Bahrain dictator King Hamad & sidekick UK cop John Yates

[outsider]

Tony sent this out to UK group:

03 State Of Siege - Paola, 11099
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State of Siege - Soundtrack 1. State Of Siege (2:48) 2. People In Protest (2:19) 3. Paola, 11099 (4:26) 4. Tupamaros (3:56) 5. Insurrect America (2:42) 6. State Of Siege (7:04) 7. The American…
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Added on 18/07/2011
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Bahrain protester found dead on eve of grand prix
http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?p=160894#160894
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/21/bahrain-protester-dead-gra nd-prix?newsfeed=true
Opposition group al-Wefaq says Salah Abbas Habib died after being beaten by riot police on eve of Bahrain Grand Prix

Bent Cop Yates of the Yard's posting has strange parallels with US anti terror cop Dan Mitrione's 1969 posting to Uruguay where he taught riot police how to kill protesters and put down demonstrations
As portrayed in Costa Gavras' award winning 1972 film State Of Siege
All denied at the time of course in the US but later proved true
Let's hope Yates of the Yard doesn't meet the same fate
The film seems to be not available on DVD or VHS in the UK by the way - strange that and a good reason to track it down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06xjhD9EyBc

Words cannot hide the true plight of people in Bahrain
By Eamonn McCann Belfast Telegraph - Friday, 20 April 2012
http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?p=160894#160894
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/word s-cannot-hide-the-true-plight-of-people-in-bahrain-16146979.html
Former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner John Yates says he feels safer in Bahrain these days than in London, which isn't surprising, Bahrain being a couple of thousand miles away from the phone-hacking scandal.
Mr Yates is employed in Bahrain as chief adviser on policing to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, whose Sunni regime has been under pressure since February last year when the Arab Spring dawned briefly on the tiny (population 600,000) Gulf state.
Citizens, mainly from the majority Shia community, took to the streets demanding elections, free speech, an end to arbitrary arrest and torture and the removal of the Al-Khalifa entourage, which sucked up and splurged out almost all of the state's oil revenue. Bahraini forces cleared the protestors in short order, killing seven.
In March, as protests and violent repression continued, more than a thousand Saudi troops, invited in by al-Khalifa, marched over the border and succeeded in imposing order on the capital, Manama.
In the mainly Shia villages in the hinterland, however, pro-democracy demonstrations have continued and continue routinely to be met with beatings, tear gas, house-raids and gunfire.
Last year's security problems forced cancellation of the inaugural, hyped-to-the-heavens Bahrain grand prix, greatly to the chagrin of al-Khalifa, who had believed the event would help fast-track his fiefdom to the front rank of nations.
He retains high hopes, though, that the 2012 race will go ahead this weekend. Yates of the Yard has been the key figure providing reassurance there's no need for nervousness.
Mr Yates wrote last week to Jean Todt, boss of the race licensing body, the International Automobile Federation, saying that "the significance of the ongoing demonstrations should not be overplayed. These are not lawful protests but... criminal acts being perpetrated [by] people intent on causing harm to the communities in which they live. They are not representative of the vast majority of delightful, law-abiding citizens that I see every day."
Not the latest flowering of the Arab Spring then, but a containable outbreak of Tottenham High Road-style hooliganism, of no significance for stability, or the security of the weekend's planned billion-pound event.
This week, Amnesty International offered a different take: "No one should be under any illusions that the country's human rights crisis is over.
"The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests."
Bernie Ecclestone, Mr Todt's other half in the F1 duopoly, is in no doubt which version was more credible: "I know John Yates as a highly respected copper. I take his word."
Yates took up the Bahrain post after resigning from the Met last July on threat of suspension by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, four days after Neil Wallis, former executive editor of the News of the World, had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in phone-hacking.
Two years earlier, Mr Yates, in his capacity as chief investigator of the NoTW scandal, had announced that his inquiries had found no substance in a Guardian story that phone-hacking at the News International title had been routine and systematic.
There was no need therefore, Mr Yates concluded, to trouble NI executives further. It quickly emerged that Mr Yates and Mr Wallis had been meeting regularly for lunches and dinners at the Ivy Club, Marco Pierre White's Luciano, Daniel Boulud's Bar Boulud and other upmarket London eateries.
Mr Yates has explained to the Leveson Inquiry, via video-link from Bahrain, that this relationship played no part in the Met giving Wallis a PR consultancy, or bestowing other favours on senior NI employees, nor had it impacted at all on his investigations.
Mr Yates will have had a chance to chew over these colourful events in February when another chum of NI bosses, Tony Blair, visited al-Khalifa, at that time hosting talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Maybe the pair discussed the piquant circumstances whereby old Blair sidekick Ecclestone had himself become something of a big noise with the Bahraini elite.
Bernie had starred in one of the first juicy stories of Blair's stint as PM, having bunged the Labour Party a million pounds at the same time as Blair agreed to exempt Formula One from a proposal to ban tobacco advertising in sport.
When the arrangement was publicised, Labour paid the money back.
Now Bernie, Blair and Yates of the Yard have all fetched up in Bahrain, in various ways enhancing the prestige and strengthening the hold of al-Khalifa, while the mass of the people seethe with anger and yearn for Spring.


I tried replying to 'Group', but I don't think it went out, so here is further info:

Here is 'State of Siege' online; unfortunately it's in French:
http://www.ovguide.com/state-of-siege-9202a8c04000641f800000000476b4ba
It is available to purchase online with English sub-titles, but is not available to watch online with subtitles'.

Here is some info on Ian Henderson, previous Brit 'advisor' to Bahrain 'Security Services' (and other info):
http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/3040

8) Ian Stuart McWalter Henderson

Henderson, a British security officer, was directly responsible for the practices of interrogation and torture of activists and dissidents since joining the State Security Apparatus in 1966 until his removal from office on July 3, 2000. Reports indicate that since that time, Henderson is still receiving a salary as a consultant to the Minister of Interior and lives with his wife, Mary, in one of the residential complexes in Manama. Henderson was brought to Bahrain by the British to assist the local Authorities in the suppression of political activists and dissidents in Bahrain after his success in putting down the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya in the fifties of last century.
Post more than one special TV programs in British channels which contained testimonies of a number of the victims of torture, a file was opened to track Henderson in Britain and brought to trial for crimes of torture in Bahrain . Some aspects of Henderson's life on the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Henderson_(police_officer
In expression gratitude to his work, Henderson received numerous awards and grants by the representatives of power in Bahrain. On January 20, 1982, the late Amir- Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, granted Brigadier Ian Henderson the Medal of Military Service of first class when he was then the director general of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) . By the same Decree, the same medal was granted to Major General G.S. Bell, a British security officer and Henderson's' boss, as well as the then Director General of Public Security. In 1983, Henderson and Bill were also granted the Medal of Bahrain of the first class, also medals were awarded to some members of the State Security Service in recognition of their efforts . In 2000, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa - the current ruler – presented Sheikh Isa Medal of the first class to "Major" Ian Henderson, without specifying his official post in that decree.

As for Dan Mitrione:
"The precise pain, in the precise place, in the precise amount, for the desired effect.''
The words of an instructor in the art of torture. The words of Dan Mitrione, the head of the Office of Public Safety (OPS) mission in Montevideo.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Uruguay_KH.html

[TonyGosling]

Assange Episode 4: Bahraini human rights Guest arrested days before show airs
Published on 7 May 2012 by RussiaToday

Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6k58FOO-fY

Bahraini authorities have arrested the country's main human rights activist, who's been one of the leaders of the uprising. Nabeel Rajab was detained late Saturday on his arrival from Lebanon. It comes just days before his appearance on Julian Assange's show here on RT where the whistleblower quizzed him and an Egyptian activist over the revolutions in the Arab States.


http://assange.rt.com/

[TonyGosling]

Thousands swamp Bahrain highway in first legal 'Freedom and Democracy' demo in weeks
Published: 02 September, 2012, 03:09
Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded a major highway in Bahrain for the first sanctioned opposition rally in months. They called on the government to release a prominent human rights activist and demanded greater freedom.
The motorway, which links capital city Manama with Shiite villages, was swarming with demonstrators, the crowd extending for at least two miles (three kilometers). Protesters chanted pro-democracy slogans, waved Bahraini flags and called on the government to free Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights activist recently sentenced to three years in prison for supposedly organizing illegal protests.
“We do not forget the prisoners!” was one of the chants.
The mass rally was the first legal protest in over a month. In July, the government imposed a temporary ban on protests, with the interior ministry stating that the curfew was necessary to “restore order.”
It was in that period that Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three years in prison for participating in an “illegal assembly” and “calling for a march without prior notification.”
In June, Rajab had received a three-month prison sentence for a tweet that prosecutors say offended the residents of a Sunni-dominated neighborhood of the capital. In the tweet, Rajab alleged that the residents of the neighborhood only supported Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa because of financial incentives.
A judge later overturned the Twitter sentence, but Rajab must still serve his other, lengthier prison term for allegedly holding an illegal march.
Pro-democracy protests in the country have been ongoing since February 2011.
Colin Cavell, a former lecturer at the University of Bahrain, believes the nation's people are resolute in their demands for democracy.
“They’re tired of a single family running the entire country with kangaroo courts, with no justice at all and with disparity among the population,” he told RT....
http://rt.com/news/bahrain-march-protest-nabeel-rajab-148/

[TonyGosling]

Henningsen on RT: 'Iran neighbors arming-up, Bahrain a 'good customer' of US'

Link


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSpSjN9P7Bg

[TonyGosling]

Scotland Yard's John Yates IS a living Dan Mitrione.
He is a Western stooge helping to arrange for the deaths of peaceful protesters and political prisoners now.

Bahrain meets 2013 with intensified crackdown on protesters
23.12.2012, 04:28

Bahraini security forces have fired tear gas and stun grenades as crowds of protesters gathered in the capital Manama. Some people were injured and dozens reportedly arrested during the massive 'Bahrain’s Martyrs Day' demonstration.

Bahrain repressed protesters with West's tacit approval - Amnesty International

A year after an eruption of protests in Bahrain, the ruling monarchy continues to commit serious human rights abuses against activists. Amnesty International has criticized the US and UK for ignoring the repression, and urged action.
Arab world protests

Bahrain meets 2013 with intensified crackdown on protesters
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Published: 03 January, 2013, 01:58

TAGS:
Crime, Health, Protest, Human rights, Opposition, Police, Clashes, Bahrain


Popular unrest has reignited with renewed vigor in 2013 in Bahrain as Shiite protesters took to the streets to demand a transition government and the removal of Prime Minister Khalifa, who has been premier for almost 40 years.

Bahrain has rung in 2013 with newly invigorated popular unrest, as Shiite protesters took to the streets demanding a new transitional government to replace that of Prime Minister Khalifa, who has ruled the tiny Gulf state for almost 40 years.

The violence follows similar clashes earlier in the week when one man suffered a severe head injury when the government used force against protesters in the capital, Manama. Tear gas was deployed by the Saudi-backed state's law enforcement to disperse the protesters, who demanded freedom for all jailed activists. On Monday, several protests were detained across the island nation. The Shiite opposition in the tiny Sunni-ruled kingdom, which is home to the US Navy's fifth fleet, wants a government of technocrats to rule during a transition that would lead to a constitutional monarchy.

But the clampdown on the opposition is intensifying, according to Asma Darwish of the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights.

“Yesterday was just the beginning of the year, and we could see the excessive use of violence and no actual intention of the authorities to enhance the situation or to have a real political reform on the ground in Bahrain,” Darwish told RT.

“Security forces are using a lot of violence and are violating many human rights during the confrontations with pro-democracy protesters.”

Since the uprising began in February 2011, at least 80 people have been killed and thousands arrested. A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that political activists, politicians and protesters had been tortured. It also rejected government claims that the uprising was instigated by Iran.

A followup unit sent in June 2012 to monitor Bahrain's progress in implementing the report’s recommendations found that human rights activists were still being arrested and harassed - and at increasing rates. “The promise of meaningful reform has been betrayed by the government’s unwillingness to implement key recommendations around accountability,” the group reported, adding that the situation in Bahrain has “markedly deteriorated” and the country “risks sliding into protracted unrest and instability.”

Last month the government banned rallies and stripped 31 opposition members of their nationality for what it said were security reasons. Since December, the Financial Times reports that one village was raided by police more than 300 times, with some houses plundered several times a day.

Such scenes are becoming an everyday reality for locals, Darwish says, adding that in the village of Sitra, where she lives, “tear gas was excessively used by security forces” as they “ran down the streets and randomly terrorized the houses either by shooting at them with guns or by manually throwing tear gas canisters into the houses.”

[TonyGosling]

Teenager dies during pro-democracy protests in Bahrain
Dozens of other people reportedly injured in the violence, some by teargas and others more seriously
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/14/teenager-dies-protest-bahr ain
Jon Henley - The Guardian, Thursday 14 February 2013 19.35 GMT
Bahraini security forces have fired teargas, rubber bullets and birdshot at demonstrators hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails in street battles that left one teenager dead and dozens more people injured on the second anniversary of the country's failed pro-democracy uprising.
The main opposition group, al-Wefaq, said 16-year-old Ali Ahmed Ibrahim Aljazeeri died from his injuries about an hour after being shot early in the morning in the village of Diya, near the capital Manama. "He was shot with three rounds from a birdshot gun and died of critical injuries to the upper body and lungs," the group said. "Witnesses confirm he was posing no threat to any police officers at the time."
Dozens of other people were also hurt in the violence, al-Wefaq said, some by teargas and others more seriously. It posted pictures online of some of the wounded, including a photograph of the dead youth with bandages on his stomach.
It accused the Bahraini authorities of deploying "large numbers of armoured vehicles, police cars and buses, convoys of military vehicles and troops … to face peaceful protests demanding freedom and democracy".
Dozens of videos posted by activists showed groups of youths setting up roadblocks and barricades and hurling stones and firebombs at security forces, who responded with teargas.
Bahrain's chief of public security, Major General Tariq Hassan al-Hassan, said in a statement that the death came after a group of some 300 rioters attacked police "with rocks, steel rods and Molotov cocktails. Warning shots were fired but failed to disperse the advancing crowd who continued their attack. Officers discharged birdshot to defend themselves."
Hassan confirmed "at least one protester was injured" and "a short time later, a young man was pronounced dead at [the country's main hospital] Salmaniya Medical Complex". He warned the public not to try to "exploit the death for political purposes, or as an excuse to engage in criminal or riotous behaviour" and insisted most areas of the country were calm and traffic was flowing freely in Manama.
Bahrain has seen almost daily protests since the mass protests of 14 February 2011. Demonstrators want greater rights for the country's Shia majority and an end to the absolute power of the ruling Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty, which picks all key government and military posts. Opposition demands for far-reaching reform include a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister to replace Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has held the job since independence in 1971 and is an uncle of King Hamad. The government denies discrimination against Shias.
The violence could derail reconciliation talks that resumed last weekend between al-Wefaq and other, mostly Shia Muslim, opposition groups and Sunni envoys. Alistair Burt, the UK foreign office minister, said on Twitter it was "important everyone remains committed to the national consensus dialogue – it's the only way to promote peace and stability in Bahrain".
But one prominent activist, Ala'a Shehabi, said the protests showed the irrelevance of the government's dialogue initiative. "The majority of Bahrainis really just want to live in basic dignity and freedom," Shehabi, founder of the campaign group Bahrain Watch, told the Guardian. "They don't believe the current royal family is willing to deliver that."
Shehabi said the opposition was sceptical about the national consensus dialogue because no senior members of the government or royal family are involved. "To the youth on the street, the dialogue initiative is irrelevant. Even opposition members who have taken part stress the importance of the street protest movement. There is so much scepticism about the sincerity by the government over these talks that no one is really taking them seriously."
An international inquiry said 35 people died during Bahrain's uprising; the opposition puts the toll at more than 80.
Amnesty International has called for the Bahraini authorities to release political prisoners, lift restrictions on freedom of expression and prosecute security force members responsible for human rights abuses.
Its Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, said the government "cannot carry on imprisoning people simply because it can't take criticism. It's time that people detained simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression be released and for the harassment of other activists to desist."

[TonyGosling]

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Sandhurst 'betrays' heroes of Mons - for £3m bribe from the King of Bahrain
Sports hall that honoured dead of WW1 renamed after oil state's ruler
Human rights row over £15m gift from UAE to build officers' block

By Simon Murphy and Martin Williams
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279736/Sandhurst-betrays-hero es-Mons--3m-donation-King-Bahrain.html
PUBLISHED: 22:04, 16 February 2013

Britain’s top military academy, Sandhurst, has come under fire for renaming a sports hall commemorating a First World War battle after the King of Bahrain.

The Mons Hall – named after the 1914 battle where thousands died – will have its name changed to honour the Bahraini monarch who has given millions in funding to the Army’s officer training college.

The building will now be called King Hamad Hall and will reopen next month after being refurbished thanks to a £3 million donation from the king, who is the patron of the Sandhurst Foundation but is known for brutally repressing demonstrators at home.

Sandhurst has also accepted a £15 million donation from the United Arab Emirates to build a new accommodation block, raising questions about the college’s links with authoritarian Gulf states accused of human rights abuses.

Critics say the Army is betraying the soldiers who gave their lives and that Bahrain and the UAE are trying to avert criticism of their regimes by buying silence with donations.

The 1914 Battle of Mons was the first major battle of the war. Against overwhelming odds, the British Army inflicted 5,000 casualties on the Germans. At least 1,600 British troops were killed.

The Mons Hall is due to be reopened next month. King Hamad has been invited and a plaque will be unveiled with the inscription: ‘King Hamad Hall. This building, the former Mons Hall, was refurbished in 2013 with a generous gift from the Kingdom of Bahrain.’

Last night, MP Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘There’s something deeply ironic in renaming a hall that was in memory of soldiers who died in a tragic battle in the First World War in honour of a king who is routinely committing human rights abuses, including the shooting of demonstrators. I’m appalled.

'We should not be accepting money from such people. It’s simply wrong. They are in effect trying to buy our silence.’

And MP Andy Slaughter, Labour’s chairman of the Democracy In Bahrain all-party parliamentary group, said: ‘To change the name of something which commemorates a very tragic episode in British military history and an example of courage and heroism of British soldiers simply because they’re getting a sum of money from a rather dubious source is appalling.


Criticism: The Mons Hall - named after the 1914 battle where thousands died - will have its name changed to honour the Bahraini monarch. Young officers are pictured on parade at Sandhurst


Visit: Prince Charles with King Hamad on his left and the Crown Prince of Dubai, far right, at Sandhurst

‘It reflects the appalling double standards the British Government and institutions have in relation to the Bahraini regime, which is guilty of all sorts of human rights abuses and fundamentally undemocratic.’

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bahrain last week on the second anniversary of the Gulf state’s pro-democracy uprising and on Thursday a 16-year-old boy was shot dead.

It is thought that more than 50 people have been killed since the uprising began.

The Mail on Sunday has learned that Sandhurst has also accepted a £15 million donation from the UAE, despite repeated criticism of the regime’s human rights record.

The money was used to build a new accommodation block for officers, named the Zayhed Building, after the first UAE president. The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was trained at Sandhurst, opened it in November.

Amnesty International says that about 90 political prisoners are currently detained in the UAE. A 2006 parliamentary report described the UAE as having a ‘serious democratic deficit’.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘All donations to Sandhurst are in compliance with the UK’s domestic and international legal obligations and our values as a nation.

‘Providing defence training and education to overseas cadets at the same high standards used by UK Armed Forces helps to save lives and raise awareness of human rights.’

[TonyGosling]

Bahrain bans protests in capital ahead of major anti-govt demonstration
Published time: August 07, 2013 13:49

Bahrain's King Hamad, whose Gulf kingdom has been rocked by Shiite-led protests since 2011, has banned protests in Manama with an amendment to a law on public gatherings ahead of a major opposition rally scheduled for mid-August, BNA reported.

The royal decree modifies the law to "ban organizing protests, rallies, gatherings or sit-ins in Manama, with the exception of sit-ins outside [offices of] international organizations" in the capital held with written police authorization, according to the agency.

Tensions in the kingdom have been escalating ahead of a major opposition rally. Following in the footsteps of demonstrators in Egypt, who ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, protesters in Bahrain have called for demonstrations against the government on August 14. Local authorities warned the protests would come against the "force of the law" and would be severely punished.

The authorities report a growing number of shootings and bombings targeting police stations and patrols in Shiite villages outside Manama, blaming "terrorists" for the attacks, according to AFP.

Recent clashes saw attacks on a Bahraini lawmaker's house and on a mosque in a district where many members of Bahrain's royal family live.

The kingdom was rocked by protests in 2011 by the country's majority Shiite Muslims calling for more freedoms in the minority Sunni-ruled country.

Although the government, backed by Saudi Arabia, managed to suppress the protests very quickly, near daily clashes between security forces and protesters still occur.

At least 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since anti-regime protests erupted two years ago, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.

Young protesters frequently take to the streets during late-night hours in Bahrain. But the demonstrations have been so far confined to Shiite villages surrounding Manama.

http://rt.com/news/bahrain-bans-protests-manama-170/

[TonyGosling]

Hunting Humans In Bahrain With Shotguns
Thursday, August 8, 2013 1:07



Humans are being hunted like animals in Bahrain according to M. Matar at Bahrain Freedom

Matar writes, “Usually when we see a protest anywhere in the world, we expect that the riot police is going to stop them with teargas, water cannons, or even rubber bullets. Most of these weapons are considered harmless by the governments or at least they seem to be so. But what about Shotguns!

Shotgun or birdshot is a weapon, hunters use for hunting animals such as bears, bucks, or birds because of the large amount of pellets it contains. It is a very powerful weapon and considered among the bests for hunting for many reasons like weight, range, effectiveness, etc.


Its shell contains tens of steel pellets that can easily penetrate bodies from 50 meters. What if they are shot at human from 3 meters!

Those steel pellets are extremely painful and they cause a total momentary paralysis for the one who gets shot by this weapon. It’s were used before by the riot police in some countries like Latin American countries but then it was banned by the united nations.

ONLY IN BAHRAIN, a little gulf country in middle-east it is still used by the security forces and it has caused the death of tens of innocent young people and children in there since the start of the revolution in February 14th.

Many children also, have lost their eyesight being hit by pellets.

Unfortunately, the international community, the United Nations and most media have remained silent about these crimes in Bahrain for being supported by the United States Government. There are crimes against humanity are committed every day in this country while everyone is busy with Syria.

We ask every human being – not asking from an organizations or an NGO but every human being – to do his best to stop these crimes in Bahrain which are committed everyday by the U.S-supported Al-Khalifa ruling family against innocent, unarmed civilians and to spread the news about Bahrain as widely as he can to get help for Bahraini people whose only guilt was to seek justice and equal rights…” concludes Matar

[TonyGosling]

Prince Andrew praises Bahrain, island of torture
World View: Kingdom that represses its Shia majority is to receive seal of approval from the Duke of York
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/prince-andrew-praises-bahr ain-island-of-torture-9349625.html

The Duke of York will be the keynote speaker at a conference in London this Friday celebrating Bahrain as a place of religious freedom and tolerance of divergent opinions. Speaking during a visit to Bahrain last month, he said: "I believe that what's happening in Bahrain is a source of hope for many people in the world and a source of pride for Bahrainis."

This is very strange, as the island kingdom of Bahrain has a proven record of jailing and torturing protesters demanding democratic rights for the Shia majority, an estimated 60 per cent of Bahraini citizens, from the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy. In its annual report on human rights, the US State Department identifies many abuses, the most serious of which include "citizens' inability to change their government peacefully; arrest and detention of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to their torture in detention". It draws attention to the fact that "discrimination [has] continued against the Shia population".

None of this should be too surprising. In March 2011, the government in Bahrain crushed the Bahraini version of the Arab Spring, treating protesters and anybody associated with them, such as doctors who treated injured demonstrators, with extreme brutality. The Bahrain independent commission of inquiry, set up by the Bahraini government itself, described at least 18 different techniques used to mistreat or torture detainees including electric shocks, beating on the soles of the feet with rubber hoses, sleep deprivation and threats of rape. More than 30 Shia mosques, religious meeting places and holy sites were bulldozed on the pretext that they had no planning permission.

Prince Andrew has long and controversial experience of Bahrain which he used to visit frequently as special representative for trade and investment. In 2010, an excoriating account of Prince Andrew's behaviour was published in the Daily Mail by Simon Wilson, British embassy deputy chief of mission in Bahrain from 2001 to 2005, who wrote that the prince was known to the British diplomatic community as HBH: His Buffoon Highness.

Mr Wilson tells stories of Prince Andrew's arrogance, rudeness and self-regard. Among other things, the prince insisted that his valet should carry a six-foot ironing board, even in the five-star hotels in which Price Andrew stayed, so that his trousers should be ironed just right.

Prince Andrew loved being among the absolute monarchs of the Gulf and was so awed by their wealth that he treated them with embarrassing sycophancy, says Mr Wilson, adding that "the thank-you letters he sent to his hosts after one visit to Bahrain – referring to 'my little plane parked next to your stunning jet' – made for cringe-making reading". The prince was officially in Bahrain to promote British business, but Mr Wilson says that the British embassy was astonished when, in discussing the sale of British-made Hawk aircraft, he advised the Bahrainis not to buy it (but lease it). Mr Wilson attributes the prince's boorishness to an inferiority complex, believing "his attitude usually drew attention to the fact that he was out of his depth".

Out of his depth then and out of his depth now, except that now the stakes are more important. Prince Andrew is no longer trade representative, having resigned in 2011, but he is helping in a PR campaign to enable the Bahraini government to regain international respectability while, at the same time, increasing repression at home. Further emphasising his cosy relations with British royalty, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is expected to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show next Sunday to watch the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy.

The meeting Prince Andrew is opening is called "This is Bahrain!" and is arranged by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations. Betsy B Mathieson, the BFEA's general secretary, told me that the meeting "is to celebrate our cultural diversity, freedom of religion and the fact that multiculturalism not only survives but thrives in Bahrain at a time when many countries are faced with growing xenophobia and racial and religious tensions". Unfortunately, the reality of life for most Bahrainis is one of growing violence and sectarianism. The UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, has expressed his "deep disappointment" over Bahrain's decision to postpone his visit indefinitely. He expressed his "compassion with the people of Bahrain who were expecting my visit, and in particular, victims of torture and ill-treatment and their families".

Jawad Fairooz, a Bahraini former MP, says that "recently the attack on the Shia has increased dramatically". In exile in London, Mr Fairooz is one of 31 Shia Bahrainis arbitrarily stripped of their nationality 18 months ago. He says that, so far, the government has not fulfilled its promise to rebuild 38 bulldozed Shia mosques and religious meeting places and is demanding that their sites be changed "though some of them have been in the same locations for 200 years". He says that Shia activists seeking civil rights are demonised as agents of Iran.

Bahrain is on the verge of a deeper religious conflict between Shia and Sunni. A senior Shia cleric, Sheikh Hussain al-Najati, one of the 31 stripped of Bahraini citizenship, was given 48 hours to leave the country last month. Last month, Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim, the most prominent Shia spiritual leader on the island, accused the Bahraini state of declaring "open war on the Shia sect".

Ayatollah Qassim's call for continued non-violent opposition may not be heeded by all. The number of people in jail in Bahrain is not known but the opposition gives a figure of 3,500. "After three years of non-violence people are getting radicalised," says Ala'a Shehabi, an activist in exile. "They have effectively removed all the non-violent leaders who used to lead street protests." She believes that the vacuum is being filled by radical groups.

I asked Ms Mathieson at the BFEA how she reconciled her claims about the spirit of tolerance and respect supposedly prevalent in Bahrain with the 31 Shia activists being stripped of citizenship. She replied: "The kingdom of Bahrain has the sovereign right to put national security before the human rights of the individual just as USA, UK and other countries." She absolutely denies opposition suspicions that the BFEA event in London is in any way sponsored or paid for by the government of Bahrain and says its message is "one of peace, love, harmony and unity".

Bahrainis may have difficulty contradicting this since the interior minister threatened legal action against those who make allegations of torture. As for Prince Andrew, if he does turn up on Friday, he will play a small but ignoble role in concealing the tragedy of Bahrain.

[Disco_Destroyer]

https://vimeo.com/124181698

Witness Bahrain is a documentary film taking an in-depth look inside the Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain two years after the start pro-democracy Arab Spring uprising. Directed by Jen Marlowe and produced by Donkeysaddle Projects.
WitnessBahrain.com
donkeysaddle.org

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

British commandos training Bahraini armed forces to use sniper rifles
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/british-commandos- training-bahraini-armed-forces-to-use-sniper-rifles-a6952836.html

Exclusive: Human rights campaigners outraged after accusing regime of targeting protesters during Arab Spring
Jamie Merrill @Jamie_Merrill 23 hours ago
Saudi Arabia sent UK-supplied armoured vehicles to Bahrain to safeguard infrastructure (AFP/Getty) AFP/Getty
British commandos are training Bahrain’s armed forces – which violently put down pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring in 2011 – in the use of sniper rifles, The Independent can reveal.

The revelation that elite Royal Navy commandos are running week-long training courses for Bahraini personnel has outraged human rights campaigners, who accuse the regime of using snipers to target protesters during anti-government protests in 2011.

Pro-democracy activists in Bahrain say the military training by elite troops from the Royal Navy’s 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group proves that the British Government is “turning a blind eye” to abuses in the country.

The Independent can reveal that the most recent training took place when specialist commandoes visited Bahrain in January on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans.

The warship docked at HMS Juffair, Britain’s new naval base in Bahrain, and Royal Marines marksmen trained “multiple groups” of Bahraini personnel and were “awarded” Bahraini sniper badges in return. Bahraini authorities have already requested that the elite snipers return to run the course for a new batch of recruits.

Britain has taken the lead internationally in arguing that Bahrain has reformed its security forces since its violent crackdown on dissent during the Arab Spring, but a Human Rights Watch report released last November found that torture and illegal detention are still common in the country.

Labour’s shadow Defence Secretary, Emily Thornberry, demanded guarantees about how sniper training would be deployed in future. She said: “People will be rightly concerned to discover that our elite commandos have been tasked with training sniper units in Bahrain, which risk being deployed against the civilian population of the country.”

Shadow human rights minister Andy Slaughter MP, added that he was “dismayed” that the British government appears to be holding Bahrain to a lower standard than other countries over human rights

He said: “It seems there is a completely different level of scrutiny for Bahrain compared to other repressive regimes. This can only be linked to our very strong military ties.”

The latest figures show that the British government has approved more than £45m of arms sales to Bahrain since the 2011 Arab Spring, including sniper rifles, machine guns and assault rifles.

Andrew Smith, of pressure group Campaign against Arms Trade, said: “Despite the on-going crackdown, the UK charm offensive in Bahrain is continuing unabated. It's not just arms and training that are a major cause of concern; it's also the uncritical political back-scratching and military integration that has gone with it. This is yet another symptom of that toxic relationship. If the government really cares about the human rights of Bahraini people then it must finally stop arming and supporting the regime that is oppressing them.”

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: “As repression in Bahrain intensifies, the UK is helping the regime by providing training to brutal and unaccountable security services.”

The revelation over military training for Bahraini security services comes two week after the prominent human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja was arrested and imprisoned with her 15-month-old daughter on charges of insulting the Kingdom’s monarchy.

In a letter smuggled out of jail, which is published on Indy Voices, she wrote: “There are governments willing to turn a blind eye to our suffering and shake hands with those who oppress us, but I also believe there are also enough good people in the world who can’t stand silently in the face of oppressions. I hope this letter finds its way out of this prison and into the heart and hands of all those freedom loving people.”

An MoD spokesperson, said: “The UK enjoys close links with Bahrain, spanning 200 years, which reinforce our commitment to the Gulf region. We don’t shy away from raising issues of concern, including human rights, at all levels within the Government of Bahrain in all our Defence discussions.”

[TonyGosling]

Journalist shot dead in front of son, 6, ‘by member of Bahrain royal family’
Richard Hartley-ParkinsonRichard Hartley-Parkinson for Metro.co.uk Thursday 29 Dec 2016 3:00 pm
http://metro.co.uk/2016/12/29/journalist-shot-dead-in-front-of-son-6-b y-member-of-bahrain-royal-family-6349964/?ito=twitter&ito=twitter

Eman Salehi was shot dead in her car
A journalist and young mother was shot dead in the street in front of her six-year-old son.

Eman Salehi, 28, is alleged to have been killed by a member of Bahrain’s Sunni royal family who was serving in the military.

Salehi was shot dead in Riffa, Bahrain, on December 23 and the motive of the killing is unknown.


First victims of Fort Lauderdale shooting identified
She had been a sports journalist for state TV and was well known for her friendly demeanour.

It has been reported that the gunman fired a single shot then handed himself into authorities while the murder has sparked controversy on the island.

Activists allege a member of Bahrain’s Sunni royal family serving in the military pulled the trigger.

Journalist killed
She was murdered in front of her six-year-old son
The accusation goes to the heart of lingering unrest on the island off the coast of Saudi Arabia, now five years on from its Arab Spring protests and in the grips of a renewed government crackdown on dissent.

‘If you say it involves the military, it involves the king,’ said Said Yousif Almuhafdah of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. ‘No one wants to mention that.’

Father holding newborn baby's foot
Woman took grandson back to clinic to be swapped because she thought he was too ugly
It’s unclear what sparked the Dec. 23 shooting. Salehi, known for her piercing blue eyes and friendly demeanor, worked as a sports journalist for Bahrain’s state-run television broadcaster.

That night, her car was stopped in the Bahraini city of Riffa, a community popular with members of the ruling Al Khalifa family and the military. A man shot Salehi once in the head, then immediately turned himself into authorities.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry issued only a terse statement on Twitter saying there had been a ‘murder of a female.’ The state-run Bahrain News Agency identified Salehi’s killer as a ’34-year-old Bahraini man’ who ‘was referred to the relevant judicial party to continue the necessary legal procedures.’

The Gulf Daily News, a pro-government English-language newspaper, went a step further, describing Salehi’s assailant as an officer in the Bahraini Defense Force.

Activists abroad, including Almuhafdah and those affiliated with Bahrain Watch, identified the shooter as being a member of the Al Khalifa family, relying on information from locals on the ground.


Wanted man taunts police with videos of escape on Facebook
The man named by activists could not be reached by The Associated Press.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Information Affairs declined to comment on the case Tuesday. On Wednesday, however, Bahrain’s state-run news agency published a story quoting Brig. Gen. Yussef Rashid Flaifel, the head of the country’s military courts, as saying the armed forces were investigating the crime while the man accused remained in custody.

The ‘investigation is being conducted transparently, impartially and according to Bahrain’s law,’ the story said, without identifying the suspected shooter.

In the meantime, Bahrain’s state television channel has said that naming the accused in the case would be illegal, suggesting activists’ comments have struck a nerve.

‘The fact that the alleged perpetrator was a military officer and member of the ruling family has set this crime apart from others, testing the country’s commitment to justice and accountability,’ said Faten Bushehri, an activist with Bahrain Watch.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base. Independent news gathering has grown more difficult since the government began a crackdown on dissent in April that’s seen activists exiled, its main Shiite opposition group dismantled and others imprisoned.

Activists fear that the investigation into Salehi’s death will be buried, as military tribunals are conducted behind closed doors. Almuhafdah of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights pointed to soldiers shooting Abdulredha Buhamaid to death during the 2011 protests. The military later said its personnel acted within the law and denied they killed Buhamaid.

‘For us, it’s almost impossible,’ he said. ‘It’s very difficult to get information.’

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Government doesn't investigate human rights claims against Saudi Arabia before selling arms

Exclusive: Officials only come to an 'overall judgement' on whether weapons sold will be used to breach laws
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/arms-exports-saudi-arabi a-yemen-no-judgement-international-humanitarian-law-theresa-may-cluste r-a7538601.html

Joe Watts Political Editor @JoeWatts_ 7 hours ago

The Government does not make judgments over whether countries like Saudi Arabia have violated international humanitarian laws in specific cases before granting arms exports to them.

Ministers have admitted they do not reach any conclusion on whether there have been violations in particular cases, because they say it would “not be possible” in conflicts the UK is not involved in.

Ministers instead try to come to “an overall judgement” that arms sold to a country will not be used to violate international humanitarian laws (IHL), a government spokesman has told The Independent.

The revelation comes ahead of a landmark judicial review case this week in the High Court, which will determine the legality of the arms transfers to Saudi Arabia.


READ MORE
Saudi Arabia's dream of domination has gone up in flames
Campaigners have demanded to know how it is possible to reach an “overall judgement” without determining whether violations have occurred in individual instances and accused the Government of “burying its head in the sand”.

It follows the publication of a report from two committees of MPs which said it had been presented with evidence of “clear violations” of international humanitarian law in the war being waged in part by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, including an air strike on a wedding party which killed 47 civilians and injured 58 more.

It has also emerged that Saudi Arabia recently used British-made cluster bombs in the ongoing conflict that the UN believes has led to 10,000 deaths.

There has been outrage that the Government is continuing to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite many claims of violations of IHL in Yemen.

Angus Robertson questions Theresa May over arms sales to Saudi Arabia at PMQs
But when Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake called on the Government to publish the findings on which its assessment of alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen is based, he was told that while some incidents were monitored and analysed, no conclusions on individual cases are reached.

Instead, information is used to “form an overall view on the approach and attitude of Saudi Arabia” to IHL.

Tobias Ellwood, minister for the Middle East and Africa, said in a written answer: “It is important to make clear that neither the [Ministry of Defence] nor the [Foreign Office] reaches a conclusion as to whether or not an IHL violation has taken place in relation to each and every incident of potential concern that comes to its attention.

“This would simply not be possible in conflicts to which the UK is not a party, as is the case in Yemen.”

Yemen’s Prime Minister accuses UK of war crimes
The response comes despite a joint report by MPs on the House of Commons business and international development committees calling for sales of UK weapons which could be used in Saudi Arabia’s military action in Yemen to be halted until the completion of an independent inquiry into allegations, for which it had seen “clear evidence”.

Mr Brake told The Independent: “Yet again the Government is tying itself up in knots to defend their continued sale of arms to Saudi.

“Instead of fully assessing the significant evidence of horrific attacks by Saudi on civilians in Yemen, they are burying their heads in the sand and allowing British-made weapons to be complicit in these attacks.

“This is the dark side of a Tory-Brexit government who are desperate to pursue trade, no matter the human cost.”



10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses
10
show all
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said the UK regime for granting licences should be reformed.

He said: “How can the Government reach an overall judgement without making judgements on specific allegations?

“How can they possibly form an overall picture without determining whether or not allegations are true? If arms export controls mean anything then all allegations of human rights breaches must be thoroughly investigated.”

It was confirmed last month that Britain exported 500 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia in an arms deal dating back to when Margaret Thatcher was in power.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon revealed the official figures, which relate to exports signed off by the Government between 1986 to 1989, after it emerged that a “limited number” of the weapons sold to the autocracy are still in its stockpile.

Theresa May can’t give assurances that no civilians have been killed by British arms in Yemen
The weapons are now banned after Britain signed a treaty in 2010, but Sir Michael has said he was satisfied the bombs had not been used to breach IHL.

Saudi Arabia in December admitted using the weapons in Yemen. It has now told the British government it will no longer use them, but has not confirmed it has destroyed them.

It is also investigating itself over alleged violations of international human rights law in Yemen.

On 7, 8 and 10 February, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam will make submissions to the High Court, in a legal challenge brought by CAAT, over the selling of arms by the UK to the Saudis.

James Lynch, head of Human Rights at Amnesty, said the government’s repeated refusal to halt arms transfers “beggars belief”, given the extensive and credible reporting showing the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s ongoing serious violations of international human rights.

A poll by CAAT has revealed that two-thirds of British people think selling arms to the Saudis is unacceptable.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The UK Government operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.

“We do not make assessments in each and every alleged case of a breach of IHL, as we are not in a position to do so.

“However, the Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations using all available information, such as media and other reports, and this wider picture is used to form an overall judgement of the risk that any exported items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.”

[TonyGosling]

Yates in charge of this criminal Blair enquiry which went nowhere

Blair questioned in honours probe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6179911.stm

Mr Blair was questioned for almost two hours by police
Prime Minister Tony Blair has been interviewed by police investigating cash for honours allegations.
Mr Blair was not interviewed under caution and he was not accompanied by a lawyer, his spokesman said.

The probe was sparked by revelations Labour was given secret loans ahead of last year's election. Some donors were subsequently nominated for honours.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates, of Scotland Yard, has said he expects to complete his inquiry next month.

He will then deliver a report to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will decide whether to prosecute any individuals in connection with the affair.


The honours were not for public service but expressly party peerages given for party service
Tony Blair's spokesman
It is thought to be the first time a serving prime minister has been questioned by police conducting a criminal investigation.

Mr Blair was interviewed by two police officers, but not Mr Yates. Scotland Yard said its investigation was continuing.

Mr Blair's official spokesman said the interview, which lasted for about two hours, took place earlier after his weekly Cabinet meeting.

He emphasized that there was no deliberate plan to "bury bad news" by holding the interview on the same day Lord Stevens released his report into the death of Princess Diana.

"Categorically there was no linkage to other events," he said. It is understood Mr Blair chose the day of the interview.

Nomination reasons

Mr Blair left Number 10 at 1430 GMT and is now in Brussels for a meeting of the European Council.

Mr Blair was interviewed as a witness, not under caution, which means he is not currently being treated as a suspect.


BBC political editor Nick Robinson
This is a low day for the prime minister
BBC political editor Nick Robinson

Read Nick's thoughts in full
Police have not indicated whether they will need to ask him further questions.

Mr Blair's spokesman said: "The prime minister explained why he nominated each of the individuals and he did so as party leader in respect of the peerages reserved for party supporters as other party leaders do.

"The honours were not, therefore, for public service but expressly party peerages given for party service.

"In these circumstances that fact that they had supported the party financially could not conceivably be a barrier to their nomination," he said.

Interview 'expected'

The inquiry was prompted by a complaint from the Scottish National Party, and has since widened to include other parties at Westminster.


DEC 14 TIMETABLE
0900: Cabinet meeting
1100: Press briefing by PM's official spokesman, who says there has been "no change" when asked whether Mr Blair had been interviewed by police - a comment he has repeated for weeks
Approx 1100: Police begin questioning PM for just under two hours
1320: Journalists alerted by e-mail about a briefing by PM's spokesman
1330: PM's official spokesman announces police questioned PM
1430: PM leaves Downing St for European Council meeting in Brussels
1550: Downing Street spokesman refuses to elaborate on earlier statement
"Given that the SNP made the complaint about people nominated for peerages by the prime minister you would expect that the police would ask to see the PM as their inquiries come to a conclusion," the PM's spokesman added.

About 90 people have been interviewed by the police during the honours probe. Three people have been arrested but no charges laid. All deny any wrongdoing.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, former party chairman Ian McCartney, former Cabinet minister Alan Milburn, ex-science minister Lord Sainsbury, and ex-Tory leader Michael Howard are among those to have been questioned as witnesses.

The men who lent money to Labour and were then nominated for peerages are:

Barry Townsley, a stockbroker who has also donated money towards a city academy school
Sir David Garrard, a property developer who also donated money to a city academy
Dr Chai Patel, chief executive of Priory Clinics
Sir Gulam Noon, who says he was advised to keep a £250,000 loan secret, and that he was blocked from joining the House of Lords once the loan came to the attention of the Lords appointment commission.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil, whose complaint sparked the investigation, said the questioning of the PM "will be shaking the very foundations of Westminster".


A farcical waste of time [that] shows a real lack of judgement
Frank Field
Former Labour minister on police probe
"For the prime minister to be questioned by the police during a criminal investigation is unprecedented.

Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd, who also complained to police, said the questioning of Mr Blair was "for the lasting benefit of the democratic process" as it would force party funding to be cleaned-up.

But Scotland Yard's inquiry was dismissed by former Labour minister Frank Field as a "farcical waste of time and shows a real lack of judgement".

"A relationship between the giving of honours and the financing of political parties has been established over the centuries in this country and it would be surprising if it had stopped under this government," said Mr Field.

'Sorry episode'

He said the original complaint by an SNP MP had just been a "wonderful wheeze" on which to peg a press release.

Liberal Democrat chief of staff Norman Lamb said: "Clearly this is a very serious matter, and it is important that the police are allowed to continue and conclude their investigations.

"Whatever the final outcome of the investigation, this sorry episode underlines the vital importance of reforming both the House of Lords and rules relating to party funding."

The Conservative Party has not issued a comment.