BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

28th/ 29th July 2014

Freedom of religion
for whom?
IN MARCH 2011, Saudi
Arabian tanks rolled into
Bahrain to put down a pro-
democracy movement
demanding fair elections,
freedom of speech and an
end to imprisonment
without trial.
The Saudis made short
work of unarmed
demonstrators gathered at
the Pearl Roundabout in the
center of the capital of
Manama. An unknown
number was killed.
Hundreds of injured were
ferried to hospitals.
Reporters described heavily
armed masked men
controlling the entrances
and dragging away people
arriving by car or
ambulance.
Twenty doctors were
arrested for "felonies,"
including treating the
injured, and "treasonous
activities," including giving
interviews criticizing the
crackdown. In September
2012, nine doctors were
sentenced by a military
tribunal to terms of up to
ve years.
Read More
U.S. Highlights
Bahrain Sectarianism
in New Religious
Freedom Report
Today's State Department
report on international
religious freedom for 2013
is unlikely to heal the
increasing rift between the
U.S. Government and
Bahrain.
In recent weeks tension has
increased as the Bahrain
regime expelled State
Department Assistant
Secretary for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor
Tom Malinowski after he
met with two prominent
Shia politicians. Today's
report starkly presents the
core of some of the
problems in Bahrain's
continued unrest.
During 2013, "The Sunni
citizen population enjoyed
favored status," it says
simply, and that "Although
prevailing evidence
suggests Shia constitute
the majority of citizens,
Sunnis dominate political
life. Of the 40 members of
the Shura Council who are
appointed by the king, only
18 are Shia. Six of the 29
cabinet ministers are
Shia...".
Read More
Bahrains Ongoing
Political Impasse
Imperils U.S.
Interests
The fallout from Bahrains
expulsion of Tom
Malinowski, the U.S.
assistant secretary of state
for democracy, human
rights and labor, illustrates
the continuing political
impasse in this deeply
polarized U.S. ally in the
Persian Gulf. While the
danger to the ruling Al
Khalifa family posed by the
2011 popular uprising has
long passed, positions on
all sides have hardened,
with little prospect of any
political settlement to
Bahrains deep-rooted
inequalities. A fragile stasis
has instead developed
between a Bahraini
government unwilling to
make meaningful political
concessions and a
fragmented opposition
unable to mount a serious
challenge to the status quo.
Malinowski was declared
persona non grata and
ordered to leave Bahrain on
July 7, a day after meeting
with leaders of Al-Wefaq,
the main Shiite Islamist
opposition group, at the
U.S. Embassy in Manama.
Malinowski met with Al-
Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali
Salman and his deputy,
Khalil al-Marzooq, without a
Bahraini government ofcial
present, and was promptly
accused of outing a
September 2013 ruling
requiring a Foreign Ministry
representative to attend all
such meetings.
Read More