18th April 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

FORMULA 1
Clashes between police and protesters at F1 exhibition:
Clashes hit Bahrain Formula One exhibit Security forces red stun grenades Wednesday at anti-government protesters who swarmed into a cultural exhibition for Bahrain's Formula One race, setting off street battles and sending visitors eeing for cover. It was a blow to the Gulf nation's efforts to project stability, returning to the Grand Prix circuit a year after the race was canceled because of unrest. Read More More:
F1: Clashes Hit Bahrain Formula One Exhibit Bahrain: Clashes hit Formula One exhibit - World - NZ Herald News Clashes hit Bahrain Grand Prix exhibit | Kuwait Times Clashes hit Bahrain Formula One exhibit | TuscaloosaNews.com Clashes hit Bahrain F1 exhibit | thetelegraph.com.au Global Winnipeg | Bahrain protesters and police clash at exhibit zone for Formula One race World News: Bahrain protesters and police clash at Formula One exhibition - thestar.com

Proposed plan for Day of Rage:

Activists call for days of rage as F1 arrives in Bahrain Bahrain was recently described as a "quiet and peaceful" place by the most powerful voice in Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone, and passed as a safe venue to race by Jean Todt, president of the FIA, the sport's governing body. On Wednesday, however, about 200 protesters confronted police for more than an hour before being scattered by stun grenades. They chanted "down with the government" and "we want freedom" as they waved posters supporting the hunger striker and human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. Read More More:
Bahrain 'Day Of Rage' Planned For Formula One Grand Prix Bahrain activists vow days of rage for Grand Prix - Sport - DNA

Arrests of protest leaders:

Bahrain arrests protest leaders ahead of F1 amid torture Bahrain has arrested at least 60 Shi'ite protest leaders in recent days to try to prevent widescale unrest ahead of a controversial Formula One Grand Prix this week, activists said on Tuesday. News of the crackdown coincided with a statement from Amnesty International which said it was getting credible reports of the use of torture in the Gulf Arab state despite promises of reform. Read More More:
Bahrain Activists Arrested | Bahrain Protests, F1 | SBS World News

Other news of protests during F1:

Stun grenades hit Bahraini protest ahead of F1 race (PHOTOS) Security forces in Bahrain have deployed stun grenades and pepper spray to repel anti-government demonstrators who stormed a cultural exhibition for the countrys upcoming Formula One race in the capital Manama. The harsh reaction by riot police ignited street battles as hundreds of protesters huddled by shops and stalls to take cover. As shoppers ed the area, many storeowners were forced to close early. No injuries were reported. Read More

Zaynab, daughter of human rights activist al-Khawaja, addresses media during an anti-government rally demanding his release in Manama

Read More More:

Stun grenades hit Bahraini protest ahead of F1 race (PHOTOS) RT Radio New Zealand : News : World : Bahrain protests erupt again before grand prix No F1 over our blood: protesters warn ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix Protests take place as F1 arrives in Bahrain | F1 News | Apr 2012 | Crash.Net Heavy security as Formula One arrives in Bahrain - Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain Grand Prix | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1 Hundreds protest as Formula 1 teams land in Bahrain | News | NDTVSports.com Protesters call for boycott of GP in Bahrain | This is Derbyshire Wave of arrests ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix: NGO | Radio Netherlands Worldwide World News: Bahrain activists vow days of rage for Formula One race - thestar.com Bahrainis step up protests as journalists arrive for F1 - storyful F1: Unrest in Bahrain escalates in run-up to F1 Grand Prix - Taipei Times Pictures and Galleries - AlertNet Bahrain clears hunger strike protest - Updated News

More fears of casualties during F1:

Casualties are possible at Bahrain Grand Prix, says Jasim Husain Economist Jasim Husain represented the primary opposition group, Al-Wefaq, for ve years before resigning in protest following the anti-government demonstrations that rocked the country last year. Given the daily clashes between police and protesters, there are concerns the latter will use F1s arrival and its global reach to ram home their message. Read More More:
Torched Bank Warns Formula One Racing Into Bahrain Violence - Bloomberg Husain fears Bahrain casualties | Orange UK Porsche Supercup squad MRS withdraws from Bahrain citing fears about safety - Other news - AUTOSPORT.com 'Casualties' fear stalks Bahrain Grand Prix - Other Sports, Sport - Herald.ie Journalist sees more police on rst day in Bahrain EX-POLITICIAN HOPING TO AVOID VIOLENCE AT BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX | Sporting Life | Athletics, Cycling, Rallying, MotoGP

Many adding their voices to doubts over Formula 1

Bahrain Hunger-Striker's Wife Attacks Bernie Ecclestone Over Grand Prix Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has been accused of "ignoring" the plight of a jailed Bahraini activist who has been on hunger strike for two months ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. The Formula One circus has arrived in the Middle Eastern kingdom as controversy grows over whether the race should be held in a country where protests against its rulers have continued for more than a year with the loss of dozens of lives. Read More

Approval of 2012 Grand Prix in Bahrain outrages human rights advocates Formula Ones approval of Bahrain to host a Grand Prix auto race is angering the international community. Many Bahraini citizens and activists worry that the Bahraini rulers will use the worlds sports event to disguise its ongoing political unrest and human rights violation against its citizens. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of Grand Prix auto racing, recently announced its approval for Bahrain to host one of the worlds biggest sporting events. Last week, the FIA said that the Kingdom of Bahrain meets all of the security requirements to hold international sports event. Read More

Bahrain Crackdown Intensies in Run Up to F1 The Bahrain regime is targeting human rights activists in the days leading up to this weekends F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, according to local human rights defenders who are in contact with Human Rights First. In the run up to the F1, the regime is targeting and arresting activists across the country. Dozens of people have been detained,said SaidYousif al-Muhafda of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, who was briey detained himself on Sunday night. Read More More:
Bahrain Violence: Calls For F1 Race To Be Axed | Orange UK Bahrain hunger striker's wife criticises Ecclestone - Yahoo! New Zealand Sport To proceed with the Bahrain Grand Prix is an affront - Blogger News Network Formula One: The Bahrain Grand Prix Is An Accident Waiting To Happen | Football & Sport | Sabotage Times BERNAMA - German-based Bahraini Activist Slams Grand Prix Organisers Over F1 Race www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/archie-bland-why-wont-bernie-ecclestone-lead-by-example-in-bahrain-7657117.html Formula 1 Grand Prix puts Bahrain brutality in focus | The Australian

But Government and F1 continue to say its safe:

Formula 1 given safety assurance over Bahrain Grand Prix No-one travelling to the Bahrain Grand Prix will be in danger, according to the leader of the nation's opposition Centre for Human Rights group. Civil unrest in the country had led to calls for the race to be postponed, while some pro-democracy demonstrators have protested against F1. Read More More:
'Nobody will harm the F1 teams' - The National Safety assurances given in Bahrain | BreakingNews.ie

Former Champion Jenson Button continues to show his support:

Bahrain still rocked by protests, but Button is willing to back F1 supremo Ecclestone Jenson Button has made it plain that he 'trusts' the decision by Formula One's governing body to go ahead with Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite repeated demands that the race be called off because of the crackdown on widespread prodemocracy protests, Button said: 'I trust in the FIA, that they know all the information, so we have to trust in their decision. I don't think they will ever want to put us at risk.' Read More

Other opinion pieces on F1:

Bahrain struggles to get Grand Prix back on track Zayed al-Zayani gazes out over the Formula 1 racetrack in Sakhir, the scene of Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. "This is a chance," he says, "to tell the whole world what Bahrain is really all about." The history of the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) - it was built in 2003 at a cost of $150m (94m), and held its rst Grand Prix in 2004 - was a smooth one for several years. Read More More:
Bahrain GP far from business as usual | MOTORSPORT News Bahrain Grand Prix: Only 29% of Formula One Companies Respond To Human Rights Concerns Press Releases on CSRwire.com

Bahrain Protesters Confront Crown Prince Sheikh Salam bin Hamad al Khalifa [VIDEO] The Bahraini royal family is divided over whether to free a jailed human rights leader, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger strike for more than 60 days. A

Bahraini source said yesterday: "They were going to release him three weeks ago but this was vetoed by hardliners in the family." Read More More:
Bahrain crown prince surrounded by angry demonstrators as opposition holds fresh protests | GlobalPost Bahrain's crown prince confronted by protesters in opposition hotbed - 4/18/2012 6:12:51 AM | Newser

labor reform projects, it was reported. Bahrain's rulers split over fate of rights activist Sheikh Salam bin Hamad al Khalifa, the king of the island state, was attending the funeral of a Shiite executive who worked on one of his The funerals were taking place in Sanabis, where protests asking for political and social reforms have recurrently been organised, often ending in clashes between the security forces and protesters. Read More

according to Amnesty International. Despite the regimes claims of reform following international condemnation of their brutality,Amnesty warns no one should be under any illusions that the countrys human rights crisis is over. Read More

The fast and furious Sunni revenge And the winner is ... the Gulf Counter-revolution Club (GCC), also known as Gulf Cooperation Council.

Their collective celebration party is this weekend's Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix - complete with buckets of Moet and Ferraris oozing by. See it as a coterie of Sunni sheikhs telling the "international community" we won; it's our way or the (boiling hot) desert highway. Read More

THuman Rights Crisis in US Client Bahrain, Despite Reform Pledge After more than a year of harsh repression and violence in Bahrain, the Sunni dictatorships response to the youths protest movement is still generating a human rights crisis,

strike for more than two months. Iraq's Sadr calls for Bahrain activist's release Anti-US Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for the release of jailed Bahraini activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger "I demand his immediate release," Sadr said in a statement released by his ofce in Najaf and obtained by AFP on Wednesday. It was unclear when the cleric made the statement. Read More

Cherif Bassiouni: The FP Interview The United Nations should establish an investigation commission to collect evidence about war crimes in Syria to prepare the ground for any future investigation, leading Arab international law expert Cherif Bassiouni told Foreign Policy during a wide-ranging interview

peaceful expression ahead of the Formula One motor racing event to be held in Manama on April 22. CPJ in joint call for release of bloggers, activists in Bahrain CPJ is among 50 organizations that have signed a joint letter to Bahrain's king calling for the release of detained bloggers, activists, and human rights defenders and to drop all charges that violate the right to Among the detainees is blogger Abduljalil Alsingace, who has been imprisoned since March 2011 and was handed down a life sentence. Another blogger, Ali Abdel Imam, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. Read More

yesterday followinghis talk at George Washington University's Institute for Middle East Studies [videos of both the interview and the talk will be posted shortly]. He warned that Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh should not count on his immunity deal holding up, discounted the ability of Libya's courts to try Saif al-Islam Gadda, and blasted Egypt's post-revolutionary trials as focusing on imsy, marginal cases which avoided dealing with systemic, institutionalized corruption. Read More peaceful expression ahead of the Formula One motor racing event to be held in Manama on April 22.

CPJ in joint call for release of bloggers, activists in Bahrain CPJ is among 50 organizations that have signed a joint letter to Bahrain's king calling for the release of detained bloggers, activists, and human rights defenders and to drop all charges that violate the right to

Among the detainees is blogger Abduljalil Alsingace, who has been imprisoned since March 2011 and was handed down a life sentence. Another blogger, Ali Abdel Imam, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. Read More