Revolutie in Bahrein #2 Golflanden sturen troepen, Iran niet blij

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Bahrain riot police fire tear gas at protesters

Associated Press= DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas at anti-government protesters denouncing reconciliation talks between the Gulf kingdom's rulers and the Shiite-led opposition on Saturday just hours after the dialogue began.

The renewed unrest — described by witnesses — underlines the deep tensions on the island nation after more than four months of harsh security crackdowns by the Western-allied monarchy.

It also points to the political risks for Bahrain's biggest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, which decided to join the U.S.-encouraged talks despite widespread anger among the majority Shiites — who claim they suffer systematic discrimination at the hands of the Sunni dynasty ruling Bahrain.

The protesters gathered near a landmark square in Manama, which was the epicenter of the Shiite uprising for greater rights that began in February. The witnesses said several hundred marchers chanted "No dialogue" just hours after a ceremony to open the talks in the strategic nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment by authorities.

There were no immediate reports of injuries during the demonstrations that started after a funeral for a protester, who died on Thursday in a military hospital from injuries sustained during the unrest in March.

The death of 30-year-old protester, Majid Ahmed Mohammed, brings to 32 the number of those killed since February. Bahrain's Shiites account for 70 percent of the population, but say they face second-class status such as being effectively frozen out of top political and military posts.

Hundreds of opposition supporters, activists and others have been taken into custody and many other perceived protest backers have been purged from jobs and universities.

Washington has strongly pushed for dialogue in Bahrain. The Sunni monarchy has made token concessions ahead of the so-called "national dialogue," including sanctioning an international investigation that will include probes into the conduct of security forces during the revolt.

The White House said Saturday that it welcomes the formation of a commission of inquiry into the events and the launch of the political dialogue. "We urge all Bahrainis to seize this opportunity to forge a more just future together," said the statement.

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.

Parliament Speaker Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Dhahrani opened the forum Saturday by hailing the gathering as "a historic opportunity for all of us to overcome this critical stage of the nation's history through dialogue."

He said the goal is to bring "together different points of view to develop common visions" and added that the Sunni rulers are at the talks "without preconditions."

After a 45-minute ceremonial session, the approximately 300 participants adjourned. The talks are to last until the end of July, with delegates meeting three times a week.

Al Wefaq's participation "adds an important voice of Bahrain's political opposition to a process that has the potential to serve as a vehicle for reform and reconciliation," Toner added.

Al Wefaq's three delegates who attended Saturday's session, were not optimistic the dialogue will lead to meaningful reforms.

"It started as a monologue," said one of the three, Bushra al-Hindi. "The agenda has been previously set by the government in order to exclude talks about critical issues, such as moving along with a process that will reshape the country into a constitutional monarchy."

Al Wefaq's leader, Sheik Ali Salman, had told supporters on Friday that his group will stick to its calls for the Sunni monarchy to loosen the grip on power and allow people to elect a government.

Delegates from Bahrain's secular opposition party, Al Waad, also attended the talks. They held a picture of their leader, Ibrahim Sharif — the most prominent Sunni politician who has been imprisoned along with 20 other opposition leaders for plotting to overthrow Bahrain's 200-year-old monarchy.

Amid the crackdowns, Al Wefaq staged a mass resignation of its 18 lawmakers in the 40-member lower house of parliament. Two former lawmakers are in custody and on trial on anti-state crimes. Al Wefaq said one of them, Jawad Firooz, was listed on the party's five-member delegation to the talks although he didn't attend Saturday's opening session because he remains in detention.

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Bahrainis hold mass anti-regime rally

Thousands of anti-government protesters have poured into the streets in Bahraini to demand an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty.


The protest rally near the capital was organized by the country's largest opposition bloc, al-Wefaq, and was intended to show that protesters would not back down from their demands.

Reports say protesters traveled from all over the Persian Gulf sheikhdom to join the "Friday of determination" rally.

Protesters also condemned Manama's violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators and called for an end to the suppression of dissidents.

The massive protest rally came shortly after top Bahraini cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, said that the government's harsh crackdown on anti-regime protesters has strengthened their resolve to fight for their rights and that use of ''politics of fear'' by authorities has failed to silence Bahrainis.

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been staging demonstrations in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy -- a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores of people have also been killed and many others have been injured in the Saudi-backed crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain.

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Bahraini protesters cause traffic jam

Anti-government protesters in Bahrain have created massive traffic jams in the capital, Manama, to send a message of defiance to Bahraini authorities.


Despite the Manama regime threatening to confiscate the driving licenses of protesters and to bar them from driving for up to four years, hundreds of Bahrainis flooded the roads with their cars during the morning commute on Wednesday in a show of strength ahead of the parliamentary elections.

The Bahraini opposition had organized the gathering, which was named the "Dignity Blockade".

The call to bring the traffic in central Manama to a standstill by parking cars in major streets came after the government warned of a harsh response to any attempt at disrupting the elections later this week.

Some reports, however, suggest that the gathering was planned to protest against the daily suppression of anti-regime demonstrations and to demand the reinstatement of employees sacked for joining the protest movement.

Manama is planning to hold parliamentary elections to replace the opposition lawmakers who resigned in protest to Manama's crackdown on anti-government protesters later this week.

Eighteen Bahraini lawmakers from the main Shia opposition party, al-Wefaq, walked out of the parliament in February after security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing and wounding scores of them.

Al-Wefaq has boycotted the by-elections, saying that the 40-member parliament has lost its legitimacy and that it does not represent the will of the Bahraini people.

Bahrainis have been holding anti-government rallies since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country for over 40 years.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more arrested in a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain, home to a huge American military installation for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf.

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New video shows Bahraini police cruelty

Reddit
Bahraini riot police chase and beat protesters in Manama. (File photo)
A newly surfaced video shows another instance of police brutality in Bahrain as Saudi-backed security forces continue their violent crackdown on anti-regime protests.


Activists in Bahrain released new footage on Thursday, showing several policemen beating up a young man in the street.

The policemen then left the scene without arresting the youngster, who is rushed to a nearby home by some neighbors who witnessed the incident.

Activists said that the unidentified man was severely injured.

Bahraini forces continue their brutal suppression of anti-regime protesters despite the lifting of martial law back in June.

On Thursday, anti-regime protesters once again poured into the streets of the city of Sitra, chanting slogans against the country's Saudi-backed Al Khalifa monarchy.

Bahrainis have been demanding an end to the four-decade rule of Al Khalifa dynasty since mid-February when massive demonstrations erupted in the Persian Gulf sheikhdom.

Manama plans to hold parliamentary elections later this week to replace opposition lawmakers that resigned to protest the regime's brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more arrested in a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain, home to a huge military installation for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf.

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‘Marteling en excessief geweld gebruikt tijdens neerslaan protesten Bahrein’

De autoriteiten in Bahrein hebben marteling en excessief geweld gebruikt tegen gedetineerden die gevangen zijn gezet tijdens de opstand in het land. Dat zegt het hoofd van een speciaal ingestelde commissie die onderzoek deed naar de onrust in Bahrein.

De opmerkingen van Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni zijn de eerste details van een langverwacht rapport dat vandaag is vrijgegeven.

Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat de Golftroepen, die half maart het land binnenvielen, geen mensenrechten hebben geschonden. De militairen werden ingezet om de koning van Bahrein bij te staan omdat de protesten tegen zijn regime aanhielden. De sji’itische inwoners van het kleine oliestaatje kwamen in opstand tegen het regime van de heersende soennitische minderheid.

Bij gevechten tussen veiligheidsdiensten en betogers zijn in Bahrein 35 doden gevallen, van wie vijf door marteling, zo blijkt uit het onderzoeksrapport. Er is geen bewijs gevonden dat de onrust in Bahrein iets te maken heeft met Iran, zoals vaker is beweerd.

Het onderzoek, gefinancierd en gefaciliteerd door het Bahreinse regime, is gebaseerd op meer dan 5.000 interviews.

Koning Bahrein: misbruik moet bestraft worden

Volgens de koning van Bahrein, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, moeten de betrokkenen bij de misstanden tijdens het hardhandige optreden tegen de anti-regeringsprotesten verantwoordelijk worden gehouden en worden vervangen.

“We moeten onze wetten hervormen om ze in overeenstemming te brengen met internationale normen”, voegde hij eraan toe.

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In pictures: Violence follows Bahrain funeral

After Abdulnabi Kadhem's body was laid to rest, mourners' impromptu protest ended with clashes with police.

Early on Wednesday morning, witnesses say that Abdulnabi Kadhem was killed in his car when it was struck by a police Land Cruiser in A'ali village in Bahrain. His family told Al Jazeera that Kadhem, a 44-year-old farmer who was working in his fields that morning, usually wrapped his head in a traditional scarf to stay warm in the early morning hours and was likely mistaken for a protester by riot police.

He died only hours before the release of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. People in his home village told Al Jazeera that they were not optimistic that it would lead to major democratic reforms in the country, and, during Kadhem's funeral, they continued their calls for the toppling of the al-Khalifa monarchy.

Kadhem is the second person to be recently killed in a collision with a police vehicle. On Saturday morning, 16-year-old protester Ali al-Badah died after being struck in Juffair village.

Al Jazeera's Gregg Carlstrom and Mohamed Vall also reported from the funeral in A'ali on Thursday.

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Former Metropolitan police assistant commissioner John Yates, who resigned from his post in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, has been appointed by Bahrain to oversee reform of its police force after reports of human rights abuse.

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Op zaterdag 3 december 2011 02:42 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:
Former Metropolitan police chief John Yates hired by Bahrain to reform force

[..]

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Op zaterdag 3 december 2011 02:42 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:
Former Metropolitan police chief John Yates hired by Bahrain to reform force

[..]

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Duizenden betogers Bahrein door politie bestookt met traangas

Duizenden demonstranten in Bahrein zijn vandaag met traangas aangevallen door de politie. Ze riepen slogans tegen de regering bij een begrafenis in de hoofdstad Manama.

De uitvaart van een 73-jarige man, die zou zijn gestorven na het inademen van traangas bij een demonstratie gisteren, was de veertigste aan regeringsgeweld gelieerde sinds de opstand in februari begon. Zeker veertig mensen zijn omgekomen sinds de sjiitische meerderheid meer democratie eist van de sunnitische leiders.

De regering beweert dat de 73-jarige man een natuurlijke dood stierf. Sinds donderdag wordt in Manama langs de strategisch belangrijke autoweg Budaiya gedemonstreerd.Deze leidt naar een kruispunt die ongeveer 500 meter van het parelplein ligt.

Dat plein was in de eerste periode van demonstraties het epicentrum van demonstraties, maar werd door ordetroepen in maart platgewalst. Sindsdien wordt het constant bewaakt omdat betogers het symbolische plein weer proberen te claimen.

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Opposition supporters rally in Bahrain despite ban

Associated Press= MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Anti-government protesters converged on the headquarters of Bahrain's main opposition party Saturday, defying a government ban on the gathering and pressing ahead with their campaign for greater political and civil rights for the nation's Shiite Muslims.

The protest in front of Al Wefaq's offices in the capital of Manama was a show of defiance by the party that has been the main backer of the Shiite majority's 10-month-old protest movement, which is aimed at breaking the Sunni dynasty's monopoly on power in the strategically important Arab kingdom in the Persian Gulf.

The government rejected the party's permit request for the demonstration, but thousands of protesters came anyway. They waved Bahraini flags and chanted anti-government slogans despite a massive security presence across the capital.

Opposition supporters poured into Manama from the predominantly Shiite villages that ring the capital. The villages have been the site of almost daily clashes between demonstrators and security forces since the government intensified a punishing crackdown on dissent in March.

Shiites represent about 70 percent of Bahrain's population but are denied top political and security jobs.

In the past decade, Al Wefaq has led a campaign for greater rights for the Shiite majority, but with inspiration from the Arab Spring uprisings, Shiite protesters took to the streets in February in numbers never seen before in the island nation.

A month later, the party's 18 lawmakers resigned from parliament to protest the crackdown.

The party also walked out of government-designed reconciliation talks in July, claiming authorities had no intention of compromising with the opposition. The party also boycotted September elections for the vacated seats because of the detention of several of its officials.

Al Wefaq has been staging weekly public gatherings in the past months, but it has usually refrained from doing so without a permit from authorities. In return, Al Wefaq's applications are usually granted, but the request for Saturday's gathering was rejected.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Al Wefaq's request to stage a gathering on one of Manama's vital roads was not approved for security reasons.

"If the event were to be held on such a vital road ... it could hinder traffic, disturb security and affect the interests of the public," the ministry said in a statement that was posted on its website late Friday.

Riot police encircled the party's headquarters and prevented protesters from marching to the highway, just east of the building. But the protest ended peacefully.

At least 40 people have died since the unrest began in February.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement Saturday that embassy officials in Manama met with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was injured during a demonstration on Friday, and Bahraini government officials.

"We strongly urge the Government of Bahrain to undertake a full investigation to determine if excessive force was employed by police," the statement said.

Bahrain is a critical U.S. ally and is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Washington has taken a cautious line with authorities, urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.

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Tienduizenden betogers protesteren in Bahrein

Tienduizenden demonstranten hebben zich vandaag in Bahrein aangesloten bij een protestmars van de oppositie. Die hoopt met de mars nieuw leven te blazen in de sjiitische opstand tegen de soennitische monarchie van het Golfstaatje.

Ordetroepen versperden enkele betogers met wolken traangas de weg naar het zwaarbewaakte Parelplein, dat het kloppende hart van de opstand vormde tot de politie het vorig jaar met harde hand schoonveegde. Het merendeel van de mensenmenigte trok echter in alle rust over een belangrijke hoofdweg door de hoofdstad Manamah.

Formule 1-race
De oppositie schreef de protestmars uit om de regering te tonen dat zij aan vastberadenheid en kracht niets heeft ingeboet. De regering beweerde, met een schuin oog naar de Formule 1-race die volgende maand in het oliestaatje plaatsvindt, dat de protestbeweging was geluwd. Zo hoopt zij te voorkomen dat de lucratieve race net als volgend jaar wordt geschrapt.

De regering hoopte met een mengeling van welwillendheid en brute kracht de oppositie de wind uit de zeilen te nemen. Maar de betogers nemen geen genoegen met kleine concessies als de uitbreiding van de bevoegdheden van het parlement. Zij eisen dat de soennitische bestuurselite het recht wordt ontnomen de premier en andere bestuurders aan te stellen.

Iraakse geloofsgenoten
De sjiieten, die in Bahrein zo'n zeventig procent van de bevolking uitmaken, klagen dat ze worden benadeeld en dat hoge ambten voor hen gesloten blijven. Zij kregen vandaag morele steun van Iraakse geloofsgenoten. Ongeveer tweeduizend Iraakse sjiieten riepen in de hoofdstad Bagdad op de koning van Bahrein de toegang te ontzeggen tot de top van de Arabische Liga die daar later deze maand plaatsvindt.

Sommige oppositieleiders telden vrijdag tot honderdduizend deelnemers aan de kilometerslange proteststoet in Manamah. Klopt dat getal, dan is de mars een van de grootste betogingen sinds ontevreden burgers in februari vorig jaar de straat opgingen. Sinds de opstand tegen het bewind in het oliestaatje uitbrak zijn zeker 45 mensen omgekomen.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 23:48 schreef ChristianLebaneseFront het volgende:

[..]

Muqtada al Sadr, Khamenei en Nasrallah. Leuke "vrienden" hebben ze.

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Op woensdag 16 maart 2011 21:31 schreef ChristianLebaneseFront het volgende:
Is gewoon een rubberen kogel.

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Massale demonstratie tegen bewind Bahrein

Optocht
De demonstranten liepen op een snelweg net buiten de hoofdstad Manama. In een kilometerslange tocht eisten de demonstranten het einde van de dictatuur en de vrijlating van politieke gevangenen.

Grootste betoging in een jaar
De hoogste sjiitische geestelijke in Bahrein, Sjeik Isa Qassim, had opgeroepen tot de demonstratie. Volgens persbureau AP is het een van de grootste betogingen sinds februari vorig jaar.

Rellen bij herdenking opstand
Bahrein is al een tijd onrustig. Vorige maand waren er rellen in Manama tijdens een herdenking van de opstand, een jaar geleden. Het afgelopen jaar zijn er bij demonstraties tientallen doden gevallen.

Grand Prix
Ondanks de onrust in het land gaat de Grand Prix in Bahrein definitief door. Dat heeft Formule 1-baas Bernie Ecclestone al eerder gezegd. De race staat voor 22 april op de kalender.

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Vijanden van het internet

Bahrein is een nieuwkomer, omdat ze in de strijd tegen de sjiitische opstandelingen bloggers heeft lastiggevallen en de nieuwsvoorziening heeft geblokkeerd. ‘Bahrein gebruikte veel indrukwekkende maatregelen tegen de opstand’, aldus VzG. ‘Het land sloot buitenlandse media uit, viel mensenrechtenactivisten lastig, arresteerde bloggers en internetters en verstoorde de communicatie.’

De organisatie voegt er ook aan toe dat het belang van het internet extra duidelijk geworden is door de Arabische Lente. ‘Internet en sociale media zijn nu definitief gevestigd als hulpmiddelen voor protesten, het voeren van campagnes en het rondsturen van informatie. Het is een vehikel voor vrijheid geworden.’

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http://www.enduringameric(...)her-90-die.html#2036

2200 GMT: We're closing yet another crazy Friday. Here's a summary.

In Bahrain, there were 9 very large protests, most or all of which were attacked by police who used teargas to disperse the crowds. Though protests were planned, they were larger and more energetic today upon hearing the news that a man died last night from teargas inhalation.

Some protesters destroyed closed-circuit TV cameras and threw rocks at police. Apparently, there was at least one occurrence of youth throwing molotov cocktails at police.

However, this anger was sparked by what the activists consider widespread police brutality. Large parts of the island nation were covered in teargas again today, and riot vehicles reportedly chased down protesters in an attempt to run them over. There are also more unconfirmed reports of injured children, and another unconfirmed report that police sexually molested a young girl. Earlier in the week activists say that the police molested and tortured a 16 year old boy, Ali.

At the end of the day, resolution to this conflict seems further away than it has ever been.

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Radio Times poll provokes online battle for Baftas

Fierce opposition to al-Jazeera's Bahrain documentary generates a million votes

This year's Bafta award for the best current affairs television programme, to be awarded later this month, has provoked an international struggle to undermine the content of at least one of the four powerful documentaries on the shortlist – a film about the uprising in Bahrain last spring.

A fortnight ago the Radio Times magazine launched an online poll to allow readers to vote for their favourite Bafta nominees. There are no prizes on offer, but the current affairs category has now registered an incredible one million votes, even though participants will not decide the final outcome. While fans of Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes or of Dominic West's role as Fred West have together clocked up only 4,000 votes in the best leading actor poll, more than half a million voters across the world have backed the film Shouting in the Dark, made in Bahrain by journalist May Ying Welsh for al-Jazeera. Another half a million have voted for Channel 4's film Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, fronted by Jon Snow.

Welsh's film, which was shot undercover over three months, went out on al-Jazeera's English-speaking channel last summer and provoked outrage among officials in Bahrain. They claimed it painted an unfair picture of police brutality during the uprising and played down the involvement of Iranian-backed subversives among the crowds. But since then the controversial film has won a Royal Television Society nomination, a UK Foreign Press Association award and a series of prestigious US prizes.

The fight for the top spot in an innocuous British magazine poll first became part of an international public relations war last weekend, soon after Khalid al-Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister and a member of the ruling family, tweeted a call for his 80,000 Twitter followers to cast a vote for any one of the other nominees in the Radio Times poll.

"I invite everyone to stand with Bahrain and vote against the harmful al-Jazeera film," he wrote. The tweet caused a Twitter storm of support from the Middle East for the Sri Lankan film. One user called Jaguar wrote: "Oh noble people of the Gulf, vote for Sri Lanka and prevent the Shia infidels from defaming Bahrain." Another typical tweet came from Ahmed, who wrote: "Everyone vote more than once for the film Sri Lanka in order to make al-Jazeera's film which harms Bahrain fail to win."

In response, others began to urge support for Welsh's documentary. A tweet from Nuwaidrat read: "Urgent – by the time you finish reading this line the thugs will have turned the tables on us – vote for the film Shouting in the Dark." Another, from a user called Allah Gifted us with Martyrdom, wrote: "Please intensify voting efforts for al-Jazeera's film Bahrain Shouting in the Dark which uncovers part of the truth about the situation in Bahrain."

RadioTimes.com acting editor Tim Glanfield said: "For a British entertainment website to become a battleground between Bahrain government loyalists and its opponents has been an unexpected and extraordinary turn of events."

Al-Jazeera staff commented on the voting patterns in an article for the Radio Times site and drew attention to the abusive nature of some tweets, many of which urged supporters of the Baharaini authorities to vote more than once.

"For several days, thousands of Arabic language tweets – at peak hours several tweets a second – have been pouring out of Bahrain and the Gulf in a steady stream, many of them filled with religious epithets and hate speech," said the article.

After the al-Jazeera response went up on the site there was a brief hiatus in the flow of votes for the Sri Lankan film, which the commissioning team on the Arabic channel agree is a brilliant and worthy competitor.

Because of its "distressing images", Sri Lanka's Killing Fields went out in a late night slot and showed what Channel 4 said appeared to be "extrajudicial executions filmed by Sri Lankan soldiers as war trophies on their phones; the aftermath of shelling in civilian camps and hospitals alleged to have been deliberately targeted by Sri Lankan government forces; dead female Tamil fighters who appear to have been systematically raped; and pictures which document Tamil fighters alive in the custody of Sri Lankan government forces and then later dead, apparently having been executed."

The film, directed by Callum Macrae, also recognised atrocities alleged to have been carried out by the Tamil Tigers.