Crowd control - Bahrain bans all public gatherings

 

Anti-government protesters gesture as they march during an anti-government rally held by Wefaq, Bahrain's main opposition party, in Bilad al-Qadeem, west of Manama October 19, 2012. (Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/bahrain-ban-demonstration-protest-554/

Bahraini authorities have prohibited protest gatherings and rallies until further notice, a day after police cracked down heavily on demonstrators, once again during the 20-month fatality-riddled unrest.

­The statement made by the country’s Interior Ministry did not define precise measures that could be taken should new protests occur.

A curfew and special military tribunals were introduced several months into uprising that began in Bahrain in February 2011. AP reported that the early period of the unrest left at least 50 people dead in the violence.

However, Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa stressed that “rallies and gatherings will be considered illegal, and legal action will be taken against anyone calling for or taking part in them.”

The news comes only a day after security forces cracked down on protesters next to the capital, Manama, using teargas and rubber bullets. Demonstrators took to the streets to rally for the release of political prisoners – and against the long-standing rule of the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Just under two weeks ago, Bahrain detained four people after they reportedly defamed the King via Twitter. The four were held for seven days pending trial, according to the official Bahrain News Agency. The authorities gave no further details on the suspects or the contents of their tweets. The trial date and the suspects’ fate remain unknown.

One of the most prominent opposition activists in the country, Nabeel Rajab is currently challenging the three-year jail sentence for allegedly encouraging illegal protests and violence in Bahrain via Twitter. His next hearing will take place on November 8.

Another well-known activist, Said Yousif, was arrested in mid-August after speaking out in support of Nabeel Rajab’s detention.

Head of Monitoring in Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Sayed Yousif Almuhafda thinks that the latest measure is simply “an attempt to completely squash [the] people’s uprising. In fact, Bahrain can be called an unfinished segment of the Arab Spring, which has never been allowed [to] flower.”

 

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Clashes erupt near besieged Bahrain village

 

Bahrainis shout anti-government slogans during a march on the outskirts of Manama, October 19, 2012.

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/22/268091/clashes-erupt-near-besieged-bahrain-village/

Clashes have erupted between Saudi-backed regime forces and protesters trying to enter a besieged village in eastern Bahrain, Press TVreports.

Activists say security forces on Sunday fired tear gas to disperse people heading to the village of al-Eker which is under clampdown since late Thursday when a policeman was killed in a bomb blast there.

Some reports say at least three human rights activists including Zainab al-Khawaja were arrested by security forces during the protest rally that started from the island town of Sitra, south of the capital Manama.

Khawaja, the daughter of a jailed opposition leader Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, said earlier that the protesters were carrying food and medical supplies for the residents of the besieged village.

Authorities have detained seven people in relation to the deadly blast.

On Saturday, several protesters were also arrested during a demonstration in Eker.

Bahrain’s revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states to help crack down on the demonstrations

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HRW urges Bahrain King to overturn jailed medics’ verdicts

 

Bahraini surgeon Mahmoud Asghar attends a demonstration of Shiite employees who were dismissed from their jobs over pro-democracy protests in front of the ministry of labor in Isa Town, south of the capital Manama on December 21, 2011.

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/09/265695/hrw-urges-bahrain-to-release-medics/

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the king of Bahrain to order the release of nine medics and overturn the verdicts given to them due to the “unfair” trial proceeding of the doctors.

The US-based rights group called on King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to change Bahrain's judiciary's decision on the case of the detained medics, stressing that the "convictions were based in part on confessions obtained by torture and in proceedings that were fundamentally unfair."

“We are reluctant to call on the king to reverse a judicial decision, but time and again we have seen Bahraini courts uphold politically motivated charges against those who peacefully dissent," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch in a statement.

The Bahraini authorities charged the medical workers with using hospitals for anti-government activities, possession of weapons, and theft of medical equipment -- claims they denied. The medical workers say the government is only punishing them for treating people who took part in demonstrations.

"The courts have failed to uphold Bahrain's obligation to protect free expression and peaceful assembly,” the statement continued.

Bahrain's Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court last week rejected the appeals of all nine medics and upheld the prison sentences ranging between one month and five years.

The court rulings drew international condemnation to the US-allied Persian Gulf state with Amnesty International calling it a "dark day for justice."

The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

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Ex-CNN reporter: US media forcing American public to approve of war on Iran

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/08/265527/us-media-pushing-to-sell-war-on-iran/

Outspoken investigative journalist and former CNN correspondent, Amber Lyon voices concern that, through widespread and continual vilification of Iran, the US media is pressing the Americans to approve of a potential conflict with the Islamic Republic.

“United States public is constantly being inundated with reports that are demonizing Iran…I mean it’s all over the nightly news and in the papers, blogs, and in journalistic outlets,” Lyon said from Los Angeles on Monday in an exclusive interview with Press TV.

“…several journalists and experts I have spoken to feel that we are being led into a potential conflict this time, you know, instead of Iraq it being Iran and the public is being fed propaganda continually demonizing Iran and you’re seeing these other stories like Bahrain being covered up and that has some of us worried that the public is being fed this propaganda in order to get the public to approve another conflict with Iran,” Lyon regretted.

“…and then you’re not seeing equal coverage being given to the horrific human rights abuses happening in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.”

In late March 2011, the award-winning journalist was sent to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain to produce a one-hour-long documentary depicting the importance of social media and technology in the Arab Spring.

The documentary exposed the brutality and aggression waged by Saudi-backed Bahraini regime forces against peaceful protesters. It was aired domestically within the US, but its broadcast on CNN International was suspiciously withheld.

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Bahrain court upholds jail sentences for 9 doctors

 

Bahraini medics are seen helping a wounded protester at Salmaniya hospital in the capital Manama. (File photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/01/264392/bahrain-upholds-verdicts-for-9-doctors/

A Bahraini court has upheld the prison sentences handed down to nine doctors for treating protesters during anti-regime demonstrations.

Bahrain's Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court, dismissed on Monday an appeal by the medics against their controversial verdicts that have drawn international condemnation to the US-allied Persian Gulf state.

General Abdul-Rahman al-Sayed said that the court confirmed the previous sentences given to the doctors.

In June, the medics, who were working at the Salmaniya hospital in the capital Manama, were given jail terms ranging from one month to five years.

International rights groups have criticized the rulings, with Amnesty International calling it a "dark day for justice."

The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

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