Bahrain Justice & Development Movement - London, UK

Weekly update on the movement for reform in Bahrain

26th Nov - 3rd Dec 2012

BAHRAIN WEEKLY
News from inside Bahrain: Ongoing attack on Mahazza village

Bahrain in the media:

Amnesty calls on Bahrain to free 13 jailed activists

An intolerable status quo in Bahrain

Police have launched an assault on Mahazza village, raiding homes and arresting individuals. According to Al Wefaq 330 houses have been raided and more than 90 citizens were arrested during these house raids, some have been released while others remain in detention. They also described it as part of the regimes collective punishment against villages and areas where any opposition. Read More on this here and here

Teargas for Shiites: Anti-blockade rally clamped down in Bahrain

UN team visits Bahrain A ve day trip (2-6 Dec) of a team from the ofce of UN High Commissioner on Human Rights has arrived in Bahrain, meeting with Government and opposition gures. The visit was announced after High Commissioner Navi Pillay expressed concern at rights violations. Opposition societies said they met with the team and called for a permanent ofce of HRC in Bahrain. NGOs on Bahrain:

Bahraini Milkshakes

Mosques continue to be demolished According to Al Wefaq Society, on the morning of 1st December, a number of holy places were targeted for demolition. A statement said the regime forces demolished rebuilt walls and parts of a number of mosques, including; Fadak al-Zahra, Abu Talib, Imam Hassan al-Askari all in Hamad Town, in addition to AlSajjad in Karzakan village. The BICI report criticised the demolishing of 38 mosques in 2011 and recommended they should be rebuilt. Al Wefaq said those demolished all had legal planning permission. Such a tactic only serves to increase the sectarian divide in Bahrain. Young woman arrested in house raid A 27-year-old woman was arrested during a house raid in Al-Guraifa Village, according to Al Wefaq. Munira al-sayed Habib was released a few days later, but during the raid security forces reportedly conscated items, including mobile phones, as well as damaging a large number of other property. Al Wefaq said Al-Wefaq stressed that the ongoing illegal inhuman house raids at night and near dawn indicate that the security mentality of the regime forces is dominated by an aggressive mentality against the people. Read More on this here

Bahrain must free prisoners of conscience Bahrain Must Commit to Real Reform One Year After Commissions Recommendations

Bahrain Continues to Drag Feet Along Pathway to Reform

Youtube links: Police attacking house Religious procession attacked with tear gas Mosque being demolished Elderly women speaks about her house being raided

News from outside Bahrain: Government and Opposition representatives debate in UK Parliament The Parliamentary Human Rights group hosted an event in UK Parliament that featured Jamal Fakhro Vice Chair of Shura Council, Ali Alaswad resigned MP from Al Wefaq, Sir Nigel Rodley Comissioner of BICI and Dr. Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen from LSE. Both sides put forward their positions with the opposition calling for an immediate and unconditional dialogue with the Government. Fakhro declared how can we do dialogue with those killing our police, whilst Sir Nigel Rodley outlined failings in implementation of the BICI. Read our full report here

Quote from Bahrain: Bahrain amendment to bill passes in US Senate An amendment to the defense authorization bill in the US Senate, forwarded by Sen. Marco Rubio and Ron Wyden was passed through on 30th November. It requires the Defense Secretary to report on implementation of the BICI as part of considerations on security arrangements in the Gulf. Brian Doley of Human Rights First said, The Bahrain regime must be held to account for the promises it made on human rights. The political situation is increasingly volatile, the human rights crisis is worsening, and too many vital U.S. interests are being threatened to allow the current situation to continue. Read More here Freedom House reject invitation to Bahrain Independence Day Celebration in US US based NGO Freedom House has written to the Ambassador to US, Houda Nonoo, to decline the invitation to attend an independence day celebration. The letter said it would be inappropriate for us to take part in a celebration of your countrys independence while your Government continues its unabated assault on courageous men and women calling for democracy. Read the full letter here Ali Alaswad, resigned MP from Al Wefaq: The attacks on religious observers during Ashura marked a new level of attacks and showed the sectarian nature of security forces. We continue to urge for a dialogue with the Government to move the country towads democratic rule.

Useful links: Al Wefaq website Bahrain Justice and Development Movement Manama Document Bahrain Centre for Human Rights Bahrain Watch

About Bahrain Justice and Development Movement Bahrain Justice and Development Movement (BJDM) is based in London, UK and promotes democratic reform in Bahrain. We work with opposition gures both inside and outside Bahrain, supporting their efforts to raise awareness of the situation in Bahrain, as well as advocating political reform of a democratic nature. Contact: info@bahrainjdm.org www.bahrainjdm.org / http://bahrainjdm.hopto.org