15th June 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

wall can be viewed as a politically charged act. "I was born here and will die on this land," said Mohammed Jaffer, a 17-year-old student who was among the ad hoc crews this week working at the Imam Hadi Mosque in the central Bahraini town of Nuwaidrat. "We deserve to fight for our dignity and not live as a slave in a feudal state." The demolition of dozens of Shiite mosques and other religious gathering places remains one of the most sensitive issues amid an array of grievances by Bahrain's Shiites, who claim they are relegated to second-class status by the Western-backed Sunni dynasty. Read More The court reduced the sentences against nine medics, on charges including calling for the overthrow of the regime by force, illegal gathering and instigating hatred against another sect to sentences ranging from one month to five years for their alleged role in the protests. Nine other doctors and nurses were cleared of charges. Amnesty Internationals Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said: Read More based on tortured confessions. Although the charges against each of the 20 medics include offenses such as "occupying the hospital" and "smuggling weapons," it's no secret that these accusations and the trails themselves are politically motivated, meant as punitive measures for the medics' decision to treat injured protestors in February and March of 2011, when a wave of pro-democracy protests broke out in Bahrain. Read More

Battle to rebuild razed Shiite mosques in Bahrain

Volunteers slowly rebuilding a new mosque from the wreckage of its 950-year-old predecessor in Bahrain have two tasks: One group works while others watch for a return of security forces who drove bulldozers through its walls last year. In Bahrain's fractured society with 16 months of nonstop clashes and tensions between the Sunni monarchy and protesters from the kingdom's Shiite majority even relaying bricks from a toppled mosque

Bahrain Compounds the Injustice

Bahrain had a chance to correct a grave injustice and set the country on a better path by dismissing specious cases against 20 Shiite doctors convicted last year after they treated protesters injured during the popular uprising against the Sunni-led monarchy. Instead, the High Criminal Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld the convictions of nine of them and imposed sentences of up to five years in jail. And 15-year sentences against two other doctors, who have fled the country, were upheld. Eighteen of the 20 doctors said they were tortured after

their arrests. This ruling will feed the Shiite majoritys legitimate resentments and, we fear, lead to more instability. That will harm Bahrain and its closest allies, the United States and Saudi Arabia. There is some good news in the fact that nine doctors were acquitted. But the governments attempt to spin the judgment noting that most sentences were reduced from those imposed by the original military court is absurd. The cases should never have been brought in the first place. The government showed its real intentions when it accused the physicians of breaching medical ethics and acting to overthrow the monarchy. Read More Ghassan Dhaif: "The only crime that we have done is treating the wounded people. This sentence is very harsh. We consider it inappropriate, and it does not suit medical personnel who have been in practice for the last 23 years." Ali al-Ekri: "I did suppress and march and rally against the, you know, ex-minister, al-Hamar, who was sacked in a week time by the king himself. That was my only crime, if they consider it. I have five years. Its quite clear that this is a political verdict." Read More

Bahrain: "a dark day for justice" following convictions of protest medics
The High Criminal Court of Appeal in Manama has upheld the conviction of nine health professionals tried for their role in anti-government protests last year, prompting Amnesty International to call on the Bahraini authorities to quash the convictions.

Bahrain Medics Convicted for Treating Protesters Speak Out

Bahraini medics spoke out on Thursday one day after an appeals court upheld their convictions for treating demonstrators during antigovernment protests. Nine medics received sentences ranging from one month to five years, while nine others had their cases dismissed. Two of the medics, doctors Ghassan Dhaif and Ali alEkri, said their convictions were baseless.

Witnessing Bahrain's sham trials

On March 15, I sat through a ten-hour civilian court session with the Bahraini medics whose verdicts were announced yesterday. The session was part of their prolonged appeal of military court convictions handed out in September -- convictions

Anger at Bahrain medic prison sentences

Nine medical workers were sent to prison on Thursday in Bahrain. This capped off an eventful 24 hours in the Gulf state and the year-long uprising threatens to spill over once more. Even the US, a staunch ally of the state, described the

sentences as deeply disappointing. The trial of the medical workers, that drew widespread condemnation in September of last year, came to an end.

Urban Design Serves as Tool of Repression in Bahrain Dr. Ali Alekry, a vocal critic of
the Bahrani regime, was sentenced to ve years in prison while eight others received terms ranging from one month and three years. Read More Societys lawmakers who resigned in 2011 in protest against the killing of protesters during unrest in February. The defendant faces charges of propagating calumnies, slurring the police authority and accusing it of committing illegal acts, Capital Prosecution Chief Fahd Al Buainain said on Thursday. Hadi Mousaoui has denied denigrating the plaintiff. Read More Arguably, part of being a contemporary architect is being aware of projects and competitions happening all over the world. Living in a city like New York, especially in Brooklyn, there are many more architects than there are local projects. That is probably an oversimplification. The truth may be more that we come here, to competitive universities and big cities, to work globally. We hope that

our work and our reputations will cross continents, through publications and academic research, the way that artists' reputations travel with curators and art fairs. Considering this, I should not be surprised that some of my peers and colleagues have been submitting designs to theMinistry of Culture in Bahrain. I am not talking about large commercial firms designing mega-developments around oil fields and airports. There is, of course, that, too. Where there are military alliance and foreign direct investment there will beinternational architectural projects. Read More who helped the wounded terrorized. Belgian journalist Tine Danckaers traveled to the Gulf state in November 2011. HuffPost World has published the testimonies of some of the Bahrainis she interviewed. Twenty-two-year-old Mohammed Abdulhadi alShakar has been confined to a Bahraini prison since September 16, 2011. He doesnt understand why. Nor does he understand why his brother hasnt come yet to pick him up. Al-Shaker is mentally disabled. We talked to his brother and aunt in October. Read More for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT), is writing to you to express its deepest concerns over the ongoing judicial harassmentagainst, and arbitrary detention of, Mr. Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for HumanRights (BCHR), Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and FIDH Deputy SecretaryGeneral[1]. The Observatory announces its intention to observe the upcoming hearing against Mr.Rajab, scheduled for June 24, 2012 in Manama. Read More

Ex-MP faces trial for police defamation

A former Bahraini lawmaker is facing a trial for defaming the police authority. Bahrains interior ministry filed a complaint against Hadi Mousaoui with the public prosecution following a press conference Mousaoui addressed on May 29. Mousaoui was among the 17 Al Wefaq National Islamic

Bahrain Revolt: 'He Keeps Asking Why We Won't Take Him Home'
In February 2011, tens of thousands of Bahrainis took to the streets to protest against the tiny country's ruling alKhalifa family. Protesters camped out on the capital's Pearl Roundabout for a month, until security forces violently put an end to the protests. Demonstrators were arrested, activists persecuted, doctors

Bahrain sets up foundation for social unity

Bahrain has set up a new foundation to promote reconciliation and social unity as the Gulf kingdom continues to be impacted by protests connected to last year's uprisings. The Bahrain Foundation for Reconciliation and Civil Discourse (BFRCD) has

been launched with the full support of the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad AlKhalifa, a statement said. The foundation has been registered by the Ministry of Social Development and has been formed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and values across all segments of Bahrain's communities to promote reconciliation and social unity, the statement added. Read More into Bahrain and Irans apparent inability to fill an orbital slot with its own satellite. The dispute is primarily between satellite operators but also involves the governments that represent them before international satellite frequency and orbital-slot regulators. Read More

Bahrain: Open letter to the King on the trial of Nabeel Rajab

Re: judicial harassment against Mr. Nabeel Rajab; visa request for trial observation Excellency, The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of theInternational Federation

Dispute over Iranian Satellite System Gets More Complicated

The two-year satellite frequency dispute that has pitted Iran and Saudi Arabia against France and Qatar has taken an unexpected turn with protests over Iranian satellite broadcasts