al Khalifa’s anti-Shia aggitation tripping up his bid for stablity, credibility in Europe

Bahrain: Beginning of international awareness amid more anti-Shia campaign
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 23/04/2011 – 1:46 p | Hits: 243

As the ramifications of the Al Khalifa snub to Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs threaten serious rifts between Europe and GCC, the international pressure on Bahrain’s dictatorship has already been stepped up.

Yesterday UK’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague has criticised the Al Khalifa for their human rights abuses and attacks on free speech and medical rights of citizens. He defended the rights of Bahrainis to protest peacefully and express their views. Ms Ashton had earlier called for the immediate release of political prisoners whom Amnesty International had considered “prisoners of conscience”, and the right of Bahrainis to determine their destiny. The United States has yet to declare a clear stand on the ongoing revolution in that country and stop its double standard policy. Washington has expressed less negative stands to the pro-democracy protests in other countries; Libya, Yemen and Syria but supported the Saudi invasion and the violent crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain.

The Western media, meanwhile has also shown a positive approach to the events in this Gulf state. The Guardian has published several articles and reports over the past week highlighting the repression of the Al Khalifa regime. It has highlighted the plight of tens of Bahraini students at British universities after their scholarships had been terminated by the regime in revenge to their participation in anti-regime demonstrations. The Foreign Office has also reacted by stressing that those students had done nothing wrong when they expressed their views freely and peacefully. Their scholarships should not have been stopped, FCO said. Today, The Times has published a similar article on . On Thursday, The Independent newspaper dedicated its front page to the deteriorating situation in Bahrain under the title: “Bahrain’s secret terror” which highlighted the various policies of the regime towards Shia activists, including the arrest of doctors, nurses, artists, footballers, teachers, women and children. In addition to the printed media, American media has taken a keen interest in Bahrain’s revolution which has been totally disowned by the US. CNN, NBC, Washington Post and others have published positive reports on the situation. This sudden awakening of the conscience is positive and has been welcomed by Bahrainis who have felt abandoned by the governments of the “Free World”. …more