini Center for Human Rights describes a number of house raids and arrests across the small country on the day of the Grand Prix, with 96 arrests during the period 18-21 April, including 12 children. They also produced information on protesters receiving a wide variety of injuries including pellet wounds, and being struck directly with tear gas cannisters.

In order to hide this action from the world, the government also deported several foreign journalists who were covering the protests in the villages including a British team from ITV.

By blocking the visit by Juan Mendez UN special rapporteur on torture “until further notice”, the government are preventing discovery of the facts surrounding the continual reports of torture and abuses, damaging their own credibility on the world stage. Brian Dooley of Human Rights First characterize this move as:

“A huge blow to the credibility of Bahrain’s reform process”

The Bahraini government’s decision to prevent a UN investogation into human rights abuses comes after the US State Department published its human rights report last week, which counts a number of abuses in the country, stating:

“The [Bahraini] government limited freedom of speech and press through active prosecution of individuals under libel, slander, and national security laws; firing or attacking civilian and professional journalists; and proposing legislation to limit speech in print and social media”

Bahrain's elected municipals say unelected and illegitimate government dismissed them

The vice president of al-Wefaq's municipal bloc and member of secretariat, Majeed Milad, speaking at a press conference on  20 Nov 2012 said that  "the infringements on religious freedoms will not bring us to abandon our demands for political freedoms".

Πηγή: ABNA
Jan 22 2013

The dismissed municipals held a press conference at al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, they said their unfair dismissals reflect the authorities' contempt of the people of Bahrain and they believe that the dismissals are politically-motivated and used to punish dissents within the government's series of suppression on freedom of expression. They stated that they could resort to judiciary outside Bahrain as the judiciary in Bahrain has not provided remedy.

Majeed Milad, the vice president of the Capital municipal council and member of al-Wefaq's secretariat said in the press conference, "What's strange is that the dismissals were linked to the members' lead of a protest march to the Pearl square and their communication with the UN's Secretary-General, and were taken under governmental orders, this means that the regime considers this a crime, so does the Bahraini law criminalize communication with the United Nation's Secretary-General?"

Milad said the dismissals are sectarian and do not only target the municipal members but the residents in their constituencies. He mentioned that after the dismissals and until now, the constituencies of the dismissed members have been subjected to collective punishment as projects and services in these constituencies have been stopped during the past two years. This proves that the residents are also targeted in this punishment, he added.

Milad pointed out that "Each and every citizen -being a municipal member or not- has a right to political activity and therefore you cannot simply say that these members have practiced a political role that interferes in their municipal work, you cannot part municipal members from their right to political activity".

"We may resort to international judiciary because the judiciary in Bahrain has not remedied us", he said.

Abdul-Redha Zuhair, one of the five dismissed members, said the dismissals had not come in natural circumstances but rather under an unelected government that claims to be democratic.

"The five dismissed municipal members are elected by the people and they were dismissed by an unelected government", Zuhair said, " the government looks indifferently to the fact that the Bassiouni report has recommended that all charges relating to freedom of expression be dropped

"What happened proves that the government is not on a path of resolution at all and that it also looks indifferently to the international covenants Bahrain is part of", he added.

Zuhair said the judiciary which has rejected the appeals today is controlled by the executive authority as appeals made to consider that any dismissal legally requires the agreement of two thirds of the municipal members have not been looked into. This legal requirement was not fulfilled, the dismissals were instigated by the Municipals minister.

"This will not have impact on voters' confidence in these members and the people still consider them their legitimate representatives, and the municipal members are persistent to the legitimate rights of the people", Zuhair affirmed.

Adel al-Sitri, a member of the central constituency municipal council, said commenting on local press questions that the dismissed members have presented initiatives to resolve the issue but they have all failed due to the municipal minister's hardening toward the issue. He stressed that they will not present any apologies.

Hussain al-Oraibi, also a member of the central constituency municipal council, mentioned that he received a big number calls from residents in his constituency who denounced the Cassation court's oppressive ruling.

Revealed: America’s Arms Sales To Bahrain Amid Bloody Crackdown

Πηγή: ProPublica
By Justin Elliott
Jan 15 2013

Despite Bahrain’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, the U.S. has continued to provide weapons and maintenance to the small Mideast nation.

Defense Department documents released to ProPublica give the fullest picture yet of the arms sales: The list includes ammunition, combat vehicle parts, communications equipment, Blackhawk helicopters, and an unidentified missile system. (Read the documents.)

The documents, which were provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act request and cover a yearlong period ending in February 2012, still leave many questions unanswered. It’s not clear whether in each case the arms listed have been delivered. And some entries that only cite the names of weapons may in fact refer to maintenance or spare parts.

Defense Department spokesman Paul Ebner declined to offer any more detail. “We won’t get into specifics in any of these because of the security of Bahrain,” said Ebner.

While the U.S. has maintained it is selling Bahrain arms only for external defense, human rights advocates say the documents raise questions about items that could be used against civilian protesters.

“The U.S. government should not be providing additional military equipment that could make matters worse,” said Sunjeev Bery, Middle East advocacy director for Amnesty International USA.

There have been reports that Bahrain used American-made helicopters to fire on protesters in the most intense period of the crackdown. Time magazine reported in mid-March 2011 that Cobra helicopters had conducted "live ammunition air strikes" on protesters.

The new Defense Department list of arms sales has two entries related to “AH-1F Cobra Helicopters” in March and April 2011. Neither the exact equipment or services being sold nor the delivery timetable are specified.

The U.S. is also playing a training role: In April 2012, for example, the Army News Service reported that an American team specializing in training foreign militaries to use equipment purchased from the U.S. was in Bahrain to help with Blackhawk helicopters.

Bahrain’s ambassador to the U.S., Houda Nonoo, said the country’s military has not targeted protestors. Bahrain’s military “exists to combat external threats,” Nonoo told ProPublica. “[T]he potential for U.S. foreign arms sales to be used against protestors in the future is remote.”

The Obama administration has stood by Bahrain’s ruling family, who are Sunni, during nearly two years of protests by the country’s majority Shia population. Bahrain is a longtime ally and the home to a large American naval base, which is considered particularly important amid the current tensions with nearby Iran.

The itemized arms sales list does not include dollar values but a separate document says military equipment worth $51 million was delivered to Bahrain in the year starting in October 2010. (That period includes several months before the protests began.)

The U.S. has long sold weapons to Bahrain, totaling $1.4 billion since 2000, according to the State Department. The sales didn’t come under scrutiny until security forces killed at least 19 people in the early months of the crackdown in 2011. (Dozens have died since then.)

The administration put a hold on one proposed sale of Humvees and missiles in Fall 2011 following congressional criticism. But Foreign Policy reported that other unspecified equipment was still being sold without any public notification.

The new documents offer more details on what was sold during that period — including entries related to a “Blackhawk helicopter armament” in November 2011 and a missile system in January 2012.

In May 2012, the administration announced it was releasing some unspecified items to Bahrain’s military that “are not used for crowd control” while maintaining a hold on the Humvees and TOW missiles.

State Department spokesman Noel Clay told ProPublica, “We continue to withhold the export of lethal and crowd-control items intended predominately for internal security purposes, and have resumed on a case-by-case basis items related exclusively to external defense, counter-terrorism, and the protection of U.S. forces.”

The U.S. has also sold Bahrain a helicopter fit for the royal family.

In September, Missouri-based aviation services firm Sabreliner reported that, as part of an official government arms sale, it delivered to Bahrain a fully customized UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter for “a variety of missions including transporting heads of state.” The aircraft was outfitted with a “clam shell door” for ease of entry, a “new VIP interior,” and a “custom Royal Bahraini” paintjob.

In other recent developments in Bahrain, the country’s highest court this month upheld lengthy prison sentences for 13 high-profile activists accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

In a rare occurrence in November, a series of homemade bombs were set off in the capital of Manama, killing two and leading some observers to argue that the opposition is growing more militant. Also in November, an Amnesty International report found that despite government promises, “the reform process has been shelved and repression unleashed.”

Torture allegations continue in Bahrain as UN Special Rapporteur cancels visit

A Bahraini woman takes part in an anti-government protest in solidarity with jailed Bahraini women in the village of Mahaza, in Sitra, south of Manama on December 27, 2012. Arbitrary arrests and torture continue in Bahrain, but the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has cancelled his trip to the country. 

Πηγή: Global Post

By Alex Pearlman

Jan 2 2013

Thousands have been arrested in the uprising in Bahrain, and torture of prisoners is rampant. But the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture still hasn't been able to make it into the country to investigate.

As pro-democracy protests continue in Bahrain, and allegations of torture, abuse and extrajudicial detentions continue to surface, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture has postponed his visit to Bahrain announced state media today citing "scheduling conflicts" as the reason for the delay.

Bahrain's uprising, one of the last lingering flames of the explosion of the Arab Spring, has continued since 2011. The government has repeatedly cracked down on protesters, tortured medical personnel, and imprisoned activists for tweeting anti-regime messages since protests began over a year ago.

Amnesty International announced that over 1,000 people were arrested in connection with protests via their annual report on the state of the world's human rights, and that there were significant allegations of torture throughout the past year.

The United Nations completed a human rights investigation into Bahrain in September, part of the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process through which each member country is examined every four years and offered recommendations for improving its human rights. A second rights investigation from the Bahraini government, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), dealt specifically with abuses allegedly committed during the past year's protest movement.

State media said Bahrain's human rights minister Salal Ali, "confirmed that the Government of Bahrain has nothing to hide from UN officials, and the numerous visits to the Kingdom by delegations from the UN, prestigious human rights organisations and parliaments have proven its transparency in dealing with the issue, adding that His Majesty the King's pioneering Reform Project has paved the way for the open-door policy, consultation and constant interaction with all relevant sides in order to develop human rights practices in the country and correct the fallacious, incoherent and misleading information disseminated by biased media outlets."

The government claims it is cooperating with the suggestions from the UPR, but Human Rights Watch reports there has been very little movement, and with the news that the Torture Rapporteur will once again not be able to make it to Bahrain (his last attempted trip was cancelled by the regime in March), questions about the situation on the ground are looming.

"[The BICI] confirmed that many detainees had been tortured by security officials who believed they could act with impunity; that police and other security forces had repeatedly used excessive force against protesters, resulting in unlawful killings," said Amnesty's report.

Despite the capital's apparent calm in recent weeks, the result of a security lock-down, the suburbs of Manama are still teeming with dissent.

"Protests erupt frequently, walls are painted with graffiti calling for the downfall of the al-Khalifas and roads are blocked by trees used by residents as barricades to prevent security raids. Opposition politicians say one village was stormed by police more than 300 times in just over a month, with some houses raided several times the same night," reported the Financial Times.

In mid-December, news broke that a prominent activist was actually killed after being tortured with electric shocks and thrown into the sea to drown, and didn't drown on his own, as the regime claimed when he died in January last year. Turkish medical examiner and human rights activist Korur Fincancı traveled to Bahrain specifically to perform an autopsy on Yusuf Mawali's body, and the results of her investigation were that Mawali was tortured and killed, she told Turkish paper The Daily Hurriyet.

While there have been some arrests of police who allegedly tortured doctors for information on protests, there have been no calls by King Hamad Al Khalifah for an end to attacks on peaceful protests, nor have any members of the Bahrain Defense Force, the Interior Ministry or the National Security Agency been indicted.

Bahrain is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, and the government receives significant support from both the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Backing up rhetoric with action in Bahrain

Πηγή: Washington Post
By Stephen McInerney
Nov 5 2012

“Our challenge in a country like Bahrain,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last November, is that the United States “has many complex interests. We’ll always have to walk and chew gum at the same time.” The growing problem is that the United States does plenty of “walking” — maintaining our strategic alliance with the Gulf kingdom in the short term — but little or no “chewing,” or taking meaningful steps to spur the political reforms needed to preserve Bahrain as an ally in the long term.

A late September vote on Bahrain’s nominee for the advisory committee of the U.N. Human Rights Council gave Washington an easy opening. In a letter to Clinton early that month, 14 nongovernmental organizations, including the Project on Middle East Democracy, Human Rights Watch and Freedom House, urged the United States to oppose the candidacy in light of Bahrain’s egregious record on human rights.

The nominee, Saeed Mohamed al-Faihani, has been a career official in Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry whose recent tenure as undersecretary for human rights coincided with the government’s brutal suppression of the country’s civilian uprising. Faihani repeatedly denied the government’s countless human rights violations, includingtorture of political prisoners and violentcrackdowns on peaceful protests. His statements directly contradicted the findingsof the government’s own Commission of Inquiry and well-documented reports by international human rights organizations.

Although Faihani resigned from his government post — days before the U.N. committee vote to meet eligibility requirements — his previous statements and blatant disregard for human rights in Bahrain gave the United States reason to question his qualifications.

Instead, the U.S. delegation was silent, and Faihani was elected by acclamation.

Bahrain quickly pointed to the election as an endorsement of the kingdom’s human rights record. King Hamad called the vote a “recognition of [Bahrain’s] democratic and political record” and evidence that Bahrain is “an oasis of human rights, co-existence, tolerance and love.” Human Rights Minister Salah Ali — Faihani’s former boss — called the unanimous total “a vote of confidence for the kingdom’s serious steps and positive role in protecting human rights.” Washington did nothing to dispute these interpretations.

The United States joined the Human Rights Council in 2009 promising to fight against “the pernicious machinations of countries seeking to obscure and deny their abuses” through the council. When Washington helped eject Libya from the council in 2011, Clinton said it was “clear that governments that turn their guns on their own people have no place on the Human Rights Council.”

More recently, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice highlighted successful U.S. “efforts to prevent human rights abusers, such as Iran, Syria and Sudan from winning election to the Human Rights Council.” Faihani’s position on the council’s advisory committee compromises the increased legitimacy that this work has bestowed on the council and encourages the widespread perception that the United States will confront human rights violations by Iran or Syria while ignoring the abuses of allies such as Bahrain.

A single vote against Faihani may not have kept him off the committee, nor changed the human rights situation in Bahrain overnight, but it would have demonstrated U.S. seriousness toward both the council and accountability in Bahrain.

In recent weeks, Bahrain’s government has banned demonstrations of any size and upheldlengthy prison sentences given to teachers and medics for expressing their political views. It continues to crack down violently against daily protests. Washington has repeatedly expressed “concern” about the state of human rights in Bahrain, but it is increasingly clear that such statements have little or no impact.

While the Faihani vote was Washington’s latest missed opportunity to take a stand, other openings remain. The U.S. administration could limit military assistance and training to Bahrain; sanction Bahraini officials responsible for gross human rights violations; more strictly enforce the rights requirements of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement; or call for a special session on Bahrain at the U.N. Human Rights Council. Any of these steps would signal that Washington is finally willing to walk and chew gum, backing up its rhetoric with action.

Bahrain bans protests and gatherings citing security threats

Πηγή: FP
By Mary Casey
Oct 31 2012

Bahrain's Interior Minister, Sheikh Rashid al Khalifah, has banned all demonstrations and rallies citing "repeated abuses" of the rights to freedom of expression by protest organizers. 

Khalifah has accused the organizers of inciting riots and attacks, as well as calling for the overthrow of "leading national figures." Additionally, he said that participants have failed to adhere to legal regulations. 

Government spokesman Fahad al-Binali said that the ban would be temporary and mainly intended to "calm things down." 

Recent clashes between protesters and police officers outside the capital of Manama resulted in the deaths of two policemen. 

The interior minister said rallies and gatherings would be allowed when security is sufficient to "protect national unity and social fabric to fight extremism." 

Bahrain's protest movement started in February 2011 after prodemocracy rallies in the since demolished Pearl Roundabout sparked clashes that killed at least 35 people and injured hundreds. 

A government crackdown followed shortly afterward, and thousands of activists were arrested. 

While the government has made some efforts toward reform, human rights groups claim abuses have continued, mainly the detainment of peaceful protesters. 

Sayed Hadi al-Mosawi, a representative from the opposition group Al-Wefaq, said, "They don't want people to express their opinions, their anger." 

He continued, "This will not take the country to stability." Amnesty International demanded that the ban be immediately lifted saying it violated the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Bahrainis condemn US support for Al Khalifa regime

Πηγή: ABNA
July 5 2012

The demonstrators took to the streets in Ma’ameer, about 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) south of the capital, Manama, on Wednesday.

On May 11, the US State Department said Washington will resume arms sales to Bahrain. Bahraini opposition groups and activists condemned the decision, saying it could encourage further human rights violations in the Persian Gulf country.

Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet, and is among the Persian Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that receive military equipment from the United States.

The demonstrators in Ma’ameer also censured the UK government for supporting King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Reports say a group of Scotland Yard police officers has recently been dispatched to Bahrain to conduct espionage operations and assist the Saudi-backed forces in cracking down on anti-regime protests.

In December 2011, Manama hired former assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service John Yates for a six-month contract.

Yates was, according to Bahraini authorities, hired to advise the government on police reforms following a November report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which said regime forces “resorted to the use of unnecessary and excessive force, terror-inspiring behavior and unnecessary damage to property” during popular protests in the country.

Bahrainis continue peaceful demonstrations against the ruling monarchy despite the regime’s violent crackdown. Police frequently use tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse the protesters.

Demonstrators hold King Hamad responsible for the killing of protesters during the uprising that began in February 2011.

Bahrain Shiites mark revolt anniversary

A line of riot police stand in front of razor wire near a shopping mall and "Cinema Dana" in Manama, Bahrain, about one-half kilometer from the hub of last year's pro-democracy protests on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, the first anniversary of the uprising in the Gulf kingdom. Bahraini security forces fanned out across the island nation in unprecedented numbers for the anniversary

Πηγή: AP
By REEM KHALIFA and BARBARA SURK
Feb 14 2012

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- Bahraini security forces fanned out across the island nation in unprecedented numbers on Tuesday as Shiites marked the one-year anniversary of their uprising against the country's Sunni rulers.

Authorities sent troop reinforcements and armored vehicles to the predominantly Shiite villages around the capital Manama to prevent people from gathering and answering the call of the main opposition movement, Al Wefaq.

Six American members of an activist group were detained during the protests, activists and the government said. Authorities said they had violated the terms of their visa, and that they agreed to leave the country without further legal measures taken against them.

The government meanwhile threatened to take legal action against the organizers of protests on Monday that turned violent. This could herald a new crackdown on Al Wefaq, which until last year was tolerated but which has suffered sporadic prosecutions and detentions after it took the lead in last year's protests.

At least 40 people have been killed during a year of unprecedented political unrest in Bahrain. The island kingdom, the home of the U.S. 5th Fleet, was the Gulf Arab nation hardest hit by upheaval during 2011's Arab Spring protests.

The kingdom's ruling dynasty has promised reforms to end the upheaval, although it refuses to make the far-reaching changes the protesters and Al Wefaq, have demanded. These include ending the monarchy's ability to select the government, set key state policies and appoint most of the parliament members.

Police on Tuesday fired tear gas at protesters in an apparent attempt to pre-empt a repeat of the marches the night before, in which protesters made their largest effort in months to retake the city's central roundabout. Pearl Square had served as the epicenter of weeks of anti-government protests last year, and its reoccupation would be a major boost for the movement.

The government statement said many protesters on Monday departed from a pre-authorized route in Manama, turning the march into a riot after police arrived. It said Al Wefaq was responsible for the violence, because it failed to "control the crowd (and) that jeopardized the safety of the people along a busy main road."

Legal procedures will be taken against the organizers of the march, Tuesday's statement said.

Al Wefaq rejected the claim, and said that the "unfounded accusations" are part of the rulers' efforts to discredit the group.

"They have used excessive force against the people throughout all this time, but people keep coming back to the streets to insist on their demand to have a role in the decisions about their country," said Abdul Jalil Khalil, a former Al Wefaq parliamentarian.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's population of some 525,000 people, but say they have faced decades of discrimination and are blocked from top political and security posts.

"After years of broken promises for change, Bahrain exploded last year," Khalil said. "We are still here and we want serious solution and meaningful reform."

Sunni rulers made token concessions in June ahead of U.S.-supported reconciliation talks between the monarchy and the opposition. A so-called national dialogue began in July, but Al Wefaq delegates pulled out of the talks, saying the government was not willing to discuss political reform.

Since then, no talks between the monarchy and the opposition have taken place, Khalil said. Street battles between security forces and protesters still flare up almost every day in the predominantly Shiite villages around the capital.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday the Bahraini government and the opposition "have a responsibility, both of them, to work together to ensure that the right to peaceful protest is respected by all sides."

Nuland also called on the demonstrators to refrain from violence and urged Bahraini security forces to "use maximum restraint" during peaceful protests. Washington asked the government in Bahrain to work with the opposition and other groups "to establish a process leading to real, meaningful political reform" in the Gulf kingdom.

The U.S.-based Witness Bahrain meanwhile said in a statement that six American members of the activist group were arrested during a peaceful march and held at a Manama police station.

Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority said that six U.S. passport holders have been ordered deported for "applying for tourist visas under false pretenses."

The statement says the six activists arrived in Bahrain in the past week and obtained tourist visas at the airport. "They were participating in illegal demonstrations," the statement says.

It said they were taken to a police station and "agreed to leave the country without further legal procedures" against them.

Another two Americans from the group were deported from Bahrain Sunday for taking part in opposition activities after they had entered the Gulf kingdom on tourist visas. Authorities on Monday tightened entry policies into the kingdom, and now demand prior visa approval for many nations that had been allowed to obtain entry stamps upon arrival, including the U.S. and other Western countries.

Two US activists deported to New York from Bahrain

Human rights activists Nabeel Rajab and Zainab Al-Khawaja seen during clashes between pro-reform protesters and police in the old part of the Bahraini capital Manama

Πηγή: Telegraph
Feb 12 2012

Two American activists deported in shackles from Bahrain to New York left a Gulf Air flight in London complaining of mistreatment at the hands of the authorities.

The activists were arrested at a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of bloody Arab Spring protests on Saturday and forced by police officers on to a flight on Sunday morning.

The women spent the seven hour flight bound to the seats without food or water.

Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath bore deep track marks on their wrists and were fatigued. Miss Arraf said: "My arms hurt and I feel dreadful."

They were allowed to walk off the plane in London and were due to fly on to New York.

Miss Sainath said she was targeted by a group of female officers at the demonstration near the former Pearl roundabout.

"They accused me of filming illegally and demanded ID," she said. "Once they had it they said that's her."

The authorities confirmed they had been expelled "for applying for tourist visas under false pretences".

"Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath arrived in Bahrain in the last few days and obtained tourist visas upon arrival at the airport," the government said. "However, once in Bahrain, they declared their intentions to join demonstrations in order to report on them. Arraf and Sainath were picked up at an illegal demonstration in Manama this afternoon."

Police fired tear gas and sound grenades to break up protests by anti-government demonstrators on Sunday as they tried to march towards Manama's Pearl Roundabout, centre of a failed uprising last year.

The women were showing solidarity on the eve of the first anniversary of protests led mainly by the Shia majority for democratic reforms in the Gulf Arab state. An official said they would be deported for giving false information about their trips on entering the country.

The advocacy group Witness Bahrain said both Arraf and Sainath are human rights lawyers. They were in the Middle Eastern country as part of an effort to have more civilians from different nations on the ground to monitor the situation.

Miss Sainath said the pair were part of Witness Bahrain. In an article before the rally she said: "The government would behave differently if Americans and Europeans were watching."Our team came together: attorneys, human rights activists, social workers, journalists and others who had experience with nonviolent resistance and democracy movements in Mexico, Palestine, Pakistan and the United States," she said

Saudi Arabia Blocks Website Of Iran's Supreme Leader

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during his Friday Prayers sermon at Tehran University on February 3.

Πηγή: RFERL
By Reuters
Feb 5 2012

Iranian news websites report that Saudi Arabia has blocked the official website of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is available in a dozen languages, including Arabic.

"Shafaf" says Khamenei's website was blocked by Saudi officials ahead of his sermons for Friday Prayers on February 3, parts of which the Iranian leader delivered in Arabic.

The hard-line "Shafaf" website posted a screenshot of the page it claims Saudi users get when they try to access Khamenei's website.

The website claims Saudi officials decided to block Khamenei's official website because of what it described as Iran's influence on the "Islamic awakening." Iranian officials have been using the term as part of their efforts to put their own stamp on the Arab Spring uprisings, which they claim have been inspired by Iran's own 1979 revolution.

Political tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating over Tehran's alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington and also over last March's intervention in Bahrain by Saudi forces to help the country's Sunni rulers crush pro-reform demonstrations by the Shi'ite majority.

In his Friday Prayers sermons, Khamenei dismissed accusations that Iran has supported the Shi'ites in Bahrain:

“The rulers of Bahrain claimed that Iran is involved in the events of Bahrain. This is a lie. No, we do not interfere. ... If we had interfered, the conditions would have been different in Bahrain."
Khamenei spoke at length about the revolutions and revolts in the region over the past year. He fell short, however, of mentioning the ongong antigovernment protests in Syria.

Ties between predominantly Shi'ite Iran and predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia have been marked in past years by rivalry and mistrust.

Iran last month warned Saudi Arabia not to compensate on global markets for any loss of Iranian oil exports if Tehran is hit by international sanctions, calling a pledge by Riyadh to boost output "not friendly."

Both Iran and Saudia Arabia are considered "enemies of the Internet" by the French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders over their efforts to suppress freedom of expression.

Top China firm plans $200m plant in Bahrain

Πηγή: Trade Arabia
Jan 16 2012

Chinese fibreglass manufacturer CPIC is planning to set up a $200 million fibreglass manufacturing facility in Bahrain in partnership with Abahsain Fiberglass Middle East.

The factory will be built at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) in Salman Industrial City. The Bahrain project will be built on a plot of 78,000 sq m and at full production will employ 1,000 people.

Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro visited the CPIC plant in Chongqing, China, last week and met company chairman Wu Ming and his senior management team.

Dr Fakhro was in China to see first-hand the size and scope of the CPIC operations in Chongqing and to brief Wu and his team on the current economic and political climate in Bahrain.

He was also there to encourage the project partners, CPIC and Abahsain Fiberglass, to move the project forward in 2012.

The minister was accompanied on his visit to China by Abahsain Fiberglass chief executive Syed Maqsood and executives of the BIIP management team.

Dr Fakhro attended a signing ceremony where Wu and Maqsood signed a letter of intent, designed to move this project forward rapidly in 2012.

He committed the full support of his ministry and of other relevant government agencies in Bahrain to the development of this project. Dr Fakhro told Wu that he looked forward to seeing him soon again in Bahrain to officiate with him at a construction commencement ceremony for the new project.

He also highlighted his plans to attract further Chinese companies to Bahrain by using this flagship project as an example of the quality of location that the kingdom can offer in the future.

Bahrain abuse report ‘a concern’ - US

Anti-government protester runs from tear gas fired by riot police in A'ali, Bahrain.

Πηγή: iolnews
By Arshad Mohammed and Caren Bohan (Reuters)

Nov 24 2011

Washington - The United States urged its ally Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, to quickly address abuses laid out in a report on Wednesday that alleged that Bahraini security forces used torture to obtain confessions.

A Bahraini government-commissioned panel charged with investigating abuses found that Bahrain's security forces used excessive force to suppress pro-democracy protests this year, saying five people were tortured to death.

The United States, which has been faulted by rights activists for not criticising the island kingdom more sharply for the crackdown, appeared to carefully balance its demand for the abuses to be addressed with praise for its Gulf ally.

“We are deeply concerned about the abuses identified in the report and urge the Government and all elements of Bahraini society to address them in a prompt and systematic manner,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.

“We believe the ... report offers a historic opportunity for all Bahrainis to participate in a healing process that will address long-standing grievances and move the nation onto a path of genuine, sustained reform,” Clinton added.

Neither Clinton's statement, nor one from the White House, hinted at any distance between the Obama administration and the royal family that rules Bahrain, although Washington has said it will weigh human rights in decisions about military sales.

Clinton made a point of stressing the “strategic interests” that the two countries share, a likely reference to containing Bahrain's neighbour Iran, which the United States suspects of pursuing nuclear weapons and accuses of supporting terrorism.

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

The events in Bahrain have posed a conundrum for the United States, which has sought to maintain good relations with a country that is a cornerstone of its strategy to preserve the flow of oil from the Middle East while remaining true to its support for freedom of speech and peaceful protests.

The government-commissioned report, designed to help heal sectarian divisions between the island kingdom's Sunni rulers and majority Shi'as, acknowledged five people had been tortured to death but said abuses were isolated incidents.

However the inquiry panel, led by Egyptian-American international law expert Cherif Bassiouni, dismissed Bahrain's allegation of Iranian interference in fomenting unrest, saying that was not supported by any evidence.

“In many cases security agencies in the government of Bahrain resorted to excessive and unnecessary force,” Bassiouni said at the king's palace, adding that some detainees suffered electric shocks, and beatings with rubber hoses and wires.

Bahrain's Shi'a-led opposition reacted coolly to the report, some saying it did not go far enough while others argued that those responsible for abuses remained in office.

White House press secretary Jay Carney urged Bahrain's authorities to hold those responsible to account while praising its ruler, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, for what he described as a “courageous” decision to commission the report.

“The report identifies a number of disturbing human rights abuses ... and it is now incumbent upon the government of Bahrain to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and put in place institutional changes to ensure that such abuses do not happen again,” Carney said.

Bahrain's finance minister, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa, gave interviews in Washington to make the case that the government genuinely wanted reform and reconciliation.

“Listening to that report is not easy but the fact that we are doing it, in an Arab country, shows our interest to put the truth on the table in front of the whole world,” he told Reuters. “He (King Hamad) is sincerely interested in making sure that we deal with the issues and move ahead.”

Bahrain unrest report expected to criticise government

Anger is still widespread within Bahrain's Shia majority over the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations

Πηγή: BBC
Nov 23 2011

An independent commission in Bahrain is due to deliver a report on the violent suppression of anti-government protests earlier this year.

The commission, made up of international legal experts, is expected to be highly critical of the Bahraini authorities.

More than 40 people have been killed as security forces clamped down on the protests.

The police have also been accused of torturing detained activists.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was set up in June to investigate alleged human rights violations when the protests were suppressed in February and March 2011.

The five commissioners, all of whom come from outside Bahrain, can also make recommendations on how to end sectarian tensions.

The inquiry has interviewed more than 5,000 people, including hundreds who say they were tortured in prison.

More than 1,600 people have been arrested during the protests, which have continued sporadically since the peak of the unrest eight months ago.

Deep divisions

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, reporting from Bahrain, says the report is expected to confirm that widespread human rights abuses took place, including the use of torture in interrogations.

Bahrain has a majority Shia Muslim population and the violence has fuelled anger against the ruling Sunni royal family and political elite.

Our correspondent says the mainly Shia protesters will be watching very closely to see how the King reacts when he receives the report.

If the monarch accepts that his government was responsible and acts to change the way the country is run, then the outcome could be positive, our correspondent says.

If not, then more violence is likely to lie ahead.

In advance of the report's publication, the government of Bahrain has already acknowledged some failings.

"Regrettably, there have been instances of excessive force and mistreatment of detainees," it said in a statement on Monday.

A government spokesman, Sheikh Abdulaziz Alkhalifaa, told the BBC: "We are in a very polarised society".

"In order to move forward we need to find out the truth."

"I think the report will tell us exactly what happened since February and only then can we use this as a road map to bridge the divide between all communities here in the country," he said.

Arms sales to Bahrain under the scanner

Πηγή: Aljazeera
By Joel Beinin

Nov 3 2011

As Bahrain's human rights record is probed, the US backs down from a proposed weapons deal with the troubled Gulf state.

After a false alarm announcing that a proposed $53m arms sale to Bahrain would be authorised, the Obama administration backtracked and postponed final approval of the sale pending a review of the findings of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) established on June 29. The BICI's report was expected to be issued on October 30. But King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa authorised a delay until November 23. The commission's mandate is to "engage in fact finding" and to compile a contextualised narrative of the events during the movement for democratic reforms in February and March. It will also determine if suppression of the movement involved human rights violations.

The commission includes several respected figures in the international human rights field. But the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has already criticised its proceedings. On August 15 demonstrators, including workers dismissed for engaging in a general strike in March organised by the "Return to Work is My Right" group, stormed the offices of the BICI, forcing its closure.

If the proceedings of the Bahrain National Dialogue convened on July 1 and related developments are any indicator, the BICI report, whatever its conclusions, is unlikely to lead to substantive reforms. Before the initial session of the national dialogue, US Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner visited Bahrain to encourage the government to speak with its opposition. But soon after it began, the Shia-oriented al-Wefaq, the largest political opposition group in Bahrain, and the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions withdrew from the national dialogue. They claimed that regime supporters refused to include their grievances, including the rehiring of fired workers, on the agenda.

Last February 27, al-Wefaq's 18 parliamentary representatives (out of a total parliamentary membership of 40) resigned to protest suppression of the democracy movement. Parliamentary by-elections were held to replace them on September 24, an indication that the monarchy is not inclined to engage in meaningful dialogue with its most substantial opposition.

The Obama administration is well-aware of Bahrain's violent repression of the movement for democratic reforms. In a Middle East policy address given in May, the president pointedly stated that, "mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens." In a much sharper expression of displeasure, in June, the US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council included Bahrain in a list of countries requiring the special attention of the Council for violating human rights, along with Iran, Burma, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Ambassador Donahoe told the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that Bahrain "has arbitrarily detained medical workers and others perceived as opponents". Nonetheless, these characterisations are polite diplomatic understatements.

Harsh treatment

"Some of the ammunition the military and police fired at non-violent pro-democracy protesters may very well have been made and supplied by the US."

International human rights organisations estimate that since protests demanding democratic reforms began in February, at least 35 Bahrainis have been killed by armed forces of the regime and its allies, over 1,400 have been arrested, and as many as 2,600 have been dismissed from their jobs, including leaders of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions. Four people have died in custody in suspicious circumstances. Harsh prison sentences have been imposed on 21 prominent political leaders. 47 doctors and medical workers who cared for wounded protesters were tried in military courts; some received sentences as long as 15 years. After loud international condemnation, a new civilian trial was ordered for 20 of them.

When the near-finalisation of the $53m arms sale - which includes Humvee combat vehicles, missiles and rocket launchers - was announced, Stephen Seche, Deputy US Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, said, "Congress has expressed no opposition to this sale". This is formally correct, in the sense that no resolution opposing the sale was adopted, although one has since been introduced. But at least five congressmen had written to the Obama administration expressing their concerns about supplying arms to a regime engaged in such recent and blatant violations of the human rights of its citizens.

In the months before the protests began in February, the US sold more than $200m in weapons and equipment to Bahrain, including $760,000 for firearms. Some of the ammunition the military and police fired at non-violent pro-democracy protesters may very well have been made and supplied by the US.

In his May Middle East policy address, Obama proclaimed that, "The United States supports a set of universal rights. And these rights include free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion, equality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right to choose your own leaders - whether you live in Baghdad or Damascus, Sanaa or Tehran." It remains to be seen whether this applies to residents of Manama and other Arab capitals, where relationships between autocrats and the US government remain reliably stable, and military alliances have historically trumped human rights.

Bahrain tells US 'stand up to Iran'

Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa

Πηγή: Daily News
Oct 22 2011

WASHINGTON: The US has been urged to stand up for its interests and draw the red lines against Iranian terror.

"How many times have you lost lives, been subject to terrorist activities and yet we haven't seen any proper response. This is really serious. It's coming to your shores now," Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said in an interview with Washington Post.

Referring to Tehran-sponsored attacks on American forces in Lebanon and Iraq, he wondered what the US was going to do to show Iran that it was serious.

US President Barack Obama recently denounced an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, saying Iran "will pay a price".

The Foreign Minister, who was in Washington for talks with US officials, was interviewed by the newspaper's columnist David Ignatius.

He underlined the seriousness of the Iranian threat to the Gulf and said that Bahrain's intelligence was familiar with the activities of Ali Gholam Shakuri, an Al Quds operative who was indicted by the US for his role in the alleged assassination plot.

Months before the indictment, Bahraini and Saudi intelligence had identified Shakuri as an important "Iranian interlocutor", he said.

The Foreign Minister also said that Iraqi Shia politician Ahmed Chalabi, who had lobbied the Bush administration for the US invasion of Iraq, was increasingly tilting towards Iran on regional issues. Chalabi has now taken up the cause of Bahrain's opposition, even to the extent of proposing a "rescue flotilla" to deliver aid to them, the Foreign Minister said.

U.S. Arms Bahrain While Decrying Russian Weapons in Syria

Πηγή: IPS news

By Thalif Deen

Oct 11 2011

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 11, 2011 (IPS) - Peeved at Russia's Security Council veto derailing a Western- sponsored resolution against Syria last week, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice implicitly accused the Russians of protecting the beleaguered government of President Bashar al-Assad primarily to safeguard their lucrative arms market in the Middle Eastern country.

But around the same time, the United States was evaluating a 53- million-dollar weapons contract with Bahrain, where political unrest has claimed the lives of 34 people, mostly civilians, at least 1,400 others have been arrested, and more than 3,600 dismissed from their jobs for participating in street demonstrations demanding a democratic government.

"The U.S. government appears hypocritical when it condemns the use of force against Syrian protestors but condones similar behaviour in Bahrain," Dr. Natalie J. Goldring, a senior fellow with the Center for Peace and Security Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, told IPS.

Sadly, she said, the administration of President Barack Obama is on shaky ground when it lectures other countries about their arms transfers.

"Its recent announcement of proposed weapons sales to Bahrain signals business as usual, at a time when we should be doing the opposite," she said.

The proposed arms contract, which has triggered strong protests from human rights groups, includes 44 armoured high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs), wire-guided and other missiles and launchers, along with related equipment and training.

Maria McFarland, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said, "It will be hard for people to take U.S. statements about democracy and human rights in the Middle East seriously when, rather than hold its ally Bahrain to account, it appears to reward repression with new weapons."

Goldring pointed out that Ambassador Rice said the opponents of the U.N. resolution would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.

"Transferring weapons to Bahrain leaves the U.S. government vulnerable to the same accusation that we would rather sell arms to the Bahrain regime than to stand with the people of Bahrain." she added.

The Obama administration would be in a much stronger position to influence other countries behaviour if it stopped selling weapons to countries that abuse their citizens' human rights, Goldring said.

Although a majority of the Security Council members - nine out of 15 - voted in favour of last week's resolution, qualifying it to be adopted, the two vetoes by Russia and China negated the positive result.

The draft resolution, which strongly condemned the continued grave and systematic human rights violations by Syrian authorities, drew positive votes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, France, Gabon, Germany, Nigeria, Portugal, the UK and the United States.

The countries abstaining were India, Brazil, South Africa (collectively known as IBSA) and Lebanon.

The resolution, which was co-sponsored by France, Germany, Portugal and the UK, also called on Syria to immediately cease the use of force against civilians.

If Syria failed to do so within 30 days, the Security Council would consider "other options", a euphemism for economic and military sanctions.

Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher in the Arms Transfers Programme of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), told IPS Russia is Syria's most important arms supplier.

In the past five years, he said, Russia delivered an estimated 36 Pantsyr-S1 mobile air defence systems and a quantity of Igla-S man portable surface-to-air missiles.

All indications are that more is on order and to be delivered, including reportedly 24 MiG-29SMT combat aircraft, a Bastion coast defence system with Yakhont missiles, several Buk longer range surface-to-air missile systems and an unknown number of YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft.

"Altogether the Syrian orders make up a significant amount in revenues for the Russian arms industry," Wezeman said.

After losing the Iranian and Libyan markets, he said, they would not be keen to lose this market too, and this is likely to be one reason, amongst others, for Russia to resist arms-related sanctions on Syria.

Goldring told IPS that Syria is a key Russian political and military ally in the Middle East. But Russia also has strong economic motivations to maintain this relationship.

According to a recently released Congressional Research Service report, Syrian arms sales accounted for nearly a quarter of Russia's global arms sales agreements reached between 2007 and 2010.

"While China has also had an active arms transfer relationship with Syria, Russia has dominated the Syrian market, accounting for nearly 90 percent of all arms sales agreements with Syria between 2007 and 2010," Goldring said.

After China and Russia vetoed the Security Council resolution, Ambassador Rice said, "Those who oppose this resolution...will have to answer to the Syrian people and, indeed, to people across the region who are pursuing the same universal aspirations."

She didn't refer to China and Russia by name, although they were the only countries that voted against the resolution.

"Russia and China seem to have united against a common adversary. Together, they're acting as a counterweight to U.S. diplomatic and military activity in the Middle East," said Goldring.

After the vote, Rice told reporters: "No, I don't think diplomacy or pressure has reached a dead end."

"I mean, the fact of the matter is, despite the vote that we saw today in the Council, the majority of members supported the resolution," she said.

"This is not, as some would like to pretend, a Western issue. We had countries all over the world supporting this resolution, and we have countries throughout the region who have been very clear that the brutality of the Assad regime has to end and that the behaviour of the regime is absolutely intolerable."

US politicians seek to halt Bahrain arms deal

The US already exported millions of dollars worth of guns, teargas, and other arms to Bahrain

Πηγή: AlJazeera
Oct 8 2011


Concerned about the kingdom's response to a popular uprising, members of Congress aim to bloc a $53m sale.


US members of Congress, concerned about the Bahraini government's response to a popular uprising, introduced a rare measure that would halt a $53m arms sale to the Gulf Arab state.

US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and US Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts, both Democrats, said they introduced resolutions in both houses of Congress on Friday to prevent the sale of US weapons to Bahrain "until meaningful steps are taken to improve human rights" there.

"Selling weapons to a regime that is violently suppressing peaceful civil dissent and violating human rights is antithetical to our foreign policy goals and the principle of basic rights for all that the US has worked hard to promote," Wyden said in a statement posted on his website.

"The US should not reward a regime that actively suppresses its people. This resolution will withhold the sale of arms to Bahrain until the ruling family shows a real commitment to human rights," Wyden said.

The Pentagon last month notified Congress that it had approved the sale of $53m of weapons to Bahrain, including more than 44 armored vehicles and 300 missiles, 50 of which have bunker busting capability.

Prime contractors for the arms sale would be AM General and Raytheon Co, according to the Defence Security Co-operation Agency, the part of the Pentagon that oversees foreign arms sales.

The notice of the sale was officially reported to Congress on September 14, triggering a 30-day period during which Congress can pass a resolution opposing the sale.

Members of Congress seldom challenge arms sales notifications since weapons sales are generally vetted with Congress before being made public.

In the wake of the so-called "Arab spring," which swept the governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya from power, Bahrain's Shia majority turned up the political heat in the island country, which put down a pro-democracy uprising earlier this year with the help of neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Many Shia areas are witnessing almost nightly clashes with police. Opposition groups say heavy-handed police tactics are worsening tension on the street.

Hundreds of Shia were dismissed from their jobs over suspected roles in the protests and many remain in police detention.

About 30 people, mainly Shia, died when the protest movement erupted in February, but ongoing clashes and deaths in police custody have taken the total past 40, according to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR).

McGovern said it was not in the United States' national security interest to sell weapons to Bahrain.

"Human rights ought to matter in our foreign and military policy," he said. "Now is not the time to sell weapons to Bahrain."

Bahrain and Saudi offered slots at arms fair

Πηγή: FT
By John O’Doherty

12  Sept. 2011

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have both been invited to the UK’s largest arms fair this week, in spite of the two countries’ roles in suppressing pro-democracy movements earlier this year.

The Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition, which starts on Tuesday, is held every two years at the Excel centre in London’s Docklands.

UK Trade and Industry, which promotes British companies abroad, has issued invitations to the two countries, along with Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.

However, China, which was invited to DSEi in 2009 in spite of a Europe-wide arms embargo, has not been invited this year.

Libya – among the 2009 invitees when under the rule of Muammer Gaddafi – has not been invited.

The exhibition will feature more than 1,300 exhibitors, almost half of which are UK-based.

They include BAE Systems, the maker of battleships and the Eurofighter Typhoon; AgustaWestland, the Somerset-based helicopter division of Finmeccanica; and Chemring, a maker of decoy flares used by naval ships and military aircraft.

“We have an industry that as a nation we should be proud of,” said Rees Ward, chief executive of ADS, the defence and security trade group.

”Though this is a trade show on ‘home turf’, the sheer numbers of UK exhibitors and their products show that our industry is eager to take advantage of the opportunities that an international trade show will bring.”

ADS estimates that the defence sector employs 110,000 people in the UK directly, creating more than £22bn in annual sales last year, £9.5bn of which were exports.

This year Saudi Arabia used Tactica armoured vehicles made by BAE to send its National Guard into Bahrain to suppress pro-democracy protests.

“Our main concern is the fact that we still have on this list Middle East dictatorships who have used arms against their own people,” said Kaye Stearman of Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

“We’re particularly concerned about Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, because it seems the Arab Spring has brought out the true face of these countries and showed that the weapons are being used for internal repression.

“We think its completely wrong that the government should be selling arms to these very repressive, undemocratic and abusive regimes.”

Although invitations to DSEi are made by UKTI, the decision on which country to invite is made by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which was not available for comment on Monday morning.

Dark clouds over Bahrain

Πηγή: Foreign Policy
By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The killing of a 14-year-old boy by police on the island of Sitra on Aug. 31 has reignited simmering tensions in Bahrain. Ali Jawad Ahmad died while attending an Eid al-Fitr demonstration, one of numerous flashpoints in the daily confrontations between anti-government protesters and the security services. His death triggered widespread protests that rapidly spread to most Shiite villages on the Bahraini archipelago. Some 10,000 people attended his funeral and repeated calls for the overthrow of the ruling Al-Khalifa family. Groups of demonstrators also returned to central Manama where they attempted to reclaim the site of Pearl Roundabout -- now a traffic junction after it was bulldozed by the regime in March. Riot police beat them back with tear gas, but the symbolism of the attempted return to the heart of the pro-democracy movement that threatened to topple the Al-Khalifa in March was clear.

Ali's death and the reactions to it underline once more how Bahraini society remains polarised as never before. Following the lifting of martial law on June 1, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa convened a National Dialogue and created an ostensibly independent investigation into the springtime unrest. Through these initiatives, the government hoped to begin a process of reconciliation and reach a consensual settlement with the opposition. However, their flawed implementation widened the chasm between the Al-Khalifa and their opponents by casting serious doubt on the credibility of the commitment to political reform. The impasse undercuts goodwill and moderate opinion on both sides while entrenching hard-line attitudes and mutual distrust.

Bahrain's National Dialogue convened on July 2 and ran until July 30. It began under a cloud following the June 22 decision of the National Safety Court to sentence 13 prominent opposition figures to varying terms of imprisonment. They included the head and the founder of the Islamist Haq Movement (Abdeljalil Singace and Hassan Mushaima, who both received life sentences), the president of the liberal Wa'ad Society (Ibrahim Sharif, sentenced to five years), as well as prominent Shiite clerics and human rights activists. The majority were committed to non-violent protest and many had participated in the political opening that followed the ending of the previous bout of internal unrest in 1999. Their imprisonment, following a military trial, illustrated the gloved-fist nature of the regime's approach, jailing some of its opponents while simultaneously reaching out to others.

The National Dialogue suffered a credibility gap from the beginning. Despite winning up to 45 percent of the vote in the Oct. 2010 national election, the Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq was only granted five out of 300 delegates (1.67 percent). This was consistent with the overall composition of the dialogue, in which delegates representing all Bahraini opposition societies only constituted 11.67 percent of the total. The remaining participants were drawn from all walks of life and overwhelmingly favored keeping the regime in its current shape. Core opposition demands for redrawing electoral boundaries for greater proportional representation and creating an elected government were simply not on the agenda; nor was any discussion permitted of the nature or extent of the ruling family's power. This led prominent Al-Wefaq MP Dr Jassim Hussain Ali to comment that the process resembled "more of a social event than a political dialogue."

Al-Wefaq withdrew from the National Dialogue halfway through, on July 18, with critics calling into question its own judgement to participate. The dialogue continued, and concluded with a series of recommendations, including one that the Prime Minister (rather than the King) would appoint the government. As the long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa (in office since 1971) represents one of the key obstacles to reform, this recommendation hardly constituted a political concession. Nor did the dialogue come to an agreement over the electoral boundaries, another major opposition grievance. Far from drawing a line under the unrest, the flawed process reinforced existing divisions and demonstrated very clearly that critical issues of political contention are simply not up for debate.

The National Dialogue partially overlapped with the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). King Hamad established the BICI on June 29 to "enquire into the incidents" in February and March and their consequences. Its chair was Egyptian Professor Cherif Bassiouni, who earlier led the U.N. Security Council commission that investigated war crimes in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The BICI also included a UN Human Rights Committee member (Sir Nigel Rodley) and a former International Criminal Court judge (Philippe Kirsch) among their number. Observers hoped that this strong line-up would allay suspicions as to the commission's impartiality, as it had been appointed by the Royal Court, rather than a truly impartial entity such as the United Nations.

Similar to the National Dialogue, the BICI quickly ran into difficulty. This stemmed from a series of interviews given by Chairman Bassiouni that appeared to prejudge its outcome and exonerate officials of any responsibility for human rights violations. After stating to Bahraini newspaper Al-Ayam that he had found no proof of systematic abuses or torture, Bassiouni went further by telling Reuters that he doubted there was ever a policy of excessive use of force. Rather, he attributedincidents of abuse to "people at the lower level acting, and there not being an effective chain of communication". These comments drew a furious reaction from Bahraini human rights groups and opposition figures, who pointed to statements made by senior members of the Al-Khalifa praising and (in some cases) egging on the security forces.

As tempers flared and skepticism mounted, hundreds of people attempted to force their way into the BICI office in Manama on Aug. 15. Staff working at the commission were allegedly threatened and abused, and the office was closed to "walk-in" visits. The BICI now appears isolated and few observers expect much from its report, which is to be submitted on Oct. 30. The events of Aug. 15 further polarized an already volatile situation as pro-government supporters argued that they demonstrated the true face of a violent opposition unwilling to accept outcomes it did not agree with. It seems increasingly likely that whatever recommendations the BICI makes, they will merely become another tool in the war of words between regime supporters and opponents.

All the while the prospects for any meaningful process of reflection -- or even reconciliation -- dim with each new incident. Moreover, political power at the heart of the regime appears to be coalescing around a group of hard-liners associated with the Prime Minister. These include the Interior Minister (Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah) and the influential Bin Ahmed brothers Khalid (Minister of the Royal Court) and Khalifa (head of the Bahrain Defense Force, itself much strengthened following an emergency recruiting drive in Pakistan). The sidelining of reformers around the King and his son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad, quickened in late-August as the Prime Minister announced an anti-corruption drive and called for a strategy to increase foreign business investment in Bahrain. Both issues encroach directly onto the Economic Development Board, chaired by the Crown Prince, which since 2006 had led the way in attracting foreign direct investment and rooting out corruption.

The continuing tensions and low-level violence (albeit much reduced in visibility) are now prompting foreign companies to reassess their engagement in Bahrain. In August alone, Volvo announced it was canceling its 2012 Golf Champions Tournament, Credit Agricole disclosed it was relocating to Dubai, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies confirmed it would suspend its flagship Manama Security Dialogue, held every December since 2004. These decisions are significant, as the majority of regional and international businesses did not abandon Bahrain in March. Most adopted a "wait and see" approach that now seems to be wearing thin. Thus, the continuing absence of a comprehensive political settlement may end up inflicting greater damage than the initial shock of the uprising itself. They signal to foreign partners that governmental claims of a return to normality are shallow and based on a fragile and transient veneer of calm.

Every day brings new evidence of Bahrain's self-inflicted wounds, notwithstanding efforts by the government and its PR agents to shape an alternative narrative. Ali Jawad Ahmad's death was one reminder of the unresolved but still lethal confrontation between an enraged opposition and an implacable regime. Another is the announcement on Sept. 2 that Bahraini doctors facing trial in a military court for their involvement in the pro-democracy demonstrations have gone on hunger strike. But Bahrainis are running out of options should the processes of national dialogue and reconciliation fail to deliver tangible results acceptable both to regime and opposition. Were this to occur, the danger is that the squeezing of the middle ground validates and strengthens extremist voices, and that the battle-lines will be drawn for a new clash between diametrically opposed camps.

Bahrain: “The Puzzling Silence of Humanitarianism”

On 23 March, four days after Operation Unified Protector started in Libya the EU foreign policy adviser and Catherine Ashton's right-hand man Robert Cooper commenting on the Bahrain protests' brutal crackdown said: “I'm not sure if the police have had to deal with these public order questions before. It's not easy dealing with large demonstrations in which there may be violence. It's a difficult task for policemen. It's not something that we always get right in the best western countries and accidents happen”. This claim was similar to what Gaddafi had to say excusing his own crackdown on the Benghazi’s protesters.

Catherine Ashton in an official statement earlier on 17 March had called the Government “to initiate a political process with concrete steps that answers the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Bahrainis”. But then she was convinced by the regime's offer of talks: “"The crown prince of Bahrain has appeared to put forward an interesting proposal for a dialogue to start without preconditions, that would bring in the spectrum of opinion in Bahrain and begin discussions that over time would move forward to some sort of, I don't know, possibly constitutional monarchy. But certainly he has a plan".

In the case of Bahraini uprising the government didn’t use mercenaries as it was unfoundedly ascribed to Libya’s regime but imported Army from the neighbor Saudi Arabia. Robert Cooper in his obvious attempt to downplay the incident and maybe to evade the logical questioning “why intervening in Libya and not Bahrain the home to the US fifth fleet?” stated that it is "a rather pleasant, peaceful place” while “"one should understand the authorities were right to restore calm and order and that's what they've done".

Bahrain where some 40 per cent of the world’s oil passes through, is divided between a Shia majority (61,3%) receiving poor treatment in employment, housing, and infrastructure in favor of the Sunnis minority often imported from Pakistan and Syria. The protests started on 14 February when thousands gathered at the Pearl Square resulting to an open shooting by the police forces which left behind two dead and 55 wounded. In the ongoing every oppressing mean was used by the regime like tear gas, torture, tracing activists through social media and subsequent detentions, while around 600 people, including human rights defenders, political leaders, trade unionists, doctors, paramedics and clerics have been arrested since February 2011. On 14 March about 1,200 Saudi and other Gulf countries soldiers have reportedly entered Bahrain at the invitation of the Bahraini royal authorities in order to quell protests that have been raging there for a month. Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s crown prince, formally requested the Saudi intervention. It is worth noting that this Saudi Arabia's national guard deployed in public order enforcement measures and the use of sniper rifles is trained by Britain’s "humanitarian" government.

Last year, Britain approved 163 export licences for military equipment to Saudi Arabia, worth £110m. Exports included armoured personnel carriers, sniper rifles, small arms ammunition and weapon sights. In 2009, the UK supplied Saudi Arabia with CS hand grenades, teargas and riot control agents. On 8 July a video released showing one of the formidable armored vehicles (62-ton Leopard tank) being used to suppress rioting civilians in Bahrain, fuelled criticism of Berlin’s decision to sell 200 Leopards to Saudi.

President Barack Obama called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain to express his deep concern over the violence in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia, a large supplier of U.S. oil, which is Sunni, has made it clear it will not accept a Shiite government next door in Bahrain. Iran, with which Obama administration is already battling over its nuclear program, having a Shiite government that backs the Shiite majority in Bahrain, called the Saudi move "unacceptable, threatening to escalate a local political conflict into a regional showdown with Iran." According to Adrian Blomfield of the London Telegraph: “Saudi officials say they gave their backing to Western air strikes on Libya in exchange for the United States muting its criticism of the authorities in Bahrain, a close ally of the desert kingdom”.