…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end

BCHR Second Open Letter to Head of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)

Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni
Chair, Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
18 August 2011

Dear Sir,
Thank you for your letter dated 9 August 2011, in which you outlined the position of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).

Whilst we, at the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), are of course pleased that the government has demonstrated “extraordinary willingness… to listen to anything we bring to his [minister of interior] attention and act on it”, the main issue raised by our previous correspondence with you was your statement that this willingness from the minister “leads me to believe that on his part there was never a policy of excessive use of force or torture.” It was this last statement which we sought clarification about, since we did not understand how you had reached this conclusion at such an early stage. Your letter in response was noticeably silent on this point. You did note that you believed it was “premature to reach any conclusions”, which we are certainly in agreement with.

Whilst appreciating the difference between individual criminal responsibility and the responsibility of superiors, there is a wealth of evidence confirming that, at the very least, the government and the ruling establishment had knowledge and condoned the actions of the security forces.

The most notable examples of this are the speeches of Marshal General Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, and the actions and speeches of Nasser Al Khalifa, the son of the reigning monarch. Khalifa bin Ahmed threatened protesters in remarks made to BNA in May, saying, “I say to those who did not get the message, ‘If you return we will come back, stronger this time'”. In a public forum, on state television, Nasser Al Khalifa threatened retribution to all those involved in the protests regardless of their position in society and their profession. In a telling final statement, Nasser Al Khalifa noted that, as an island state, those involved in the protests in Bahrain had “nowhere to escape to”. Within a few hours of this statement, the systematic targeting of athletes involved in the protests commenced. To compound this, Nasser himself became personally involved in the torture of at least two opposition leaders, Abdulla Isa Al-Mahroos and Mohammed Habib Al-Muqdad, both of whom have provided testimonies which have been sent to the BICI.

Other witnesses have come forward to testify that they were beaten by different members of the Al-Khalifa family, such as Fatima Al-Bagali, who was tortured at West Riffa detention center on the 9th of May by the General Director of Southern Province Police, Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, because of a speech she had made at Pearl Square. Ayat Al-Qurmezi, also arrested for an anti-government poem she had read at Pearl Square, and Dr Fatima Hajji, have also claimed to have been tortured in detention by Noura Al-Khalifa.

These testimonies are, worryingly, the tip of the iceberg. In these circumstances, I hope you can appreciate that your comments to Reuters that “there was never a policy of excessive use of force or torture”, even if taken out of context, were highly prejudicial and created much anxiety and anger amongst the victims of this policy.

The actions of Bahrain’s ruling elite have consistently reinforced the message that dissent, in any form, is simply not to be tolerated in Bahrain. The targeting of individuals, both physically and economically, has been systematic. State television has pursued an agenda akin to the McCarthy witch hunts; naming and publically humiliating those involved in the recent protests. Indeed a number of state sanctioned websites have sprung up in which people are encouraged to name “traitors” to the regime. This state-sanctioned pressure has been compounded by the mass expulsion by state entities of employees who have been “tainted” through their association to the opposition.

It is in this context that it becomes difficult to believe that those in authority did not have knowledge of the persecution being effected through state apparatus. We would be happy to provide a range of evidence to confirm the assertions made in this letter and look forward to working with the BICI to achieve its stated goals and bring to light the situation in Bahrain.

Yours sincerely

Nabeel Rajab
President
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
…source

Facebook Becomes Divisive in Bahrain
Phillip Walter Wellman – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
torturous
A Bahrain woman looks at pictures of victims of the February 14 uprising, displayed at an exhibition during a gathering held by the Al Fateh Youth Union in Isa Town, south of Manama, Bahrain, July 28, 2011

It has been six months since anti-government protests inspired by the successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt first erupted in Bahrain. And as in Egypt, many Bahrainis used social media Internet sites such as Facebook to help organize the protests. The Bahraini government is now using Facebook, too – apparently to track down and arrest the protesters.

It is questionable whether the Arab Spring ever would have amounted to much without social media on the Internet. In most cases, as more and more frustrated youths turned to their computers to express their discontent, an increasing number of people left their homes to publicly demand change.

The term “Facebook Revolution” was coined after the successful ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. And in Bahrain, the social networking site also played a role in encouraging people to participate in the nation’s “Day of Rage” protests on February 14, and in the pro-democracy demonstrations that followed.

Manama’s Pearl Roundabout traffic circle quickly became Bahrain’s own version of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where protesters, made up of mostly Shi’ite Muslims, set up camp and pushed for reform.

Unlike in Egypt, however, the demands of the Bahrainis were never met. The Sunni government, with military help from neighboring Gulf States, quelled the uprising and afterwards, reportedly used access to social media to help identify and punish those who spoke out.

Rights groups say that more than 1,000 opposition supporters have been arrested since the crackdown began. Today, many Bahrainis say they are apprehensive about using social media.

A recent documentary aired on the al-Jazeera television network describes how one Facebook page helped single out a 20-year-old Shi’ite woman who allegedly was arrested and tortured. Visitors to the page were told to reveal her name and workplace on that page, “and let the government take care of the rest.”

Another page displayed photos of other demonstrators that would be checked off once a person was detained by authorities.

According to Abdulnabi Alekry, chairman of the Bahrain Transparency Society, the government’s use of social media to help identify opponents has pushed the country’s Sunnis and Shi’ites further and further apart. …more

Bahrain Shiite opposition seeks reform referendum
The Associated Press

The head of Bahrain’s main Shiite Muslim opposition party wants a referendum over whether the Gulf kingdom’s rulers should retain their wide powers.

The Associated Press MANAMA, Bahrain — The head of Bahrain’s main Shiite Muslim opposition party wants a referendum over whether the Gulf kingdom’s rulers should retain their wide powers.

The appeal by Ali Salman seeks to increase pressure for broader reconciliation efforts. Salman told reporters Wednesday the proposed referendum would ask whether the tiny island nation’s government should be elected or remain appointed by the leaders. It’s seen highly unlikely that Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy would allow such a vote, after months of crackdowns against Shiite-led protests demanding greater rights.

Salman’s Al Wefaq party has broken off talks with Bahrain’s rulers and plans to boycott parliament elections next month. Mass protests led by Bahrain’s majority Shiites began in February, inspired by other Arab uprisings. …source

Female Teacher on Hunger Strike in Bahrain Hospitalized
8-17-2011 – By Human Rights Defenders Program – Human Rights First

In July, Human Rights First profiled Jalila al-Salman, a Bahraini teacher who has been detained since March for her alleged role in coordinating a teachers’ strike. We are very concerned to hear from local human rights defenders that Jalila was hospitalized today for chest pains following 10 days on hunger strike. Among the handful of women still in detention in Bahrain, Jalila and fellow prisoner, Roula Al Saffar, the Head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, have undergone a joint hunger strike to protest their continued detention and ill treatment. There are reports that Jalila has been severely tortured.

While there were hopes that the women detainees would be released pending a transfer to civilian courts at the start of Ramadan, so far there have been no improvements to their situation.

Another female detainee told HRF staff in Bahrain what happened to her, Her account is consistent with what has happened to other female detainees:

I was taken from the hospital where I was working during the middle of the day. Four masked men came and took me for an interrogation. They blindfolded me and took me to the investigations office. They were verbally abusing me, saying the doctors at the hospital were sectarian, only treating Shiite patients.

Then they moved me to another room – I was blindfolded the whole time and a policewoman pushed me along the corridor for more questioning.

They wanted me to say that doctors took injured people for operations unnecessarily, they had very minor injuries but doctors made these injuries worse and caused death on purpose in two cases.

They said we wanted to make Bahrain look bad, to hurt its international reputation. I said no, patients were really bleeding badly, some from live ammunition wounds, and we didn’t make their wounds worse. …more

[cb Editor Note: The balance of this article has not been seen here so it’s conclusion and analysis are unknown. It does seem an article of significance. It would be good to see it published without profit motive from JAMA. It’s viewing in entirity is contingent on subscription to JAMA. ]

Human Rights Report Details Violence Against Health Care Workers in Bahrain
M. J. Friedrich – Journal of American Medical Association

When antigovernment protesters marched in February and March of this year on the streets of Manama, the capital of Bahrain, peacefully calling for political and economic reforms, a brutal response by the country’s security services followed.

The majority of the injured and dead were brought to Salmaniya Hospital in Manama. Rather than being a safe haven for the wounded, however, this facility, the largest modern medical facility in the country, was declared by the government to be a stronghold of opposition protesters. Security forces occupied the building. According to human rights organizations such as Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), patients were beaten and abused. Physicians, nurses, and other health care workers who treated the civilian protesters were systematically abducted, detained, and interrogated, and many now are facing trial for allegedly using the hospital as a base to try to overthrow the royal government. …more

[cb editors note: ..it comes to notice that had Bissiouni sought integrity for the investigation he is currently pursuing for the al Khalifa regime, he would have spent significant time with the offended parties and opposition to insure participation without prejudice and barring adequate assurance of participation across the spectrum a nonacceptance of the position. All parties would have been subscribers to the Investigation and consequently serve to sanction it. This was never in the design of the Investigation or it’s Committee and since Bissiouni has made repeat prejudicial statements and statements that can serve no other end except agitation, he has doomed his effort and it has gone down in the flames of al Khalifa disingenuity. Meanwhile al Khalifa continues it’s daily routine of Human Right violations and systemic assault and repression of those who would oppose the regime. Mr. Bissiouni you sir are al Khalifa’s lie and charade. al Khalifa has once again discredited himself and he has unmasked Mr. Bissiouni as a fake and a man of dishonor and dubious character. ]

Bahrain: Independence Day celebrated with protests as Bissiouni’s mission doomed
15/08/2011 – 2:03 am

The past few days have witnessed dramatic escalation in demonstrations and protests in most towns and villages. Yesterday Bahrainis held a big rally in Sitra to mark the 40th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain.

On 14th August 1971 the British signed the document granting Bahrain full independence following decades of struggle by Bahrainis that eventually led to a UN fact finding mission in 1970 to evaluate what the Bahrainis wanted. The mission confirmed to the UN General Assembly that the people wanted full independence and a new government in which they would be full partners. Bahrain became independent on 15th August only to enter into the black era headed by the notorious dictator, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who would stay at the helm of power until today. It has been one of the bleakest period of Bahrain’s history with thousands of Bahrainis detained, tortured or killed. Despite the independence, British legacy has survived through Ian Henderson, the notorious torture architect, the unwavering British support to the Al Khalifa hereditary dictatorship and clandestine security and military support from both USA and UK to this murderous regime.

Over the past few days, Bahrainis have been preparing to mark the anniversary through nightly protests. The revolutionaries had announced a week-long programme of activities to mark the independence. At Sitra’s festival yesterday, the people power was exhibited through the speeches, poems, slogans and dedication to the cause of freedom and liberation. The day before (Saturday 13th August), several demonstrations and protests took place in several places. There was a big protest at Dair town in which men and women participated. They were attacked by the regime’s Death Squads and mercenary forces and the skirmishes continued during the night. The aggressors used excessive amounts of tear gas and chemical weapons against the unarmed civilians and there were several casualties. The people were entrenched near the Zakariya Al Ashiri roundabout and would not be dislocated by the aggressors. A similar protest took place at Sitra, Al Ekr and elsewhere. The night before there were demonstrations in many places, led by the peoples’ night march in Sanabis. It was one of the most memorable encounters between the people and the mercenaries. It continued throughout the night, but it was a testimony to the bravery of the Bahrainis and the cowardice of the Al Khalifa forces who targeted women and children inside their homes with tear gas and chemical weapons.

Meanwhile, calls have been made to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to dispatch its long-awaited fact-finding mission to investigate the Al Khalifa crimes against Bahrainis. This has followed the disastrous failure and the near-collapse of the Bissiouni royal commission which had been formed and financed by the dictator. Mr Charif Bissiouni gave his commission the kiss of death when he pre-empted its finding by absolving the regime of responsibility for the crimes committed against Bahrainis. More seriously, Bissiouni has been accused of passing information from the victims to the dictator that led to immediate revenge from those who have been languishing In jail for months under torture. The commission has failed to stop torture and sought to flatter the regime by not asking for the immediate repeal of the notorious Decree Law 56 that is at the source of the ongoing torture and abuse. Mr Bissiouni had earlier praise the dictator and his son of being “democratic” and “against torture” while the attacks on peaceful demonstrations continued unabated.

Among the most dramatic cases that had been presented to Bissiouni’s doomed commission are two testimonies by senior figures who had been severely tortured since their arrest in mid-March. Both have accused Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the dictator’s son, of personally administering torture on them. These are among the most damaging to both the dictator and his newly-recruited ally. To stop torture immediately, Bissiouni has to order the immediate arrest and trial of this torturer, a step that is unlikely to be taken by the commission which is financed by the despot himself. This makes it a priority for Navi Pillay to request the immediate dispatch of her mission to Bahrain.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
15th August 2011 …source

This is what David Cameron got wrong: you can’t cut police budgets at the same time as you cut everything else. Because when you rob people of what little they have, in order to protect the interests of those who have more than anyone deserves, you should expect resistance—whether organized protests or spontaneous looting.

Daylight Robbery, Meet Nighttime Robbery
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 – The Nation – by Naomi Klein

I keep hearing comparisons between the London riots and riots in other European cities—window smashing in Athens, or car bonfires in Paris. And there are parallels, to be sure: a spark set by police violence, a generation that feels forgotten.

But those events were marked by mass destruction; the looting was minor. There have, however, been other mass lootings in recent years, and perhaps we should talk about them too. There was Baghdad in the aftermath of the US invasion—a frenzy of arson and looting that emptied libraries and museums. The factories got hit too. In 2004 I visited one that used to make refrigerators. Its workers had stripped it of everything valuable, then torched it so thoroughly that the warehouse was a sculpture of buckled sheet metal.

Back then the people on cable news thought looting was highly political. They said this is what happens when a regime has no legitimacy in the eyes of the people. After watching for so long as Saddam and his sons helped themselves to whatever and whomever they wanted, many regular Iraqis felt they had earned the right to take a few things for themselves. But London isn’t Baghdad, and British Prime Minister David Cameron is hardly Saddam, so surely there is nothing to learn there.

How about a democratic example then? Argentina, circa 2001. The economy was in freefall and thousands of people living in rough neighborhoods (which had been thriving manufacturing zones before the neoliberal era) stormed foreign-owned superstores. They came out pushing shopping carts overflowing with the goods they could no longer afford—clothes, electronics, meat. The government called a “state of siege” to restore order; the people didn’t like that and overthrew the government. …more

Article 23 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Geneva Convention IV, Article 33 – No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.

Interview: Abdulla Alderazi, Bahrain Human Rights Society

August 16, 2011—Abdulla Alderazi, a longtime defender of civil rights and a university professor, has joined the growing ranks of men and women sacked from their jobs for calling for peaceful change in Bahrain.

Shortly after pro-democracy demonstrators gathered in Pearl Roundabout in February, the government launched a violent crackdown and a campaign to “purify” Bahrain of dissenters. The process has included summary firings of workers who participated in the demonstrations or in a general strike, or were alleged to have done so. More than 2,400 people have lost their jobs in the last six months, many in recent days.

This latest round of dismissals at the University of Bahrain comes on the heels of a “national dialogue,” organized by the government to “present the people’s views and demands for further reform…” and concluded in late July. The ongoing firings and other reprisals belie government assertions that it is working toward reconciliation.

Alderazi, who also is secretary general of the Bahrain Human Rights Society, said he and 18 other academics at the University of Bahrain—where he has taught for more than 20 years—were suspended in April and dismissed on Thursday, August 11. The accusations against him include: going to the Pearl Roundabout, talking to foreign media, and engaging in civil disobedience.

“When I was being interrogated (by an internal university committee), they asked me if I was teaching human rights principles. I said, ‘No. I teach English,’” he said, adding that many of the accusations against him—such as publicly expressing his views—are protected by Bahrain’s constitution.

University officials skipped all the normal disciplinary procedures to fire Alderazi and his colleagues. They referred all 19 professors to the public prosecutor, accusing them of taking part in peaceful protests. The university also has dismissed hundreds of students over recent months.

“We (the Bahrain Human Rights Society) have been working to raise awareness about human rights and, since February, we have been defending the civil rights of the detainees and demanding more reform and respect for human rights,” he said.

With so many people out of work, many of them family breadwinners, Alderazi said, people are surviving through solidarity, sharing what they have. He also said many still hold out hope that, despite the firings and continued violence in the streets, reconciliation and reform will come to Bahrain.

As secretary general of the Bahrain Human Rights Society, a non-governmental organization established in 2001 and recognized by the government, Alderazi said he will still speak out for the rights of others. ….source

Crimes against humanity require two factors in order to be proven: they have to be systematic and political. None of those applied to the events that took place in Bahrain, said committee head Dr. Mahmoud Sherif Basyouni. “There was no proof whatsoever of crimes against humanity and had there been any, I would have definitely written that in my report,” he told the Bahraini newspaper Al Ayam. …source

Bahrain Commission of Inquiry Statement on events at their offices

In light of recent allegations that the Bahrain Commission of Inquiry (BICI) has reached a determination on its investigation, as well as verbal and physical attacks on its staff, the BICI wishes to make the following statement.

Despite misleading headlines in recent news articles claiming that the Commission has determined that the government of Bahrain committed no crimes against humanity during the demonstrations that have occurred over the last several months, the Commission would like to clarify that it has not made any such determination. The Commission’s investigation is ongoing and will continue until all relevant evidence has been gathered. Its staff is still in the process of interviewing victims and witnesses, collecting evidence, and evaluating the circumstances. The Commission will not make a determination as to the extent of human rights abuses in Bahrain until its investigation is complete. Because certain media outlets and activists have misrepresented the comments of the Commission Chair, Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, in order to support their political positions, for the time being, the Commission will no longer entertain interviews to the media. Should the Commission decide that a public statement is necessary, it will provide this information on its website, www.bici.org.bh. The Commission will not allow itself to be used as a political tool for any group.

Additionally, the Commission’s office is hereby closed until further notice. This is due to the fact that today, hundreds of people forced their way into our office, having been angered over what they believed to be the Commission Chair’s “conclusions” on the investigation, and additionally having been directed by activists on Twitter and through mass texts to come to the office to report their complaints. The Commission believes its doors should be open to anyone who wishes to come forward and provide information on human rights abuses. However, as we have advised on our website and on Twitter, appointments must be made in order for our investigators to best serve the witnesses and victims. After attempting to accommodate the crowd by offering to take down their information in order to schedule appointments, some in the crowd became restless and verbally and physically threatened the staff. Individuals yelled insults, posted threatening messages on the office walls, sent threats via text and email, and even physically shoved and spat at a member of staff. Individuals also continued to photograph and video record people in the office, despite advice from staff that such actions undermine the confidentiality and safety of the many witnesses and victims coming forward. While the Commission’s staff is committed to conducting its investigation, it will not jeopardize the security of the individuals that work at and patron the office. While the office remains closed, investigators will continue to accept statements submitted by email. …more

US Debt Downgrade May Have Chinese Connection
Posted by Bill Conroy – August 14, 2011 – Narco News

S&P’s Action Appears to Have Triggered Enhanced Fortunes for Some US Business Interests in China

Standard & Poor’s recent downgrading of the US credit rating is being billed in the media as a major blow to the economic credibility of the nation and to the future election prospects of President Obama, but there are some special interests that appear to have benefited from that black mark on the US currency.

Those beneficiaries include the parent company of S&P as well as a Republican senator and aspiring vice presidential candidate who played a key role in the recent debt-ceiling negotiations that engulfed Congress and the White House in turmoil over the summer.

On Aug. 5, S&P, a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill Cos., lowered its assessment of US long-term debt, cutting its rating from a top-notch AAA to a slightly less-favorable AA+ (the only major rating agency to do so) and in the process sent shock waves through world markets.

Within days of that action, another event occurred that was barely covered in the mainstream media.

The Chinese currency, the yuan, spiked suddenly in value, reaching in a few days a 17-year high against the dollar. And this was not an unexpected result in the wake of S&P’s downgrading of US debt, according to some economists, given that China holds $1.2 trillion in U.S. Treasury notes and as much as $2 trillion more in US dollars — all of which became less valuable in the wake of the credit downgrade.

The Dow Jones news service reported on Aug. 1, four days prior to S&P’s downgrade, that an economist with a major Chinese state-run think tank was predicting just such a spike in the value of the yuan (also known as the renminbi, or RMB) should the US credit rating be slashed. …more

Some members of the Bahraini royal family beating & torturing political prisoners
by Bahrian Center for Human Rights (BCHR) – 16 August 2011

The BCHR expresses grave concern and is alarmed to learn that members of the Alkhalifa family have personally been involved in beating and torturing pro-democracy protesters. After the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain the Center has been receiving reports from victims that they were subjected to severe beatings and torture by people they identified as members of the Bahraini royal family. Five members of Alkhalifa have been specifically mentioned by victims, they are: Noura Alkhalifa, Khalifa Bin Ahmed Alkhalifa, Khalifa Bin Abdulla Alkhalifa and sons of the King, Khaled Bin Hamad Alkhalifa and Nasser Bin Hamad Alkhalifa. One of the victims subjected to torture by Nasser Bin Hamad Alkhalifa is Swedish citizen, Mohammed Habeeb Al-Muqdad, currently imprisoned at Al-Gurain military prison.
Detention Centers

The first victim to speak out was poet Ms Ayat Al-Qurmuzi, who was imprisoned for reading a couple of anti-government poems during the pearl roundabout peaceful protest. Ayat was arrested by masked civilians and blindfolded, after her release she spoke of being tortured by men and women. One of the women she claims tortured her was Noura Alkhalifa. Ayat gave a detailed account of what she was subjected to on the hands of Noura. Among other things Ayat said Noura cursed her, spat on her, and slapped her many times across the face. Noura threatened Ayat that her tongue would be cut off, when Ayat refused to open her mouth, Noura hit her with a broom on her mouth. Noura also spat into Ayats mouth and used electric shocks on Ayats face. As Noura Alkhaifa tortured Ayat she repeated slurs against shias and said “the people you criticize are your masters, and they will remain in power forever, whether you like it or not”.

Another victim is doctor Fatima Hajji. On the 17th of April Noura Alkhalifa and 25 masked men attacked Dr. Fatimas flat in the village of Bani Jamra and arrested her. During interrogations Noora demanded that Fatima confess, when Fatima said she had done nothing but treat patients Noura replied “If you do not confess I will have to torture you the way I tortured Doctor Ali Al-Ekri.” She added that detainees Roula Al-Saffar and Ghassan Dhaif had already confessed.

Noura started slapping and cursing Fatima continuously for about 25 minutes. Then she used a hose to beat her on her feet. When Noura Alkhalifa looked through Dr. Fatimas blackberry and saw two emails, one to Human Rights Watch about her suspension and the other about Martyr Ahmed Shams she shouted at Dr. Fatima “How dare you ruin the image of our government”, then electrocuted her on her face.
Fatima was told to confess that she had pretended to cry in front of foreign media, and that she had stolen 100 bags of blood from the blood bank and given it out to protesters to spill on themselves and pretend to be injured. She was forced to sign a confession after being threatened with rape. Fatima was also sexually harassed by men under the supervision of Noura. She was forced to stand on one leg, make animal noises, sing and dance.

Fatima Al-Bagali who is a student at the teaching college in University of Bahrain was arrested on the 9th of May 2011. She was blindfolded and taken to West Riffa detention center. Where Khalifa Bin Ahmed Alkhalifa The center director interrogated her about a speech she had given on Pearl Square, and about antigovernment comments she had made on facebook. Khalifa beat Fatima, slapping and kicking her as he said “You shia are ungrateful to your masters the Al-Khalifa”. After more beatings Khalifa threatened to rape Fatima if she dared to speak about what she had been subjected to. …more

IT Security & Network Security News
Google to Enforce Real Name Policy After 4 Days
By: Clint Boulton – 2011-08-12

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is now giving Google+ users who violate its real name policy by using fake names or pseudonyms four days to get in compliance before it suspends user profiles.

Google+ requires its 25 million-plus users to create Google user profiles, public pages on the Web that users may fill out “to help connect and find real people in the real world.”

The company argues that by providing a common name, users will be assisting their friends, family members, classmates, co-workers and other acquaintances to find and create “a connection with the right person online.”

Google started a minor furor last month when it began suspending accounts of those it believes were pseudonyms or fake names.

Users were both upset that they could not use Google+ with nicknames or false names to hide their identities and that Google unceremoniously turned off their accounts without notifying them first and giving them a chance to make corrections.

Bradley Horowitz, vice president of product management for Google+, promised to make changes and provide a “clear indication of how the user can edit their name to conform to our community standards.”

The company delivered Aug. 11. Saurabh Sharma, a product manager on the Google+ team, said Google will give users whose profile names do not hew to Google’s Names Policy will get a four-day grace period in which they can fix their profile before Google takes “further action,” which means an account suspension.

“During this period, you can continue to use Google+ as usual,”Sharma wrote on Google+. “We’re hoping that most affected users will be able to quickly fix their profile name while continuing to enjoy all that Google+ has to offer.”

Sharma then invited users dissatisfied with this compromise to check out of Google+, taking their data with them via the Google Takeout data migration tool fashioned by Google’s Data Liberation Front.

The move may mollify some users who created joke accounts with pseudonyms, but it’s certainly not going to appease the glut of users who use false names to hide their identity for privacy and security purposes. And it certainly isn’t satisfying folks who use nicknames, as Google+ user Jon Savage wrote:

“The problem is not allowing ‘nyms makes Google+ a less diverse place. People have nics they are known by and have used for years online. People know them by those names. I’m seeing tons of folks getting suspended for using their 2nd life names that are every bit as real as the names they use in the world. Please, please reconsider this name policy.”

Microsoft researcher Danah Boyd has described the enforcement of real name policies by Google and Facebook as a corporate “abuse of power” over those who are weaker. ReadWriteWeb’s Marshall Kirkpatrick offered his own sour critique of Google’s policy refresh. …source

British Prime Minister Does a 180 on Internet Censorship
Commentary by Eva Galperin – August 11th, 2011

After several days of destructive riots throughout the UK, British Prime Minister David Cameron is practically tripping over himself in his eagerness to sacrifice liberty for security. In a speech before an emergency session of Parliament today, Cameron highlighted concern over rioters’ use of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter:

…when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them. So we are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality. I have also asked the police if they need any other new powers.

Exactly what kind of government censorship of social media Cameron has in mind is unclear, but he went on to urge Twitter, Facebook, and Blackberry to remove messages that might incite further unrest across the country. British Home Secretary Theresa May is reportedly meeting with all three companies to discuss their “responsibilities” in light of the UK riots. Twitter has steadfastly refused to bow to government pressure to shut down the rioters’ accounts or delete their Tweets, referring to a blog post written by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and General Counsel Alex McGillivray earlier this year, near the start of the Arab Spring:

Some Tweets may facilitate positive change in a repressed country, some make us laugh, some make us think, some downright anger a vast majority of users. We don’t always agree with the things people choose to tweet, but we keep the information flowing irrespective of any view we may have about the content.

It was a sentiment shared by Cameron as recently as this February, when he gave a speech in Kuwait in which he asserted that freedom of expression should be respected “in Tahrir Square as much as Trafalgar Square.” The Prime Minister’s 180-degree shift on freedom of expression unfortunately places him one step closer to the growing, worldwide cohort of politicians and despots seeking solace in censorship. …more

Six Months On: How Bahrain’s Street Was Silenced
Brussels correspondent for TIME magazine – By Leo Cendrowicz – 15/8/11

Six months ago, Bahrain seemed to be swept along with the Arab Spring. Today, however, hopes for real change seem dim.

It was perhaps an unorthodox romantic gesture, but it could still qualify as a Valentine: on February 14 this year, as the Arab Spring was surging, a group of pro-democracy demonstrators in Bahrain began what they thought would be a message of brotherly love for their country. Trust us, they said, give us our voice and together we can build a new era of respect and civil rights. That was exactly six months ago, but the message seems to have gotten lost in the post.

For the outside world, the drama reached its climax in mid-March, when the jittery Bahraini establishment decided the protests had to be met with extreme prejudice: it invited Saudi and other Gulf ally troops to help crush the demonstrations. They rumbled over the 25 km King Fahd Causeway that connects Bahrain with the Saudi mainland and brutally ended the protest in an operation that left around 30 people dead.

But the story is far from over. Bahrain is still tingling with tension, the air poisoned with suspicion, sectarianism more pointed than ever as the country slowly reverts to normal after its messy turn on the Arab Spring carousel. The establishment’s efforts at reconciliation have been dismissed by the opposition as mere window dressing for its oppressive policies. The passions unleashed in the short burst of protest against the soft authoritarianism are still coursing through the tiny Gulf island of just 1.2 million. …more

Bahrainis urge release of prisoners
shiapost – August 15, 2011

Bahraini demonstrators have once again held rallies in several villages to demand the release of political prisoners and the pullout of the Saudi forces from their country.

Despite the government crackdown on protests, peaceful Bahraini demonstrators took to the streets on Monday to continue voicing their demands.

Thousands of protesters poured into the streets in the villages of Sitra, A’ali, Sanabis and several other locations on Sunday, calling for the downfall of the Al Khalifa regime.

Anti-government protesters have been holding protest rallies in Bahrain since mid-February.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military forces to Bahrain in mid-March to assist the Manama government in its brutal crackdown on the popular protests.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more arrested in Bahrain since mid-February. Numerous protesters have also been detained and transferred to unknown locations during the brutal onslaught on protesters.

Amnesty International has condemned the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests and detention of Bahraini demonstrators.

According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, there are currently over 1,000 political detainees inside the Middle Eastern country. …source

No crimes against humanity in Bahrain, says fact finding committee
Monday, 15 August 2011 – By Mohamed Al Arab – AL ARABIYA MANAMA

A royal fact finding committee formed to investigate the Bahrain protests reached the conclusion that no crimes against humanity were committed by the government against the protestors.

Crimes against humanity require two factors in order to be proven: they have to be systematic and political. None of those applied to the events that took place in Bahrain, said committee head Dr. Mahmoud Sherif Basyouni.

“There was no proof whatsoever of crimes against humanity and had there been any, I would have definitely written that in my report,” he told the Bahraini newspaper Al Ayam.

Regarding the committee’s involvement in the release of several of the prisoners, Dr. Basyouni stated that the committee would never ask for acquitting people who committed illegal actions.

“The committee responsibility is to make sure the law is being applied.”

Dr. Basyouni explained that the committee’s responsibility is investigating the events and notifying the relevant bodies in case violations are proven so that they can be addressed.

“This means it is not part of our job to call for releasing prisoners since we are not a human rights organization.”

The committee, however, can play the role of mediator in some cases. For example, Dr. Basyouni explained, if some people were fired from their jobs and the committee becomes aware that there is a decree that says they should be back, it tells the relevant bodies to redress this wrong.

“The same is applied to prisoners who are still detained after their time is over. In this case, we notify the prosecutor general or the ministry of interior.”

Regarding torture, Dr. Basyouni said that it is prohibited in Bahrain as stipulated by both national laws and international treaties to which Bahrain is a signatory.

“If the committee finds out about cases of torture, we have to take a firm stance even if we discover that it was a personal action because any kind of torture is a crime.”

When torture is political, he added, it is not only the person involved in the torture act that is held accountable, it is also the political responsibility of the leader of this person.

“The leader is held accountable if he knew about the torture, if he did not take the necessary actions to guarantee it will not be repeated again, and if he did not take the necessary action to penalize the person who did.”

With crimes against humanity, Dr. Basyouni explained, the situation is a bit different because the crime is in this case committed on a systematic and regular basis and towards a particular political goal.

He also stressed that nobody is above the law regardless of their status or profession. He cited the example of doctors who are not allowed to engage in political activities inside the hospitals where they work and that therefore they should be penalized in case of doing so.

Regarding the right to freedom of expression and protesting, Dr. Basyouni pointed out that protests which inflict damage upon public welfare are against the law.

“It is unacceptable that protestors destroy cars or houses and violate the rights of others. In this case, protests become illegal.”

When asked about the complaints that cite torture cases and the level of their credibility, Dr. Basyouni said that investigators and police officers have the expertise that allows them to distinguish between genuine and fabricated complaints.

“Plus, anybody who submits a complaint should have proof so if somebody says he was tortured and there are no signs of torture on his body or no witnesses to the torture, the complaint will not be accepted.”

Dr. Basyouni added that the credibility of complaints is raised when several complaints from different places have the same content.

“This is much different from receiving one single compliment from one single person.”

(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid) …source

Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, “are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Murder; extermination; torture; rape; political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. … wiki

After riots, Britain to push for change in European Convention on Human Rights
REUTERS – Monday 15 August 2011 – By RFI

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday that the UK would use its current chairmanship of the Council of Europe to try to push through changes in the European Convention of Human Rights. Cameron claimed the convention had “undermined personal responsibility”, in a speech which focused on what he sees as the underlying causes of last week’s riots in Britain.

Addressing an audience at a youth club in Witney in southern England, Cameron pledged to reverse what he called a “slow motion moral collapse”, which he blames for last week’s riots in which five people died.

“This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face,” Cameron declared.

The Conservative leader has long preached of a need to re inforce values such as social responsibility, and Britain’s worst civil disorder for decades has led him to return to a favourite theme.

Children as young as 11 joined a four-night spree of looting and arson which began on 6 August in North London and spread throughout the capital and to other English cities, tarnishing Britain’s image just a year before it hosts the 2012 Olympic Games. …more

GCIV, Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.

British Leader Seeks Public Housing Evictions for Rioters and Their Families
By JOHN F. BURNS – NYT – Published: August 12, 2011

LONDON — As Britain begins to weigh the costs of the rioting of recent days and ponder measures to prevent a recurrence, the government of Prime Minister David Cameron put forward on Friday a new way of punishing the looters and vandals who rampaged through many of the country’s cities and towns: kick them and their families out of their government-subsidized homes.

If carried out on the scale Mr. Cameron and his ministers have proposed, the measure would probably be the most punitive of the sanctions that they have said would be considered in response to the worst civil disorder in a generation. More than 10 million Britons, about one in six, live in public housing.

Mr. Cameron took to the television studios on Friday, the third consecutive day of calm after the days of chaos that began last weekend, to broaden the “fightback” he has declared against the rioters, and against those who have argued that the blame should rest less with the rioters than with the abject social conditions in the neighborhoods from which many of them came.

He has described the rioting as “criminality, pure and simple,” with no excuse in social deprivation, and laid out a controversial plan to make much broader use of existing powers to expel not only the rioters but also their families from the free or rent-subsidized accommodations that provide millions with cradle-to-grave homes.

“For too long we’ve taken too soft an attitude towards people that loot and pillage their own community,” Mr. Cameron told a BBC interviewer. “If you do that, you should lose your right to the sort of housing that you’ve had at subsidized rates.” He added that evictions “might help break up some of the criminal networks on some housing estates if some of these people are thrown out of their houses.”

Asked whether that would render them homeless, he replied, “They should have thought of that before they started burgling.” …more

Free AlMahfoodh

Free Alkhawaja

FM affirms security is stable in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Manama, August 14 — (BNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa confirms that the security situation is stable in the Kingdom of Bahrain despite some acts being committed in breach of security and peacefulness that habitually occurred before the Feb-March 2011 incidents.

The minister in a statement published in Al-Hayat newspaper on Sunday said: “The work of independent international fact-finding commission created upon a decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain is important as Bahrain found itself in the aftermath of the incidents victim to an incorrect stereotype.” “There was need to setup a neutral body to carry out the tasks of rectification of any misdeeds,” said the minister adding: “ The recent unfortuate incidents left their impact on many Bahraini citizens.” He also pointed out: “Anyone who abstains from dialogue is mistaken as the process of dialogue should be on-going amongst members of the one family.”

The minister emphasized that the national consensus dialogue attained unanimity on many of the themes debated and even exceeded them. New powers have been vested in the House of Representatives and dialogue amongst Bahraini citizens is a non-stop process. …more

Deputy Premier lauds Bahraini people honourable stances

Manama, Aug 14 (BNA) The Deputy Premier Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa today affirmed that the people of Bahrain continues to exhibit honorable stances that is part of their culture inherited from their forefathers. He said that the people extending their hands to their Muslim brothers and their honourable national stances reflects the nature of Bahrainis.

Shaikh Ali was speaking during his receiving of senior Royal family members, senior officials, Shura and representative council members along with diplomats, journalists and religious scholars at his Ramadan majilis. The Deputy Premier exchanged with the attendees cordial talks during which he affirmed the strong and firm closely-knit family structure existing in the Bahrain community that would continue to strengthen and flourish. He also emphasized the need to utilize such religious days towards further reinforcing this cohesion that is considered a strong and vital point of Bahrain community. …more

Bahrain’s Shame
Mahmood’s Den

I love it when our enlightened officials use the severely broken record of “we’re a democracy” while they literally sign off on the destitution of their own countrymen for daring to exercise their democratic rights. To add insult to injury, even when the land’s King orders, orders their re-instatement, they completely ignore that royal order as if it’s not important and not worth of the slightest consideration. What and whom are they following exactly to be this belligerent?

So far, according to (a much rejuvenated Al-Wasat) 2,593 have been unfairly fired. I say and emphasize the word unfairly as the only reason for losing their jobs was due to their exercising of one of their basic human rights. 2,593 from 199 companies and the public sector. 1,643 from eight entities who have trampled their very own lifelines, their employees in a race the end result of which is to ensure the starvation of the largest amount of families of their compatriots as possible! Those who have excelled at this vocation are now inducted in a particular hall of shame that Bahrain will never forget. That hall of shame belongs to ALBA, Bapco, Ministry of Health, Gulf Air, Batelco, Ministry of Education, Khalifa Port and the Ministry of Municipalities all of whom account for the misery of 63% of all of those unfairly dismissed.

Put in another perspective, according to the secretary general of the Bahrain Labour Unions those despicable 199 entities are directly responsible for the hardships that 13,000 Bahrainis find themselves in with their breadwinners out of a job.

What the hell are they thinking?

Doctors, engineers, teachers, tradesmen and a plethora of other worthy individuals are out of jobs. Do those companies not have any balls whatsoever as to stand their ground and refuse to enact orders relayed by midnight callers? Ok, we know that they don’t, they’re afraid for their own positions and benefits, but why the mad chest beating rush and which-hunts? Don’t they realize the extreme damage that this situation can do to the health of their own companies? What would the remaining employees think of the company and its management? I bet that every single employee within those despicable entities cannot help but think that their own turn will come! It might not be for the same reasons, but if they see that other employees are so summarily and unfairly dumped, regardless of their length of service nor their deserved excellent local and international reputations, how easy would it be to dispense with them too? And for whatever infantile and ludicrous reason?

For those who are dancing on their co-workers’ graves, those who snitched, poked and stabbed their own brothers and sisters to be put in the literal firing line, where is your humanity? Where is your dignity? Where is your self-worth?

13,000 of my countrymen are at the risk of missed opportunities and continuous nightmares for doing nothing but expressing their views.

Know this; though, I bet that when they get used to the nightmares they will turn into a more belligerent and more extreme force that might very well rock the country, even more than what it’s at now, and those 199 entities as well as the government who is complicit in this, are directly responsible for this phenomenon. So thank you for destroying yet another generation.

What’s to be done, then? Like other great events in history, this is the time for a brave and responsible man to stand and take the helm. That man should not wait it out, because time now is the mortal enemy. The future of this country and its people are hanging in the balance and only strong, just and resolute decisions will rescue this country from the brink. This is where actual and much needed political, financial, labour, education and societal reform starts. And they all need a strong man with vision who is not afraid to step up on deck and take the helm in story seas. That journey is long and hard and won’t resolve overnight. But the country and its future children deserve the trouble.

To those 199 entities and the witch hunters. Your legacy will be shame, and you will be forgotten. Parasites that you are. …see charts more…