12th/13th March 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahrain crown prince must prove himself by actions - Wefaq
The leader of Bahrain's main opposition bloc said on Tuesday there was no guarantee that appointing a reformist crown prince to the cabinet would lead to change in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state where talks are under way to end two years of violence. Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the Shi'ite-led group alWefaq, told Reuters he welcomed Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa's appointment but that Bahrainis would have to wait to see if the move heralded any real improvements for them. "People today look at what is happening on the ground. They appreciate positive words but they don't give it real value unless it is translated into actions," he said by telephone from the capital Manama. Read More

2 Bahrain police sentenced in protester death

A defense lawyer in Bahrain says two policemen have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the fatal beating of an antigovernment protester at the beginning of the Gulf nation's political crisis in 2011. The sentences are among the harshest against

security forces for abuses in Bahrain's unrest, which has claimed more than 60 lives. Dozens of activists and others have received longer sentences, including life in prison. Lawyer Manar Maki says the court found the two policemen guilty of torturing to death a protester in February 2011, shortly after Bahrain's majority Shiites began an uprising demanding greater political rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Read More at the Dry Dock Jail in Manama while being held on "national security" charges in April 2011. But the court cleared the ofcers of also causing the death of another detainee, Zakaraya Rashed Hassan. Meanwhile, six men accused of defaming the king on Twitter have been arrested. Read More The two policemen were convicted of "torturing to death Ali al-Saqr, who was arrested during the February 2011 uprising, a judicial source told AFP. Saqr died on April 9, 2011, from hypovolemic shock resulting from several traumas, according to a report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Investigation (BICI), an international panel that investigated the events that unfolded during March and April of that year. Read More

Bahrain police jailed for torturing protester to death A Bahraini court sentenced two policemen to 10 years in jail on Tuesday for torturing to death a Shiite protester, and acquitted three others of lesser charges, a judicial source said.

The pair were convicted of "torturing to death Ali alSaqr... following his arrest during the uprising in February 2011," the source said. The other three, facing charges of "failing to report the crime," were acquitted. All ve were acquitted on charges of killing another protester, Zakeriya alAsheeri, who died in detention in 2011. Read More The two policemen were convicted of "torturing to death Ali al-Saqr... following his arrest during the uprising in February 2011," the source said. Three other policemen who were facing charges of "failing to report the crime" were acquitted, the source said. Read More

Bahrain police jailed over death of activist in custody

A court in Bahrain has sentenced two police ofcers to 10 years in prison after convicting them of causing the death in custody of a Shia activist. Ali Issa Ibrahim Saqer died of shock after being beaten

2 Bahrain policemen jailed for torturing protester to death A Bahraini criminal court today sentenced two policemen to 10 years in jail each after they were convicted of torturing to death a Shiite protester, while acquitting three others, a judicial source said.

5 officers acquitted in Bahrain torture death case, 2 found guilty in separate murder
Two Bahraini police ofcers were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of torturing a Shiite protester to death. Despite the conviction, the ofcers and three of their colleagues were cleared in the death of another detainee.

6 held in Bahrain for defaming king

Six people have been referred to the public prosecution in Bahrain on charges of defaming the king. The General Director of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security said that the six were tracked down after they misused social

networks to defame the king and undermine his status. The suspects were not identied. The ofcial added in his statement that while freedom of opinion and expression was guaranteed within the constitution and the law, people are urged to use the social networks appropriately instead of violating the spirit of the law and social norms. Read More confrontation (and indeed, sending troops to Bahrain), the Saudi royals are said now to favor conciliation. The FinancialTimes reported this week that Saudi Arabia is encouraging the government of its neighbour and ally Bahrain to forge a settlement with its opposition after two years of unrest, in an apparent change of approach by the oil-rich kingdom. Read More met with force by the minority Sunni regime, aided by the symbolic deployment of Saudi and UAE security forces. Demonstrations intensied again in recent weeks as protesters commemorated the two-year anniversary of the uprising against the AlKhalifa regime. Despite its stated commitment to support democratization in the region, the United States hasn't distanced itself from the Bahraini regime, which continues its unrelenting repression of its majority population. Read More

Bahrain detains 6 over anti-government tweets

The public prosecutor's ofce in Bahrain says six people have been detained for allegedly defaming the country's ruler on Twitter.

The six, who were not identied, join a growing list of anti-government activists caught up in an Internet crackdown by authorities in the Sunni-ruled Gulf nation. Bahrain has seen nearly two years of unrest over demands by the country's majority Shiites for a greater political voice. Read More that began two years ago, when government forces cracked down on mainly Shiite Bahrainis calling for a greater political voice. The crown prince is viewed as more receptive than other royals to reconciliation efforts that could defuse ongoing tensions. As Washington continues looking for ways to help mediate the crisis, it should avoid rash moves that would only embolden the island's hardliners and jeopardize the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters, located in the capital. Read More

A Glint of Hope in Bahrain Two recent developments suggest that the long standoff in Bahrain between the royal family and Shia political groups may be moving toward resolution or at least a chance of progress. First, the Saudis appear to have changed their own position. Instead of urging

Bahrain's Royal Politics and the U.S. Navy Base

On March 11, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain announced the appointment of his eldest son, Crown Prince Salman, to the new position of rst deputy prime minister, with responsibility for monitoring the performance of several government agencies. The move was seen as a signal to the political opposition that the palace is willing to compromise in the crisis

Here's One Way to Stop the Brutal Repression in Bahrain

By all accounts, the status quo in Bahrain looks intractable. The tiny island monarchy, ruled by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has been roiled by protests and street battles since February 2011. A vast majority of Shiite protesters calling for democratic reforms and equal rights under the law, and some calling for the dissolution of the monarchy, have been

Bahrain court acquits human rights activist

A court in Bahrain on Monday acquitted human rights activist Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafda [ofcial Twitter] on charges of spreading false news to harm the country's security on Twitter [media website]. The human rights activist informed Reuters [Reuters

report] that after he spent a month in jail, the court nally overturned the charges against him. AlMuhafda, the acting deputy head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) [advocacy website], was released on bail [JURIST report] in January pending the trial. He had been arrested in November [JURIST report] during an unauthorized protest. Read More

Minister Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa met this week in Manama to discuss "a wide-range" of issues.

U.K., Bahrain discuss reforms

The British and Bahraini governments are examining pledges of reform made after violence in 2011, a British minister said from Manama. British Foreign Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt and Bahraini Foreign

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Ofcesaid Bahrain's reform agenda was featured during the talks. Burt, in a statement, said reform would be reviewed "between now and the next meeting, expected within six months." Read More