16th October 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

South Korea is Playing a Deadly Game By Fueling Bahrain's Violent Crackdown
An unlikely, unexpected, and dangerous trade has formed between South Korea and Bahrain. South Korea has been exporting loads of teargas to Bahrain, turning a blind eye to the deadly harm that it is causing in the government's efforts to crack down on protesters. The Bahrain government has engaged in a relentless crackdown since February 2011 against a population calling for democracy, human rights, and socioeconomic justice. Western governments, with strategic and commercial interests in the Kingdom, have continually turned a blind eye to ongoing torture, extrajudicial killing, suppression of free expression, and arbitrary persecutions. However, while policing equipment manufactured by U.S. and UK companies was documented in Bahrain in 2011, the scale of the violations has made further exports of purported "crowd-control"weapons unpalatable by those countries. Read More Purchasing Directorate shows that Bahrain's security forces are stockpiling massive amounts of tear gas, despite serious concerns of international NGOs and the United Nations Human Rights Council . These groups have called Bahrain's use of tear gas"unnecessary and indiscriminate" , and " lethal ". This planned new shipment will supply Bahrain with more tear gas canisters than the entire population of the country. Read More It is necessary for Bahrainis to nd a way to

Inside Bahrain after the government crackdown

NADA ALWADI was a reporter for Al-Wasat, Bahrains most popular daily newspaper and one that has a reputation for independence. Its editor, Dr Mansoor Al-Jamri, was removed from his position between April and August of 2011, when the paper allowed the views of the popular rebellion to enter its pages. Nada Alwadi was one of the journalists who reported honestly about the events on the streets of Manama, Bahrains capital, and in the rest of the small kingdom. She was detained

for 10 hours in April when a photograph of her at a journalists protest at the Pearl Roundabout surfaced. At the time of the crackdown, she spoke bravely about what was happening in her country, including the arrests of fellow journalists. She lost her job at Al-Wasat and at a semi-governmental media agency. Nada Alwadi then left the country. She founded the Bahraini Press Association as a vehicle to ght for the right of journalists to report stories freely. She now lives in Washington, D.C., from where she spoke to Vijay Prashad. Excerpts from the interview: Read More agree because there is no alternative to dialogue to reach an agreement on a formula that allows the coexistence and satisfaction of all parties, no matter how different their views are. Such a goal is achievable only through dialogue, the ambassador told Bahrain News Agency (BNA). The dialogue, launched on February 10, brought together representatives from a coalition of ve opposition societies, a coalition of other political societies, the parliament and the government. Read More

Leaked Document Shows Massive New Tear Gas Shipment Planned for Bahrain
Manama Bahrain's Ministry of Interior is planning to import 1.6 million tear gas canisters and 90,000 tear gas grenades, according to a leaked document , published today by the research and advocacy group Bahrain Watch.The document - apparently a tender issued by the Ministry of Interior's

France stresses dialogue as best way forward for Bahrain

Dialogue is the best way to break the vicious circle of violence and counterviolence in Bahrain, the French ambassador in Manama has said. We hope that the ve coalition parties that have recently suspended their participation in the dialogue will come back and resume their participation, Christian Testot said.