Posts from — September 2012

Torture and Rendition to Gaddafi’s Libya
by Human Rights Watch – TRANSCEND Media Service

New Accounts of Waterboarding, Other Water Torture, Abuses in Secret Prisons

The United States government during the Bush administration tortured opponents of Muammar Gaddafi, then transferred them to mistreatment in Libya, according to accounts by former detainees and recently uncovered CIA and UK Secret Service documents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today [6 Sep 2012]. One former detainee alleged he was waterboarded and another described a similar form of water torture, contradicting claims by Bush administration officials that only three men in US custody had been waterboarded.

The 154-page report, “Delivered into Enemy Hands: US-Led Abuse and Rendition of Opponents to Gaddafi’s Libya,” is based on interviews conducted in Libya with 14 former detainees, most of whom belonged to an armed Islamist group that had worked to overthrow Gaddafi for 20 years. Many members of the group, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), joined the NATO-backed anti-Gaddafi rebels in the 2011 conflict. Some of those who were rendered and allegedly tortured in US custody now hold key leadership and political positions in the country.

“Not only did the US deliver Gaddafi his enemies on a silver platter but it seems the CIA tortured many of them first,” said Laura Pitter, counterterrorism advisor at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “The scope of Bush administration abuse appears far broader than previously acknowledged and underscores the importance of opening up a full-scale inquiry into what happened.”

The report is also based on documents – some of which are being made public for the first time – that Human Rights Watch found abandoned, on September 3, 2011, in the offices of former Libyan intelligence chief Musa Kusa after Tripoli fell to rebel forces.

The interviews and documents establish that, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the US, with aid from the United Kingdom (UK) and countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, arrested and held without charge a number of LIFG members living outside Libya, and eventually rendered them to the Libyan government.

The report also describes serious abuses that five of the former LIFG members said they experienced at two US-run detention facilities in Afghanistan, most likely operated by the CIA. They include new allegations of waterboarding and other water torture. The details are consistent with the few other first-hand accounts about the same US-run facilities. …more

UN rights chief cites problems in Syria, Bahrain
By JOHN HEILPRIN – Associated Press – 10 Septemebr, 2012

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.’s top rights official laid out the world’s most significant human rights issues Monday, criticizing Syria and Bahrain but also mentioning problems in Western countries such as France and Greece.

The assessment by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is important because it sets the tone for the U.N.’s 47-nation Human Rights Council, whose month-long session opened Monday.

The U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to commemorate Switzerland joining the world body a decade ago, challenged the council to focus attention on five areas, including discrimination, violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and women’s rights.

“It is an affront to our conscience that millions of people still struggle against poverty, hunger and disease. These conditions violate their fundamental human rights,” he said.

Pillay argued that respect for human rights is key to peace, development and humanitarian efforts, and she began by citing Syria’s civil war as an area of grave concern with devastating consequences for civilians.

Activists say up to 26,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising began in March 2011 against President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Next on Pillay’s list was Bahrain for handing down what she called harsh prison sentences against 20 prominent rights activists and opposition figures, including seven who face life in prison. Bahrain’s U.N. Ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri defended his nation, saying its judiciary held a fair trial attended by diplomats, human rights representatives and news media.

Pillay spoke of human rights problems in Colombia, Ivory Coast and Congo, then mentioned France and Greece. She also noted issues in Kenya, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar and many other countries.

“I am also worried by the recent forced closure of Roma camps in France, which have affected hundreds of people, making them even more vulnerable and exposed to a whole range of human rights concerns,” Pillay told the packed chamber.

“I acknowledge a number of steps that have been taken by the government, but further efforts must be made to address this situation” and integrate Roma, or Gypsies, into society, she said.

In August, police raids in Paris and other French cities dismantled camps used by Roma from Eastern Europe and left hundreds without shelter. It echoed a crackdown on the Roma two years ago under conservative then-President Nicolas Sarkozy that drew criticism.

But the French government has since made it easier for Roma, who mostly originate from Romania and Bulgaria, to get jobs and stay in France by expanding the number of sectors where residents of those nations can seek work. The government also abolished a tax paid by employers to hire people from the two countries.

Pillay also noted problems in Greece, where there has been a surge in racist attacks against immigrants with dark skin.

“Equally troubling are violent xenophobic attacks against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in recent months, for example, in Greece,” Pillay said. “I am also concerned about reports that the police appeared to have been unable to respond effectively to protect victims of xenophobic crimes. ”

Greece launched a campaign in August to try to seal its northeastern border with Turkey in the face of a crippling financial crisis that has caused joblessness to soar. …more

Bahrain court adjourns case of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab
10 September, 2012 – BLOTTR

The case of leading rights activist Nabeel Rajab was adjourned until September 27th on Monday, his lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi reported. The head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights was in court this morning to appeal the three-year sentence he received last month for “involvement in illegal practices and calling for unauthorised marches through social networking sites”.

Rajab, arguably the most prominent rights activist in Bahrain, was arrested on July 10 by masked men in balaclavas and plain clothes following his conviction for sending defamatory and libellous tweets. He was later acquitted.

The case of Zainab Al-Kawaja, daughter of opposition activist Abduladi Al-Khawaja, was also adjourned on Monday. She is expected to appear in court on September 11.

Sister and fellow activist Maryam Al-Khawaja said Zainab’s lawyer tried to use excerpts of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report, but the judge refused to hear the lawyer’s arguments saying that the BICI report was a thing of the past.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), established in June 2011 by King Hamad, was tasked with looking into human rights abuses during the period of unrest in Bahrain between February and March 2011.

As pointed out by EA Worldview, Katherine Gallagher, Vice President of FIDH, was present in court to monitor the hearing. She tweeted: “At Nabeel Rajab’s hearing. His family all in court, international observers and US, French and German Embassy [representatives present]. Nabeel looks strong.”

“Nabeel in prison grey clothes. Gave statement. Zainab with AbdulHahi [AlKhawaja]’s pricture on front of shirt and pearl roundabout on back,” she also wrote on the micro-blogging site.

In another development, a Bahraini activist sustained severe injuries on Sunday night after being hit by dozens of birdshot pellets fired by police forces in the village of Sitra during an opposition protest. Reports say he is now in stable condition.
…more

Glenn Greenwald replies to CNN’s attempt to discredit story about compromised Bahrain coverage

By Cory Doctorow – 7 Septemeber, 2012 – boingboing

Yesterday, I blogged Glenn Greenwald’s Guardian story about CNN suppressing its own award-winning documentary on human rights abuses in Bahrain, which Greenwald linked to CNNi’s commercial relationship with the ruling Bahraini regime. I was quickly contacted by two different PR flacks from CNN with a list of small, picky points it disputed about Greenwald’s article, presented as though this constituted a thorough rebuttal. I immediately noticed that CNN’s reps didn’t dispute that the company had threatened to cut off Amber Lyon’s severance payment if she continued to speak out on the issue, so I asked about it.

CNN’s reps both told me they couldn’t comment on “individual employees,” which is awfully convenient. How nice for them that they can prepare and circulate a dossier that disconfirms minor elements of its critics’ stories, but that it has some nebulous confidentiality code that prevents it from confirming the most damning claims made by those critics. Given that Lyon is no longer a CNN employee, and that she has divulged this threat, this feels more like an excuse than a reason. I certainly hope that CNN’s own investigative journalists wouldn’t accept such a pat evasion from the PR flacks that contact them.

Glenn Greenwald has published a thorough rebuttal to CNN’s memo:

In sum, CNNi’s response does not deny, or even acknowledge, the crux of the reporting, and simply ignores the vast bulk of the facts revealed about its coverage of, and relationship with, the regime in Bahrain. Indeed, one searches its response in vain for any explanation to the central question which New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof asked nine months ago:

Glenn Replies to CNNi HERE

Maryam al-Khawaja: “We had expected the verdicts”
8 Septemebr, 2012 – DW

Several members of the opposition in Bahrain have been given long-term prison sentences. Human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja criticizes the verdicts.

Deutsche Welle: Mrs al-Khawaja, the verdicts passed against the human rights activists are extremely severe. They range from 5-year prison sentences to life imprisonment. The defendants were indicted among other crimes for ‘forming terror groups’. Are you surprised by the sentences?

Maryam al-Khawaja: We had expected them, and so we weren’t shocked. The sentences don’t mirror the state of the legal system in Bahrain because we all know it’s not independent anyway. But what the sentences do mirror is the increasing confidence of the regime. The reason is that the international community remains passive and so there are no consequences regarding human rights violations.

Why do you think there is no international pressure?

Bahrain is a very important country – both geopolitically and economically. In addition, it has very close ties to Saudi Arabia. Both states try to prevent international pressure regarding human rights violations.

Does this concern the entire international community, or are there different positions in different regions?

What we’re seeing is that the EU has a relatively high potential to influence the situation in Bahrain, whereas the United States has clear-cut interests in the country. Many Bahraini human rights activists are comparing the US position to Bahrain with that of Russia regarding Syria. We’re seeing that US interests are standing in the way of pressure against the government of Bahrain. And so, if you are expecting countries to exert pressure, you’d have to look at countries like Denmark, Norway, Switzerland – or South Africa.

The appeal process which just ended was not held before a military tribunal but before a civil court. What’s your assessment?

The proceedings provide a vivid example for the fact that the regime uses the judiciary as an instrument to prosecute its citizens. That’s why it doesn’t matter whether it was a civil court or a military tribunal. The decisions will always be made by the same people.

There have been accusations that the use of torture is widespread in Bahrain’s prisons. What do you know about that?

Several defendants have reported that they have been abused physically, psychologically and sexually. Individual reports may differ. But many of the accused have read out statements in the court rooms in which they describe the torture they were subject to in the prisons. Unfortunately, this has not led to any further investigation.

How does the opposition movement in Bahrain assess the verdict? Has it helped intimidate them?

I can’t speak for the opposition movement because I’m not a member myself. But initially, the Bahraini opposition movements didn’t demand the release of political prisoners. At the beginning, they only demanded that human rights be respected, that they be institutionalized and that the government appoint a human rights ombudsman. The verdicts that have just been passed don’t stop the opposition. They are now calling for political prisoners to be released. But even if all the sentenced people were released there would still be demonstrations and protests.

The government of Bahrain claims it has already started reforms in the area of politics and human rights. How do you explain this statement?

The regime has indeed taken a few steps, in compliance with the Bassiouni report that was published in November last year. But we’ve observed that most of the human dignity violations that are mentioned in the report are still being committed. You can say that the recommendations have only been implemented superficially. The main result of the implementation would have been to stop human rights violations altogether. But as long as they happen on a daily basis we can only speak of superficial changes.

Maryam al-Khawaja is Vice President of the “Bahrain Center for Human Rights”. …source

Saudi campaigner Mohammad al-Qahtani goes on trial
BBC – 8 September, 2012

Prominent human rights activist Mohammad al-Qahtani has gone on trial in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Qahtani, an economics professor, faces nine charges, including setting up an unlicensed organisation and breaking allegiance to the king.

Another rights campaigner, Abdullah al-Hamid, also appeared in court.

Human rights groups say political activists are regularly jailed for their work in Saudi Arabia, some without access to lawyers.

Mr Qahtani, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), is one of several Saudi human rights activists who are being tried on similar charges.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Mr Hamid, who is also on trial, is another founder of ACPRA.

The BBC’s Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher says supporters and relatives of Mr Qahtani and Mr Hamed were allowed into the courtroom but were later ordered to leave by the judge.

During the hearing, they were using Twitter to report on proceedings, giving the opening of the trial a measure of transparency that is unusual in Saudi Arabia, he says.

Mr Qahtani said he was told by the court to issue a new written response to his charges by Monday.

Speaking afterwards to the BBC, he said: “We have been doing our work for several years. The authorities kept quiet for a long time, but now they are coming after us hard. We are not going to be silent. We will continue to do our work.”

Amnesty International says Mr Qahtani faces other charges which include inciting public opinion by accusing authorities of human rights abuses, and turning international organisations against the country.

In April, rights activist Mohammed al-Bajadi received a four-year jail sentence, in what Amnesty said demonstrated “a blatant disregard for his fundamental rights”.

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has said there are no political prisoners in the kingdom. …more

Bahrainis Demand Downfall of Al-Khalifa Regime

FARS- 8 September, 2012

TEHRAN (FNA)- Bahraini protestors on Friday continued rallies in the capital and other cities across the island, demanding the overthrow of the Saudi-backed Al Khalifa dictatorial regime.

The Bahraini protesters chanted slogans like “al-Salmiyah(peacefulness)” to show the peaceful nature of their rallies but the al-Khalifa forces attacked demonstrators and arrested a number of them.

Other cities, including Sanabis and Karzakan, also witnessed huge rallies against the al-Khalifa regime.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty’s over-40-year rule.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.

Police clampdown on protesters continues daily. Authorities have tried to stop organized protests by opposition parties over the past month by refusing to license them and using tear gas on those who turn up.

The opposition coalition wants full powers for the elected parliament and a cabinet fully answerable to parliament.

…Photo and Video Coverage of Protest Courtesy FARS HERE

EU preparing for new Iran sanctions
8 September, 2012 – Al Akhbar

European Union nations waved the threat of new international sanctions against Iran over its contested nuclear drive Saturday, as Russia complained such measures harm its interests.

With frustration mounting over the lack of progress in talks between global powers and Iran, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Tehran has made no “substantial offer” to reassure the world of its nuclear intentions.

“Therefore we must prepare new sanctions,” he told journalists at the close of two days of informal talks among EU foreign ministers, their first since the summer break.

“Atomic weapons in Iran are not acceptable,” Westerwelle added.

Iran had a right to nuclear energy for civilian purposes, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, but “we consider unacceptable, highly dangerous, the prospect of Iran possessing nuclear weapons.”

There was “a growing consensus” at the talks to slap new punitive measures against Iran failing a breakthrough in negotiations, ministers said.

Russia said this week that no evidence of Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons exist.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said existing sanctions were having “a serious impact” and that it was “necessary to increase the pressure on Iran, to intensify sanctions, to add further to the EU sanctions.”

Iran has seen a 50 percent cut in state revenues from the oil sector and faces dire storage problems because it cannot sell, a diplomatic source said.

The calls came just as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov grumbled that US sanctions on Syria and Iran were harming Russian business interests because they were “increasingly becoming extra-territorial in nature.”

He said Russian banks were particularly being affected.

But Russia has stirred Western and Arab world anger by vetoing three UN Security Council resolutions to sanction Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and some EU ministers showed little sympathy for the stance.

“If Mr Lavrov wants to avoid sanctions it would be simpler to take part in a political consensus at the Security Council,” said Belgium’s Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.

“If he criticizes the sanctions because they affect the economy, we should also, we Italians, and we Europeans, be the first to criticise the sanctions,” said Giulio Terzi, Italy’s foreign minister. …more

Iraq’s Shocking Human Toll: 1 million killed, 4.5 million displaced, 1-2 million widows, 5 million orphans
8 Septemebr, 2012 – ShiaPost

We are now able to estimate the number of Iraqis who have died in the war instigated by the Bush administration. Looking at the empirical evidence of Bush’s war legacy will put his claims of victory in perspective. Of course, even by his standards — “stability” — the jury is out. Most independent analysts would say it’s too soon to judge the political outcome. Nearly six years after the invasion, the country remains riven by sectarian politics and major unresolved issues, like the status of Kirkuk.

We have a better grasp of the human costs of the war. For example, the United Nations estimates that there are about 4.5 million displaced Iraqis — more than half of them refugees — or about one in every six citizens. Only 5 percent have chosen to return to their homes over the past year, a period of reduced violence from the high levels of 2005-07. The availability of healthcare, clean water, functioning schools, jobs and so forth remains elusive. According to Unicef, many provinces report that less than 40 percent of households have access to clean water. More than 40 percent of children in Basra, and more than 70 percent in Baghdad, cannot attend school.

The mortality caused by the war is also high. Several household surveys were conducted between 2004 and 2007. While there are differences among them, the range suggests a congruence of estimates. But none have been conducted for eighteen months, and the two most reliable surveys were completed in mid-2006. The higher of those found 650,000 “excess deaths” (mortality attributable to war); the other yielded 400,000. The war remained ferocious for twelve to fifteen months after those surveys were finished and then began to subside. Iraq Body Count, a London NGO that uses English-language press reports from Iraq to count civilian deaths, provides a means to update the 2006 estimates. While it is known to be an undercount, because press reports are incomplete and Baghdad-centric, IBC nonetheless provides useful trends, which are striking. Its estimates are nearing 100,000, more than double its June 2006 figure of 45,000. (It does not count nonviolent excess deaths — from health emergencies, for example — or insurgent deaths.) If this is an acceptable marker, a plausible estimate of total deaths can be calculated by doubling the totals of the 2006 household surveys, which used a much more reliable and sophisticated method for estimates that draws on long experience in epidemiology. So we have, at present, between 800,000 and 1.3 million “excess deaths” as we approach the six-year anniversary of this war.

This gruesome figure makes sense when reading of claims by Iraqi officials that there are 1-2 million war widows and 5 million orphans. This constitutes direct empirical evidence of total excess mortality and indirect, though confirming, evidence of the displaced and the bereaved and of general insecurity. The overall figures are stunning: 4.5 million displaced, 1-2 million widows, 5 million orphans, about 1 million dead — in one way or another, affecting nearly one in two Iraqis.

By any sensible measure, it would be difficult to describe this as a victory of any kind. It speaks volumes about the repair work we must do for Iraqis, and it should caution us against the savage wars we are prone to. Now that Bush is gone, perhaps the United States can honestly face the damage we have wrought and the responsibilities we must accept from it. …source

Obama’s War on Humanity
by Stephen Lendman – 8 August, 2012 – OpEd News

Obama targets humanity at home and abroad. Illinoisans paying attention knew long ago. He served as senator for the state’s 13th district.

He sold out straightaway. Real estate interests had their man. Gentrification demolitions rewarded them. Poor folks were driven out. Most were Black.

Banking, finance, insurance, and real estate interests comprised his political base then and now. Needs of constituents he represented were ignored. Community uplift rhetoric disguised harming people who needed help.

Critics called his record kick back cronyism. Convicted felons and big monied interests funded him. Every dollar invested returned multiples.

Pay-to-play was always Chicago’s way. City and state politics are notoriously corrupt. Obama played the game down and dirty.

He earned his bona fides. He was well suited for bigger and better things in Washington. He was singled out and took full advantage. Nationally he betrayed the poor and disadvantaged the way he did in Illinois. Globally it’s much worse.

As US senator, his voting record told all. He supported power and big monied interests. He backed commodifying public education. He stood by medical providers in wrongful injury suits.

He opposed capping credit card interest rates. Mining companies loved him. He endorsed strip mining everywhere, including on public land.

He supported huge energy company subsidies, vastly expanded nuclear power, deregulation, harmful biofuels, other agribusiness interests, GMO food proliferation, and privatized healthcare.

He stood solidly for corporate friendly trade agreements, fraudulent financial deals, expanding America’s prison-industrial complex, repressive immigration legislation, police state laws, military tribunals, spying and secrecy, controlling the media, and he was still just a senator.

Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) executive director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard said he “eviserat(ed)” civil and human rights. He exceeded the worst of Bush. He silenced acquiescent liberals. They support someone they should condemn.

On August 1, Gerald Celente headlined “The Next Four Years,” saying:

“What will it take to change” America’s future? Voters have no choice. Both candidates tout their credentials. “Obama the Osama Slayer vs. Romney the Corporate Commando.”

Each says I’m your guy. “And what will they lead us to? Economic nirvana, world peace, environmental renewal, social harmony, cultural foment, spiritual enlightenment?”

Campaign 2012 comes down to “who is best qualified to destroy the most the slowest.” Why can’t people see what’s obvious? Why do people who should know better wear blinders?

Why do they mindlessly “drink the Kool-Aid?” At issue is stop playing follow the leader and start “lead(ing) yourself.” It can’t be “bought, given, or imposed.”

Grassroots activism alone offers change. It’s “having the courage not to cower to power. The dignity to claim your rightful and sacred place on earth. To respect yourself, demand it of others, and show respect to all who merit it.”

It means opposing corrupt political leaders “and the unprincipled and oppressive systems they represent.” When enough people change, so will policies.

Washington and Jefferson’s America “ended up led by freaks.” It happened the same way in Germany and Italy.

Bach, Beethoven, Goethe, Michelangelo, DaVinci, and Galileo ended up Hitler and Mussolini. Modern-day equivalents await in America.

Reagan, Bush I and II, Clinton, Bush, Cheney, and Obama showed steady downward decadence. Expect Obama term two or Romney to be worse. They’re two sides of the same coin.

European leaders and Arab League despots replicate their dark side. They’re “two-bit freaks,” says Celente. “And they’re dangerous.”

“They start wars, kill millions, destroy nations. They steal your money and give it to their friends.” They treat ordinary people like garbage. Why don’t they resist? “(T)hey argue among themselves why (one) freak is better than the other.”

They defend what they should condemn. They let Obama, Cameron, Hollande, Merkel, Monti, Harper, Netanyahu, and others get away with murder. If they won’t fight for what’s right, who will?

America is ground zero. Policies made here affect everywhere. Wealth extraction, mass killing, destruction, and dominance define them. Crackdowns target nonbelievers. Expect current harshness to get worse. …more

Bahrain takes legal action against opposition over march
by Angus McDowall – Reuters – 8 September

MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahraini authorities are taking legal action against the opposition Al Wefaq group for organising a banned anti-government march in which six protesters were arrested, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear what the action might entail, but the government has threatened to ban the group in the past and its statement comes despite calls from Washington for Bahraini leaders to pursue a meaningful dialogue with the opposition.

Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in political turmoil since a protest movement dominated by majority Shi’ite Muslims erupted in February last year.

Opposition parties led by Al Wefaq are demanding full powers for the elected parliament to legislate and form governments. Many Shi’ites complain of being politically and economically marginalised, which the government denies.

Police used teargas and stun grenades to break up Friday’s march, which dozens of protesters took part in.

“The Interior Ministry holds Al Wefaq responsible for violating the law and encouraging their supporters to participate in a non-sanctioned event,” said a statement from the ministry distributed by the government’s public relations office.

The statement said Al Wefaq had been told a day earlier that its protest had not been authorised and that the demonstrators engaged in “the blocking of roads, vandalism and spreading fear and concerns among the business owners in the area”.

“The ministry affirms its support for free speech but reminds all citizens that freedom of expression does not include vandalism, spreading fear amongst the community and attempting to create chaos‫. The ministry has taken legal action to file a case against Al Wefaq,” it said.

It added that the ministry had also filed cases with the public prosecutor against the six arrested protesters.

“Wefaq has been threatened in the past, but the level and the wording, all of these show it is possibly more serious than at any other time,” Jasim Husain, one of the group’s leaders, said.

“But they are not threatening yet a ban. The wording is legal action.”

Armoured vehicles and riot police had closed off some of the main roads leading into the city, but dozens of protesters attended the march, which had been tweeted as “freedom for prisoners of conscience”.

Last week, a march attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators that had also been organised by Al Wefaq together with other opposition groups and which the authorities had approved passed off without incident.

On Tuesday jail sentences of between five and 25 years against leaders of last year’s uprising were upheld by a civilian court, prompting condemnation by Al Wefaq.

The United States in June said it was “deeply disappointed” that a Bahraini court had upheld verdicts against medics accused of participating in last year’s uprising, while President Barack Obama last year called on the government to talk to Al Wefaq.

…more

With western complicity, Bahrain’s crackdown on human rights continues
By John Lubbock – 7 Septmeber, 2012 – CeaseFire

Bahrain’s decision this week to uphold the sentences of all the prominent opposition leaders and activists was met with international condemnation by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. Even the US has been voicing its discontent over the continued harsh sentences for those criticising Bahrain’s government.

Not that Bahrain’s government is listening. It seems to have stuck its head in the ground like an ostrich while repeating the mantra that it is “reforming”, presumably out of some other orifice.

So the rounds of appeals and protests continue indefinitely, with no end in sight. Bahrain has been stuck in political limbo since 1975 when the then Emir Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa decided to dissolve the parliament and constitution because it refused to ratify his State Security Law – which allowed detention without trial for renewable periods of 3 years. The attempt by current King Hamad to bring back parliament and the constitution in 2001/2 was disingenuous and has now proved a complete failure.

What President Obama said last year – you can‘t have a real dialogue with parts of the peaceful opposition in jail – still stands. But it’s pretty obvious now that the BICI report, commissioned by the King last year, was just another PR stunt designed to present a veil of transparency over a state which has been the personal fiefdom of one family for almost 200 years. All the reforms they promised to make based on the recommendations of the BICI report have been superficial if they have been carried out at all, yet the government claims to have achieved most of them. You might like to compare Bahrain Watch’s assessment of the reforms with the government’s own assessment.

The most important recommendation of that report, to review convictions and release all those convicted because of exercising their rights to free expression, remains unmet. Sir Nigel Rodley, one of the report’s writers, clarified to Human Rights Watch last November that the report intended that the government free them and void their convictions. Almost a year later and the trials of the 13 opposition leaders and all the medical staff accused of ridiculous crimes like giving AK-47s to protesters are still ongoing. The doctors are due back in court next week, on the 11th of September, and Nabeel Rajab, President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Zainab Alkhawaja, activist and daughter of BCHR founder Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, are due back in court a day earlier, on the 10th of September.

Nabeel was given a three year jail term a few weeks ago for “inciting illegal protests” and has been in and out of jail on various tenuous charges such as insulting the people of Muharraq island, which were later dropped. Bahrain’s Penal Code, an incredibly vague document which can be put to all sorts of repressive purposes, was clearly criticised by the BICI report, though its recommendations neglected to call for the reform of these laws. …more

Iran breaking free from its imperial chains, U.S. author says
by Kourosh Ziabari – 7 September, 2012 – Tehran Times

Iran is breaking free from its imperial chains given its vast reservoir of history and knowledge from which to draw on in getting back on its feet, said Dr. Colin S. Cavell during a recent interview with the Tehran Times.

Colin S. Cavell is a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC). His writings have appeared on Press TV and Global Research, among other publications.

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: What’s your viewpoint on the U.S. media’s portrayal of Iran and its people? I think as a result of the biased and lopsided coverage, many U.S. citizens are unaware of Iran’s rich culture, civilization and its people’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. What’s your view?

A: Iran has a long rich history dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, and its culture predates the rise of Islam in the seventh century. Reclaiming its dignity and patrimony in the 1979 revolution, it is logical that Iran would be the first country in the Middle East to break free from its imperial chains given its vast reservoir of history and knowledge from which to draw on in getting back on its feet.

The extent and richness of Persian culture intimidates the monarchs across the Persian Gulf, as their regimes are relatively new creations forged by or with the assistance of imperialist powers only within the last 200 years or less. And Iran’s greatest asset today, and what most threatens its Western enemies, is the democratic aspects of its government, aspects which are imbued with an ethos which is anathema to the autocratic and hereditary Arab despots which are trying to fend off the rising democratic aspirations of its own peoples. To the extent Iran continues to develop as the champion of democracy in the Persian Gulf region, it will become invincible and a beacon to be emulated throughout the region.

Q: What’s your prediction for the upcoming presidential elections in the U.S.? Will President Obama successfully convince the American voters that he is a suitable choice for the Oval Office?

A: If there is a fair vote, then Obama will win reelection to a second term this November. With Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, now designated as the official nominee of the Republican Party after their convention in Tampa, Florida in the last week of August, the race is now clearly between a White venture capitalist millionaire and a Black law professor and community organizer.

The profit bubble for the top U.S. capitalists during the George W. Bush years popped in 2008 causing widespread unemployment and misery to millions, as well as bringing to office the first African American in the nation’s history, and this is a significant development for the U.S. Bush spent billions to bail out the top banks and financiers, and Obama is trying to provide some relief to middle class Americans and workers who have been most severely impacted by the economic recession and depression of 2008-2009. Since taking office in 2009, Obama has tried traditional Keynesian measures, including increasing effective demand through increased government spending, but he has been largely hampered by a highly partisan Republican Party which is appalled both by the fact that a Black man has taken control of the nation’s highest political office and, as well, that he is attempting to implement the rudiments for a national healthcare program, which eventually could become as popular as the Social Security program implemented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935.

As a consequence, the Republican Party representatives in Congress have virtually blocked most of Obama’s initiatives in the last four years, and this includes Obama’s attempt to close the U.S. detention and torture camp in Guantanamo, Cuba. Many progressives here in the U.S. have been disappointed with Obama’s lackluster performance and may stay home during the upcoming presidential election. However, given the outrageous display of juvenile behavior by disgruntled capitalists who miss the casino years of the George W. Bush Administration and their Tea Party front organizations, many will turn out to the polls on November 6th to prevent these predatory capitalists, racists, and warmongers from returning to power. In addition, Obama is currently running at least ten percentage points ahead of Romney with women voters, and this could be the decisive group to clinch the election for Obama. Don’t get me wrong: Obama is a capitalist and is supportive of continued U.S. imperialist policies; but in the present election, he is definitely the lesser of two evils.

Q: The alternative press has reported that the Israeli officials have come to conclusion that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons. So, what are these sanctions, war threats, assassinations and Stuxnet stuff all about? Why should Iran be the target of such an intensive campaign of economic sanctions?

A: The attacks on Iran, including U.S. sanctions, assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists by Israel and its Mujahedin-e-Khalq clients, insertion of computer viruses, or worms, like Stuxnet and Flame, to destabilize Iran’s nuclear centrifuge program, and the overall attempt to redirect the Arab Spring revolt against Iran and its ally Syria has its origin in a very scared and paranoid Saudi Arabia, whose aging monarch, King Abdullah, is, in his last days, fearful that the days of the House of Saud are numbered. And, he is correct, as the Arab peoples are fed up with the autocratic dictators which have ruled over them for the past thirty, forty, or even fifty years or more.

The complete loss of legitimacy of the Al-Khalifas in Bahrain was a wake-up call for the Saudi royals who reacted by sending in troops from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Peninsula Shield forces in March of 2011 in an attempt to wipe out the democratic activists and pacify the Kingdom, an effort which has been a dismal failure. Trying to get control of the massive rebellion against the 229-year-old Khalifa monarchy, both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain reached into its well-worn bag of tricks and began to accuse Iran as the instigator of this latest revolt. Ever since the successful 1979 revolution in Iran against the pro-Western dictator Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, when the Iranian people were able to reclaim their patrimony of vast reserves of oil and other natural resources, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with the other Persian Gulf monarchies, have been playing a two-track rear-guard action which entails portraying themselves, on the one hand, as the true interpreters and guides of Islam while, on the other hand, attempting to undermine and subvert the Iranian revolution hoping to install a counterrevolutionary regime, reclaiming control over Iranian oil, and thus putting a stop to anymore movement towards democracy in the Persian Gulf region. However, with the successful ouster of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003, Mubarak in Egypt, Ben Ali in Tunisia, and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011, followed by the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen this year, the Saudi royals have grown increasingly worried that their longtime ally and defender, the United States, may abandon them in a classic case of clausula rebus sic stantibus (Latin for “things thus standing”) which, in international law, means that under changed conditions, prior agreements no longer hold validity.

And conditions have indeed changed. In the case of Saudi Arabia and the United States, the deal in question is the famous agreement between President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Saudi Arabia’s Ibn Saud in the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt in 1945 wherein FDR promised U.S.-backed military security for the House of Saud and its regime in the Arabian Peninsula in exchange for steady and relatively cheap access to the Kingdom’s crude oil. Sensing correctly that the U.S. is in the process of restructuring its longtime relations with its Arab client states—in order to both bring some semblance of democracy to these states and, as well, to bring these states’ business production and cultural relations into the modern world—the Saudi regime is thus faced with an existential threat. Consequently, it has attempted to defend itself with the largest purchase of weapons from the U.S. in history worth over 60 billion dollars. It has increased its social welfare spending dramatically and has attempted to buy off its population with significant salary increases. Moreover, in an effort to divert attention away from the internal corruption and lack of democratic freedoms in the Kingdom, the regime has, along with Israel and the U.S., instigated a massive Western effort to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria which, if accomplished, will then set the stage—in their view—for a final confrontation with Iran. So, again, subverting and overthrowing the Iranian revolution is seen as the only solution to Saudi Arabia’s existential crisis, and this is why Iran is the current international scapegoat from a Western power perspective.
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Iran to host intl. conferences on human rights violations in Bahraini prisons
07 September, 2012 – Theran Times

TEHRAN – International conferences on human rights violations in prisons run by the Bahraini government will be held in five Iranian cities from October 4 to 6, the International Union of Unified Ummah reported on Thursday.

According to Ali Reza Komeili, who is one of the organizers of the events, a number of Bahraini opposition groups and European human rights activists are scheduled to attend the conferences.

“The crimes that are being committed in Bahrain are only occurring due to the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia for the Al Khalifa (royal family). Otherwise, the Bahraini people would have already brought their revolution to fruition. They (the U.S. and Saudi Arabia) are aware that any form of democracy in Bahrain, be it a constitutional monarchy or a true democracy, would lead to the majority gaining power, and that runs contrary to their geostrategic interests in the region,” Komeili stated. …source

Reuters

Russia-Saudi Arabia: A growing strain
6 September, 2012 – Muslim World News – By Alexey Pilko – IANS

Relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which have never been cloudless, are quite tense today, something that seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, says a RIA Novosti commentary from Moscow.

This is not just because of their conflicting approaches to resolving the crisis in Syria. The reason is that Moscow and Riyadh are on opposite sides of the barricades in the transformation of the Middle East that is currently under way.

Nevertheless, in some ways these countries are very dependent on each other and could become partners at some time in the future. Unfortunately, that could be quite a long time from now.

It is almost forgotten now that the Soviet Union was the first non-Arab state to diplomatically recognise Saudi Arabia, in February, 1926 (even before its formal independence).

Moscow viewed Saudi independence as one more sign of the inevitable collapse of the colonial empires. However, diplomatic relations were broken off in 1938 at the initiative of Riyadh, and relations between the two states remained unfriendly, if not hostile, for a long time.

During the Cold War, Moscow placed its Middle East stake on secular political regimes, such as Egypt (before its realignment in 1974), Syria and Iraq.

Being a monarchical and theocratic state, Saudi Arabia automatically fell off the list of potential Soviet allies or partners. In the meantime, Riyadh regarded the Communist regime as anti-Islamic and incompatible with Saudi values.

Of course, both approaches were purely ideological. But there were also a number of serious clashes between Moscow and Riyadh, especially due to the Soviet support of the Communist regime in South Yemen. The secularization and political modernization (on the basis of socialism) of the Arab Peninsula threatened to undermine Saudi stability.

Finally, these processes could lead to the collapse of Saudi Arabia as a unitary state. This forced Riyadh to strengthen its relationship with the West, particular with the US (the only power that could provide the Saudi government real political and military support in case of serious tensions with Moscow).

At the same time, Russia has its own claims against Saudi Arabia. In the 1980s, Riyadh backed the mujahideen in Afghanistan and the Saudis reached agreement with Washington to drive down the price of oil, reducing the Soviet Union’s oil export revenue.

This atmosphere left little grounds for cooperation. However, after Mikhail Gorbachev revised Soviet foreign policy, Moscow began to look at the Middle East from a different perspective. In 1990-1991 it abandoned its unpredictable ally, Saddam Hussein, and did not oppose the Desert Storm. In 1990, diplomatic relations between Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia were restored.

Perhaps it might have been a successful restart.

But further developments showed that relations between Moscow and Riyadh faced other challenges. These appeared very soon when in the 1990s Saudi Arabia (along with a number of other countries) began to transfer money to radical Muslim organisations in Russia and other post-Soviet countries.

It would certainly be inaccurate to say that Riyadh intentionally backed separatists in the North Caucasus to weaken the Russian state and to cause domestic problems for Russia.

However, it is evident that at least a part of these financial resources fed the extremists and encouraged them to continue their bloody work. Saudi militants also fought on the side of the separatists in the Chechen wars. It was definitely an irritant in bilateral relations.

Nevertheless, after the end of counterterrorist operation in Chechnya, there was some slight progress. In November 2003, the Saudi delegation headed by the future King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited Russia and held negotiations with President Vladimir Putin.

As a result cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia received fresh impetus that finally led to ratification of a number of agreements in the oil and gas sector, science and technology. In February 2007, Putin was the first Russian leader who visited Saudi Arabia.

Up until the Arab revolutions began, it seemed that the steady improvement in relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia was continuing.

In fact, disregarding the political and ideological contradictions of the past, cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh is still promising. Both states could cooperate in the global energy market, regulating oil prices to the benefit of both.

Russia was ready to sell to Saudi Arabia its advanced weapons and military equipment, reducing its dependence on US supplies. Also Russia could present opportunities for Saudi investments. But at present, none of these are likely to be realized soon.

Since the beginning of the Middle East uprisings, in particular after the war in Libya broke out, Moscow suspected (with good reason) that Saudi Arabia was financing and arming the anti-Gaddafi forces.

Later, Moscow was dismayed by the Saudi decision to suppress the opposition in Bahrain. It looked like the classical double-standard game: support the Libyan opposition and shoot Bahraini protesters. …more

CODEPINK Activist Speaks Out During Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer Speech At Democratic Convention: End the War in Afghanistan, Stop the Killer Drones

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2012

CONTACT:
Rae Abileah, (415) 994-1723
Alli McCracken, (860) 575-5692, alli@codepink.org
Follow @codepink

CODEPINK Activist Speaks Out During Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer Speech At Democratic Convention:

End the War in Afghanistan, Stop the Killer Drones

Charlotte, NC— Representative Steny Hoyer from Maryland’s 5th district was interrupted by CODEPINK co-director Rae Abileah calling for an end to current US wars and drone strikes. Abileah, 29, from San Francisco, stood up, unfurled a pink banner which read “Bring Our War $$ Home!” and said, “Bring our war dollars home! End the war in Afghanistan! Stop the killer drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia! Money for healthcare and education, not war!”

When asked why she spoke out, Abileah said, “Too many young people my age can’t afford healthcare, college, or even make rent. Meanwhile, both political parties are squandering our taxpayer dollars on big military contracts.” She added, “Instead of bombing homes and killing innocents abroad, we need to pursue real security through diplomacy and negotiations.”

CODEPINK has campaigned for the past ten years to end US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, stop funding weapons to Israel, and redirect our federal budget away from the bloated Pentagon spending and into programs that address human needs and the environment. Last week CODEPINK was at the Republican Convention where they were inside the convention every night protesting the Republican policies around war, money in politics, and women’s rights. CODEPINK will continue to protest both parties ongoing funding for war. …more

Statement on Nabeel Rajab by The Hon. Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO, the Wilson Center
8 May, 2012 – The Wilson Center

WASHINGTON – For a second time since he received the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award last year at the Wilson Center, human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been detained by the Government of Bahrain.

“On behalf of the Wilson Center, I urge Mr. Rajab’s prompt release,” said former Congresswoman Jane Harman, current director, president and CEO. “The Government of Bahrain would be wiser to tolerate dissent and promote the free expression of views. Events in the region in the past year make clear that local voices will not remain silent and repression will be resisted,” she added.

The Ion Ratiu Democracy Award aims to bring international recognition to the ideas and accomplishments of individuals around the world who are working on behalf of democracy. Whether in exile from repressive regimes or operating within emerging democracies, recipients of the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award are democracy advocates with the type of life-changing experience in Washington that Ion Ratiu encountered as a young Romanian democracy activist in the 1970s and 1980s. The Award provides a month-long scholarship at the Wilson Center during which awardees have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the scholarly, policymaking, and NGO communities in Washington, D.C. Recipients also provide the keynote address at an international symposium on major issues confronting their democratic activism.

Nabeel Rajab received the award in a ceremony at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C. in December 2011. When Rajab was badly beaten during a rally in the Bahraini capital of Manama in January 2012, Jane Harman joined the State Department in expressing concern direct to the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States and called for a full investigation into the incident.
…source

Wife of Nabeel Rajab reveals his harsh conditions: stripped naked, put in a dirty cell with dead animals and water is limited!
6 September, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Further to the last update published by the GCHR and BCHR about ill-treatment of the imprisoned Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain prison by putting him in solitary confinement (read it here), we have received more details in that regard.

Sumaya Rajab, wife of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, stated that she met Nabeel (4 September 2012) in Jaw Prison for the first time in three weeks.

Sumaya confirmed that Nabeel is subjected to degrading conditions and ill-treatment through repeated personal inspections, whereby they take off all his clothes during the inspection and leave him with only a small piece of fabric to cover his private areas. He said he was subjected to deliberately humiliating inspections.

With regards to being put in solitary confinement in August, Nabeel told Sumaya that he was taken to solitary on the day he was sentenced to three-years imprisonment, which seems to indicate a desire for revenge and punishment, and added that the atmosphere of the cell suggested to him that he would be exposed to “repeated meals of severe torture.”

She continued by saying that in his solitary cell, Nabeel was stripped of all his clothes, forced to wear a small piece of fabric (“a wrapper”) only, then forced to stand and sit 40 times as part of the physical torture he suffered despite the fact that he suffers from a herniated disc in his back, and has requested a special medical belt to help cope with the recurrence of pain. He was also hit on the back by security forces several times previously.

Sumaya said that Nabeel does not know how many days he spent in that cell, because he could not tell day from night. Also, he said his cell was filled with dirt and even a dead cat!

As well, Sumaya confirmed that Nabeel doesn’t eat the food he’s given by the prison because he does not trust them, so he has lived for nearly two months on what is left of his corn flakes cereal and some canned food, as he’s allowed to buy from the prison cafeteria only once a week. Also, he’s allowed to only take 6 litres of water per week, although he suffers from kidney and gallbladder stones.

Sumaya said that for the first time in two months Nabeel ate cooked food today, as his family were able to give him a sandwich. He is prohibited from having sugar as well.

She continued saying that the prison administration refused to give Nabeel an electric shaver which she brought after Nabeel was refused shaving blades she brought the last time. As a result, he cannot shave and looks inappropriate, which she considers is one of the degrading actions committed against him. …more