{"id":14210,"date":"2012-11-20T14:14:18","date_gmt":"2012-11-20T21:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/?p=14210"},"modified":"2012-11-20T14:14:18","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T21:14:18","slug":"bahrain-state-terror-murder-rape-false-imprisonment-torture-religious-persecution-denial-of-citizenship-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/?p=14210","title":{"rendered":"Bahrain State Terror, Murder, Rape, False Imprisonment, Torture, Religious Persecution, Denial of Citizenship, Genocide…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bahrain Cracks Down on Freedom<\/strong>
\n20 November, 2012 – Peak Oil<\/p>\n

The ruling Al Khalifa monarchy is one of the world\u2019s most brutal dictatorships. It\u2019s also a valued US ally. Bahrain is home to America\u2019s Fifth Fleet.<\/p>\n

Imperial priorities matter most. Washington backs Bahraini harshness. State terror is policy. Murder, torture, lawless imprisonments, and daily atrocities get tacit support.<\/p>\n

Bahrain ruthlessly wages war on freedom. Fundamental human and civil rights are spurned. Activists, protesters, medical professionals treating them when injured, independent journalists, and others supporting right over might are brutalized and imprisoned.<\/p>\n

Nabeel Rajab is one of Bahrain\u2019s best. He\u2019s a prominent human rights leader. Activism got him targeted. His resume includes many impressive credentials. In 1999, he and others co-founded the Bahrain Human Rights Society.<\/p>\n

In 2002, he, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, and others co-founded the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). Authorities terrorized its members for years. Nonetheless, it remains viable.<\/p>\n

It promotes civil, political, and economic freedom, ending racial discrimination, and universal human and civil rights. Bahraini despots equate these principles with terrorism.<\/p>\n

Last August, Bahrain\u2019s Lower Criminal Court sentenced Nabeel to three years in prison. Supporting right over wrong in the emirate is dangerous. Expressing democratic views is criminalized. So is championing social justice publicly.<\/p>\n

King Hamad calls peaceful protests \u201cforeign plots.\u201d Nabeel and others like him put their lives on the line for years. Bahraini activists face arrests, harsh interrogations, torture, and imprisonment. The mainstream media largely ignores it.<\/p>\n

Nabeel\u2019s been in prison since July. He\u2019s charged under Article 178 of Bahrain\u2019s penal code. It prohibits unauthorized gatherings of five or more people for the \u201cpurpose of committing crimes (or) undermining public security, even if intended to achieve a legitimate purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

His lawyers appealed. A Bahraini court delayed proceedings. Its ruling won\u2019t be known until around mid-December. Peaceful protests are criminalized. State courts tolerate no challengers. They give kangaroos a bad name.<\/p>\n

Bahrain banned protests earlier. On July 20, 2006, King Hamad ratified Code 32 on \u201cPublic Gatherings, Processions and Assembly.\u201d Doing so amended the 1973 Decree No. 18. Human rights groups condemned the action. It lawlessly targeted free expression and peaceful gatherings.<\/p>\n

Unauthorized public meetings and seminars were prohibited. So was anything thought potentially threatening monarchal rule. Activists were targeted. Arrests and prosecutions followed. Bahraini repression is brutal and longstanding.<\/p>\n

On October 30, public gatherings were again prohibited. Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said \u201crallies and gatherings will be considered illegal, and legal action will be taken against anyone calling for or taking part in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how police states work. Fundamental rights are criminalized. Daily nonviolent protests continue nonetheless. Participants face tear gas, rubber bullets, beatings, arrests, and at times death.<\/p>\n

Anyone challenging regime harshness faces arrest and brutal imprisonment. Even The New York Times noticed. On October 30, it headlined \u201cCiting Violence, Bahrain Bans All Protests in New Crackdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protesters refrain from violence. Security forces commit it against them. Banning public gatherings \u201cdrew swift condemnation from human rights groups and opposition activists who said it was intended solely to stifle criticism of the ruling monarch in the tiny Persian Gulf nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Activists accused the monarchy of \u201cmethodically blocking all avenues for dissent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent weeks, activists have been prosecuted for postings on social media, and doctors, charged with illegal gathering and other crimes after treating protesters, have been sent to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gone on repeatedly since early last year. The Times and other Western media gave it scant coverage. They still do. Reports exclude important information readers most need to know.<\/p>\n

Dozens of deaths, hundreds imprisoned, torture, and kangaroo court justice go largely unnoticed.<\/p>\n

On November 10, a Washington Post editorial headlined \u201cBahrain\u2019s broken promise,\u201d saying:<\/p>\n

Last November, King Hamad promised 26 reforms. \u201cThat promise has gone unfulfilled.\u201d At best, only three were partly implemented. \u201cThe most important ones \u2013 on the release of political prisoners and relaxation of controls on free expression \u2013 have been ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post exhibited a rare moment of candor. It should have done more much sooner. Nonetheless, it said \u201cconvictions of leading regime opponents (were) reconfirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It mentioned Nabeel\u2019s imprisonment. It excluded his activist history and harsh treatment. It said public protests were banned.<\/p>\n

Without explanation, it said \u201cfive bombs exploded around the capital of Manama on Monday, killing two people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protesters spurn violence. Despite brutal security force crackdowns, they remain peaceful. Bahraini authorities called Monday\u2019s explosions \u201cterrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were state-sponsored false flags. Expect more of the same ahead. Four suspects were arrested. They won\u2019t be treated kindly or fairly. Bahrain\u2019s head of public security blamed Hezbollah elements. No evidence whatever suggests it.<\/p>\n

Minister Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab said opposition groups use Iranian tactics. He blamed pro-Iran television stations for supporting Bahraini protests. Press TV reports them accurately. So do Russia Today and independent journalists. …more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bahrain Cracks Down on Freedom 20 November, 2012 – Peak Oil The ruling Al Khalifa monarchy is one of the world\u2019s most brutal dictatorships. It\u2019s also a valued US ally. Bahrain is home to America\u2019s Fifth Fleet. Imperial priorities matter most. Washington backs Bahraini harshness. State terror is policy. Murder, torture, lawless imprisonments, and daily more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[247],"tags":[3722],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14210"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14211,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14210\/revisions\/14211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}