4th September 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahrain court upholds life sentences for activists
A Bahrain court Tuesday upheld jail sentences against 20 opposition gures convicted of plotting to overthrow the Western-allied government, including eight prominent activists facing life in prison. The decision is likely to deepen the nearly 19-monthlong crisis between Bahrain's Sunni rulers and Shiite-led protesters demanding a greater political voice in the strategic Gulf kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The group on trial includes some of the most high-prole leaders. Among the eight sentenced to life is rights activist Abdulhadi alKhawaja, who staged a 110day hunger strike earlier this year in protest. The other 12 have lesser prison terms, ranging from ve to 15 years, with seven of them convicted in absentia. Read More concern, while London-based Amnesty International denounced the ruling as "outrageous." The defendants, who played leading roles in month-long protests last year demanding democratic reforms, did not turn up in the appeals court, the lawyers said.

Bahrain court upholds sentences on uprising leaders

A Bahraini civilian court on Tuesday upheld jail sentences of between ve and 25 years against leaders of last year's pro-democracy uprising, a decision that could further ignite unrest in the small Gulf Arab state. Bahrain's main opposition bloc condemned the ruling: "These are invalid verdicts that are worthless. They are an example of the regime's despotism," Al Wefaq said in a statement.

Opposition activists fear Bahraini authorities want to prolong the case and hold onto the men as bargaining chips in an eventual resolution to the internal conict. The government says courts in Bahrain are independent. Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in political turmoil since a protest movement dominated by majority Shi'ite Muslims erupted in February 2011 during a wave of revolts against authoritarian governments across the Arab world. Read More

Bahrain court upholds jail for 13 opposition figures

A Bahrain court on Tuesday upheld jail terms against 13 leading opposition gures, including seven facing life in prison, over charges of plotting to overthrow the Gulf monarchy, lawyers said. The opposition swiftly condemned the "vindictive" rulings and accused the court of staging "mock trials," the United States expressed its

Court upholds Bahrain rebels sentences

A Bahraini court upheld sentences on 13 leaders of a revolt against the monarchy, prompting criticism from rights The 13 activists were being groups who say the charges retried in a civil court after underline the governments they were convicted by a unwillingness to change after special semi-military court, along with seven others who political unrest hit the remain at large, of plotting to strategically important Gulf topple the Sunni ruling family. state. Read More pro-democracy demonstrations last year, include eight life sentences. The court on Tuesday upheld verdicts against 20 activists, including eight life sentences and four of 15 years, imposed

by a military tribunal on demonstrators who allegedly plotted to overthrow the state after a security crackdown on pro-democracy protests that rocked the US ally in February 2011. The defendants, who deny the charges and say they were only pushing for democratic reform, include Abdulhadi alKhawaja, an imprisoned human rights activist who went on hunger strike this year, and Ali Abdulemam, a blogger who is in hiding one of seven defendants who were tried in their absence. Read More Bahraini state media reported that the High Court of Appeal had conrmed the sentences for the 13 men, which range from ve years to life in prison, and reduced the sentence for a 14th person from two years to six months behind bars. Several others who were convicted on similar charges have ed the country, according to a government statement. Read More

Bahrain appeal court upholds activists' convictions

An appeals court in Bahrain has upheld the convictions of 20 activists and opposition gures for allegedly plotting to overthrow the state. The verdicts, originally issued by a military court following the crackdown on

Among those convicted Bahrain upholds was Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, sentences for dissidents who went on a 110-day accused of plotting coup hunger strike in protest at his detention. Thirteen people accused of plotting to overthrow the Bahraini government had their sentences The defendants, seven of upheld Tuesday in a Manama whom were tried in appeals court, in a case that has absentia, plan to appeal. alarmed rights groups and drawn rebukes from Britain and Read More Denmark.

Bahrain condemned as jailed Arab spring activists lose appeal

Bahrain has faced fresh international condemnation after an appeal court upheld the convictions and sentences of 13 men who faced charges in military tribunals related to antigovernment protests during the Arab spring last year. The men, who include activists Abdulhadi alKhawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, were originally sentenced last summer to between two years and life in prison. The

charges included espionage and "setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution". They later appealed in a civilian court. All the men maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal to the supreme court. The Bahrain government insisted in a statement on Tuesday that the men had a fair trial. "The court provided all assurances of a fair trial through a team of 17 defence attorneys selected by the defendants," said the Information Affairs Authority in Manama. Read More and unconditionally released, Amnesty International says.

Bahrain upholds prison sentences for activists

A Bahraini civilian court yesterday upheld the jail terms of 20 opposition leaders convicted of plotting to overthrow the state, including eight prominent activists sentenced to life in prison. The defendants, seven of whom were tried in absentia, were convicted by a military court in June 2011 of contact with a foreign entity and violations of the constitution, as well as conspiracy to topple the government of

Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The 20 have denied all charges against them, saying they wanted only democratic reform. The convictions stemmed from protests that began in early 2011 and reached their peak in March, when security forces of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council entered Bahrain at the request of the government to help quell widespread unrest in the capital Manama. More than 50 people have been killed in the protests. Read More governments crackdown on the opposition, sends a signal that government concessions are unlikely even as ofcials begin low-level talks with some opposition groups. Its a message to the international community, before the people of Bahrain, that this regime is not going to change its attitude, said Khalil Marzouk, a leader in the Al Wefaq political society, the largest opposition group. Read More

Bahrain told to free prisoners of conscience after 'outrageous' verdict

The decision by Bahrains appeal court to uphold sentences against 13 opposition activists and prisoners of conscience is outrageous and the authorities must ensure it is overturned and the activists immediately

The High Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain, meeting on Tuesday 4 September 2012, upheld the convictions and sentences of the 13 men, who were convicted last year before military courts on charges related to antigovernment protests. Amnesty sent a trial observer to Bahrain, who was present in court. Read More Manama. The tiny Gulf kingdom, in which a Sunni monarchy rules a Shia majority, erupted in violence after activists were driven from a roundabout they had been occupying. In June last year Mr alKhawaja was convicted in a special military court and given a life sentence on charges of organising and managing a terrorist organisation, attempting to overthrow the government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country and the collection of money for a terrorist group. Read More

Bahrain activist verdicts send tough message on protest

A Bahrain appeals court Tuesday upheld eight life sentences and other sentences ranging from ve to 15 years against 20 political and rights activists central to last years proreform protest movement. The verdict in the case, which had become a symbol of the

Gilmore criticises Bahrain's decision to uphold life term

TNAISTE AND Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has criticised the upholding of a life sentence against Abdulhadi alKhawaja, a Bahraini activist and former employee of Dublin-based human rights group Front Line Defenders, saying his initial trial did not meet international standards. Mr Khawaja, who previously worked as Middle East protection co-ordinator with Front Line, was arrested last year following anti-regime rallies in the Bahraini capital,

Bahrain court upholds jail for 13 opposition figures accused of plotting to overthrow Gulf monarchy
The defendants who played leading roles in the month-long protests last year demanding drastic democratic reforms did not turn up in the appeals court, the lawyers said. The 13 activists were being retried in a civil court after they

were convicted by a special semi-military court, along with seven others who remain at large, of plotting to topple the Sunni ruling family. Another defendant was acquitted. The prosecution had dropped charges against all defendants "related to the freedom of expression" which were considered illegal by the National Safety Court that was set up to try people who took part in the uprising. Read More

sentences. The other ve had been sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years.

support making Bahrain into a republic.

Global outrage as Bahrain court upholds protesters convictions

A BAHRAINI court has upheld the convictions of 13 prominent activists and opposition leaders, drawing criticism from human rights organisations that had campaigned vociferously for their release. The group includes eight who had been given life

According to Bahrains ofcial news agency, charges against them include plotting to overthrow the regime and having foreign intelligence contacts. But Amnesty International describes them as prisoners of conscience, held solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly". Read More Ali Mushaima, Mohammed Habib Al Safaf, Abduljalil Radhi Maki, Abduljalil Abdullah Sankis, Saeed Mirza Ahmed and Abdulhadi Al Khawaja were sentenced to life imprisonment. The general-secretary of the National Action Democratic Society, Ibrahim Sharif, was sentenced to ve years in jail as well as Salah Abdullah Al Khawaja, while fteen years imprisonment was given to four convicts. Read More overthrow the government. The verdicts included eight life sentences.

Bahrain court upholds sentences on antigovernment activists

A Bahrain appeals court has upheld the jail sentences on 20 opposition gures accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Eight activists were sentenced to life in prison. Among those given life sentences were opposition leaders Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Hassan Mushaimaa, who

The other 12 opposition leaders have been sentenced to lesser terms, ranging from ve to 15 years in prison. The defendants say they plan to appeal. The group includes highprole leaders of the countrys Shia-led protest movement who are ghting for a greater political voice in the Sunni dominated country. Read More government's Information Affairs Authority said on Tuesday.

Bahrain court confirms jail for protest leaders

The Supreme Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld life sentences against Bahrainis charged last year of running a terror cell to overthrow the regime. Seven of them, Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed, Hassan

Bahrain Appeals Court Confirms Jail Sentences Given To Opposition Activists

A civilian appeals court in Bahrain has upheld the prison sentences handed down to 20 Opposition activists by a military court for their roles in last year's anti-government protests, the Bahraini

The verdicts upheld by the appeals court on Tuesday include life sentences awarded to eight Opposition gures on charges of plotting to overthrow the State by inciting the unrest. Seven of the 20 convicted were tried in absentia by the military court. Read More

Op-Ed: Stand up for Khawaja and his fellow civil rights activists
The conviction of the prodemocratic Bahraini demonstrators is a reminder of our duty of solidarity for the ght and plight of those advocating freedom, civil and human rights in Bahrain.

A court in Bahrain has upheld lengthy prison sentences imposed on leaders of prodemocracy protests held in 2011.
The 20 people were originally tried before a military court last year, accused of plotting to

Those convicted included some of Bahrain's most prominent human rights activists, the BBC reports. During the original court hearing, they insisted that theirs had been a peaceful movement of protest. Read More

The decision to give prison sentences (several of them for life) to the prominent prodemocracy Bahraini activists is scandalous. The crushing of the peaceful, non-violent democratic insurrection in Pearl Roundabout, Manama Bahrain on February of 2011 was thorough, brutal and decisive. Authoritarian in nature it was an episode that was greatly overshadowed by events in Egypt and Libya. Read More

Al-Khawaja's life sentence is upheld by Bahrain court

The lifetime sentence of Danish-Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi alKhawaja has been upheld by a Bahraini court, his daughter Maryam al-Khawaja announced via Twitter this morning. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who holds dual Danish and

Bahraini citizenship, has been jailed in Bahrain since June 2011 on charges of plotting against the Bahraini state. His high-prole hunger strike, which lasted 110 days, led the Danish Foreign Ministry to engage in what Villy Svndal (Socialistisk Folkeparti), the foreign minister, characterised as the largest Danish consular effort ever to have him released. Read More

UK "disappointed" at verdicts in Bahrain activists' cases

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt spoke after a Bahraini court today upheld the sentences of 13 political activists who were orginally tried by a military court last year. I am very disappointed at the Bahraini civilian courts decision to uphold all the

sentences of 13 political activists in Bahrain. While the UK welcomed Bahrains decision to review these cases in a civilian court, as recommended by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), we remain concerned about the strength of the convictions. Reports at the time these individuals were sentenced, which were acknowledged by the BICI, suggested that some had been abused in detention, denied access to legal counsel and were coerced into confessing. Read More the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs states: I consider the rulings in Bahrain, including for the Danish citizen Abdulhadi alKhawaja to be very disappointing. Especially considering that in the spring both the UN, EU and a large number of countries together with Denmark encouraged a release. Read More unconditionally released, Amnesty International said.

Upholding the Sentence of 13 Bahraini Activists

We are deeply troubled by todays developments in which an appeals court upheld the vast majority of convictions and sentences of 13 Bahraini activists. We urge the Government of Bahrain to abide by its commitment to respect detainees right to due

process and to transparent judicial proceedings, including fair trials and access to attorneys. It is important that verdicts are based on credible evidence and that judicial proceedings are conducted in full accordance with Bahraini law and Bahrains international legal obligations. We call on the Government of Bahrain to investigate all reports of torture, including those made by the defendants, as it has pledged to do, and to hold accountable those found responsible. Read More regime has little intention to reform. Bahraini government claims that they are on the path to human rights progress appear to be a sham, said Human Rights Firsts Brian Dooley. Todays appeal verdicts for the 13 dissidents follow the original sentences handed down by a military court in June 2011. The men were arrested, detained and tortured in March and April of last year and have been kept in jail throughout the appeal process. Read More

Bahrain affirms life sentence of human rights activist alKhawaja

The Supreme Criminal Appeal Court of Bahrain has today afrmed the life sentence of the human rights activist al-Khawaja. It is not yet known whether alKhawaja will appeal the sentence. In this connection,

Reform Claims Shattered as Bahraini Court Confirms Sentences Against 13 Leading Dissidents
Todays conrmation of jail sentences against 13 leading Bahraini dissidents show the regimes promises of reform are a hoax, said Human Rights First. The crackdown in Bahrain continues in the courts and on the streets. The denial of the mens appeals shows the

Bahrain must free prisoners of conscience after outrageous verdict

The decision by Bahrains appeal court to uphold sentences against 13 opposition activists and prisoners of conscience is outrageous and the authorities must ensure it is overturned and the activists immediately and

The High Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain on Tuesday upheld the convictions and sentences of the 13 men, who were convicted last year before military courts on charges related to anti-government protests. Amnesty International sent a trial observer to Bahrain who was present in court. Read More

CNN and the business of state-sponsored TV news

Today I reported on the refusal of CNN International (CNNi) to broadcast an award-winning documentary, "iRevolution", that was produced in early 2011 as the Arab Spring engulfed the region and which was highly critical of the regime in Bahrain. The documentary, featuring CNN's on-air correspondent Amber Lyon, viscerally documented the brutality and violence the regime was using against its own citizens who were peacefully protesting for

democracy. Commenting on why the documentary did not air on CNNi, CNN's spokesman cited "purely editorial reasons".

Why Didn't CNN's International Arm Air Even so, the network's Its Own Documentary relationships with On Bahrain's Arab governments must bear closer examination. CNNi has Spring Repression?
aggressively pursued a business strategy of extensive, multifaceted nancial arrangements between the network and several of the most repressive regimes around the world which the network purports to cover. Its nancial dealings with Bahrain are deep and longstanding Read More A Bahraini civilian court has upheld the sentences against at least 20 leading opposition leaders, Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority says. Read More The malware, which was allegedly designed for helping trap criminals, is being used On 19 June 2011 at 8pm, CNN's domestic outlet in the US aired "iRevolution" for the rst and only time. The program received prestigious journalism awards, including

a 2012 Gold Medal from New York Festival's Best TV and Films. Lyon, along with her segment producer Taryn Fixel, were named as nalists for the 2011 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. A Facebook page created by Bahraini activists, entitled "Thank you Amber Lyon, CNN reporter | From people of Bahrain", received more than 8,000 "likes". Read More

Bahrain protesters under the target of UK spyware

The British company Gamma International has produced a malware that is used for spying on Bahraini activists through taking control of smart phones such as iPhone and Blackberry.

by oppressive administrations including the al-Khalifa regime in Bahrain to spy on revolutionaries. According to a study by the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs Citizen Lab, the Trojan called FinFisher remotely monitors calls, texts and emails, captures keystrokes, steals contact lists, turns on device microphone to record ambient sounds and tracks owners via GPS. Read More

Bahrain upholds verdicts of 20 leading opposition leaders