Akashma Online News

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Akashma Online News

Posted on October 31, 2012 BNA

UPDATED

by Marivel Guzman

Why we bother with other people’s problems? I heard that many times. Lots of people think that I as an American should be writing only about my land. And I say to all of them, that I feel that every one has a duty to speak in the name of humanity. That we all are brothers and sisters and we live in a land called Earth. It belongs to all of us and it is my duty and responsibility to speak in the name of Earth. Every country has its corrupt leaders, and every country has its good man. And every country has part of my family, family that I recognized and love. No matter if it is Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mexico, US, Canada, Palestine, Bahrain.
Today I have some words for the Khalifas of Bahrain, that in their roles of God’s men on earth, had keep Bahrain as a private state.

King Hamad (third from left) with Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa (second from left), Crown Prince Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (third from right), Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (left), Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (second from right) and Shaikh Sultan Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Really who are these people that dress so richly?. They rule the little people with iron fist. They do not allow any interference in the business of the kingdom. Cousins, and Uncles by the dozens in charge of all the kingdom organization. So this means there is no loyalty in royalty. No trust to outsiders is permitted.

“Marches and rallies will only be halted –rather than banned- until the security situation in Bahrain stabilizes” says Barhain minister of interior on the BNA official site of the Kingdom.
“The decisions aims at preserving national unity, protecting social cohesion and avert all for forms of extremism”, he said.

In the name of “National Unity”, they torture its citizens. In the name of Freedom of Expression, they brake their legs.

In the name of “Social Cohesion”, The kingdom incarcerates, oppress, and kills its citizens. This has to be be the most super oxymoron statements ever published by a high politician.

“The ban on the rallies is temporary,” said the Minister. “It is an opportunity for everyone to take a step back, calm down and gain some perspective. All Bahrainis believe that reforms are the foundation of our path forward. HM the King is committed to them and will stand firm on his policies.”
They have been repressed since last year that the Kingdom with help from Saudi Arabia crashed the protest with cruel madness.

Who will want to protest after your legs were broken last year, as an example of Freedom of Speech Rights?

“On the morning of March 14, 2011, a line of desert-colored tanks streamed into the country from Saudi Arabia. At the king’s request, Saudi troops had entered Bahrain to quell the unrest and clear Pearl Roundabout. About thirty protesters died in the coming weeks, including more than a dozen shot with live rounds. The true crackdown extended much further than the body count—to the hundreds of men and women who were arrested, those who were tortured, the thousands sacked from their jobs, and the majority of Bahrain’s population, who suddenly felt certain that the regime was against them.” Elizabeth Dickinson, Word Affairs

On February 14, 2011, thousands of demonstrators inspired by the revolutions sweeping the region, many of them from the country’s Shia majority, gathered in Bahrain’s Pearl Roundabout to ask for reforms from the country’s ruling Sunni monarchy. For the first few weeks, real change seemed possible. In the Pearl Roundabout, a field-leveling culture of democratic expression took hold. Ali was part of it, helping organize a discussion where anyone who wanted to could speak his mind.

Receiving the ministry’s military and civil well-wishers marking Eid Al-Adha, he affirmed that the freedom of expression and opinion is guaranteed for all people within the limits stipulated in the law provisions and constitution.

What is it permitted as freedom of expression?
In the kingdom speaking ill of the king it is punishable by law. So if asking for reforms that guarantee equality in the kingdom, it is seen as “speaking against the king”, then what liberties the people have to express their discontent? If all the policies in the kingdom are supervised directly by the King and his family, so anything outside those domains are illegal to even think about it.

The statements by the Minister of Interior sound very nice on words and they seem very legal almost to the point that you could agree with him, but then you remember the rallies of 2011 that were crashed with horrendous force by the Kingdom security forces.
And who do not remember the doctors and nurses that were charged with aiding the enemies of the kingdom and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison

The Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received MOI personnel who wished him happy Eid Al Adha on Wednesday.  During the meeting, the Minister took the opportunity to talk about his recent decision to temporarily ban rallies and gatherings until security and stability are restored.  He said the goal of the temporary ban is to protect national unity, maintain a cohesive social fabric and fight extremism.  He stressed that freedom of expression is protected for all Bahrainis under the constitution.
The minister pointed out the terror blast days before Eid which caused the death of 19-year old police officer Omran Mohammed Ahmed.
“Citizens of any country in the world will understand the necessity of implementing security measures to control, but not close, the entrances to the village in order to conduct a thorough investigation into Omran’s death,” the Minister said.
He went on to describe the way in which some people in the community took the opportunity to spread rumors of a police siege on the village. “In fact,” he said, “our security actions reduced pressure on the village and allowed residents more mobility than they would have had otherwise in the few days after the killing of officer Omran.”
A siege means that you ban movement. In reality, the police set up checkpoints at the entrances to keep track of who was coming and going. In the process, the security force managed to make several arrests. Additional suspects are still at large. “We know who they are and they know we know who they are. In time, justice will take its course,” the Minister said.

A few days after officer Omran was killed, political societies requested a rally in Eker. The Minister explained that permission was denied due to the time, place and manner of the rally as is allowed by international law. “The location was certainly provocative in that it was the location where our policeman was intentionally murdered,” the Minister said. Regardless of the denial of the permission, the organizers held the event. Abuses against the head of state occurred and flags, banners and pictures that promoted sectarianism were used.
“If the organizers of the rally think that we will accept such activity, they are wrong,” the minister said. In Bahraini law, insults and abuses against HM the King are treated similarly to abuses against the Kingdom itself.

Still fresh the memories from last year crackdown on civilians in Bahrain that armed with the Arab Sprint spirit were trying to bring some changes in the Kingdom.

The harsh sentences handed down to doctors and nurses that help the injured were condemned by the international community and many human rights organization around the world.
The minister stated that rallies and the right to freedom of expression are subject to the law. In addition, the violence that regularly occurs after the rallies and protests are criminal acts. He explained that in international law, organizers are required to control and marshal their events to keep criminal elements from engaging in violence. Many event organizers in Bahrain have a proven track record of being unable to fulfill this responsibility.

The violence regularly seen in Bahrain is not freedom of expression. It is illegal, criminal behavior. Many times, the violence is aimed at creating fear in the community. “This cannot be tolerated,” said the Minister. “The violence goes directly against the traditional Bahraini values of our tolerant and loving society. Regardless of what we face, we will move ahead. No one can keep us from our path to reform as our sights are set on very clear goals as outlined in the BICI Report and the UPR session in Geneva,” he stated.

The Minister concluded by saying, “I know that this nation is capable of dealing with whatever problems come our way. We have our roles to play even in the face of adversity.”

The kingdom has thousands of last year protesters in jail, some with 15 years for Non Violent protesting. Other were killed.
The lucky ones whose names get to be known are asking the international community to speak in their behalf.

Remember all the governments operate pretty much on Public Relation Propaganda, they do not like bad propaganda. So they mounted a huge apparatus of disinformation, that thanks to the internet the bloggers are able to brake.

Some might think that it is fruitless effort to bother to ask the kingdom to listen to the people of the world. They have no compassion but to their own blood. The Royal family all ingrained in the government. We still insist to send letters to the different institutions in Bahrain, to let the royals known that their actions are being watched. To let them know that the revolutions do not come to kingdoms when people it is happy and live in harmony with the laws of the land. Every ones time come, sooner or later.

Al Hulaibi is not the only victim of Al Khalifa regime. There are many like him seeking our solidarity and support. Thousands of students, workers and protestors have been arrested, killed and injured during the crackdown on the revolution in Bahrain. There are many actions that can be taken to support the students of Bahrain such as:

1. Signing the petition demanding their release: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Release_Jassim_Al_Hulaibi_and_other_political_prisoners/?wIfERbb

2. Raising awareness amongst students around the world

3. Sending solidarity messages to the students of Bahrain and their families

4. Contacting the University of Bahrain and urging them to support and accept the dismissed students (phone: +973317438600 orwebsite@admin.uob.bh)

5. Urging the Bahraini government to release all students, trade unionists, and other prisoners of conscience

To send letters to the University of Bahrain, you can use the following address (retrieved fromhttp://www.uob.edu.bh/pages.aspx?module=pages&id=1339&SID=1)

University of BahrainPO Box 32038 -Bahrain

To send letters to the Bahraini government:

King

Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa

Office of His Majesty the King

P.O. Box 555

Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,

Bahrain

Fax:+973 1766 4587

Minister of Interior

Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah Al Khalifa

Ministry of Interior

P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain

Fax:+973 1723 2661

Twitter: @moi_Bahrain

Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs

Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa

Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs

P. O. Box 450, al-Manama, Bahrain

Fax:+973 1753 1284