... If the United States is serious about promoting religious tolerance in Saudi Arabia, it cannot remain content to publish a report once a year about religious repression or to praise Saudi Arabia for symbolic commitments to religious tolerance. Instead, it must take a clear, public stance on Saudi Arabia's systematic repression of religion and press the Saudi government to undertake effective institutional reforms to end discrimination and repression on the basis of religion in that country.
Quote from: Written Remarks of Maria McFarland to the US House of Representatives International Religious Freedom Caucus
Briefing on “Saudi Arabia: Fueling Religious Persecution and Extremism” Human Rights Watch DECEMBER 1, 2010
Human rights conditions in Bahrain deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010. Starting in mid-August authorities detained an estimated 250 persons, including nonviolent critics of the government, and shut down websites and publications of legal opposition political societies.Quote from: World Report 2011: Bahrain Events of 2010 via Human Rights Watch
Authorities detained 25 of the most prominent opposition activists and accused many of them of "spreading false information" and "meeting with outside organizations." Some rights activists were among those held and allegedly tortured. Authorities prevented detainees from meeting with their lawyers prior to the first session of their trial, and allowed only extremely brief meetings with some family members.
This crackdown came after months of street protests, which often involved burning tires and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Among the first people arrested were activists who had just participated in a public meeting in London where they criticized Bahrain's human rights record.
Given America's recent history of human rights abuses and crimes against humanity it is is not surprising that the USA and the American media cooperate in defending various oppressive regimes from Egypt to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and Yemen Uzbekistan, South Korea.
America claims to believe in human rights and freedom yet America supports these countries which violate human rights on a daily on going basis ie freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of religion, gender equality , the rights of workers and so on.
In Saudi Arabia America's great ally Women are denied equal rights while the Shia Muslims are denied their religious freedom and Saudis are not permitted freedom of speech or assembly-they are not permitted to protest or to criticize the government and especially not the Royal Family.
Once we accept the USA as an arrogant imperialist self-serving power its actions become a bit more understandable.
For instance Obama and Hillary Clinton in the beginning of the calls for reform in Egypt these phony promulgators of Human Rights defended Hosni Mubarak and his oppressive torture regime.
In the same way they are reluctant to criticize other allies .
So to deflect the American public's attention Obama insisted on going to war with Libya supporting the most violent in the uprisings in the Middle East and Africa now referred to as the "Arab Spring".
The president of the United States that is President Obama has refused to investigate the use of torture by the Bush Regime. He has refused to allow an international independent investigation into US treatment of prisoners of war.
Obama like his predecessor George W. Bush believes that whatever America does is its own business and that others have no right to judge America's actions let alone charge American citizens for any criminal activity.
President Obama and former president Bush agree that whatever the president does is by definition legal.
If the president orders assassinations , renditions, torture, the silencing of critics, placing political critics in solitary confinement for extended periods or helping foreign governments with the torture of their own prisoners that's all okay.
So when the Saudi Arabian government refuses to give women equal rights or oppresses all non-Sunni Muslims in their country that according to the USA their prerogative.
The current American Regime supports the bogus show trials being held in Bahrain even the trials of medical personnel for treating wounded protesters.
The US can say little because it is also guilty of torture and other abuses besides the gravest of abuses that is the unnecessary war of aggression and occupation of another sovereign nation ie Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and so on.
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Written Remarks of Maria McFarland to the US House of Representatives International Religious Freedom Caucus
Briefing on “Saudi Arabia: Fueling Religious Persecution and Extremism” Human Rights Watch DECEMBER 1, 2010
In the last couple of years, Saudi King Abdullah has received praise in some circles for having taken a few cautious steps in support of religious tolerance through his Interfaith Dialogue Initiative. But that initiative has been limited to international settings.
Within Saudi Arabia, repression of religious freedom continues unabated, particularly with respect to Shia Muslims. Saudi textbooks, including those used abroad, include material that promotes hostility toward the Shia creed and other religions and may in some cases justify violence. The right of non-Muslims to worship in private is subject to the whims of the local religious police. Public worship of faiths other than Islam remains prohibited as a matter of policy.
Shia Saudis, who make up an estimated 10-15 per cent of the population, are the group most affected by repression of religious freedom. Shia face systematic exclusion in employment, as well as discrimination in religious education and worship.
In some cases, this discrimination amounts to persecution. Professing Shia beliefs in private or in public may lead to arrest and detention. Saudi Shia visiting the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina regularly face harassment by the Wahhabi religious police. A government promise to update the vague law outlining religious police jurisdiction and powers has remained unfulfilled for three years.
In al-Ahsa' province, the governor, Prince Badr bin Jilawi, has repeatedly had Shia citizens arrested and detained on his authority and in violation of Saudi criminal procedure law simply for praying together in private or publicly displaying banners or slogans or wearing clothing associated with certain Shia rituals. In late January or mid-February, six young Shia of al-Ahsa', between 19 and 24 years old, were detained on Prince Badr's orders because of their peaceful exercise of their religious beliefs. As of mid-September, they remained in detention without charge or trial despite a limit of six months for pre-trial detention under the Saudi criminal procedure code.[1] The Saudi government has yet to take meaningful steps to stop these abuses or bring to justice those responsible.
Shia face officially sanctioned discrimination in the judicial system too. There has been no progress in affording Shia outside of the Eastern Province with courts for personal status matters to conclude marriages and adjudicate divorces, inheritances, child custody disputes, and such matters. This affects the so-called Nakhawila, Twelver Shia in Medina, and the Ismailis in Najran province as well as a small group of Zaidi Muslims in Jizan and Najran provinces. There is no separation of secular from religious law in Saudi courts, and all Shia, including in the Eastern Province where they have their own personal status courts, must follow Sunni law as interpreted in Saudi Arabia. Shia are sometimes not allowed to testify in court.
Saudi officials who engage in anti-Shia speech rarely face any reprimand for doing so. For example, on December 31, 2009, Shaikh Muhammad al-‘Arifi, the government-paid imam of the Buradi mosque in Riyadh, as well as Salih bin Humaid, Saudi chief judge, visited frontline troops in southern Saudi Arabia fighting Yemeni Huthi rebels, who belong to a branch of Shiism, albeit different from that of most Saudi Shia. Al-‘Arifi can be seen in photos wearing camouflage, firing weapons, and preaching to soldiers. Press reports said al-‘Arifi stressed the necessity of jihad (holy war) and commended the soldiers for performing their national and religious duty. Upon returning to Riyadh, al-‘Arifi, in a sermon on Friday, January 1, 2010 condemned the Huthi rebels and called Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani-an Iranian living in Iraq, who is the highest religious authority for many Saudi Shia-an "obscene, irreligious atheist."
... If the United States is serious about promoting religious tolerance in Saudi Arabia, it cannot remain content to publish a report once a year about religious repression or to praise Saudi Arabia for symbolic commitments to religious tolerance. Instead, it must take a clear, public stance on Saudi Arabia's systematic repression of religion and press the Saudi government to undertake effective institutional reforms to end discrimination and repression on the basis of religion in that country.
Saudi Arabia must fulfil its promise to let women drive
The ban on women driving is part of a wider pattern of discrimination and broken promises by the Saudi government by Nadya Khalife Published in: The Guardian via Human Rights Watch JUNE 16, 2011
The Saudi government has made many promises to women. Six years ago, while denying their right to participate in the kingdom's first municipal elections, it promised they would be allowed to do so on the next occasion. Polling is due later this year but women are still denied the right to register as voters. In 2009, during Saudi Arabia's human rights review at the UN, it also promised to revise the "male guardianship" system that limits women's freedom of movement. Two years later, this freedom is yet to be secured. And since at least 2005, King Abdullah and other senior figures have said they would support rescinding the ban on women driving. This promise, too, has so far not been kept.
When Manal al-Sharif, a 33-year-old Saudi woman, dared to drive last month, Saudi authorities not only detained her, but also accused her of causing a social disturbance and ruining the moral fabric of their country for posting a video of herself driving on YouTube.
Saudi officials may have thought that arresting Sharif would deter other women from doing the same. Quite the contrary: the Women2Drive campaign on Facebook gathered steam and has called on women throughout the kingdom who have international drivers' licences to drive on 17 June in protest against the ban.
Bahrain:
Landmark UN Vote on Sexual Orientation Rights Council Silent on Bahrain Crackdown via Human Rights Watch ,JUNE 17, 2011
...In response to attacks on peaceful protesters across the Middle East in recent months, the council adopted a general resolution that focused on the protection of human rights during peaceful protests, and reminded countries of their responsibility to prevent such violations. But the council failed to call for accountability or condemn specific governments, such as Bahrain or Yemen, for repressing protesters.
The council continued to review the situations in Libya and Syria that it had previously addressed in special sessions. It extended the mandate of the commission of inquiry that was set up in March 2011 to investigate human rights violations in Libya. The commission will present a preliminary report on its findings at the council's next session in September and a final report in March 2012. Human Rights Watch called for all sides to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and hold those responsible for violations accountable.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the council that Syrian authorities had failed to respond to her request to send a fact-finding mission to the country, as the council had asked her to do at a special session in April. The council had called on Syria to "cooperate fully with and grant access" to the mission.
The high commissioner said she would try to fulfill the fact-finding mandate by sending a team to southern Turkey, where thousands of Syrian refugees have crossed the border.
World Report 2011: Bahrain Events of 2010 via Human Rights Watch
Human rights conditions in Bahrain deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010. Starting in mid-August authorities detained an estimated 250 persons, including nonviolent critics of the government, and shut down websites and publications of legal opposition political societies.
Authorities detained 25 of the most prominent opposition activists and accused many of them of "spreading false information" and "meeting with outside organizations." Some rights activists were among those held and allegedly tortured. Authorities prevented detainees from meeting with their lawyers prior to the first session of their trial, and allowed only extremely brief meetings with some family members.
This crackdown came after months of street protests, which often involved burning tires and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Among the first people arrested were activists who had just participated in a public meeting in London where they criticized Bahrain's human rights record.
The main exception to these dismal human rights developments involved improved protections for migrant workers.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
Almost all of the 25 prominent activists-whose trial began on October 28-told the court, some in considerable detail, that they had been subjected to torture. Lawyers able to attend the public prosecutor's pretrial interrogations of clients said that in some cases they observed marks and wounds that appeared consistent with the allegations.
A Human Rights Watch report released in February 2010 concluded that in the 2007-2009 period, the authorities regularly resorted to torture and ill-treatment when interrogating security suspects. Officials denied these findings, but apparently conducted no criminal investigations and ordered no disciplinary measures against alleged perpetrators.
On March 28 an appellate court convicted 19 men of the murder of a security officer, overturning their acquittal by a lower court in October 2009. The lower court judge determined that there was no evidence linking them to the crimes other than confessions that appeared to have been coerced.
Counterterrorism Measures
The government charged at least 23 of those detained in August and September under Law 58/2006, Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts, which allows for extended periods of detention without charge or judicial review. The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism has criticized the law's broad definitions of terrorism.
Freedom of Expression
In September the Information Affairs Authority blocked websites and blogs associated with the opposition. On state-run Bahrain TV on September 20 Abdullah Yateem, the general director of press and publications at the authority, said that websites and bloggers had committed 12 crimes, and he specifically mentioned: offending the person of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, incitement to overthrow the government, publishing information about bomb-making, and slander and defamation. Yateem also banned publication of the newsletters of several opposition political societies, which are political groups the government allows, unlike other opposition groups that have no legal status.
On September 4 Ali Abdelemam, whose popular Bahrain online blog carried information about human rights developments, responded to a summons to appear at the headquarters of the National Security Agency, a body that operates outside the criminal justice system and reports directly to King Hamad. Authorities refused his request to contact a lawyer, even at his formal interrogation. At the opening session of the October 28 trial of 25 prominent activists, Abdulemam said he was subjected to torture and degrading treatment.
Municipal officials ordered one Waad Party candidate in the National Assembly election scheduled for October 23 to remove billboards with the slogan "Enough to Corruption," saying it was "a breach of the law" but not indicating which law. A court ruled on October 4 that the banners did not violate the law, but the government appealed.
The Ministry of Information suspended the satellite station Al Jazeera on May 18, the day after the channel broadcast a feature about poverty in Bahrain. On July 2, police summoned for questioning two volunteers with the Bahrain Women's Association who had spoken with Al Jazeera about challenges they face being married to non-Bahrainis.
On August 16, 2010, Al-Wasat, Bahrain's one independent newspaper, reported that the minister of information suspended its online audio reports. The suspension came after several of the reports featured persons alleging mistreatment of inmates in Jaw prison.
Freedom of Association
In April the minister of social development denied the request of the Bahrain Human Rights Society to hold a monitoring workshop for human rights defenders in the Gulf region, saying it would violate the association law, which prohibits organizations from involvement in political activities. The ministry subsequently allowed the workshop to take place in late May.
In August the ministry wrote to the Migrant Workers' Protection Society saying that the society's shelter was not legally registered and would have to close. This followed an incident in which a migrant domestic worker fled to the shelter from the home of a high ministry official, claiming she had been abused. The society responded by providing a copy of the government's 2005 authorization of the shelter, noting that in previous years the ministry had donated funds to support the shelter.
The government continues to deny legal status to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), which it ordered dissolved in 2004 after the group's then-president criticized the prime minister for corruption and human rights violations.
On April 5 Bahrain's Lower Criminal Court fined Mohammad al-Maskati, president of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), BD500 (US$ 1,325) for operating an unregistered NGO. The BYHRS attempted in 2005 to register with the Ministry of Social Development, as required by law, but received no response to its application.
Human Rights Defenders
Those detained in the wave of arrests in August and September and allegedly tortured included Abd al-Ghani al-Khanjar, spokesperson for the National Committee for the Victims of Torture, and Muhammad Saeed al-Sahlawi, a BCHR board member.
On September 1 the pro-government daily Al Watan featured a front-page article alleging that BCHR president Nabeel Rajab and former president Abd al-Hadi al-Khawaja were linked to a "terrorist network" responsible for arson attacks and plotting sabotage. A similar article appeared on the official Bahrain News Agency website on September 4, but was removed the following day.
On September 6 Salman Kamaleddin resigned as the head of the newly established official National Institution for Human Rights to protest the institution's failure to criticize the recent arrests.
On September 8-after the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) criticized the widespread arrests and alleged torture of detainees-the Ministry of Social Development dismissed Abdullah al-Dirazi, the group's secretary general, dissolved the group's board of directors, and appointed a ministry official as "interim director." The minister accused the organization of "only serving one segment of society," communicating with illegal organizations, and conducting "secret training" of regional rights defenders, referring to the May workshops that the ministry expressly approved and that were well publicized at the time. The BHRS had been the main Bahraini organization permitted to monitor parliamentary elections scheduled for October 23; the government refused to allow international observers.
Migrant Worker Rights
Over 460,000 migrant workers, primarily from South Asia, work in Bahrain. Many experience prolonged periods of withheld wages, passport confiscation, unsafe housing, excessive work hours and physical abuse. Government redress mechanisms remained largely ineffective.
In August 2009 Bahrain adopted Decision 79/2009 allowing workers to change jobs more freely. The reform does not apply to domestic workers and many workers remain unaware that they have the right to change employment freely.
A draft labor law circulated in May 2010 extends some rights to domestic workers, including annual vacation and end-of-term pay, but still excludes them from provisions mandating maximum work hours and days off. The law also creates a new "case management" mechanism to ensure the adjudication of labor complaints within two months, potentially making litigation a more viable option for migrant workers seeking redress for abuses.
Women's Rights
Bahrain's first written personal status law (Law 19/2009), adopted in 2009, applies only to Sunnis. Shia religious leaders demand a constitutional guarantee that, should a separate personal status law be passed for Shias, parliament will not be able to amend any provision of the law. Women's groups favor a unified law for all citizens in part because Sharia court judges-generally conservative religious scholars with limited formal legal training-decide marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance cases according to their own individual readings of Islamic jurisprudence, which consistently favor men. It remains unclear to what extent codification has alleviated these problems for Sunni women.
Key International Actors
Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet and provides logistical support for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the US provides military aid to Bahrain. The US initially did not publicly criticize the government's crackdown on civil society or other serious abuses; on October 31 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement congratulating Bahrain for its recent parliamentary election, but also expressing concern about "efforts in the lead-up to the elections to restrict freedom of expression and association targeted at civil society."
British officials expressed little concern publicly about the sharp deterioration of human rights conditions. One of the activists arrested in August, Jaffar al-Hasabi, is a dual national, and it reportedly took a phone call from British Foreign Secretary William Hague to Bahrain's crown prince before a British consular visit to al-Hasabi was permitted, about a month after his arrest. Bahrain publicly called on the United Kingdom to investigate and prosecute or extradite two of those indicted in the alleged terrorism case whom reside in London. The UK responded that it would investigate if Bahrain provided evidence of criminal activity. At this writing, Bahrain has provided no such evidence.
Bahrain's Medics are the Targets of Retribution The arrest and disappearance of Bahraini medics is part of a policy of retribution against those who helped protesters by Joe Stork
Published in: The Guardian MAY 5, 2011via human Rights Watch
US allies exempt from probes on Religious Freedom ie Saudi Arabia Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
Religious Freedom denied in Saudi Arabia
State Department Fails to Designate Partners as Violators of Religious Freedom Human Rights Watch
MARCH 5, 2003
US: Geneva Case Against Bush Shows Need to Prosecute Torture
Ex-President Cancels Switzerland Trip After Threatened Protests and Criminal Complaints via Human Rights Watch, FEBRUARY 7, 2011
US: Prolonged Indefinite Detention Violates International Law
Current Detention Practices at Guantanamo Unjustified and Arbitrary Human Rights Watch JANUARY 24, 2011
US: Torture Should Not Go Unpunished Failure to Prosecute CIA Abuses Sends Wrong Message via human Rights Watch, November 9, 2010
PressTV - 'US props up Bahrain military trials'
'Yemenis oppose colonial Saudi policies' want to oust Ali Abdullah Saleh' , PressTV,June 19, 2011
Unless the US and Saudi Arabia oust the ruling family and recognize the united power of the Yemeni people there will be a drawn out civil war.
Press TV talks with Dr. Syed Ali Wasif, president of the Society for International reforms in Washington, who says the Yemeni clerics can bring stakeholders together to form a unanimous platform for change provided there is US support. Following is a transcript of the interview.
Press TV: There are conflicting reports about Ali Abdullah Saleh's health condition. The media has no access to him and some are now saying he may be dead. What is your assessment?
Dr. Syed Ali Wasif: Until an official report confirms him dead we cannot presume this. Though he is outside of Yemen he remains a potential threat because his ruling aids his ruling family is still in command in Yemen. The military in Yemen is controlled by his son. The various government apparatus is also controlled by his family and clansmen so it is difficult to say anything at this moment.
Press TV: Do you expect any change in Yemen's relations with the US or Saudi Arabia after Saleh is out of the picture?
Dr. Syed Ali Wasif: Well, yes, and this depends on the US and Saudi Arabia. If the US and Saudi Arabia can see and recognize the legitimacy of the ongoing political struggle on the streets of Yemen and they decide to force the family and cronies of Saleh out and if they allow a transition with free and fair elections there I think the people will at last have a soft corner for the US, and for Saudi Arabia for that matter. However, there are elements in Yemen that are totally against the Saudi and US intervention and drone attacks as well.
and so it goes,
GORD.
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