"Bahrain orders retrial for hunger striker, others" by Reem Khalifa Associated Press / April 30, 2012
MANAMA, Bahrain—A Bahrain court Monday ordered retrials for a prominent hunger striker and 20 others convicted by a military-led tribunal in crackdowns against a 14-month-old uprising in the Gulf kingdom.
The decision, which shifts the cases to Bahrain's highest appeals court, was seen as a victory for supporters of rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and other opposition figures sentenced last year under martial law-style rules imposed by Bahrain's rulers.
Al-Khawaja's wife visited him Sunday and claimed he was force fed with tubes and IVs against his will. Bahraini officials said al-Khawaja agreed to all procedures....
We've done it to Gitmo prisoners, Americans.
Also see: Sunday Globe Specials: Palestinian Prisoners Fast
Must be aspartame in the articles because I'm still hungry.
For months, the jailed activists have fought the sentences, claiming violations of legal rights in the now-defunct military court and torture behind bars....
No wonder the U.S. is silent.
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"Bahrain protests decry closer Saudi ties" by Reem Khalifa | Associated Press, May 19, 2012
MANAMA, Bahrain - Tens of thousands of protesters chanting “Bahrain is not for sale’’ jammed a major highway Friday to denounce proposals for unity between the unrest-torn Gulf kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
The rally’s large turnout - demonstrators stretched for more than three miles on a major highway - underscored the strong backlash to efforts by Bahrain’s rulers to integrate policies such as defense and foreign affairs with their Saudi neighbor.
Saudi Arabia has aided Bahrain’s embattled Sunni monarchy with troops and money during the island nation’s 15-month uprising.
Another reason you hardly hear a bleat from the U.S.
Gulf Arab leaders earlier this week delayed any decisions on seeking greater unity among members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. Some members, such as the United Arab Emirates, also have raised questions about whether closer council cooperation would give too much power to Saudi Arabia.
Crowds streaming along a highway outside Bahrain’s capital Manama Friday chanted slogans, such as “No unity, no unity,’’ and “Bahrain is not for sale.’’
Bahrain has been hit by near daily protests and clashes since the Shi’ite-led uprising began in February 2011, inspired by revolts in other Arab countries.
And yet I seldom see them reported in my newspaper.
Related:
Bahrain Birthday
Bahrain Protest Birthday
Not a happy birthday because the authorities have taken a "let 'em eat cake" attitude.
Opposition groups seek a greater Shi’ite political voice in the Sunni-ruled nations. At least 50 people have died in the unrest in Bahrain, where a Saudi-led Gulf force came to the aid of the ruling dynasty last year.
There were no immediate reports of violence in Friday’s rally.
The implication by this covert-operation cover-up machine called a newspaper is.... ???
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Also see:
"Bahrain court sentences 8 accused of plotting a coup" Associated Press, May 28, 2012
MANAMA, Bahrain - A Bahrain court sentenced eight people to prison terms of up to 15 years Sunday after they were accused of plotting with suspected Iranian agents to topple the Gulf kingdom’s ruling system, a defense lawyer said.
PFFFFFFFFFTTTT!!
That's more our gig, 'murkn.
The convictions - which include three activists put on trial in absentia - reflect mounting claims by Gulf Arab states that Iran has links to the Shi’ite-led uprising against Bahrain’s Sunni dynasty. Iranian leaders have denounced crackdowns against protesters in Bahrain but deny any active aid to the demonstrations that began 15 months ago.
Anything to get a war going.
The group was accused of plotting with a foreign country - a clear reference to Iran - to bring down Bahrain’s Western-allied monarchy. The people also were suspected of planning possible attacks on high-profile targets such as the Interior Ministry headquarters and the causeway connecting Bahrain with Saudi Arabia, which is Iran’s main regional rival. They denied the charges....
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Related:
"Many doctors said they were arrested and harassed simply for trying to treat people wounded in antigovernment protests....
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I'm still hungry, folks.
While we are talking about small repressive Arab regimes that are AmeriKan allies, take a bite out of this:
"Kuwait court rules 2012 elections unconstitutional" Associated Press, June 21, 2012
KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait’s constitutional court further complicated the country’s chaotic political situation Wednesday, ruling the Parliament was elected unconstitutionally and restoring the previous legislature....
Tensions have flared since the election gave the opposition control of the chamber. Islamists and their allies have pressured two ministers to resign. The opposition bloc insisted it deserved more than half the seats in the 15-member Cabinet because of the election results.
Opposition lawmaker Musallam Al-Barrak told KUNA that it was a ‘‘blatant attack on the choice of the people.’’
The court’s decision canceling the vote sparked a furor on social networking sites and prompted about 400 demonstrators to protest the decision outside Parliament.
The peaceful protest went well beyond the court ruling, with protesters calling for laws allowing the formation of political parties, reforms in voting laws, and replacing Prime Minister Sheik Jaber Al Hamad Al Sabah with someone not linked to the royal family.
About 100 people held a counter-demonstration nearby, criticizing the dismissed lawmakers for spending too much time in the past few months on morality issues, such as a dress code for women, rather than measures aimed at developing the country’s economy. Many waved Kuwaiti flags and held pictures of the country’s emir.
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Related: Change Coming to Kuwait
Well, no, not really -- and it's been over 20 years since Bush I promised it.
And the big boy on the block:
"Saudi king in Mecca for brother’s burial" Associated Press, June 18, 2012
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Health issues increasingly preoccupy the ruling inner circle in Saudi Arabia and show the vivid contrast between a leadership born at the dawn of Saudi’s oil-rich age and the current population heavily weighted toward youth - with more than half under 25 years old.
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"Saudi defense minister is named crown prince; Defense minister now crown prince" by Abdullah al-Shihri | Associated Press, June 19, 2012
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia’s ruler named Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, the defense minister, as the country’s new crown prince on Monday - an expected nod that leaves power still within an aging and shrinking circle of leaders in one of the West’s most crucial Middle East allies....
Salman’s links to Saudi religious charities brought him into controversy as one of the defendants in a lawsuit by insurance companies that accused Saudi Arabia of funneling money to Al Qaeda.
Excuse me, but every time I see that word I have to use the toilet.
A US appeals court ruled in 2008 that the Saudi royal family and other defendants enjoy immunity from such lawsuits....
President Obama issued a statement praising Salman as “a man of deep faith who is committed to improving the lives of the people of Saudi Arabia and to the security of the region.’’
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