Posts from — April 2012

Washington-backed monarchy murdering its own people
1 April, 2012 – Ahlul Bayt News Agency

(ABNA) – Bahrainis want democratic change, sectarian Shia discrimination ended, equitable distribution of state wealth, political prisoners released, and terrorizing stopped. They also want popularly elected leaders replacing Al-Khalifa rule. It’s despotic, ruthless and intolerable.

For months, many thousands braved security force attacks with tear gas, beatings, rubber bullets, live fire, arrests, torture, and disappearances.

Last March, Saudi troops entered Bahrain guns blazing. They remain, terrorizing Bahraini men, women, children, doctors, journalists, human rights activists, and foreign observers. So do state police.

No matter. King Hamad’s a close US ally. Bahrain’s the home of America’s Fifth Fleet. Generous aid’s provided. So are weapons, including armored vehicles, bunker buster missiles, wire-guided ones, others to attack protesters, and more.

On March 26, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) published a report titled, “A BCHR Report on Human Rights Violations since the BICI Recommendations.”

BICI refers to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. It published its findings last November 23, followed by a final December revision.

Abdul Hadi Al-Khawaja is a former Front Line Protection Coordinator and former BCHR President. Last April, Bahraini police arrested and beat him unconscious. He’s currently hunger striking for justice. Earlier, he twice did for nine days. His current one began on February 8. As of March 31, he refused food for 53 days. He demands freedom or death.

His life’s seriously at risk. He’s been unjustly imprisoned and severely tortured. Last June, he was sentenced to life in prison. At issue is his courageous human rights work. Without help, he’ll die. Washington and rogue NATO partners ignore him. So do Arab League despots and major media scoundrels.

BCHR’s report discussed months of state terror. It categorized them under separate headings. They include:

Extrajudicial Killings

Over 60 deaths are known. No murder charges followed. A few police “show trials” involved “accidental deaths or beatings” causing death. Bahrain’s government denies responsibility.

No independent access to examine forensic evidence was granted. Doctors who wrote false causes weren’t held accountable. Families of those killed are targeted. Homes are raided. Arrests follow. Property is destroyed. Bahrainis continue to be terrorized. …more

Interview with Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International: On Respecting Human Rights, from Bahrain to Guantanamo Bay
2 April2, 2012 – by Cara Solomon – IHRC

Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International, spoke last month at Harvard Law School.

Last month, Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, drew more than 100 students for a fascinating lecture entitled “Ending Double Standards: Human Rights in the World Today.” For a copy of his remarks, click here.

Clinical student James Tager, JD ’13, later followed up with Shetty in an interview about everything from the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa to the need for strong human rights advocacy in the United States. Below is an edited version of that interview, which is also posted in the Harvard Human Rights Journal.

JT: In your lecture, you said that “the clear cut division that the purists sometimes like to make in the human rights world—between civil and political rights on the one hand and economic social and cultural rights, on the other—was exposed as meaningless” by the Arab Awakening. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that?

SS: Let’s take Tunisia, for example, and look at the case of Mohamed Bouazizi. Bouazizi was the Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in protest, an action which then set Tunisia on fire, which set Egypt on fire. If you were to ask: Was he unhappy about his unemployed status, and the fact that he didn’t have a livelihood? Or was he protesting against the fact that he couldn’t express himself freely, and he had no way of getting any redress? And the answer, obviously, is both. Bouazizi’s actions were a graphic illustration of that.

There are other graphic illustrations. In Egypt, 40% of the population in Cairo lives in slums, with very uncertain tenure. I visited many of the slums in Cairo—Manshiyat Naser and others—where people are forcibly evicted. Then, when they go to the government to complain, they are further repressed, and there is massive corruption. So there is really a combination of factors at play here.

There’s another example in my mind that is particularly poignant, of a woman in a favela in Saô Paulo, who is in an abusive relationship with her husband, who doesn’t have a next meal to look forward to, and who has no security from the police.

The bottom line here, the thread that connects all of these stories together, is: It is those who are poor who have no voice, and those who have no voice who are poor. With this in mind, the distinction between civil-political rights and economic-social-cultural rights becomes a bit meaningless. Legally, of course, we understand that there are different Covenants that enumerate different rights, and so on. But in a very practical way, the distinction doesn’t mean much.

JT: In your remarks, you share your concerns regarding situations where “an apparent victory for human rights and democracy has come to seem much less of a bright shining victory than governments would sometimes like to suggest.” Can you tell us more about what the issue of an “apparent victory” means in countries like Egypt and Tunisia?

SS: My line has been: The dictators have gone, but not the dictatorships. We have published action plans for Egypt and for Tunisia, which we call a Human Rights Agenda for Change. The Agenda lays out the roadmap for creating the institutions, the rule of law, and the human rights culture, that now need to fall into place. The agenda discusses basic constitutional issues as well as basic freedoms which need to be converted into legal provisions. But, more concretely in the case of Egypt, our biggest concern is around women’s rights and minority rights, and we are pushing hard to engage on this issue with the political parties in the country.

For Egypt, we actually wrote to all 54 political parties who were contesting the January 2012 elections and asked them to make clear commitments to human rights principles, through adoption of a ten-point human rights manifesto. Interestingly, there was a positive response to many of the points within the manifesto. But when it came to women’s rights, both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists [which are associated with the two biggest Parliamentary parties after the January 2012 election, the Freedom and Justice Party and the Islamist Al-Nour Party, respectively] were very cagey in their response. So there is a lot more work to be done.

JT: Your comments make reference to the fact that the Bahraini government has recently missed an important deadline to meet key human rights benchmarks set by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in the aftermath of the country’s 2011 anti-government protests. What are the next steps that need to be taken, now that the deadline has passed?

SS: In the case of Bahrain, the Western powers, particularly the United States, have significant influence. So I think it is absolutely essential for the United States and European allies to put pressure on the Bahraini government. What is needed, very simply, is implementation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recommendations.

And then, of course, there’s a massive issue of justice, of reparations for those who have been attacked in the last year, including reinstatement of the people who have lost their jobs, and compensation. All of the basic freedoms that were suspended need to be put back in place, and there needs to be a systematic investigation of all abuses, and people need to be brought to justice.

When I call for a systematic investigation, I am of course referring to an independent investigation. The Commission based its recommendations at a very high level of analysis, and I believe they did a phenomenal job, but we now need to move on to individual cases. And let’s not forget that, since the Commission, there have been further abuses, massive abuses. This includes last month, at the one-year anniversary of the original protests. So there needs to be a comprehensive, independent process.

JT: Does the need for increased American awareness of international human rights issues translate to human rights issues here at home, regarding the United States itself?

SS: Well, let me illustrate by using two big issues that Amnesty International is concerned about. The first is Guantánamo Bay. That has been one of our biggest disappointments with President Obama’s first term. With President Obama, there was a clear promise to shut Guantánamo Bay down. Now, Guantánamo has become part of the political ping-pong process between the Congress and the White House. All at the cost of the victims who are facing daily suffering inside Guantánamo.

The other issue is the death penalty. The United States simply cannot continue to be one of the few developed, Western nations that continue to use the death penalty in this day and age. The other day, I received a letter from the president of Mongolia, thanking Amnesty for its anti-death penalty campaign and declaring that Mongolia is now a death penalty-free county. And we still have the United States following this completely primitive procedure.

And all of this links into public pressure. We hope that the Troy Davis case, which Amnesty International worked on and where Troy Davis sacrificed his life, marks a significant departure from how American people think about the issue of the death penalty. And we hope that this translates into pressure that the Americans will put, that they need to put, on their Congressional representatives and other leaders. …more

Three Human Rights Activists in Prison on Hunger Strike in Solidarity with the Prominent Activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja
6 April, 2012 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern on the health of a prominent human rights activist Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja, which was transferred to the hospital, “the Ministry of the Interior” after the deterioration of his health.

Ms. Zaynab Alkhawaja – a 27 years old Cyber Activist, better known as Angryarabiya on twitter.She was arrested yesterday (April 5, 2012) after Sit in front of the Interior Ministry to demand the release of her father, Mr.Al-Khawaja.

Ms. AlKhawaja, inspired the recent mass hunger strike in Bahrain after going on hunger strike in support of her detained father and prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja (former MENA Coordinator with Frontline Defenders, former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and The founder of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights). Ms. Alkhawaja continued her strike for a period of 8 days until she was pressured to end the strike by international human rights organization.Ms.Al-Khawaja was previously arrested for participating in a public protest on 15 December 2011.She reported being beaten during her December arrest.

Mr.Naji Fateel : is a board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) and blogger who has been active in reporting human rights violations in Bahrain.He used his account on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/najialifateel) for dissemination of human rights information. He was previously detained between Dec 2007 and April 2009, and has been reportedly tortured. His house was stormed in search for him several times last year following the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. He was suffering from damage to his spine and was supposed to travel abroad to get medical treatment.

On February 14, 2012, the security forces in Bahrain arrested Mr.Naji Fateel, as he was participating in a march towards the Pearl Roundabout in Manama city, exercising their right to peaceful assembly to this symbolic Roundabout, which was the centre of last year protests.

On April 4, 2012, Public prosecutor issued a decision for the release of Mr.Naji Fateel on bail, but Mr.Fateel refused to get out of jail in solidarity with Al-Khawaja and demanded his release.

Mr.Ahmed Abbas: An active member in BYSHR.On January 1, 2012, Bahraini authorities arrested Mr.Abbas and he has been subjected to ill-treatment.

Mr. Ahmed is currently suffering from the disease.

Ms.Zainab, Mr.Ahmed and Mr.Naji, announced a hunger strike in solidarity with Al-Khawaja and demanding his release immediately.
…source

Labour MP Richard Burden says Bahrain GP should not go ahead
Pablo Elizalde – 6 April, 2012 – AutoSport.com

Political unrest in the country lead to the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Labour MP Richard Burden has joined calls for the Bahrain Grand Prix to be cancelled, amid fresh concerns about the ongoing political trouble in the Gulf island state.

Former world champion Damon Hill said this week that the FIA should rethink the hosting of the Sakhir race amid the continued unrest in the kingdom.

Burden, who under the last government was a special advisor to the Minister of Sport, Richard Caborn, on motorsport, has backed Hill’s view.

“Damon Hill is right to call on the governing body of motor sport to rethink its decision to go ahead with this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” Burden wrote in a column for the Huffington Post.

“I say that as someone who is a motor sport nut as well as an MP with a keen interest in the Middle East.

“In a context where genuine and sustainable reform is taking place, holding a Grand Prix could be a unifying event for the people of Bahrain as well as a positive showcase on the world stage. But things are not at that stage.

“Since February last year, 45 people have died on Bahrain’s streets. The latest victim was killed by live ammunition only last week. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the cemetery near his home outside the capital, Manama. Reports say riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades into the crowds, setting off running street clashes.

Although Burden is convinced the Bahrain government will do everything possible to make sure F1 is not affected by the situation, he reckons grand prix racing’s reputation will be badly harmed.

“No doubt the Bahrain authorities will move heaven and earth to minimise any risks to the teams taking part,” he said. “But the long term damage to the reputation of F1 and motor sport in general could be considerable.

“In hindsight, the FIA should not have scheduled the 2012 race so early in the season. It was always going to be too early to know how far things had moved on in Bahrain since last year. F1 can’t turn the clock back but, with three weeks to go before the race, it can still rethink. It should do so.” …more

Those detained for adhering to professional duties or exercising basic freedoms must also be released

PHR Calls on Government of Bahrain to Release Abdulhadi al-Khawaja
6 April, 2012 – Physicans for Human Rights

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls for the immediate release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights defender and democracy activist who reportedly faces death after a nearly two-month long hunger strike.

Al-Khawaja was arrested one year ago in the wake of popular protests against the Bahraini government and was sentenced to life in prison. While in detention, al-Khawaja allegedly suffered torture and severe ill-treatment.

To protest his ongoing detention and mistreatment, al-Khawaja began a hunger strike on February 8. His health is rapidly deteriorating, and his family reports that his life is in danger. PHR calls on the Government of Bahrain to immediately release Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, allow an impartial investigation of allegations of torture and ill-treatment during his detention, and hold all perpetrators of torture accountable for their actions.

PHR remains concerned about individuals in Bahrain, including medical professionals and democracy advocates, who continue to face detention conditions and abuse similar to that suffered by al-Khawaja.

A group of twenty medical professionals who were arrested, detained, and sentenced to long prison terms for providing medical care to protesters reported torture in detention. These allegations were confirmed through independent evaluations by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).

While most of the medical professionals arrested and charged following the protests are now released from detention pending an ongoing trial, three other medics are currently serving two to three year sentences.

PHR calls on the Government of Bahrain to immediately release the three medics, Hassan Matooq, Younis Ashoori, and Ahmed Ali Al Moshatat, and all others who are imprisoned for adhering to professional duties or exercising basic freedoms.

In response to international pressure, the US Administration has withheld a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain; however the Administration continues to deliver smaller amounts of military assistance to Bahrain.

The Administration should take a stronger public stance against the ongoing detention of Al-Khawaja and other prisoners of conscience by publicly demanding their immediate release. The United States should also call on Bahraini authorities to establish independent and efficient mechanisms to investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention, as demanded in the report of the BICI. …more

The Pearl’s Pillars
by Maryam Al-Khawaja

Five arms stretched from the ground
Each palm embraced the pure limp bodies in shrouds

Their reflection was a wide glow in the dark night

Shining down on the peaceful crowds
Five arms stretched from the ground
Each palm held a cry of “Allahu Akbar”
Held a revolutionary song
Held a poem of defiance
Held a scream for freedom

Five arms stretched from the ground
Palms covered with a grave of flowers
Fingertips pointing towards the heavens
A mother’s tears celebrating a wedding’s last hours

Five arms came down with vengeance
But heroes stood their ground
Flowers in hand
Bullets were the only answer they found

She stood there
Flag held high
The red splattered blood on the earth
As the remaining white screamed “I am peaceful!”

Five arms stood no more
Like the fresh buds of spring
Arms emerged from every futile earth
Rising above lands
Diseased with money and power

The red seeped through the earth
With the cries of the martyrs’ children
The ground shook
And the throne broke
King came down on his knees
In the air echoed the crown prince’s pleas

“I promise you words
Words worth your blood
Come now, don’t delay
Come to dialogue I say
Hand in hand
Pull me out from the quicksand
And in this dark hour
Help me stay in power”

The young voice drowned his pleas
Thus into hiding he fleas
“Accountability, accountability,
You have lost your credibility
When your army shot our sons
Using U.S. made guns”

So the tribe caught her
and beat her with knives and swords
Then showered her with stones
As they cried to the world
“Stone her she is sectarian
She eats at Lebanese restaurants
And owns Iranian rugs
Our unarmed tanks she hunts
No we swear those are not our thugs”
And foreign hands played the melody to their cries
As they spread propaganda and lies

Plays of deceit
Created by their playwrights
“You are Shiaa
Every year
We discover and foil your plan
Of overthrowing our clan
In the restaurant you were trained
And the rug in conspiracy we framed
Close down the restaurant
The rugs tear to bits
Quickly quickly
Before they discover our fibs”

Slowly but surely
From beneath the rubble
A fist emerged
“Do what you will
My voice you cannot kill
My land I will never betray
And from the path of righteousness I will not stray
I stand against every foreign intervention
While you invite them to kill and put my people in detention
My determination will not heed
Nor will your plays succeed
For I am not Shiaa
Nor am I Sunni

I am forever only Bahraini!

Letter of love: To my dear family…

Abdulhadi al-Khawaj

Bahraini hunger striker casts a long shadow over claims of reform
Patrick Cockburn – 6 April, 2012 – The Independent

As the government in Manama prepares to welcome back Formula One, activists say human rights abuses continue

Bahrain’s best known human rights activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on the 57th day of a hunger strike, could die in jail at any moment say those who have seen him recently.

“His heart could stop at any time or he could slip into a coma,” said his daughter Maryam. Mr al-Khawaja, 51, who was sentenced to life in jail last year for an alleged plot to overthrow the Bahraini monarchy, says he will continue his hunger strike until he is freed or he dies.

His death is likely to ignite violence in Bahrain where members of the majority Shia community have protested against his imprisonment. It would also discredit the attempt by the Bahraini government to persuade the international community it is seriously pursuing legal and constitutional reforms.

The detention of Mr al-Khawaja, has lead to calls for the cancellation of the Bahrain Formula One race later this month. The government has been publicising the race as a sign that Bahrainis are united and the situation on the island Kingdom has returned to normal. “They are using it as a celebration that we are one nation while people are being killed weekly,” says Zaynab, another daughter of Mr al-Khawaja.

Mary Lawlor of the human rights group Front Line Defenders, who led a team on a three-day visit to Bahrain this week, said: “I don’t see how the Formula One can go ahead if Abdulhadi al-Khawaja dies in jail.” She said she had asked him to end his fast, but he refused. “He has lost 25 per cent of his body-weight and he was already a thin man,” she said. …more

Received Approx. 8:00PM EST 5 April, 2012 USA

[email header redacted]

Hello,

I apologize for the mass email, but time is of the essence. I am
sending the follow appeal on behalf of BCHR, GCHR, and CIHRS. Maryam Alkhawaja is currently [redacted], poise as always, trying everything in her power to secure her fathers release. Yesterday the family was informed that Abdulhadi his pulse is so weak he may go into cardiac arrest or a coma at any moment. And just a little while ago, Zainab AlKhawaja was also arrested. We were panic stricken when we first heard that her sister was standing in front of the prison screaming “baba”. As updates on the situation have come in, our hearts stop with every ping of Maryam’s phone. Zainab has since began a hunger strike in protest of her fathers continued detention. I implore you to take action to save a Alkhawaja’s life.

Best,

[email footer redacted]

Iran’s Revolution and the Global Politics of Resistance
5 April 2012 – By Vinay Lal – truthout

Book Review – The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future edited by Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel

In the euphoria over the “Arab Spring”, which has brought revolutions to the doorsteps of autocratic regimes that only last year seemed unflappable in their resolve to keep the aspirations of their peoples suppressed, it becomes imperative to recall that the first sustained signs of change in west Asia in recent years appeared in Iran. The Arab world seemed so firmly in the grip of monarchs and dictators, many of them bolstered by the United States (US), which has been in the business of exporting the rhetoric of electoral democracy to the world but has feared reform and revolution at every turn, that no one expected the people to take to the streets in millions. And how people have stormed the streets, facing police barricades, braving tear gas and baton charges – and not just in the Arab world! The Arab spring turned into a long summer of discontent, as signs of protest began to appear in other parts of the world, in Athens, Rome, Madrid, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere. As these lines are being written, the Occupy Wall Street movement has even brought dissenters and rebels to the fore in the US, where politics for far too long has been reduced to an exercise of choosing between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Yet, all this was anticipated in Iran’s dramatic political upheaval in June 2009, the outcome of which, perhaps contrary to received opinion, is far from settled.

Road to Revolution

Though nearly everything in Iran is marked by the watershed events of 1979 that led to the ouster of the Shah and the assumption of power by the Ayatollahs, it is possible that some years from now the phrase, “after the revolution”, will resonate with an altogether different meaning. The burden of the present collection of essays, The People Reloaded, which brings together the reflections of some 50 scholars, activists, and observers of contemporary Iranian society, is to suggest that we may be in the midst of another momentous upheaval in Iran’s 30 years after the revolution which replaced the dictatorship of the Shah with the rule of a theocratic elite. Some of the contributors take a long-term view of Iranians’ “bloody and painful march towards democracy” (p 27), commencing with the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and the coup, engineered by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British military intelligence, of 1953, which led to the deposition of the nationalist hero Mohammed Mossadegh; others hearken back to the Shah’s despotism and the political skill with which Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters orchestrated his removal; and yet others set their sights resolutely on the mammoth protests against the “stolen election” of 2009. But all the contributors are clearly animated by one central question, aptly reflected in the book’s subtitle, “The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future”: how might political action in Iran continue to be steered in directions that would help to secure a future for the country’s citizens that allows for the fulfilment of legitimate political aspirations, the free pursuit of one’s livelihood, economic security, and some commonly agreed upon conception of human dignity?

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This is an urgent appeal to save the life of prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja. His lawyer Mohammed AlJishi released this picture today which he took in the hospital yesterday. His wife was told that his pulse is so weak he may go into cardiac arrest at any minute. Time is short and Abdulhadi Alkhawaja may die at any time.

BAHRAIN PRO-DEMOCRACY UPRISING TARGETS WASHINGTON: Hungerstrike Activist Nears Death
by Finian Cunningham – Global Research – 4 April, 2012

Tensions between the US-backed regime in Bahrain and pro-democracy protesters are reaching incendiary levels as the life of a prominent human rights activist on hungerstrike hangs perilously in the balance.

For more than a year, largely peaceful rallies have persisted in Bahrain despite a brutal crackdown by Saudi-backed forces. Now, demonstrations in solidarity with imprisoned hungerstriker Abdulhadi Al Khawaja are occurring on a daily basis in villages and towns across the Persian Gulf kingdom – defying intensified state repression.

And the Bahraini uprising, led mainly by the 70 per cent Shia population, is increasingly strident in its calls for the downfall of the unelected Sunni monarchy. The prospect for some kind of compromise leading to a constitutional monarchy – a “settlement” being pushed by Washington – is now viewed as anathema, well past its sell-by date.

Paradoxically, the conflict, chaos and blinding tear gas on the streets seems to be clarifying for the Bahraini people what needs to be done to achieve their democratic freedom.

Furthermore, anger is mounting towards the US government, which is seen more and more as the political guarantor of despotic rule by the Al Khalifa monarchy.

Significantly, in response to Bahraini security force violence and the tin ear of the island’s ruling dynasty, protesters appear to be resorting to violence as their last-resort means of political expression, with youths throwing petrol bombs and barricading off streets with burning vehicles and tyres.

Last week, US deputy ambassador Stephanie Williams posed for state-controlled Bahraini media as she visited riot police in hospital who had been injured (allegedly) during protests. Her visit only served to inflame further protests as Bahrainis point out that Williams has not shown any public concern for the many thousands more victims of state violence – even though there has been an upsurge in deaths among protesters in recent weeks from riot police firing live rounds and tear gas indiscriminately at crowds and into homes.

More than 70 people have been killed over the past year by Saudi-backed regime forces while thousands have been wounded and incarcerated – huge figures proportionate to the island’s tiny indigenous population of less than 600,000.

The invasion of Bahrain by Saudi and other Gulf forces to crush civilian protesters was secretly given the green light last March by Washington (and London). Days before the murderous crackdown, deputy ambassador Williams was photographed in another fawning media set-piece handing out doughnuts to Bahraini protesters who had staged a rally outside the US embassy in Manama.

Not so long ago, it seems, the US could carry off its deceptive pose as a benevolent soft power behind the regime. Not any more.

Heightening the tensions is the harrowing fate of Abdulhadi Al Khawaja (52) who is reported verging on coma after 56 days of refusing food.
…more

Letter to US Ambassador in Bahrain sent on April 5; Khawaja’s 56th day of hunger strike

Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski,

Sir,

We are writing this letter to you on behalf of the people of Bahrain to express our deep concern with the deteriorating health of world-renowned human rights defender Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, who has been on hunger strike for the past 56 days in Bahrain demanding nothing more than freedom.

Mr. AlKhawaja was arrested April last year. He was beaten so brutally at the time of arrest that it resulted to fractures on his face and jaw which left permanent damage. His case is mentioned in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report as Case No. 8, where it was proved that he was subjected to severe torture on a nightly basis and put in solitary confinement for two months. Mr. AlKhawaja was then sentenced to life imprisonment in an unfair military trial along with 13 other opposition leaders, accused with baseless charges of financing and participating in terrorism to overthrow the government, as well as spying for a foreign country.

As of the last few days, Mr. AlKhawaja has given up glucose and thus has been hospitalized due to a significant deterioration in his health. Doctors have told his family they expect him to fall asleep into a permanent coma. The Bahraini authorities refuse to acknowledge the severity of Mr. AlKhawaja’s case. More than 50 rights groups have called for his release, yet there has been no response from the government.

Yesterday we attempted to conduct a sit-in at your headquarters in Manama urging the U.S government for actions towards Mr. AlKhawaja’s release, yet we were forced to leave, some of who were even arrested. Sir, isn’t that a violation of our basic freedoms? Shouldn’t you be allowing us to practice the rights you stand for? The United States government, which has proved to be a beacon of democracy and freedoms throughout the years, is surprisingly ignoring this dying man’s plea.

You must acknowledge that if anything happens to Mr. AlKhawaja, the situation in Bahrain will get much worse. It is to everyone’s best interest for him to be released and transferred to Denmark for treatment. We are writing to urge you to pressure the Bahraini government for his immediate release not only because he is a human rights defender, but because he is simply a human who’s life and freedom is of great value to us, and should be to you as well.

We hope you will exercise the needed pressure on the Bahraini authorities for Abdulhadi AlKhawaja’s immediate and unconditional release.

Thank you for your consideration,

Letter from the people of Bahrain

…source

Twitter: angry arabiya ‏ @angryarabiya: In todays call, we cud no longer hear my fathers smile in his voice…

Free Alkhawaja! ‏ @KhawajaStrike It’s 1am in #Bahrain. #AlKhawaja has turned 51 while entering his 57th day of hunger strike. Doctors say he can’t survive for much longer.

Bahrain transfers jailed activist on hunger strike to prison clinic for observation
By Associated Press – 4 April, 2012 – Washington Post

MANAMA, Bahrain, — An imprisoned Bahraini human rights activist, who has been on a hunger strike for more than 50 days has been moved to a prison clinic for medical observation and care, authorities said Wednesday.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is serving a life sentence for his role in last year’s uprising in the Gulf kingdom. He was arrested last April during a crackdown against anti-government protests led by Bahrain’s Shiite majority that has been demanding greater rights from the island nation’s Sunni rulers.

Al-Khawaja, who is also a Danish citizen, has been refusing food since Feb. 8.

Bahrain’s opposition supporters have been rallying for his release almost daily. Another protest is planned for later Wednesday.

Last week, Amnesty International urged Bahrain to free him because of fears he could die. On Tuesday, the Danish government said it has been “exerting maximum efforts” to have al-Khawaja sent to Denmark for medical treatment.

A government statement on Wednesday said the prison’s rehabilitation official recommended the day before that al-Khawaja be transferred to the clinic “for constant medical observation and care.”

It said that medical tests have showed al-Khawaja has lost “approximately 10 kilograms and was showing signs of low hemoglobin, although not at a critical level.” It gave no further details on his health.

Al-Khawaja is one of seven opposition figures who have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a special security court, which was set up after Bahrain imposed martial law last March to quell political unrest in the tiny, but strategically important nation.

Bahrain is the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Hundreds of other Bahrainis including protesters, activists, athletes and Shiite professionals such as doctors and nurses have been tried in the court. Dozens were jailed after being convicted of anti-state crimes, including medics who treated injured protesters during the unrest.

Bahrain lifted martial law in June. The special tribunal was disbanded in November and all protest-related trial were transferred to civilian courts. Al-Khawaja’s lawyers appealed his conviction in Bahrain’s highest court on Monday when judges refused to release him on bail. …more

US Marines Arrive in Australia
Phil Mercer – VOA – 4 April, 2012

United States Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment complete quarantine checks as they arrive at a Royal Australian Air Force Base in Darwin, April 4, 2012.
Photo: Reuters
United States Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment complete quarantine checks as they arrive at a Royal Australian Air Force Base in Darwin, April 4, 2012.

U.S. Marines have started to arrive in northern Australia as Washington strengthens its presence in the strategically vital Asia-Pacific region. Two hundred troops touched down in Darwin late Tuesday as part of a deployment outlined during a visit to Australia by President Obama in November, a move that has irritated China.

The detachment is the first batch of an expected deployment of 2,500 military personnel to be posted to northern Australia.

The troops are based in Australia’s Northern Territory on a six-month rotational basis and will be stationed at Robertson Barracks on the outskirts of Darwin.

The Australian government says the arrangement was the latest chapter in a six-decade military alliance with the United States.

Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith says the stationing of U.S. Marines in Darwin is in the interests of global peace and stability.

“The world is to essentially comes to grips with the rise of China, the rise of India, the move of strategic and political and economic influence to our part of the world and we need to ensure that we do that in a way in which the international community responds to that change, manages that change and we believe very strongly that what we are doing will enhance that rather than detract from it,” he said.

Australia is keen to stress that the U.S. military presence will only be temporary and that there are no plans for any permanent American bases on its soil. U.S. officials also say that they want to expand their disaster relief capabilities in Southeast Asia. …more

After being held at Cairo’s main airport for hours, celebrated Bahraini human rights worker Maryam Al-Khawaja makes downtown conference to relate continued abuses of protesters by the island state’s government

Visiting Bahraini activist Al-Khawaja tells of state-led torture and killings
3 April, 20120 – Osman El Sharnoubi – ahram.online

Al-Khawaja is a human rights activist and head of the foreign relations office for the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), co-founded by her father, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. He is presently serving a life sentence in Bahrain for anti-state crimes.

After landing in Cairo airport, Al-Khawaja was initially denied entry due to being “blacklisted and banned,” said Al-Khawaja on her Twitter account citing the Bahraini embassy. However, her lawyer was able to get her through customs hours later.

Al-Khawaja and another Bahraini student activist, Iman Oun, each spoke at the conference held Monday afternoon about the Bahraini uprising and current conditions in the island kingdom.

Al-Khawaja started by relating the recent developments in the recent Bahraini protest movement, which began in February 2011.

The state continues to carry out systematic violations of human rights even after the government initiative, known as the “Bassiouni report”, which supposedly investigated these abuses, was published, Al-Khawaja explained.

The Bassiouni report, or the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was a government sponsored probe into the events of February and March 2011. It was published in a few months later in November last year.

The BICI said it found cases of abuse and torture by regime forces as well as, allegedly, violence on the part of protesters to be true.

Al-Khawaja refutes the regime’s assertion that reforms are being implemented following recommendations by the BICI. Claims that individual rights, human rights and freedoms are being respected are false, the Bahraini activist said. In contrast, Al-Khawaja added, they have increased.

She continued by asserting that excessive use of force, torture and killings are perpetrated daily by security and intelligence forces with impunity.

She mentioned the story of a 16-year-old boy who was, reportedly, sexually abused and tortured for refusing to work as an informant. When the boy decided to press charges against the security apparatus, he was tried for submitting a false report.

One of the main problems, believes Al-Khawaja, is the lack of accountability.

Officials committing crimes, even when acknowledged by the government in the BICI, are not held accountable but on the contrary, she added, they are lauded and even promoted. …more

‘Al Khalifa regime proves worse than Israel’
PressTV – 4 April, 2012

The health of prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has worsened as he entered the 55th day of his hunger strike in jail.

His daughter Maryam al-Khawaja says there are now fears that Abdulhadi may go into a coma any time. He is being held despite mounting popular calls for his release.

On Tuesday, a group of Bahraini women held a sit-in outside the US embassy in Manama, against al-Khawaja’s detention.

Press TV talks with Dominic Kavakeb, with the Bahrain Justice and Development Movement from London, regarding the issue. What follows is a transcript of the interview.

Press TV: Mr. Khawaja has been on a hunger strike for the past 55 days. We know his condition is deteriorating and there is a growing concern that he may die in prison but the regime in Bahrain is refusing to release him.

At the same time, a Palestinian woman Hana Shalabi who was on a hunger strike in an Israeli jail for the past 44 days was released a few days ago. The comparison might point to the fact that the situation for Mr. Khawaja in a Bahraini jail is worse than Hana Shalabi’s conditions in an Israeli prison.

Kavakeb: Yes, I think it is a real shame for Bahrain that really Israel seems to be more lenient in this case than Bahrain itself. It is really quite worrying for Bahrain and embarrassing.

As you say, he is now entering the 55th day of his hunger strike and he is still being refused to be released and I think it shows just how important leaders and activists like Abdulhadi al-Khawaja are for the Bahraini people there.

The government will refuse to release them because they know how important they are, what characters they are and how they can inspire the population into protesting. So it does not look like they are going to release him at the moment.

There was another appeal today but he is still behind bars and it is looking increasingly dangerous for his life now, as you said.

Press TV: Despite the pressures and the brutal clampdown, the protests are continuing in Bahrain. How far do you think the revolutionaries will keep up with their demands?

Kavakeb: They will keep up with their demands until they win their demands. I fundamentally believe that and I think they made that clear over the past year by continuously coming out to protest, despite that in face of the huger pressure, etc. that continues to come out onto the streets.

So there is no reason to think that they will stop until they achieve the democratic change that they are fighting for and I think Abdulhadi al-Khawaja really exemplifies the fact that this is now, as you say, 55 days of hunger strike and he is still continuing to pursue it.

And there is no doubt at the moment and he will do that; he will keep going, as he said, until death or freedom. Those are his words and that really sums up the mood of the Bahraini people. …more