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

Bahrain protesters promise ‘Day of Rage’ as drivers want safety assurances

By now everyone’s moved on from Formula 1′s decision to return to Bahrain this season, right?

Umm… not quite. Protesters in the country are promising a “Day of Rage” on October 30. Rubens Barrichello, the head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, is saying that the F1 drivers are going to need some serious assurances they will be OK. And British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says the sport may have “a disaster on its hands.”

And some of the reports I’m seeing are now questioning that “unanimous” vote of the World Motor Sport Council. No one seems able to present an actual count of those votes. An FIA spokesman has been unable to give just a basic tally.

Let loose the conspiracy theories of F1!

(Fun side note: Do you know who owns 30% of Nicolas Todt’s, son of Jean, GP2 race team? Would you be surprised if I said, “Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa”? I didn’t think you would.)

I suspect the drivers and teams will be forced to answer the question, “Will you go to Bahrain?” more than a few times this week during Canadian press conferences. So stay tuned for that.

I wish I could determine how this is going to play out. Negative Camber’s piece pointing toward insurance and all the law-talking guys does seem one eventual path. I also wonder if the Bahrain government is not going to have to find the intestinal fortitude to call the race off — I assume that’s the best scenario for Bernie Ecclestone and F1′s owners.

You know who I really worry about from the F1 side of things? (I’m certainly concerned about the protesters and people of Bahrain.) I hate to say it, but I’m not that concerned about the drivers and team bosses. I know Jenson Button had his run-in in Brazil once, but these folks will probable be taken to the track in tanks. I wonder how the engineers and the caterers and the “regular” folks who fill out the teams will be treated. I’d think they are the ones who legitimately would be freaking out. I’d love to hear from one of them.

Go on, F1 journalists with access to the teams. Get in there and ask those people what they are thinking. That would be my first stop when I got to the Canadian GP. …source

Bahrain: Urgent Appeal: Growing violations to the University Students’ rights to education and freedom of expression
University students are being subjected to arrests and expulsions for merely expressing their political opinions

6 June 2011

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights has sent out an appeal to the Human Rights and Academics Rights organizations regarding the crackdown on the university students in Bahrain and the growing violations to their rights including right to education and freedom of expression.

Education is a right that has been reserved, protected and promoted by the United Nations. The Universal Declaration for Human Rights states, “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace” – Article 26 (B).

However, as we write this letter, students in Bahrain are being deprived of this universal right. University students are being subjected to arrests and expulsions for merely expressing their political opinions. As you may know, on February 14, Bahraini youth started a peaceful uprising calling for political reforms, freedom of speech and expression and the right to decide their own future. …more

When the chickens come home to roost
by Paris Ayiomamitis 5 Jun 2011

A DEFINING graffiti slogan of the May 1968 protests in France was “Let’s not change bosses, let’s change life”, signalling that change will only come when people change their attitudes.

The demonstrations of the indignant at Syntagma Square since May 25 could be a watershed in the country’s political history. A party- and union-dominated society has decided to break the shackles imposed by a corrupt system. This may not lead to a dramatic change in the short term. But, as with May 1968 in France – seen by many as a political failure but a social triumph – it could sow the seeds of real change at the grassroots level. Change, for the first time in Greece’s post-dictatorship period, may come, not from above, but from below.

A frequent criticism levelled against Greece in the past has been its lack of civil society. As long as a problem wasn’t in one’s own backyard, it ceased to be a real problem. Greeks protest all the time – but under union or political banners, and motivated by “selfish” criteria instead of the wider interests of society. It was never about a sense of community but the komma (political party).

People have always bemoaned corruption and the lack of meritocracy, but only over a cup of coffee rather than on the streets and at the polls. It was fashionable to mock northern Europeans as dry workaholics, contrasting them to the leisure-loving Greeks, “who know how to live life to the fullest”.

And as people were mesmerised by a false sense of prosperity – due in large part to borrowed money and a system that rewards cronyism – it is no coincidence that the same politicians get elected over and over again. As it is also no coincidence that politics in this country over the past sixty years have been dominated by three clans – the Karamanlis, Papandreou and Mitsotakis families.

The Greek comedian Harry Klynn hit the nail on the head when, back in the 1980s, he said that “Greece is a poor country with rich residents”. But now that the lenders have come knocking on the door of these “wealthy residents” – in large part due to the colossal mismanagement of the politicians they elected – Greeks have at long last decided to mobilise against the establishment that puts its own “interests” above the well-being of the electorate. And the proof of this is in the pudding. Health and education – fundamental indicators of a society’s health – are in a shambles and have been for decades, with no solution in sight.

The situation created in Greece after the fall of the military dictatorship was one in which the moral high ground went – and deservedly so – to those politicised intellectuals who fought the colonels.

But the system they created in the post-dictatorship era (Metapolitefsi) is now practically bankrupt and with it is going the romanticism surrounding the politicians involved, directly or indirectly, with the student uprising against the military junta in 1973.
[Read more →]

Wikileaks’ Julian Assange wades into superinjunctions
And accuses FBI of bribery

Julian Assange has decided to cause more waves.

The Wikileaks founder, who is currently fighting extradition to Sweden, where he has faced allegations of sexual assault, has decided to ruffle feathers by claiming that the FBI tried to bribe the organisation’s staff. That’s according to the Daily Telegraph.

He’s also waded into the controversial superinjunction world, claiming that he was prepared to reveal the names of individuals covered by these if he got hold of who was hiding behind these legal barriers.

Speaking at the Telegraph Hay Festival Mr Assange told delegates that the internet did not give people “free speech.” He said those who practised this and revealed secrets online were “hounded from one end of the earth to the other”.

He said that his much famed whistle blowing organisation had been at the forefront of a range of challenges including ones from the FBI, which had moved in to tempt his staff to talk with a range of bribes. …more

Israel fires on pro-Palestinian protesters; 20 reported killed
Hundreds of demonstrators marking the anniversary of Israel’s seizure of the Golan Heights in 1967 rush over Syria’s border. Scores remain camped out in the mine-laden buffer zone, refusing to leave.
Golan Heights

June 6, 2011
Reporting from Jerusalem—

Israeli security forces opened fire Sunday on throngs of pro-Palestinian protesters who were attempting to breach the border by crossing from Syria into the Golan Heights, the second such deadly incident in less than a month.

As many as 20 protesters were killed and 270 others were wounded, according to Syria’s state-run news agency. Israeli officials said they could not confirm the casualty figures. The toll could not be independently verified.

The violence, which came during protests to mark the 44th anniversary of Israel’s capture of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East War, was the latest sign that regional unrest in the Arab world is beginning to affect Israel.

Similar protests last month left 12 people dead after Israeli and Lebanese forces fired on crowds that stormed the borders from Syria and Lebanon.

Israeli officials said Sunday that they first fired warning shots at several hundred protesters who rushed over the Syrian border and ran into a mine-laden buffer zone that separates the Golan Heights.

By Sunday night, scores of protesters remained camped along the Syrian border, refusing to leave despite tear gas volleys and periodic warning shots fired by Israeli soldiers. Many lighted bonfires and appeared to be preparing to spend the night outside. …more

Zawya
04 Jun 2011
Aid ship bound for Bahraini protesters halted by Maliki ‘at Manama’s request’

A boat carrying aid to protesters in Bahrain has been intercepted by the Iraqi coast guard and forced to return to Maaqal Port, Basra.

Organizers claim that the Bahraini Government sent a letter to the Iraqi Foreign Office threatening to attack the ship if it was allowed to enter the island state’s waters.

80 well-known Iraqi figures, including jounrnalists, doctors and activists were also on board the controversial vessel that was apparently halted on the order of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Such a demonstration of support for the protesters would be have been likely to flare the already strained relationship between the two gulf countries.

The Shia majority in Bahrain began protesting at the end of February demanding reform. They were met with violent repression from the Sunny authorities that has garnered international condemnation. When the Shia dominated Iraqi Government added its voice of criticism, relations with Manama hit an all time low.

‘Actions justified’

The Spokesperson for the head of the National Congress Ahmad Shalabi, the main organizer of the project, said that Baghdad’s bowing to pressure from Bahrain was unjustified.

“Our foreign policies should not be based on pressure from other governments, but rather on the needs of the people. We are waiting for a proper account of why it was stopped form the Office of the General Commander of the Armed Forces.”

The Foreign Relations Committee was full of praise for Maliki’s decision, saying that the ship was stopped because organizers it hadn’t obtained the legal permission to sail to Bahrain.

“Of course we have to act in our countries national interests,” said spokesperson, Hassan al-Shweired, “but we have do so within standards that do not intersect with the international covenants and cannot considered as intervention in the internal affairs of another country.” …source

Two new martyrs as Formula 1 advised to boycott Bahrain
Bahrain Freedom Movement – 03/06/2011 – 6:41 p | Hits: 446

Two Bahrainis were martyred today and yesterday as a result of the barbarity of the Al Khalifa. This morning the martyrdom of Salman Abu Idris, 63, was confirmed, two and a half months after he had been shot in the head with a live bullet. He has remained in critical condition ever since as the Al Khalifa and Saudi occupiers continued to unleash their terror on Bahrainis.

Yesterday a young Bahraini woman was martyred when she was hit with excessive amounts of tear gas. Zainab Al Tajir (Hajja Umm Saeed) was exposed to this lethal chemical weapon in Sanabis as the town was attacked by the Saudi-Al Khalifa forces in a futile attempt to stop the protest of Bahrainis against the occupation, repression and dictatorship. Today, her body was buried in a massive funeral attended by hundreds of people, outraged by the continuing suppression of public protest.

These two martyrs have been added to more than 30 others who had been killed by the joint Saudi-Al Khalifa forces. The people have only become more blunt in their defiance of this unholy alliance and are more determined to rid the country of this evil. Fear has now disappeared from the hearts and minds of the Bahrainis.

The 14th February Youth had called for a massive return to the protests on 1st June when the martial law was due to be lifted. Despite the Al Khalifa violence against Bahrainis, the people’s determination and zeal have never diminished. They responded positively to the call and demonstrations were held in many towns and villages. Manama has remained under siege to prevent the takeover of the Pearl Square which had been the birthplace of the largest ever revolution in Bahrain’s history.

This morning the funeral procession of the woman martyr was attacked by the regime’s Death Squads and scores of people were injured, some severely. The injured were taken to makeshift clinics organized by the people as the main Salmaniya hospital remains under the Saudi-Al Khalifa occupiers. The funeral procession was both massive and impressive with people chanting anti-regime slogans and calling for an end to the Al Khalifa rule. Following the attack on the funeral procession the people of Sitra went on a spontaneous demonstration in support of people of Sanabis who were attacked by the Thugs of the regime. Several demonstrations were held in the past two days in: Dair, Bani Jamra, Karzakkan, Sitra, Musalla and other places. More injuries were reported. …more

Bahrain: The Medical staff are facing 12 charges tomorrow before a military court
June 5th, 2011

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is deeply concerned about trial at least 47 Medical staff before a military court (National Safety court)

Today ( 5 June, 2011 ), Medical Doctors court hearing is adjourned till tomorrow ( 6 June 2011 ) (Ref:http://byshr.org/?p=558)

The recently released doctors were asked to go to the office of Criminal Investigation tomorrow at 6:30 am and then transferred together- along with the medical staff, which are still in custody – to the military court.

Bahraini authorities announced: 24 Doctors and 23 Nurses will facing the charges.

On 3 May 2011 , Bahraini authorities announced charges against the medical staff:

1. The inexcusable refrain from aiding people.
2.The embezzlement of public funds.
3.physical assault on other.
4. Assault leading to death.
5.The possession of unlicensed weapons and ammunition.
6. Refraining from carrying out their employment duties, in aims of hindering medical work, consequently endangering people’s health and lives.
7. The attempt of forcefully occupying a public building.
8.Promotion to bring down and change the regime by illegal means.
9. Accused of inciting hatred against the governing regime.
10.Promoting sectarian hate.
11.Spreading false news and rumours that harm the public interest.
12.Participating in unlicensed protests and rallies.

Note: Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, had translation of the charges from Arabic into English.Terms may not be (legal terms)

An official document certified that the transfer of medical equipment from the Salmaniya Hospital was done legally ( Ref:http://byshr.org/?p=493)

Jun 6, 2011
Bahrain police clash with Shi’ite religious marchers

MANAMA – BAHRAINI police clashed with Shi’ite marchers in a religious festival late on Sunday, less than a week after the Gulf kingdom repealed an emergency law that quashed weeks of protests.

Residents and leading Shi’ite opposition group Wefaq said police used tear gas, rubber bullets, sound grenades and birdshot to break up marches in several Shi’ite villages around the capital Manama.

Some of the gatherings were purely religious, residents said, while others took on a political tone as marchers shouted’Down, down (King) Hamad’ and ‘The people want the fall of the regime.’ Residents said several people were wounded in the village of Sitra, and a house had been set ablaze as clashes there continued.

‘We condemn this attack, this kind of attack will make the situation even worse,’ said Mr Sayyed Hady, of Wefaq. ‘This event is so, so normal in Bahrain, we’ve been doing it for centuries … the authorities said they won’t attack religious events, but this is what they did.’ The unrest comes just two days after the tiny island kingdom’s Formula One Grand Prix was reinstated. Its original March date had been postponed due to widespread protests at the time.

In March, Bahrain’s Sunni rulers called in troops from neighbouring Sunni led Gulf Arab countries to quash weeks of protests led mostly by members of its majority Shi’ite population who were demanding democratic reforms. Hardliners had called for a republic.

Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has said the Saudi and Emirati forces would remain in the country indefinitely to help face a perceived threat from Shi’ite Muslim power Iran, across a short stretch of water from Bahrain. — REUTERS …source

Continuing Bahraini State Terror
June 5, 2011
by Stephen Lendman

For months, Bahraini and Saudi security forces targeted nonviolent protesters and activists wanting the repressive Al Khalifa monarchy replaced by constitutionally elected government, political freedom, and social justice, what Bahrainis never had and don’t now.

Still functioning despite authorities terrorizing people brutally, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) provides regular updates on the ground, expressing great concern about King Hamad’s ruthless:

“actions and arbitrary penalties against citizens who it believes participated or supported the peaceful protest movement in February and March, whereas, Bahraini authorities (unleashed) great violence (against them, resulting in) dozens of deaths, especially after” thuggish Saudi and Emirati forces also suppressed them.

[see full article here]

In April, BCHR President Nabeel Rajab said America’s media were told not to cover brutal Bahraini violence, saying:

“In the US, some news agencies and TV stations were asked not to report on Bahrain, and not to embarrass” Obama who fully supports it. At the same time, while terror bombing Libya, he falsely accuses Gaddafi of human rights violations for actions independent observers call self-defense against Western-backed insurgents, cutthroat killers targeting anyone suspected of pro-regime sympathies.

America’s media obliged, ignoring Bahraini state terror while vilifying Gaddafi for justifiable self-defense. In contrast, independent journalists can’t be bribed or intimidated.

Reporting on what’s really happening in both countries, they reveal Western-backed violence and brutality against anyone challenging entrenched pro-Western regimes and America’s interests, backed by bipartisan consensus under all US administrations, each new one worse than its predecessor. …more

The Determination of the Arab Revolutions
By ESAM AL-AMIN – counterpunch.org

After the relatively swift triumphs of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions in deposing their dictators earlier this year, other Arab dictators drew a different set of lessons than their populations did.

Fed up with decades of repression, corruption, and the break down of state institutions, as well as the complete loss of faith in any meaningful political or social reforms in their societies, people across the Arab world this spring have waged simultaneous mass movements to force sweeping changes.

Arab autocrats, sustained for decades by the powerful security state, were shocked and startled as they observed in horror the dismantling of the security apparatuses in Tunisia and Egypt, facing fearless populace willing to sacrifice their lives to liberate themselves from the yoke of tyranny and regain their freedoms and dignity.

To their credit, in both the Tunisian and Egyptian models, the armies refused to shoot at their people after the failure of the security forces to clamp down. The popular uprisings spread across each country with incredible determination and zeal as the fear barrier of the ruthless regimes completely broke down.

Shortly after the fall of the Egyptian dictator, people across the Arab world took to the streets in peaceful uprisings against their long time repressive rulers. The concurrent massive demonstrations were especially widespread in Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Bahrain, against the decades-old repressive regimes of Muammar Gaddhafi in Libya (41 years), Ali Saleh in Yemen (33 years), the Assad family in Syria (Bashar and his father before him- 40 years), and the minority Al-Khalifah dynasty in Bahrain (230 years.)

The primary lesson learned by the Arab masses watching the revolutions unfold in Tunisia and Egypt was that the people’s collective power and determination can ultimately triumph in the face of isolated regimes that have been ruling them with an iron fist.

However, the authoritarian regimes drew different lessons from the Tunisian and Egyptian experience. They did not see the power and determination of the people but the weakness of the regimes and fragility and indecisiveness of its leaders.

In each case, though engulfed in its own particular circumstances and distinct features, the overall framework of how each regime dealt with its own popular uprising is strikingly similar.

As in the Tunisian and Egyptian models the first response of each regime was to rely on the security forces to put a quick end to the uprisings before they spread. When such attempts fail within the first few days, the next step is to try to contain the demonstrations by embracing the demands of the protesters while asking for a return to calm in order to implement reforms.

The problem with these initial steps is that they are perceived by the people as disingenuous and are almost always too late. Like Tunisia and Egypt before them, in each of the cases in Yemen, Libya, Syria, or Bahrain, the initial brutal response of the security forces had an adverse effect and did not stop the protests. In fact, the increasing casualties in the streets intensified the opposition and the revolts became widespread. …more

Iraq News
Al Jalabi calls on Saudi Forces to withdraw from Bahrain
Saturday, June 04, 2011 13:50 GMT
Head of Iraq’s National Congress Party Ahmad Al Jalabi called on Saudi Forces to withdraw from Bahrain. Al Jalabi urged the Bahraini government to resolve the crisis peacefully, stop the killing and release detainees.

Head of Iraq’s national congress said before the set off of the humanitarian aid convoy to Bahrain, that this country was chairing the Arab League when US Forces invaded Iraq in 2003. Bahrain requested from the Security Council back then to ask from the United States to announce its occupation to Iraq, he said.

Since Iraq will chair the upcoming Arab Summit, we call on Saudi Forces to leave Iraq, Al Jalabi concluded. …more

Bahrain: Violations of the Rights of the Child worse than ever: Deaths by excessive force, and military trials at age of 15

29th May 2011

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its deep concern for the government’s targeting of children during its brutal security campaigns, especially the last campaign that started in the last few months and after the declaration of national safety (martial law) state. Hundreds of children were victims of excessive force by policemen that resulted in two children death at least. They were also subjected to arbitrary arrests that targeted them in their class rooms and homes, physical and psychological assaults during night raids to arrest their parents, and great damage inflicted upon them by the Authority as a result of targeting thousands of parents with arrest and arbitrary dismissal from work.

BCHR has published several previous reports[1] in the last 6 months condemning the government’s targeting of children in security campaigns launched by the authorities against opponents, but its appeals for the authorities to respect the international conventions, which it pledged to them, including the Rights of the Child Convection, had fallen on deaf ears in the silence of the international community. However, these violations of the Rights of the Child have become worse and reached dangerous limits.
Victims of violence and excessive force use:

Children became victims of Bahraini regime excessive use of force to crackdown peaceful protests, as it neglected their safety during the attack on the Pearl Roundabout on 17th Feb 2011 at 3 a.m. without warning with tear gas, rubber and live bullets and bird shotgun, despite the presence of many children sleeping in the tents.[2] They were subjected to excessive and indiscriminate use of force under a policy of collective punishment. A baby girl was injured shotgun shot in her arm [3] on 16th March 2011 in an attack by riot police on peaceful gatherings in the vicinity of the Pearl Roundabout. …more

Bahrain: human rights briefing

Posted: 03 June 2011

In a new briefing today, Amnesty International said that serious human rights violations continue to be committed in Bahrain. These include:
Arrests
Following the declaration of the state of emergency, hundreds of people were arrested and in many cases detained incommunicado; some were reportedly subjected to unprovoked assaults at the time of their arrest, often at their homes in the early hours of the morning. Some detainees allege that they were tortured while held at undisclosed locations. In April, at least four detainees died in custody in suspicious circumstances.

Trials
A number of those arrested in relation to the protests have already been tried and sentenced by the National Safety Court. This is a military court established under the state of emergency that is being used to try civilians. It will continue to conduct trials after the lifting of the state of emergency on 1 June.

To date, those tried include 15 people who were convicted of “participating in illegal demonstrations” and “inciting hatred” against the government during the protests and sentenced in May to prison terms of up to four years. Amnesty International believes they may be prisoners of conscience imprisoned for their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

Fourteen alleged leaders of the protests, including leading members of Bahrain’s majority Shi’a community, are now on trial before the National Safety Court – seven others accused are being tried in their absence. International observers have so far been barred from the trial in which at least one accused has told the judge he was tortured in pre-trial detention.

Death sentences
Four people have been sentenced to death on charges of deliberately causing the deaths of two police officers; two of these have had their sentences confirmed by the National Safety Appeals Court and now face possible execution.

Job dismissals
More than 2,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from their employment in the public and private sector, apparently for having participated in the protests.

Failure to investigate
The government has failed to conduct independent investigations into alleged abuses by Bahraini security forces in response to peaceful and other public protests in February and March. These include the use of lethal and other excessive force against protestors and assaults on medical workers seeking to help the wounded.

Amnesty is calling on the Bahraini authorities to:

* Release all prisoners of conscience

* Release all other detainees unless they are to face recognisable criminal charges and to be tried in full conformity with international fair trial standards, with civilians being tried before ordinary criminal courts not military courts, and without recourse to the death penalty

* Independently investigate all allegations of torture or other ill-treatment, excessive use of force and unlawful killings and deaths in custody and bring to justice those responsible human rights violations. …more

Bahrain:Medical Doctors before a military court
June 4th, 2011

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is deeply concerned about summoned at least 7 Medical Doctors by National Safety court ( Military court ).

Tomorrow ( 5 June, 2011 ) , The first hearing session for:

1-Dr. Fatima Haji, rheumatologist.

2-Dr. Ahmed Jamal, former head of Bahrain Doctors’ Association.

3-Dr. Nabeel Tammam, ENT surgeon.

4-Dr. Zahra’ Alsammak.

5-Dr. Nada Dhaif.

6-Dr. Jalila Al-Aali, endocrinologis.

7-Dr. Nehad Al-Shirawi, ICU consultant (specialist).

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights did not get information about the trial of doctors and nurses ” Still in custody”.
( Ref: http://bahrain.phrblog.org/the-missing )

On 3 May 2011 , Bahraini authorities announced charges against the medical staff ( Ref: http://byshr.org/?p=410)

An official document certified that the transfer of medical equipment from the Salmaniya Hospital was done legally ( Ref:http://byshr.org/?p=493)

Bahrain crown prince to visit Washington
Posted By David Kenner Friday, June 3, 2011 – 3:27 PM Share

Bahrain’s crown prince will arrive in Washington next week for an official visit as his country seeks to return to normalcy following the lifting of the emergency law earlier this week.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa will meet with President Barack Obama and other senior U.S. officials, according to three sources with knowledge of the visit. The crown prince is perceived to be one of the more liberal figures in the ruling regime, and he supports granting opposition groups a greater say in how the country is governed.

Bahrain lifted the state of emergency, which had been imposed in March following widespread protests against the ruling Khalifa family, on June 1. However, the government has continued to crack down on protesters — security forces fired bullets and tear gas to break up a demonstration near the capital of Manama on Friday.

Obama referred to Bahrain as a “longstanding partner” in his May 19 speech on U.S. policy toward the Arab revolutions, but also insisted that “mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain’s citizens” and criticized the government for destroying Shia mosques in the country. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — a factor that has caused the United States to temper its criticism of the government’s repressive techniques, which have included prosecuting doctors that treat injured protesters. …more

“Now F1, plus Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and every other team will be directly linked with a bloody crackdown that’s ruined the lives of hundreds of innocent people.”

Teams see red as the Bahrain GP gets a green light
Saturday, 4 June 2011

The Formula One teams appear to be on a collision course with the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone after yesterday’s contentious decision regarding the rescheduling of the Bahrain Grand Prix. It is understood no team is interested in racing in Bahrain on October 30 this year, the date voted for by the World Motor Sport Council following their meeting in Barcelona.

The pressure is on the teams to make a stand, with a human rights group claiming the WMSC decision is “a kick in the teeth for the Bahraini people”.

Pro-democracy demonstrations earlier this year led to the deaths of 30 people, with hundreds of protesters detained, many of whom still remain in custody, and the cancellation of the race.

Bahrain has since lobbied hard for their grand prix to return to the calendar, despite the apparent ongoing oppression of their people.

However, with martial law no longer in place, Al Jazeera television on Thursday showed protesters who had bravely returned to the streets being fired upon with tear gas and rubber bullets by Bahraini police.

As further incitement, one woman was killed by the tear gas, with her funeral held yesterday and attended by hundreds of mourners. …more

Opposition: Thousands hit Bahrain streets to mourn fallen protesters
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 4, 2011 — Updated 0400 GMT (1200 HKT)

Manama, Bahrain (CNN) — Thousands of Bahrainis hit the streets again to vent their anger at the Arab nation’s government on Friday, an opposition source said, days after the justice ministry warned against “any type of activities that could affect the security or harm the national peace and safety.”

Sanabis, just west of the capital, Manama, was the hub of the day’s biggest demonstrations. Thousands marched late Friday in the suburb, an opposition source said.

Earlier, about 1,000 people had gathered to mourn Zainab Ali Altajir, a 69-year-old woman who died Thursday after allegedly inhaling tear gas fired by authorities as they clashed with protesters, an opposition figure said.

In a statement on Bahrain’s interior ministry website, the government denied that the woman died from tear gas inhalation, saying she had chronic heart disease and died of natural causes.

Later Friday, the opposition source said, about 1,000 demonstrators congregated in Manama to remember Salman Abu Idrees, a 63-year-old who had been missing since mid-March. Images of Idrees’ body showed his injuries — including one that the source said was a rubber bullet in the stomach. …more

Bahrain police open fire at protesters in capital
Activists shout slogans during a rally outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, recently. The American Council for Freedom in Bahrain and other organisations held a rally against rights abuses in Bahrain. Picture: AFP
DUBAI

Saturday, June 4, 2011
BAHRAINI police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters marching toward the landmark Pearl Square in the country’s capital yesterday, two days after authorities lifted emergency rule.

The downtown square was the focus of weeks of Shia-led protests against Sunni rulers earlier this year. Witnesses in the tiny island kingdom said there were no immediate reports of casualties among the hundreds of opposition supporters who again took their grievances to the streets.

The country’s security force moved against the protesters shortly before Formula One’s governing body deemed the kingdom safe enough to host the Bahrain Grand Prix in October.

The annual F1 race has been Bahrain’s most profitable international event since 2004, when the island nation became the first Arab country to stage the Grand Prix. Bahrain organisers insisted they are ready to host the race this year despite the deadly crackdown. The season-opening March auto race was postponed because of political unrest. The Bahraini government lifted emergency rule Wednesday.

Tanks and soldiers left the heart of capital, but authorities warned they were not easing pressure on anti-government protesters. Opposition groups have called supporters to return to the streets, the first such appeal since the military overran the protesters’ encampment at Pearl Square after martial law was imposed in mid-March.AP …source

Ban meets with Bahraini officials, welcomes call for national dialogue
Politics 6/4/2011 9:16:00 AM

UNITED NATIONS, June 4 (KUNA) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, Bahrain Defense Deputy Force Commander-in-Chief and Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, his press office said late Friday in a statement.
It said Ban welcomed the lifting of emergency laws, the decision by His Majesty King Hamad to call for a national dialogue and expressed hope that such a dialogue would be “genuine, meaningful and inclusive and respond to the legitimate political, economic and social aspirations of all Bahraini people.” Ban also welcomed the role played by His Royal Highness in support of such a national dialogue and reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to assist in this process. He reiterated his call on the Government and security forces in Bahrain to uphold international human rights norms and standards and welcomed the commitment and assurances made by the Crown Prince in this regard, the statement concluded. …source

Bahrain: Targeting of active women by authorities because of the freedom of opinion and expression
June 2nd, 2011

Ms. AlKhawaja (Left) and Ms. Alqurmozi (Right)

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) expresses its deep concern about targeting Ms. AlKhawaja and Ms. Alqurmozi.

Ms.Ayat Alqurmozi – a 20 years old poet and student at the Faculty of Teachers, was arrested on Wednesday, March 30th 2011.

She was reading political poem- criticized government policy- in the Pearl Roundabout. ( Ref:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8-qOerX3xI )

According to information obtained by the BYSHR, That there are allegations of ill-treatment in custody and she was not informed by police about the trial.

Today ( 2 June, 2011), The first hearing session for Ms. Alqurmozi before a military court (National Safety court).

Ms. Zaynab Alkhawaja – a 27 years old Cyber Activist, better known as Angryarabiya on twitter.

Ms. AlKhawaja, inspired the recent mass hunger strike in Bahrain after going on hunger strike in support of her detained father and prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja (former MENA Coordinator with Frontline Defenders and former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights). Ms. Alkhawaja continued her strike for a period of 8 days until she was pressured to end the strike by international human rights organization.

Ms. Alkhawaja had previously written an open letter to President Obama calling for the US to take responsibility for what is happening in Bahrain and holding him responsible should anything happen to her father ( http://angryarabiya.blogspot.com ). Ms. Alkhawaja’s twitter account was very active after the February 14th unrest and has over 11 thousand followers. She was subjected to many threats and a smear campaign by pro-government tweeters. …source

Mosley warns of PR disaster if Bahrain GP goes ahead
ESPNF1 Staff
June 3, 2011 « Damon Hill leads opposition
Max Mosley: warnings about sponsor reaction

Former FIA president Max Mosley has said the Bahrain Grand Prix should not take place in 2011 and would certainly not have done had he still been in charge.

“If I was president today, Formula One would go to Bahrain over my dead body,” Mosley said. “It cannot happen.”

He also warned that if it is rearranged for later this year, then pressure on sponsors may mean many will want their logos removed from cars for the race.

“The grand prix will be used to paint a picture of Bahrain that will be false,” he said. “They will be attempting to use the grand prix to support what they are doing, almost using Formula One as an instrument of repression. …more