US-European backed Bahrain regime tortures, murders critics.

Shiite protesters in Bahrain carry the coffin of a comrade killed by the Bahraini police. Saudi Arabia sent their military to Bahrain to help King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa crush the peaceful protestors who were inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. In February the Bahrainian police shot a young man attending the mass funeral of another who was killed by the police. More than 10,000 people attended the funeral. The protestors are calling for a democratically elected government, a constitutional assembly and an end to oppression of Shia by the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

The US-European Crime Syndicate

Barack Obama has continued George Bush's support of the Sunni minority regime even in the midst of Bahrain's brutal attacks on protestors and oppression of the Shia population.

George W.Bush flew to Bahrain to meet with the king in January 2008. Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet supporting the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Bahrain's king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa shortly before Saudi troops entered Bahrain, pointing to Washington's possible complicity and foreknowledge of the Gulf intervention. More than 1,000 Saudi troops entered Bahrain to help King al-Khalifa crush the pro-democracy protestors who took over Manama's central business district.

Robert M. Gates shaking hands with al-Khalifa after their meetings at Safriyah Palace in Bahrain, March 12, 2003. Defense Department photo by Cherie Cullen

Al-Khalifa appears in a press conference with then US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld outside the Pentagon on Feb. 4, 2003, one month before the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In 2010, Hillary Clinton visitedal-Khalifa inBahrain. Following their meeting, the king stated: "During my meeting with Her Excellency the Secretary, I welcomed the support of the United States to the municipal and legislative elections in the Kingdom and at the same time I expressed our appreciation to the United States’ positive stance towards the success of the democratic process in the Kingdom." - Bahraini Embassy

Nikolas Sarkozy and Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa

From the state-controlled Bahrain News Agency:

Manama - Apr 04 (BNA) France has today backed all measures undertaken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to protect its security and stability. French President Nicolas Sarkozy extended his country’s support during a phone call with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

He backed the security measures which are aimed at protecting Bahrain’s hard-won achievements, hailing the Kingdom’s policies of construction and development, led by HM King Hamad. He also lauded the cooperation between the GCC member states and their support for security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region. The two leaders discussed strong bilateral relations and joint cooperation in all fields, spotlighting regional and international developments. HM King Hamad expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to President Sarkozy, hailing France’s support for Bahrain’s security and stability. "The honourable stance reflects strong relations of friendship and cooperation bonding both countries", wishing the French people further progress and prosperity.

British Prime Minister David Cameron meeting with al Khalifa in his residence at No.10 Downing Street Thursday July 15, 2010. Cameron also pressed the United Nations to approve the attack against Libya.
(AP Photo/Andy Rain)

In a February21, 2011 telephone call to the king,

"The British Prime Minister confirmed his country's support for efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain to preserve its security, stability, the safety of its people and national unity under the leadership of His Majesty the King. He stressed the importance of the strong historical friendship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom, praising the democratic steps and reform witnessed by the Kingdom in light of the reform program of His Majesty the King which ensure freedom and openness of the people of Bahrain." Cameron later urged al-Khalifa to use restraint after he became under heavy pressure when reportedly the king was invited to attend thewedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

In July, 2002 Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair
walked al-Khalifa through Blair's London residence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited al-Khalifa in May, 2010. She thanked the king for supporting Germany for a non-permanent seat on the US Security Council and "lauded Bahrain's efforts to promote peace and stability and balanced foreign policy in a world full of conflicts and disputes, asserting Germany's keenness to reach a compromise formula on the free trade agreement between GCC and the European Union."

The Crime

Protestors condemn King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Pearl Square

The Bahraini regime, assisted by the Saudi military advance on the protest camp in Pearl Square in the capital city of Manama.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2011, Bahraini and Saudi security forces launched a vicious surprise attack on the pro-democracy protesters in Pearl Square. Witnesses reported that most of the protesters, including women and children, were asleep when the troops stormed their camp. At least five people were killed, somewhile asleep, and at least 200 wounded. The square resembled Tahrir Square in Cairo where Egyptian protestors demanded the end of the Mubarak regime. One protestor told CNN, "We were sleeping. There were guys, kids, school children, women, and suddenly they just attacked us with tear gas, stun bombs." The military then locked down the capital, using tanks, checkpoints, and patrols. On state television they followed the crackdown by announcing that all public assembly was banned.

The 8 children shown above have been imprisoned by the regime. In the joint Bahraini-Saudi crackdown more than 25 people have been officially reported killed, some tortured, many reported missing, hundreds arrested and thousands injured by police and military troops.

All photos added and related comments by Axis of Logic.

13 April 2011
US-backed Bahrain regime tortures, murders critics
by David Walsh
WSWS

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Bahrain

The regime of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Bahrain, which the Obama administration backs to the hilt, is continuing its violent repression of political opposition. The Khalifa regime imposed a state of emergency, after its security forces, backed by troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, violently cleared protesters from Pearl Square in Manama, the kingdom’s capital, on March 16.

More than 400 people have been arrested, including human rights activists, doctors, bloggers and oppositionists. Twenty-seven political opponents and protesters are officially reported dead and dozens are missing. A leading newspaper has been shut down and its editors and reporters threatened with imprisonment.

Two Shiite activists have been murdered in prison, according to human rights organizations and the families of the victims. The Bahraini interior ministry claimed that Ali Issa Saqer, 31, died when guards tried to restrain him for “causing chaos.” According to news reports, however, Saqer’s corpse showed telltale signs of torture and abuse.

The BBC reports that “Photos taken before his burial showed criss-cross purple lash marks all over his [Saqer’s] back. His legs were also badly bruised, and his toes and feet were covered in purple bruises.

“There was a big bruise on the left side of his head and possible burn marks on his ankles and wrists, said Daniel Williams, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch (HRW), who viewed the body as it was being prepared for burial.

“‘This looked much worse than anything I've seen,’ Mr Williams said, referring to other cases in Bahrain of apparent lash marks seen on the backs of people detained at checkpoints.”

One of the teenagers killed in the attack.

Zakaraya Rashed Hassan, 40, was “found dead” in a jail cell, according to Bahrain’s officials. An official postmortem alleged he died of complications from sickle-cell anemia. Hassan’s family dismissed the claim. The victim was detained April 2 on charges of “inciting hatred, publishing false news, promoting sectarianism and calling for the overthrow of the regime” on social networking sites.

Williams of Human Rights Watch told the BBC, “It is extremely scary that in all three cases of the deaths last week, the families only heard about their loved ones when they were [already] dead.”

Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights told the media, “We believe they [the authorities] killed them in prison.” In retaliation, Bahrain’s government turned around and accused Rajab of fabricating images and publishing them on the Internet; he was called in for questioning, in an effort to intimidate anyone considering further exposure of the government’s crimes.

Rajab told the Guardian, “They want to do their crimes in secret. … I am one of the few human rights activists who has not yet been arrested and the government wants to silence me and prevent me from doing my work.”

Bahrain’s public prosecutor is also questioning three senior journalists, fired from the kingdom’s only opposition newspaper, Al-Wasat (“The Center”), over accusations they falsified news about the regime’s mistreatment of detainees. The newspaper was suspended April 2, but allowed to resume publishing the next day, after the journalists “resigned.” The three allege they were set up by the government as part of a disinformation campaign.

Zainab Alkhawaja, the daughter of another prominent human rights activist, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, launched a hunger strike April 11 to protest the beating and arrest of her father, along with the detention of her husband, brother-in-law and uncle.

Alkhawaja alleges that masked men burst into her family’s home and beat her father unconscious before the eyes of his family. She posted an angry open letter to President Barack Obama on her blog Monday.

Describing the arrest, she writes that her father never “raised a hand to resist” his assailants, “and the only words he said were ‘I can't breathe’. Even after he was unconscious the masked men kept kicking and beating him while cursing and saying that they were going to kill him. This is a very real threat considering that in the past two weeks alone three political prisoners have died in custody. The special forces also beat up and arrested my husband and brother-in-law.”

With considerable bitterness, Zainab Alkhawaja directly addresses Obama:

“When you were sworn in as president of the United States, I had high hopes. I thought: here is a person who would have never become a president if it were not for the African-American fight for civil liberties; he will understand our fight for freedom. Unfortunately, so far my hopes have been shattered. I might have misunderstood. What was it you meant Mr. President? YES WE CAN… support dictators? YES WE CAN… help oppress pro-democracy protesters? YES WE CAN… turn a blind eye to a people’s suffering? …

“I am writing this letter to let you know, that if anything happens to my father, my husband, my uncle, my brother-in-law, or to me, I hold you just as responsible as the AlKhalifa regime. Your support for this monarchy makes your government a partner in crime. I still have hope that you will realize that freedom and human rights mean as much to a Bahraini person as it does to an American, Syrian or a Libyan and that regional and political considerations should not be prioritized over liberty and human rights.”

The US remains steadfast in its support for the murderous Khalifa regime, even as Washington blathers on about “democracy” and “human rights” in Libya.

The Bahrain News Agency reported that Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, received Gen. James N. Mattis, chief of the US Central Command, at Riffa Palace on April 6.

The Crown Prince, according to the government news agency, “hailed the US support for Bahrain’s security and stability which epitomizes strong ties bonding the two friendly countries. He also stressed the kingdom’s keenness to further promote bilateral relations and cooperation mainly in the military and defence field. … Both sides also reviewed regional developments and the need to safeguard regional security and stability.” US Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Williams also attended the meeting.

A Washington Post editorial chastised the Obama administration Monday for its silence on the Bahrain crackdown. The Post notes that while the US is intervening in Libya and has been vocal about government violence in Syria, “the president and his administration remain mostly silent about another ugly campaign of repression underway in the Arab world, in the Persian Gulf emirate of Bahrain. The reason is easy to understand: Bahrain hosts an important U.S. naval base, and the wave of arrests, extrajudicial killings and media censorship has been strongly supported—if not ordered—by neighboring Saudi Arabia.”

The blatant double standard, the newspaper asserts, is “counterproductive” and likely to come back to haunt the US. The Post advises the White House to pressure officials in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and—perhaps most importantly from the point of view of public relations—let “the rest of the region know where it stands.”

Source: WSWS