city:manama

Religious police head in social media warning | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/religious-police-head-in-social-media-warning-1.1184251

Social networks and microblogs, particularly Twitter, cannot be guidelines in people’s lives, the head of the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has said. “Those who resort to social networks and microblogs, especially Twitter, as their guides have lost their lives and their afterlife,” Shaikh Abdul Lateef Al Shaikh said. “Twitter has become a platform for whoever does not have a platform,” he said in the Saudi capital Riyadh, quoted by local Arabic daily Al Watan. Saudi Arabia has been pushing an integrated legal, media and social drive to confront the “deviant mindset” of extremists and arch-conservatives influenced by calls, often made online, to jihad and holy wars.

Le dialogue national est mort ! ....
Vive le dialogue national (au Bahreïn)

Attempt to break Bahrain impasse fails | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/attempt-to-break-bahrain-impasse-fails-1.1184368

A new attempt by two political coalitions, the parliament and the government to find a way out of Bahrain’s political deadlock has suffered a serious setback after proposals to move forward were rejected by the participants.
The national dialogue, launched on February 10 to end the political impasse that stalled political progress over two years since the events that occurred in Bahrain in February and March 2011, reached the impasse after the opposition said that it would not endorse the proposal to draft the agenda unless it was satisfied with its platform of the talks. The other participants accused the opposition of stalling the talks.
“We insist on a representative of the king at the talks,” Abdul Nabi Salman, the head of the Progressive Tribune and one of the eight delegates representing the opposition. “We insist also on a fair representation of the parties taking part at the talks.”

Après les insultes au Roi (down with Hamad) qui sont les slogans de bon nombre de manifestations et qui s’étalent partout sur les murs (caviardés par les forces de l’ordre), la peine de prison pour insultes aux symboles. L’article ne dit pas cependant ce que ce fameux drapeau bahreinien avait d’injurieux.

►http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_BAHRAIN?SITE=AP

Bahrain demonstrator jailed for flag ’insult’

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A Bahrain demonstrator was sentenced to three months in prison Thursday for hanging a Bahrain flag from his truck during a 2011 rally, a defense lawyer said, in one of the first cases based on tougher codes for alleged insults to the Gulf nation’s ruler or symbols.

The specific charges were unclear, but prosecutors argued that draping the flag over the truck during the protest gathering was an offense under the new rules.

Many people in Bahrain, however, fly flags from vehicles during celebrations and other events. Flags also are common during anti-government marches.

In April, Bahrain announced stricter penalties for insulting the Gulf state’s king or national symbols. The measures seek to quell more than two years of protests led by Bahrain’s majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled nation.

Defense lawyer Hashim Saleh said 62-year-old Abdulla al-Sayegh plans to appeal the sentence and the 100 dinar ($265) fine. Al-Sayegh acknowledged he attended pro-reform rallies during the early days of the Arab Spring uprising.

On Wednesday, six Twitter users in Bahrain were given one year each in prison for posts deemed offensive to the king.

Exercice de déminage dans le Golfe persique, mené par les EU et impliquant la participation de 41 pays, qui nourrit la paranoia des Iraniens

http://gitm.kcorp.net/index.php?id=647913

Gulf Times - 13 May, 2013

Vice Admiral John Miller, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, said yesterday that a massive naval minesweeping exercise involving 41 countries was not directed at Iran.“It is not about Iran,” Miller said at a news conference in Manama, the fleet’s headquarters, saying the manoeuvres were “purely defensive”.

Iran on Tuesday warned against any “provocations” in the Gulf as the US-led international naval force began preparing for the exercise. “Our message does not get to one country... it is about a secure maritime environment,” Miller said. “It is purely defensive, not provocative, and takes place in international waters.”

Entretien du Roi du Bahrein avec une étudiante en journalisme d’Harvard.

Nieman Reports | « Terrorism Has No Religion »
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102880/Terrorism-Has-No-Religion.aspx

“Terrorism Has No Religion”
Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, talks to 2013 Nieman Fellow Souad Mekhennet about terrorism, Twitter, freedom of the press, and democratic reform

Interview by Souad Mekhennet

Les arrestations de jeunes responsables de jet de Molotovs semblent se multiplier récemment

http://gitm.kcorp.net/index.php?id=647115

The Peninsula - 08 May, 2013

Bahraini security forces have arrested four people suspected of attacking a police checkpoint with petrol bombs south of Manama at the weekend, the interior ministry said.

“Four of the terrorists who attacked police checkpoint on Sunday evening with petrol bombs have been arrested,” the ministry said late Monday.

It said the attack took place in the district of Jari Al Sheikh, south of the capital, adding the identity of others suspected of being involved was being probed.

The alleged attack came amid frequent clashes between security forces and protesters in villages inhabited by the Shia majority of the kingdom ruled by the Al Khalifa dynasty.

Pleine activité au Parlement de Bahrein, qui désormais fait plein usage de son droit à l’initiative législative, exaspéré par l’agitation de rue que le gouvernement ne parvient pas à étouffer.
Il faut dire que ces parlementaires auraient très peu de chance d’être au parlement si l’opposition légaliste qui agite les rues n’avait démissionné en février 2011.

Bahrain lawmakers push for stricter rally rules | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-lawmakers-push-for-stricter-rally-rules-1.1180458

Bahrain’s lower chamber of the bicameral parliament on Tuesday pushed for new regulations for organising rallies and demonstrations.
Under a proposal to amend the law on assemblies and rallies, organisers have to present a warranty cheque of 20,000 dinars (Dh194,073) before they are given the licence to go ahead with their plans.
Other suggested amendments allow owners of homes or businesses in the rally area to object to the mass event.
An attempt by the parliament’s legal consultant to explain that the proposal could be a violation of the constitution was overruled by the lawmakers who said that they wanted an end to the “abuse of the freedom to organise rallies” and to the “sabotage of business interests” by repeated rallies and demonstrations.

Après les interférences de l’ambassadeur américain, celles de l’Iran.
Après l’Algérie (voir poste de Zara « pas de médiation de l’Algérie »), ce serait l’Iran dont, aux dires de Salehi, les Bahreiniens chercheraient l’aide pour résoudre leur situation intérieure complétement bloquée

Bahrain denies Iran mediation request claim | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-denies-iran-mediation-request-claim-1.1180679

Bahrain has denied a claim that it had asked Iran to mediate in the political deadlock that has hit the country for two years.
“Bahrain has not and will not ask for a mediation in a domestic issue from anyone, least of all from Iran,” Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the foreign minister, said on his Twitter account.
The foreign ministry in a statement strongly rejected the claims made by Iran’s foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi about an alleged request by Bahrain to Iran to mediate, saying that they were false, lacked credibility and were a blatant interference in the kingdom’s internal affairs

US seeks talks with Bahrain on worker rights | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/us-seeks-talks-with-bahrain-on-worker-rights-1.1180637

The United States is seeking talks with Bahrain over workers’ rights following a report that cited the deterioration of labour protections in the Gulf state after the unrest in 2011, officials said on Tuesday.
Acting United States Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and acting Secretary of Labour Seth Harris said they had requested consultations over the alleged firings of trade union leaders and sectarian-related discrimination in employment since the March 2011 general strike.
Such issues would be inconsistent with the labour chapter of the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, they said.
“Ensuring that workers in Bahrain — and in other countries — can exercise their fundamental labour rights is a top priority for the Obama administration, and we expect that the action we are taking today will produce a collaborative discussion and positive resolution to these important labour issues,” Marantis said in a statement.

On Sunday, Bahrain’s cabinet approved a parliamentary proposal to take unspecified action to stop “interference” in the kingdom’s affairs by the US ambassador.
“The cabinet has approved a proposal by the parliament to put an end to the interference of US Ambassador Thomas Krajeski in Bahrain’s internal affairs,” government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab said, according to the official BNA news agency.
The measure also aims at ending “his repeated meetings with instigators of sedition” — a government term for protesters who frequently clash with police.

News from The Associated Press
►http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_BAHRAIN?SITE=AP

A defense lawyer in Bahrain says a court has sentenced 31 protesters to 15 years in prison each for roles in firebomb attacks against security forces during an anti-government demonstration last year.

The defendants, aged 16 to 34, all come from Sitra island, a hotbed of protests since early 2011 [et bien avant I dare say]. The court decision Sunday could touch off more unrest

Defense layer Mohamed al-Tajir said the charges stemmed from clashes last year when protesters pelted riot police and their vehicles with homeland firebombs. The charges included attempted murder.

Sur la question de la désinformation qui fait rage au Bahrein : l’allégation de viol d’une femme enceinte par les Forces Spéciales de Police qui a circule sur les réseaux sociaux a été déclarée dépourvue de tout fondement et de toute validité par le Wifaq

Bahrain rape allegation was ‘concocted’ : Al Wefaq
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-rape-allegation-was-concocted-al-wefaq-1.1176559
29 April 2013

A story that shocked Bahrainis about an alleged rape by a Bahraini police officer of a pregnant woman last week proved to be untrue and had been concocted, according to a political society.

“Following an intensive follow-up, investigations and a scrutiny launched since the time of the incident, we have concluded that what had been published on the incident was not true,” Al Wefaq, the largest opposition society, said in a statement posted on its website.

الوفاق : بيان بشأن ما نشر عن تعرض إمرأة للإغتصاب - جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية
http://alwefaq.net/index.php?show=news

بعد التحقق والتدقيق، فيما انتشر حول تعرض إمرأة لإغتصاب، فبعد المتابعة الحثيثة والمعلومات والتدقيق منذ وقت الحادثة حتى الآن توصلنا لعدم صحة ما نشر بشأن موضوع الحادث المنتشر .
ونهيب بأبناء شعبنا المؤمن الغيور تحري الدقة في مثل إثارة هذه الأخبار الحساسة والمثيرة لما لها من تداعيات وخيمة على المجتمع بأكمله.
وحرص المخلصين وتثبتهم قاد الى الوقوف على عدم صحة الخبر بتفاصيله المنشورة

Déjà mentionné par Warda dans al Akhbar, il est particulièrement intéressant de voir le soin que porte à la situation au Bahreïn, RT, qui se présente sur son site web comme
« the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the Russian view on global news »

Bahrain arrests 22 over anti-govt protests — RT News
http://rt.com/news/bahrain-protest-arrests-opposition-537

Bahrain arrests 22 over anti-govt protests

Après la libération sous caution de Mussallam al Barrak, les juges koweitiens semblent plus cléments

Kuwait blogger Saqr Al Hashash has jail sentence halved | GulfNews.com
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-blogger-saqr-al-hashash-has-jail-sentence-halved-1.1176676

Manama: Kuwait’s court of appeals on Monday slashed a jail sentence against blogger Saqr Al Hashash from two years to one year.
The blogger was given the sentence by the lower court on charges of undermining the status of the Emir in remarks he published on his Twitter account.
The case, brought against him by the state security, included the charge of interfering in the prerogatives of the Emir.

In a separate case, a court adjourned the trial of around 40 defendants, including stateless (Bidoon), to May 27. The suspects were put on trial for holding an unlicenced rally, the authorities said.

Bahrain arrests 22 demonstrators for « terrorist attacks »

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/bahrain-arrests-22-demonstrators-terrorist-attacks

BIlan sécuritaire du WE du Grand Prix de Formule 1 :
–8000 policiers déployés,
–1000 Molotov, 137 pneus, 72 extincteurs saisis (d’après le chef de la police)
–deux jeunes filles arrêtées soupçonnées de préparer une attaque contre le circuit.

“The danger facing the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council concerns each and everyone of us and demands that we be united,” he said at a consultative meeting of GCC interior ministers in Manama, the BNA reported.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/sports/bahrain-police-arrest-2-girls-over-bid-to-attack-f1

Réaction de déception du ministère bahreïnien des Affaires Etrangères face au rapport du Département d’Etat américain sur la situation des Droits de l’Homme. La relation entre les deux alliés n’est pas au meilleur de sa forme.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry has expressed dismay over the annual report issued by the State Department on the human rights situation in Bahrain.

“The report lacks objectivity and impartiality, and has overlooked Bahrain’s progress in protecting and promoting human rights,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The report did not shed light on the most significant steps taken by the kingdom towards consolidating human rights achievements. It also undermined the independence of the judicial system and overlooked facts and figures mentioned by the unit tasked with the implementation of the recommendations set by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI),” the ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the credibility of the US report was seriously affected and its significance eroded after it failed to include the official information provided by the government upon a request from the US embassy in Manama for the drafting of the account.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-slams-us-rights-report-1.1174430

Ici on t’apprend à faire la différence entre vrai Printemps arabe et faux Printemps arabe : Our Friends in Manama - By Ronald E. Neumann
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/19/united_states_interests_reform_bahrain

But the calls for reform that began in 2011 have a long history in Bahrain, and almost everything else over the past couple of years is as disputed as it is complicated. There are disputes over whether the government was sincere in offering negotiations led by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Did the opposition miss its best opportunity by rejecting talks and demanding that the government make extensive advance concessions? Or were the negotiations a government ploy to justify forceful suppression? The government’s narrative notes that it released prisoners, allowed exiles to return, and withdrew its forces from the streets until the demonstrators tried to close down central areas of the capital, Manama. The opposition notes deaths of protesters, claims it wants only democratic reform, and says that human rights violations continue in nightly raids on Shiite villages. But one thing is for sure: Bahrain differs markedly from other “Arab Spring” countries with which it is frequently lumped.

Grand Prix oblige, pas mal de dépêches aujourd’hui sur la situation au Bahreïn, très peu traitée en général.

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/bahraini-grand-prix-ready-to-go-under-protest-cloud_14516

Pour plus d’infos, lire @zara.

Le gouvernement britannique épinglé pour son manque de régulation dans l’exportation de technologies de surveillance vers des régimes autocratiques. RT

Privacy International, the human rights group, is suing the British government, filing an application for judicial review of Her Majesty’s Revenue and customs (HMRC) on account of its role in allowing the export of advanced surveillance technology that has been used by repressive regimes worldwide, including that of Bahrain, to spy on dissidents.

Privacy International’s lawsuit is over the government’s refusal to say whether it was investigating UK-based Gamma International (GI). GI’s FinFisher software has allegedly been used by some two dozen countries worldwide

http://rt.com/news/human-rights-uk-bahrain-927

Entre 2.000 et 3.000 manifestants ont défilé jeudi à Karzakkan, un village proche du circuit de Sakhir, au sud-ouest de Manama. Ils demandaient la libération des détenus politiques et brandissaient des banderoles sur lesquelles on pouvait lire « la démocratie est un droit ».

http://www.20minutes.fr/ledirect/1140731/20130418-manifestation-a-bahrein-avant-grand-prix-f1

Pour plus d’infos, lire les posts de @zara.

Analyse politique d’Ecclestone- qui parle d’elle-même sur la conception pour le moins simpliste des rapports de pouvoir de cet homme à l’immense pouvoir financier.

Asked whether F1 personnel would be safe in Bahrain this week, Ecclestone replied: “I don’t think the people who are arguing about their position are bad people, and I don’t think they’re trying to hurt people to make their point.

‘We’ve had all sorts of protesters – look at those complaining about Mrs Thatcher. This happens all the time. People use these things when there is an opportunity.’

He added:” The big problem is you have a set of people who want to have more of a say in the way there country is being run.

"It’s probably like our country, England, there are sectors there who sees things the other side are doing wrong and they would like things done their way. It happens worldwide.

I said to them [protesters] if you are going to achieve what you are trying to achieve, which is having control of the country, you are better off having control when the country is strong and respected worldwide than capture something nobody wants.

‘Who wants to capture Syria at the moment? It’s not a big thing to have. It’s a liability not an asset. It’s the same with Bahrain. If they can get to grips with it, and get more control of a country that is strong, not a country that’s weak.’

►http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/15/bernie-ecclestone-formula-one-bahrain

Analyse politique d’Ecclestone- qui parle d’elle-même sur la conception pour le moins simpliste des rapports de pouvoir de cet homme à l’immense pouvoir financier.

Asked whether F1 personnel would be safe in Bahrain this week, Ecclestone replied: “I don’t think the people who are arguing about their position are bad people, and I don’t think they’re trying to hurt people to make their point.

‘We’ve had all sorts of protesters – look at those complaining about Mrs Thatcher. This happens all the time. People use these things when there is an opportunity.’

He added:” The big problem is you have a set of people who want to have more of a say in the way there country is being run.

"It’s probably like our country, England, there are sectors there who sees things the other side are doing wrong and they would like things done their way. It happens worldwide.

I said to them [protesters] if you are going to achieve what you are trying to achieve, which is having control of the country, you are better off having control when the country is strong and respected worldwide than capture something nobody wants.

‘Who wants to capture Syria at the moment? It’s not a big thing to have. It’s a liability not an asset. It’s the same with Bahrain. If they can get to grips with it, and get more control of a country that is strong, not a country that’s weak.’

►http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/15/bernie-ecclestone-formula-one-bahrain

Le journal saoudien basé à Londres, Al Hayat rapporte l’ouverture du siège des forces du CCEAG ’bouclier de la Péninsule’. Ces forces armées qui étaient intervenues en mars 2011 sont probablement là pour rester..

Identical Gulf sources said to Al-Hayat that the Gulf Cooperation Council states agreed to inaugurate permanent headquarters for the Peninsula Shield Forces in Bahrain following the completion of its construction. The sources assured that the headquarters of Gulf force were finally completed and that the official inauguration is expected to be held during the next stage in the presence of officials from the Gulf states. However, the Gulf sources did not reveal the number of Gulf troops who will be staying in Bahrain, indicating however that the headquarters will be named “the command of the advanced Peninsula Shield Forces.”

“This Gulf action to establish permanent headquarters for the Peninsula Shield forces came two years after the Gulf troops entered Bahrain, following protests behind which Iran was accused of standing. For his part, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled al-Khalifa had said in previous statements: “The Peninsula Shield Force is not carrying out any missions on the street and is not engaged in any frictions with the Bahraini citizens. It is just guarding the strategic facilities.” It is worth mentioning at this level that the Peninsula Shield Forces enjoy sophisticated weapons and equipment, as well as various types of tanks and aircrafts with high defensive capabilities.”

Al-Hayat, United Kingdom
http://alhayat.com/Details/503701

Press TV remet à la Une la question de la destruction des lieux de cultes chiites détruits pendant l’intervention du Bouclier de la Péninsule et qui n’est pas réglé :

Lebanese Clerics Slam Bahrain’s demolition of mosques

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/17/298746/lebanese-clerics-slam-bahrains-demolition-of-mosques

Anonymous menace de lancer une attaque contre Bahrein et son GP de F1, si la course n’est pas annulée. Comme l’année passée, la course automobile cristallise tous les mécontentements et fait l’objet de menaces de violence par Feb14, à prendre au sérieux vu la détermination dont fait preuve le groupe depuis 2 ans.

The Anonymous hacktivist group has also been critical of the situation in Bahrain, and is now threatening to disrupt the anticipated F1 race in support of the protesters – at least on the cyber front.

“Anonymous will not stand by and allow you a race fueled by the blood of our freedom loving comrades in Bahrain… We are coming forward this year to wreck your little party again Mr. Eccelstone,” the group said in a statement addressing the F1 boss Bernnie Eccelstone and marking the launch of a new hacktivist action dubbed ‘Operation Bahrain.’

“We will remove you from the world wide web, whether you be Grand Prix or Bahrain government – we shall take it all down. We will expose the personal data of any person who supports this race in any way,” Anonymous vowed, urging the cancellation of the race before the festivities begin, and reminding of the group’s 2012 action, in which the Formula One websites were “shut down.”

http://rt.com/news/bahrain-insults-f1-anonymous-882