11th June 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Ali Hasan: The 11year-old feeling the wrath of Bahrain's regime
An 11-year-old boy is to stand trial in Bahrain, accused of taking part in an illegal gathering and blocking a road, after spending a month in prison in what human rights organisations say is a campaign against children by the authorities. Ali Hasan said he was playing in the street with two other children his own age when he was approached by Boy 11 was 'playing in plainclothes policemen in a the street' when he was car. He said the two other arrested for taking part boys ran off, but a policeman shouted that he would shoot in Bahrain protest Ali with a shotgun if he tried An 11-year-old boy arrested to escape. for allegedly taking part in "Ali is accused of taking part anti-government protests has in an illegal gathering, which been freed ahead of his trial. in Bahrain means the Ali Hasan says he was playing gathering of more than five in the streets near his him in people," his lawyer, Shahzalan Khamees, said. Read More International Affairs Authority, the Persian Gulf kingdom's information office. al-Bilad al-Qadeem, a suburb of the Bahrain capital, Manama, with two other children his age when he was arrested for 'joining an illegal gathering' and other claims. Protests have been held in Sadad calling for his release for the last month, and that finally happened on Monday evening according to his lawyer, Mohsen al-Alawi. Read More Hasan was allowed to go home after spending a month in jail after being arrested on May 14 outside capital city Manama, reported BBC News. He has been ordered to appear in court again on June 20 to face charges, including joining an illegal gathering. Authorities have also accused the boy, who they claim is actually 12, of burning tires at a roadblock, according to CNN. Read More down another opposition political party. Speaking at a political gathering marking the anniversary of the end of effective martial law introduced in March 2011 as the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests the cleric said Bahrainis had acted with restraint in the face of the regimes oppression because of their love and care towards the country. One fatwa, or religious order, could have brought out tens of thousands ready to sacrifice their lives, he said, in what government loyalists will regard as a veiled threat. Read More

Young detainee in Bahrain released on bail, lawyer says

A boy labeled the youngest detainee in Bahrain's prison system has been released pending trial, one of his lawyers said Tuesday. The boy, Ali Hasan, was arrested on May 14 and accused of participating in an "illegal gathering" with about a dozen others, according to the Bahrain

Authorities accuse him of burning tires at a roadblock. Human rights groups say he is 11 years old. Authorities say he is 12. Defense attorney Mohsin AlAlawi said he recently visited Hasan and the boy told him that he didn't take part in an "illegal gathering." The boy sobbed, said he is tired and wanted to go home, Al-Alawi said Monday. Read More his home in the capital Manama by plainclothes officers and charged with joining an illegal gathering. Activists contended that he had simply been playing the streets; the Bahraini government took a very different view: Bahrains chief prosecutor for juveniles, Noura Al-Khalifa, said in a statement on Sunday that Hasan was arrested on May 14 while blocking a street outside Manama with garbage containers and wood planks. Read More

Ali Hasan: Bahrain's youngest detainee released on bail

Ali Hasan, 11, labeled Bahrain's youngest detainee, has been released on bail pending his trial for participating in an illegal gathering.

Al-Wefaq chief defies Bahrain hardliners

The leader of Bahrains main opposition group has made a rare public challenge to government hardliners in a speech that ratcheted up rhetoric more than a year after street protests rocked the Gulf island kingdom. The move by Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the alWefaq group, came as claims emerged that police had vandalised his home and the authorities moved to close

Child Imprisoned For Weeks in Bahraini Jail

11-year-old Ali Hassan has been released after spending several weeks in prison in Bahrain. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) says that Hassan, who had to take his school exams while in jail, is one of the youngest to be detained during the prodemocracy uprising. According to Al Jazeera, he was detained on May 13 near

Hamad Al Khalifa to revive his role as a possible mediator in the Gulf kingdoms deepening crisis. Bahrains leadership is under heavy pressure from the U.S. and other Western allies to restart talks with the majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice.

Bahrains Lost Uprising

Bahrain crown prince renews bid for dialogue amid deepening crisis
A new group backed by Bahrains crown prince says it hopes to bridge divides in a nation wracked by 16 months of unrest between the ruling Sunni monarchy and Shiiteled protesters. The move appears to be an attempt by Prince Salman bin

The major reform milestone was the issuance of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquirys report in November. Commissioned by King Hamad bin Isa alKhalifa, the report charges Officials at the opening that security personnel relied Tuesday of the Bahrain Foundation for Reconciliation on excessive force to quell the uprising and specifies very and Civil Discourse said it clear steps that the Bahraini seeks to bring all sides government has to take. together to try for reconciliation. Right now, however, the Read More general consensus is that the government has not made concrete progress on reform.

In May, the king announced some amendments to the constitution that were framed as reforms, but the main Shia opposition party, al-Wifaq, quickly rejected them as cosmetic offers that left the real power in the hands of the ruling family. A major stumbling block is the 2002 constitution, created unilaterally by the king, that subordinated the elected parliament to an unelected upper house, the Shura Council, which holds ultimate veto authority. Read More

Looming fresh political dialogue in Bahrain Dr. Jasim Husain

The fasting month of Ramadan, which will start around July 20th, provides an ideal opportunity for representatives from the government and opposition groups to engage in prolonged discussions over outstanding challenges and opportunities. There is much at stake; therefore, this new chance should not be missed. Happily, prospects for a negotiated settlement of the

political crisis in Bahrain have continued to steadily improve over the last few months, however slowly. The newfound push is a result of a combination of internal and external factors. Positive internal elements, which are the most signicant, have been positions undertaken by the authorities, advising willingness to engage with their adversaries. To review, the crisis in Bahrain dates back to February 2011 when tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets demanding for socio-political reforms. Read More pro-democracy uprising my participation was approved by their Bahraini partner. I was keen to accept as I wanted to use the opportunity to see for myself a troubled country that I last visited in late-2009. Accordingly, I made my travel arrangements and submitted my details to the Bahrain Centre who would sponsor my visit. And I waited, and waited, and waited, for an electronic visa which never materialised. I was not alone in being unable to travel to Bahrain. Read More

Q&A: Shias Express Reservations about Potential GCC Union

Q: Al-Wefaq has stated that it is against a possible GCC union, particularly a first phase that would involve a bilateral union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Can you please explain why this political society, in which you are a leading figure, is against this union? Is there a danger of being perceived as siding with Iran if you are not supportive of a union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain?

A: Iran has its own business with Saudi Arabia. In fact, one reason why Al-Wefaq was against the proposed union is that the union would invite Iranian-Saudi influence in Bahrain and the two countries would be jockeying for influence in the region. The reasons Al-Wefaq is against the union are not the same for Iran. We have serious concerns because we think this idea of union would undermine the call for democracy and would deny Bahrain the ability of being different from others in the region, politically, socially and economically. So, the reasons are definitely quite different. Read More Throughout his visit Minister Burt discussed the current situation and implementation of the reform agenda. He also raised plans for political dialogue, the security situation and specic human rights concerns. Minister Burt emphasised the importance of timely and full implementation of the agreed reforms and called on all parties to enter into an inclusive and constructive political dialogue to achieve sustainable stability for Bahrain. Read More

(Not Quite a) Postcard from Bahrain

I should have been in Bahrain this week, attending a conference organised by a new Bahraini research centre (the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies) in partnership with the Royal United Services Institute, a prestigious British think-tank. I had been invited by the British co-organiser and, somewhat to my surprise, given my vocal criticism of the regimes crushing of the

Foreign Office Minister encourages further reform in Bahrain

Minister Burt met the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister and Minister for the Royal Court as well as representatives from Bahrains political parties and opposition groups. He also held roundtable discussions with members of civil society and the media.

Targeting of Bahraini Human Rights Defenders Intensifies

The Bahraini governments crackdown has no end in sight as leading human rights defenders continue to be targeted. Nabeel Rajab was arrested and detained again last week, only days after being released from custody. Rajab is the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, a leading NGO in Bahrain that documents and publicizes

human rights violations in the country. The work of Rajab and the Center has been consistently acknowledged by international human rights organizations, and within just the last year, won the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty and the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award. Charged with multiple offences, Rajab is to spend at least a week in custody. According to his lawyer, these include taking part in an illegal gathering and tweeting criticism of the government. Read More

Facing prison for treating Bahrain's wounded by Dr. Rula Al Saffar

This week, I expect to hear if I will be going to prison for 15 years. The verdict on my appeal, as well as those of 19 other medics convicted in a sham Bahraini military trial last year, is due on Thursday. The Bahraini regime targeted us for treating protesters who were injured in democracy protests. I lived and worked in the United States for many years, some spent studying at Widener University in Chester. It's where I learned to

volunteer, and last year, when demonstrations erupted in Bahrain, that's what I did. Salmaniya Medical Complex, the country's main public hospital, was overwhelmed by protesters hurt by regime forces, so I went to the emergency room to help treat them. Several weeks later, on entering a government office, I was blindfolded and handcuffed. Over five months of detention, I was beaten, electrocuted, and sexually harassed. Then I was convicted. All just for doing my job. Read More