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

IFEX calls on Bahrain’s rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves

28 June 2011
(IFEX) – The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) is deeply alarmed at the recent life sentences given to eight Bahraini human rights and political activists and bloggers, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a founder and former head of IFEX member group the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and renowned blogger and activist Abduljalil Al-Singace. The two men were given life sentences on 22 June by a military court, which found them guilty of plotting a coup against the government during two months of unrest earlier this year. Another 13 protesters were sentenced to between two and 15 years in jail. They include blogger Ali Abdul Imam of popular news portal Bahrain Online, who was sentenced to 15 years, among seven people charged in absentia.

Other journalists are in jail or in hiding or facing charges, simply for reporting the news. A brave young woman, poet Ayat Al Cormozy, was sentenced to one year in prison on 12 April for reading poems at a demonstration. (Read her poems posted by PEN International in a take action. Numerous websites have been blocked and independent newspapers have been penalised, notably through charges facing Mansoor Al-Jamri, chief editor of “Al Wasat”, and editors Walid Nuwayhid and Akil Mirza, all accused of “publishing fabricated news and made up stories . . . that may harm public safety and national interests.” Two journalists have died in prison, likely as a result of torture.

IFEX once again expresses support to our member and partners in Bahrain, particularly those who have been sentenced to life in prison for expressing themselves during protests in favour of democracy in Bahrain. All were sentenced during special military court proceedings, which do not comply with international standards of law. IFEX members have recorded numerous incidents of torture in Bahraini prisons. Al-Khawaja was taken to the Bahrain Defense Force hospital as a result of beatings he received after his sentence was pronounced. (The appeal is scheduled for 29 June.) …more

Bahrain’s biggest Shiite party to join talks with Sunni rulers despite crackdown on dissent
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, July 1, 11:48 AM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain’s biggest Shiite bloc will join reconciliation talks with Sunni rulers despite a harsh crackdown on pro-reform protests in the Gulf kingdom, the party’s leader said Friday on the eve of the government-led dialogue.

The decision by the group, Al Wefaq, lends important credibility to the U.S.-encouraged talks after more than four months of Shiite-led protests for greater rights and harsh crackdowns. But Wefaq also could bring divisions within Bahrain’s Shiite majority as many insist that negotiations are futile until the government frees detainees and halts trials links to the protests.

Washington has strongly pushed for talks between the opposition and the rulers in the strategic island nation, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The Sunni monarchy has made concessions in advance of the so-called “national dialogue” set to begin Saturday, including sanctioning an international investigation that will include probes into the conduct of security forces.

But the government has not relented on opposition demands to free all detainees and clear others convicted of protest-linked charges, including eight activists sentenced to life in prison last month.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain’s 525,000 people, but claim they face systematic discrimination such as being blocked from top government and political posts.

The head of Wefaq, Sheik Ali Salman, said delegates from his group will join the talks but will stick to its calls to loosen the Sunni monarchy’s grip on power.

“We are heading to the talks, but we will not give up our demand for a government that represents the will of the people,” Salman told thousands of supporters during a rally in Diraz, an opposition stronghold northwest of the capital Manama. …more

Bahrain to citizens living abroad: Spy on countrymen, no protests permitted
Gulf kingdom’s alleged campaign of intimidation extends thousands of miles beyond its borders

LONDON — Bahrainis living abroad have been ordered to spy on their countrymen in the wake of a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

Documents containing “loyalty pledges” — which also require expats to promise they will not protest against the tiny Gulf state’s government — have been sent to students attending university in the U.K.

Some Bahrainis told msnbc.com that they feel abandoned by Western leaders in the face of an alleged campaign of intimidation that extends far beyond the country’s borders.

Human Rights First Applauds President Obama’s Nomination of a U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2011

Washington, D.C.— Human Rights First applauds President Obama’s nomination of an ambassador to Bahrain. This has been a critical request from the Bahraini human rights community since the absence of a high level diplomatic envoy from the United States has hampered the USG’s ability to address the ongoing crackdown against human rights defenders in the home of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

President Obama announced Tuesday the nomination of Thomas C. Krajeski as ambassador to Bahrain. “This nomination satisfies a major demand of the human rights community by adding accountability and weight to U.S. foreign policy-making in Bahrain,” said Human Rights First’s Quinn O’Keefe.

The President’s announcement is especially important on the eve of a national dialogue that many in the human rights community doubt will be real and productive.

“The Bahraini government’s continuing violent attacks on peaceful protesters and its intimidation and detention of human rights defenders call into question the Bahraini government’s good faith,” added O’Keefe. “As President Obama said in his May 19th speech on the Arab Spring, Bahrain cannot have a real dialogue if the opposition is in jail.” …more

Criminalising Palestinian solidarity
by News Source on July 1, 2011
Maureen Murphy writes:

The United States government has criminalised the Palestinian people, and now it is increasingly treating US citizens who stand in solidarity with Palestine as criminals as well – including those courageously putting their lives on the line to break the siege on Gaza.

I am a Palestine solidarity activist in the US, and one of 23 US citizens who have been issued with a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury as part of what the government has said is an investigation into violations of the laws banning material support to foreign “terrorist organisations”.

None of us have given money or weapons to any group on the State Department’s foreign terrorist organisation list. But what many of us have done is participate in or help organise educational trips to meet with Palestinians and Colombians resisting the US-funded military regimes they live under.

The goal of these trips is to learn about the human rights violations happening in these places and to bring those stories back home to the US, to educate people and to organise to change US foreign policy for the better.

Travel for such purposes should be protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But a year ago the US Supreme Court decided in Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project to dramatically expand the government’s definition of what constitutes material support for a foreign terrorist organisation.

Now the government considers travel to places like the West Bank and Colombia to be a predicate or justification for opening up an investigation and issuing search warrants to raid activists’ homes and seize their belongings. Political speech if made in a “coordinated way” can be construed as material support. …source

Clinton: Democracy must emerge in Arab world
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warns of risk Middle East and North African nations will slip back into autocratic ways.
By The Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that the rule of law, political parties and democratic institutions must emerge in the Arab world if it is to emulate Eastern Europe’s remarkable transition two decades ago from authoritarianism to truly free societies.

In Lithuania for an international democracy conference, Clinton cited the real risk of Middle East and North African nations slipping back into autocratic old ways. She lamented the latest accounts of violence in Syria, with security forces and knife-wielding, government-organized thugs reportedly attacking protesters in the city of Aleppo.

“Today there are new democracies fighting for life, there are vicious autocrats clinging to power,” Clinton said in a speech at the “Community of Democracies” meeting. “This is an hour of need. And every democracy should stand up and be counted.” …more

Greece halts US Boat’s bid for Gaza
Published today (updated) 01/07/2011 21:58

ATHENS, Greece (Ma’an) — The US Boat to Gaza left the Athens Port at 4:50 p.m. on Friday, expecting to be stopped by Greek authorities in the country’s coastal waters on its way to meet a French ship that had already left port.

Shortly after it sailed the US boat was intercepted by Greek officials, at the same time organizers of the Canadian boat to Gaza said the coastguard surrounded their vessel and prevented it from leaving.

At sea, the US ship attempted to secure passage through coastguard ships – one with armed soldiers aboard – which demanded it return, following the passage of a decision by the Greek Cabinet that afternoon, which according to organizers mandated that “no boat will sail for the Gaza Strip from Greece.”

“The Greeks declared that there would be no boats leaving from Greece to Gaza, no boats at all,” organizer Ann Wright told reporters as the ship was being escorted back to shore, where coastguard officials said the activists would not likely be arrested, but were being kept on board the vessel.

“If we did not comply with what we said they would board us,” she said, confirming that the decision to turn around was made by the captain and seconded by organizers. …more

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Leonard Peltier ‘Take your place in the struggle’
Today: Oglala Commemoration, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
June 26, 2011 Censored News

By Leonard Peltier

Hello my friends and relations,

I always try to come to you full of good spirit and vigor. But I cannot lie. There are days when the ugliness of my situation weighs me down. I swear I never thought this could happen. I never believed law enforcement and the government of this country would go so far for so long to keep their dirty laundry hidden away.

Over the years, you my dedicated friends and believers have kept a vision of justice alive. That really is something special. Because of you, we have learned of hidden evidence, coerced testimony, and outright lies by the FBI and prosecutors. Because of you we have been able to uncover thousands of documents the government wanted to stay secret. And yet they
have been able to squirrel away thousands more pages of their biggest secrets about me, about the theft of Indian land, their motives behind murder, and their operations to silence people like me. I am living proof that my case is about squashing Indian rights and Indian sovereignty, otherwise why would I be serving a sentence so much longer than what is
normal for my so-called conviction?

Those that believe in law and order should be the loudest voices calling for my release! The fact is the day I walk free is the day they are forced to deal with my innocence, and they are so very afraid of doing just that! No matter what they say, the dirty little secret underneath all of this is America’s fear and loathing of Indian people. In over five hundred years, they have not yet learned how to deal honorably with us. …more

One dies in fresh Bahraini clashes
By shiapost – July 1, 2011Posted in: Bahrain

As anti-regime demonstrations continue in Bahrain, one protestor has died of injuries on his head sustained by a stun-bomb thrown by the regime’s security forces.

Thousands of protesters marched in streets across the country on Friday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Protesters renewed their call for an end to the Al Khalifa regime. They also demanded the release of all detained protesters, activists and opposition leaders.

Security forces of the Saudi-backed regime responded with tear gas and stun grenades, according to some activists.

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

In March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have deployed some 1,500 military forces to Bahrain to help the government crush the nationwide protests. Yet, the protests have only grown more popular. …more

Disturbing wave of prosecutions on eve of national dialogue
Published on Thursday 30 June 2011.

Reporters Without Borders accuses the authorities of continuing to crack down on journalists and media freedom in violation of the spirit for the national dialogue that King Hamad Ben Issa Al-Khalifa wants to begin tomorrow with the aim of relaunching political reforms after the unrest that began last March and the ensuing repression.

Journalists and media are still being prosecuted before military courts, although the state of emergency was lifted on 1 June. The authorities are also maintaining strict control over the circulation of news and information and are pumping out propaganda aimed at both Bahraini and foreign media.

Reporters Without Borders calls for a response from the international community that includes the dispatch of a United Nations special rapporteur to Bahrain.

Bahrain Society of Photography president Mohamed Salman Al-Sheikh, a freelance photographer who was arrested on 11 May, was brought before a military court in Riffa, the second largest city, on 28 June. His family was not told about at the hearing and therefore was unable to organize his defence. No information has been released about the charges being pressed against this journalist, who has won many international awards. …more

Tensions high as Bahrain dialogue looms
By Reed Stevenson and Erika Solomon

MANAMA/DUBAI | Fri Jul 1, 2011 12:56pm EDT

MANAMA/DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahrain launches a national dialogue Saturday but many in the Shi’ite majority doubt the ruling Sunni monarchy will offer the concessions that could heal wounds caused by a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The kingdom, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has accused its mostly Shi’ite protesters of a sectarian agenda backed from non-Arab Shi’ite power Iran, across Gulf waters.

In March, Bahrain’s Sunni rulers imposed emergency law, inviting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send troops, and tanks rolled into the island as local forces cleared the streets of protesters, arresting hundreds of people.

Inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that toppled rulers in those countries, Bahrain’s Shi’ites called for a greater say in government and an end to what they say was systematic discrimination in access to jobs and social services. …more

U.S. ends most CIA abuse cases, to probe two deaths
By James Vicini

WASHINGTON | Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:00pm EDT

(Reuters) – A prosecutor will conduct a full criminal investigation into the CIA’s handling of two prisoners who died in U.S. custody, but about 100 other cases of alleged mistreatment by the CIA were closed, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday.

Holder said he accepted the recommendations from Justice Department prosecutor John Durham, who has been conducting an inquiry into harsh CIA interrogation practices of terrorism suspects during George W. Bush’s presidency.

Holder said Durham examined possible CIA prisoner abuses in the interrogation of 101 prisoners in U.S. custody after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and determined that only the two deaths required further criminal investigation.

Holder in his statement did not give details about the two individuals who died in U.S. custody.

But a U.S. official said one case involved the 2003 death of a prisoner, Manadel al-Jamadi, at the Abu Grab prison in Iraq while the other case involved the 2002 death of an Afghan, Gul Rahman, at a secret CIA prison, known as the Salt Pit, north of Kabul in Afghanistan. He froze to death.

The Bush administration came under widespread criticism from human rights groups, lawmakers and some U.S. allies for mistreatment and abuse of prisoners after September 11, including harsh interrogations and waterboarding of terrorism suspects. …more

cb editorial note: …in this ruse I again liken King Hamad to the wife abuser. King Hamad, the al Khalifa regime, have hand picked a committee that might possibly have the courage to tell the al Khalifas they are ill and abusive. Nonetheless the committee will also grant the al Khalifa’s a free pass through their participation in an orchestral charade of blaming the victims. By al Khalifa’s design the committee will reinforce their own phobias and preconceptions of the demons by which they prejudice al Khalifa’s victims. Since this will occur under the guise of “fair and impartial” which grants the committee a “critical voice”, it will appease the international community as it has already received their “blessing”. The committee has no prosecutorial powers and it’s only real accountable seems to be to the al Khalifia’s. The committee has no accountability to an independent judiciary, to the people of Bahrain or to the international community that is to be entertained by the charade. Theirs will be a duplicitous investigation into accusatory sides rendering prejudicial judgement of no means.

Al Khalifa will exploit a “fifty/fifty” blame game with the committee assuming the role of “idiot counselor” that promotes a bogus reconciliation of the select elements that have been purchased by the so called “national dialogue”. This is the systematic equivalent of the “Stepford Wives”, a fiction on social engineering where the wives’ undesirable “elements” have been removed, making it possible for “everyone” to return to a “desired normal”, which in the committee’s case includes a complicit international community that could have effectively checked the brutality of the al Khalifa’s. This is a process of convenience for the leadership in the West that are under pressure to stop the abusive husband. The process will be complete when their polling at home indicates the placation was sufficient so reelection bids and popularity positions can again proceed unchecked by the demand for Human Rights protection and justice for the people of Bahrain.

The notable difference in today’s Bahrain is it’s people have grown through education and sophistication through deployment of technology. The decades old cycle of al Khalifa’s brutal repression, sanctioned by the West, can no longer be hidden and is now put in full view for all the world to see by a well connected and well informed underclass of opposition. Yes indeed, The WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING and the truth of the evils of al Khalifa can no longer hide and be pushed into the closet. This is a frightful and inconvenient truth for the West. The dreams and desires of Bahrain’s people now exceed the bounds of the al Khalifa table of lies and rhetoric of reform. And it seems the West stuck in it usual structural ineptability will entertain al Khalifa’s folly as the Bahraini people rise up to seize the future denied them with resounding echoes of their long repressed cries for justice and freedom.

Finally, as al Khalifa’s systematic disease is allowed to continue unabated by the West, the hour is fast approaching where all must ponder the consequence of a revolution on scale of impact with 1979 Iran. Surely this possibility looms on a near horizon – it will be the catastrophic abandonment of hope preached by the Western powers, specifically President Obama, as the West continues to ally it’s self with the al Khalifa’s .

Relevant News Story Below

International panel to probe uprising in Bahrain
By Reed Stevenson

MANAMA | Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:37pm EDT

(Reuters) – The international committee investigating violent protests in Bahrain this year will be given access to official files and be able to meet witnesses in secret, the panel’s chair said on Thursday.

The five-member panel of human rights and legal experts, unveiled ahead of a national dialogue set to start on Saturday, is part of Bahrain’s efforts to restore its image after its Sunni rulers cracked down on demonstrations led mostly by the Shi’ite majority in February and March.

“We will ask for files, we will go to the prisons,” said panel chairman Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian-American law professor and U.N. war crimes expert who was involved in the formation of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) and recently headed a U.N. inquiry into events in Libya.

“This is no different from any criminal investigation,” he told reporters in Manama, blocks away from where protesters had taken to the streets. ...more

UN rights chief trusts Bahrain probe to meet standards
(AFP) – 10 hours ago

GENEVA — The UN’s human rights chief welcomed Thursday Bahrain’s move to launch an independent probe of recent unrest and said she was confident it would meet international standards.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also revealed she had held back an assessment mission to the country at the King of Bahrain’s request, “because I always encourage credible national investigations.”

Bahrain on Thursday appointed a five-man panel to investigate the bloody unrest that erupted during anti-regime protests in February and March.

Pillay noted that two members of the panel — Mahmud Sharif Bassiouni and Philip Kirsch — were also part of the inquiry commission ordered by the Human Rights Council on violations in Libya.

“I would trust those individuals, their knowledge of justice and international law to carry out an investigation, in terms of acceptable international standards,” she said.

“They are highly respected individuals and I would prefer then to see the outcomes of the investigations” before sending in her own assessment team, she added.

Kirsch is a Canadian lawyer and former president of the International Criminal Court.

Bassiouni, who is leading the Bahrain probe, chaired the UN Security Council’s commission to investigate war crimes in the former Yugoslavia in 1992 to 1994. …more

Bahrain riot police fire tear gas at protesters
BARBARA SURK, Associated Press
Updated 12:32 p.m., Thursday, June 30, 2011

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades Thursday to disperse thousands of opposition supporters gathered near the square that was the epicenter of the nation’s Shiite-led demonstrations earlier this year, an activist said.

The violence is a setback to efforts by the tiny island’s Sunni rulers trying to open reconciliation talks with the Shiite opposition in the Gulf kingdom.

Activist Nabeel Rajab said the protesters at Manama’s Pearl Square chanted: “Down, down Hamad” — a reference to the Bahraini monarch. They also demanded that all demonstrators, opposition leaders and activists, detained during the deadly crackdown on the Shiite-led campaign for political freedom and greater rights, be released.

No injuries were immediately reported during Thursday’s demonstration.

The violence came a day after Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced the creation of an independent commission that will investigate allegations that protesters’ rights were violated during the anti-government demonstrations that erupted in February.

The announcement was an apparent effort by the Sunni monarch to draw opposition groups into the government-sponsored talks, set to begin on Saturday.

Washington has encouraged dialogue in the island nation, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and had urged the monarchy to meet some of the opposition’s demands. …more

Ongoing Abuses in Bahrain Delegitimize Upcoming National Dialogue
Washington June 28, 2011

With Bahrain’s national dialogue fast approaching, Freedom House expresses its deep concern about the ongoing arrests, intimidation, and in some cases torture of political activists speaking out in favor of democracy. These incidents constitute a pattern of repression that belies any promises of reform and honest political discourse by the government or the ruling family.
“By continuing to proceed with hasty prosecutions in military courts of leading opposition political figures and pro-democracy activists, the Bahraini government is in effect removing its political competition,” said Charles Dunne, Freedom House’s senior program manager for the Middle East and North Africa. “These actions strongly suggest that the National Dialogue will not be an opportunity to advance political freedom in Bahrain, but rather a ploy to prevent criticism of its human rights record.”

Bahrain’s National Dialogue is scheduled to begin on July 1 in Manama. However, hundreds of Shi’ite political leaders are currently languishing in prison and the largest opposition bloc, led by political party Wefaq, has not confirmed its participation.
On June 22, a military court convicted eight Shi’ite activists for plotting to overthrow the monarchy and sentenced them to life in prison. Thirteen other activists were also convicted of the same charges and received harsh sentences ranging from five to 15 years in prison. Many of those sentenced were prominent political and human rights figures, including Hassan Mushaima, leader of the opposition Haq Movement, human rights activist Abdul Jalil al-Singace, and Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, co-founder and former president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Ibrahim Sharif, leader of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad) was the only Sunni convicted. He received a sentence of five years. …more

Twitter round up at 5:30PM

-The protest planned for 5pm today in Jidhafs is titled “March for Self-Determination”

– Large number of participants coming near to the place

– Being attacked with tear gas and sound bombs now

Please listen to us Mr. President
June 29th, 2011
Dear Mr. Obama,

Amal Society would like to express gratitude to all the efforts the U.S. is trying to push the process of a serious dialogue in Bahrain. Amal has always been one of the first to call for dialogues with the Bahraini government for the last ten years, and we have been calling for constant reforms that help maintain national security and stability in Bahrain. We want to help and encourage a serious national dialogue for a better Bahrain for all Bahrainis, where the constitution and the law are above all. The American constitution is one of our most important resources that we rely on in our dialogue, and we opt to create a great Bill of Rights which guarantees dignity and freedom for all Bahrain, regardless to ethnicity, sex, religion, and race.

However, more than 50 members, including the Chairman, of Amal have been arrested after several night raids to their families’ houses. Amal would like to express deep concern over the health and safety of the members, especially the Chairman, Sheikh Mohammed Ali Almahfoodh. Almahfoodh has been put in a private cell for 46 days, and he has been severely tortured. Therefore, his safety and health are a huge responsibility for the U.S. since the U.S. is spreading peace and democracy in the Middle East.

Amal members and the Chairman are facing false charges because Bahrain’s constitution believes in the freedom of speech and opinion. However they are facing charges that might lead to life sentence or 15 years in prison. These charges are purely political flavored like most charges other politicians faced.

Amal is the second Shiite society in Bahrain, and it is one of the most important parties in the national dialogue taking place recently. How can we participate in such a dialogue if our Chairman and more than half of our Chairman’s office and executive committee are behind the bars? We wonder how this stand could be understood in relation to your speech, Mr. President, on May 19th. What Amal understands, is that throughout the last ten years, we have been peaceful in all our moves. Amal is registered officially under the law of societies in Bahrain, and hence it represents a party of the legitimate opposition mentioned in the famous speech. Amal society was an important player in the meetings concerning the dialogue led by the Crown Prince, and we had our own vision about it. We still support a serious meaningful dialogue that achieves stability and security in the country; and our opinions and stands did not change, but how can we participate without our chairman and decision makers of the society?

Dear Mr. President,

Amal Society writes this letter and we are full of confidence that your administration encourages the participation of all the legitimate opposition and societies, and our society is not an exception. We are full of hope that your administration cannot be passive or silent when a whole society is tortured and put on military trials for no just reason. We are looking forward to participate on one table to save the country and help pass it on to a safe environment, full of love, peace and prosperity.

Sincerely,
Office of Amal Society Chairman
Bahrain

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the ongoing arbitrary detention and judicial harassment against Mr. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, former MENA Director at Front Line and former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), as well as about the alleged acts of torture and ill-treatment perpetrated against him.

New information:

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Bahrain.

According to the information received, on June 22, 2011, Mr. Al Khawaja was sentenced to life in prison for “organising and managing a terrorist organisation”, “attempt to overthrow the Government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country” and the “collection of money for a terrorist group”, together with 20 other political and human rights activists by the National Security Court of Bahrain[1].

Following the reading of the verdict, Mr. Al Khawaja shouted that he “shall continue on the path of peaceful resistance” and was then beaten severely by court officers, mostly to his face that is still healing from other fractures. Later, Mr. Al Khawaja was allegedly brought to the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital, as a result of these severe beatings. As of today, the family of Mr. Al Khawaja, who is detained in Gurain prison, has received no information regarding his current health condition.

After the reading of the verdict, Mr. Al Khawaja appealed against the decision. The appeal, initially scheduled at the beginning of July, will finally take place on June 29, 2011, seven days after the initial verdict.

The Observatory recalls that Mr. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was brutally arrested on April 9, 2011, and witnesses present during his arrest declared that he was taken unconscious after having been violently beaten (See background information). …more

Bahrain:21 activists, appeal hearing was adjourned to 11 September
June 29th, 2011 – BYSHR

Today ( 29th of June 2011), Appeal hearing for 21 defendants “opposition leaders and human rights activists”
Military Court judge decided to postpone the hearing to 11th September 2011 for the pleading.
On the 22th of June 2011, Military Court judge issued a sentence on 21 defendants:

1-Abdulwahab Hussain Ali ( life sentence imprisonment)
2-Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem Mossa ( 5 Years imprisonment)
3-Hassan Ali Mushaima.( life sentence imprisonment)
4-Abdulhadi Al Khawaja ( life sentence imprisonment)
5-Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace.( life sentence imprisonment)
6-Mohammed Habib Al Safaf. ( Mohammed Habib Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
7-Saeed Mirza Ahmed. ( Saeed AlNouri) ( life sentence imprisonment)
8-Abduljalil Mansoor Makk. (Abdul Jalil Miqdad) ( life sentence imprisonment)
9-Al Hurra Yousif Mohammed.( 2 Years imprisonment)
10-Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos.( 5 years imprisonment)
11-Salah Hubail Al Khawaj.( 5 years imprisonment)
12-Mohammed Hassan Jawad.( 15 years imprisonment)
13-Mohammed Ali Ismael. ( 15 years imprisonment))
14-Abdul Hadi Abdullah Mahdi Hassan ( Abdulhadi AlMukhodher) ( 15 years imprisonment)

Defendants ( not being arrested yet) :

15-Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh.( 15 years imprisonment)
16-Ali Hassan Abdullah.( Ali Abdulemam) ( 15 years imprisonment)
17-Abdulghani Ali Khanjar.( 15 years imprisonment)
18-Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab.( life sentence imprisonment)
19-Abdulraoof Al Shayeb.( 15 years imprisonment)
20-Abbas Al Omran.( 15 years imprisonment)
21-Ali Hassan Mushaima.( 15 years imprisonment)

Attached information about the Defendants – Click Here

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) has issued list of charges and articles (click here) used by the military prosecutor to prosecute 21 opposition leaders and human rights defenders. …more

By Alex June 29, 2011 Category: Bahrain, Featured, Government
Bahraini King Announces Royal Investigation, Committee

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain issued a royal decree (text) today establishing a committee to investigate the”incidents that happened in the kingdom in February and March.” The members of the committee are:

* (Chair) Professor Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni: a research professor of law emeritus at DePaul University College of Law and president emeritus of the law school’s International Human Rights Law Institute
* Judge Phillipe Kirsch: a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was the Chairman of the committee that established the ICC
* Sir Nigel Rodley: a Professor of Law and Chair of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Exeter, U.K. and member of the U.N. Human Rights Committee
* Dr Mahnoush Arsanjani: a current member, and former Executive Council member, of the American Society for International Law, she has served in the Office of Legal Affairs at the United Nations
* Dr Badria Al-Awadhi: an International and Shari’a legal expert, and current director of the Arab Regional Center for Environmental Law (ARCEL)
…more

Postponement of Appeals Undermines National Dialogue
For Immediate Release: June 29, 2011

Washington, D.C.— The Bahraini military court’s decision to postpone the appeals of 21 dissidents to overturn the sentences handed down to them last week undermines prospects for a successful national dialogue, said Human Rights First.

“The government claims it’s starting a process of reconciliation while keeping human rights activists and credible opposition figures in prison,” said Brian Dooley of HRF. “There are real fears among activists in Bahrain that this process of dialogue is a sham to fool the international community. Today’s postponement fuels those fears.”

One of the defendants, prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, was reportedly hospitalized due to the beatings he received in custody after his sentence was read out on June 22. As the dialogue opens in July, mass trials of doctors, nurses and others accused by the authorities of trying to overthrow the government are set to continue. Defendants have not had proper access to lawyers, defense statements have not been accepted by the judges, and widespread and credible reports of torture of detainees continue to emerge.

President Obama warned Bahrain in his May 19 Middle East speech that “you can’t have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail,” but that is what’s happening. …more