Bahrain Revokes Citizenship of Shia Activists
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahraini authorities have revoked the citizenships of 31 Shia activists, among them two former members of parliament, for having "undermined state security," according to state news.

The names of the 31 activists, including brothers Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, both ex-MPs who represented the major Shiite Al-Wefaq bloc, were listed in the BNA report, which quoted an interior ministry statement.

Also named was Ali Mashaima, son of prominent activist Hassan Mashaima who is head of the radical Shiite opposition movement Haq and who is serving a life sentence for allegedly plotting against the monarchy.

The government move comes after Bahrain late last month banned all protests and gatherings to ensure "security is maintained," after clashes between Shia-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country.

The Gulf state has experienced unrest since March last year when the authorities crushed protests led by the Shia Muslim majority. » | Source: AFP | Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Bahrain Hit by Deadly Blasts
Two foreign workers have been killed and a third seriously injured by bomb blasts in Bahrain. Police say there were five explosions, caused by homemade devices. They happened in two areas of the capital, Manama. Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports.

Saudi Intervention in Bahrain 'a faux pas'
BBC: The Saudi Arabian monarchy has been shaken in recent months by protests in the country, but moves to curb street protests and the internet mean there has been nothing on the scale of other countries in the region.

A critic of the lack of human rights for women in Saudi Arabia, Princess Basma Bint Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud says Saudi Arabia's intervention in the Bahrain protests was a wrong decision. Watch BBC video » | Wednesday, July 27, 2011

What I’d change about my country »

Bahrain King Warns against Insulting Defence Force
GULFNEWS.COM: Stresses zero-tolerance policy against those indulging in army slur

Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa has warned of a zero-tolerance response to the denigration of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF).

“We have these days heard about voices and platforms fueling hatred and abusing freedom of expression,” King Hamad said. “The matter has worsened to the point of disrespecting the Bahrain Defence Force. Our armed forces are the protectors of the nation’s achievements and everybody must know that whoever disrespects the forces or its leaders is in fact abusing us,” the monarch said as he visited the BDF headquarters and met the top brass on Wednesday.

King Hamad who founded the BDF in 1968 while he was crown prince, said that no irreverence towards Bahrain’s beliefs, social values and armed forces in the name of freedom of opinion would be accepted. » | Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bahrain: Interview with Abdul Aziz al Khalifa
Al Jazeera interviews Abdul Aziz al Khalifa, from the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority regarding the case of an 11-year-old boy on trial in Bahrain.

Bahrain Police Battle Biggest Protests in Weeks
THE GUARDIAN: Tens of thousands take to streets after opposition calls for major rallies in support of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab

Riot police in Bahrain fired teargas and stun grenades on Friday as tens of thousands of protesters staged the biggest anti-government demonstrations in weeks in the divided Gulf nation.

Opposition groups called for major rallies after a prominent rights activist, Nabeel Rajab, was placed back in detention earlier this week on fresh charges linked to his posts on social media such as Twitter.

Bahrain has experienced near daily protests for 16 months caused by an uprising by the kingdom's Shia majority seeking greater political rights from the western-backed Sunni monarchy. At least 50 people have died in the unrest since February 2011.

There were no immediate reports of injuries from Friday's street battles, which left piles of burning rubbish and clouds of stinging tear gas in the western outskirts of the capital, Manama. » | Associated Press | Friday, June 08, 2012

Bahrain King's Invitation to Windsor Castle Stirs Controversy
During her almost 60 year reign - Queen Elizabeth II has hosted hundreds of lunches for foreign monarchs. Few in recent years have had such a controversial guest list. The King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is among those invited to dine at Windsor Castle at a time when Bahrain has come under international pressure over allegations of serious human rights violations. The crackdown against pro-reform demonstrators has drawn disgust and concern in equal measure from campaigners. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports from London.

Related »

Bahrain Protests: Shias Rally Against Closer Ties with Saudi Arabia
THE GUARDIAN: Tens of thousands of Shia protesters demonstrate against further integration between Sunni rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

Tens of thousands of mainly Shia protesters in Bahrain have joined a march to denounce proposals for closer ties between the unrest-torn Gulf kingdom and neighbouring Saudi Arabia. » | Associated Press in Manama | Friday, May 18, 2012

The Rise of the Saudi Superstate
AINA: The 32nd summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council may be remembered as the dawn of the Caliphate with the Saudi proposal to accelerate the union of the six GCC States likely to dramatically change the region. The union is being described as "EU Style," but in practice it would be a larger version of the United Arab Emirates, a federation of tribal monarchies.

The combined entity would have a 1 trillion dollar GDP and some 35 percent of the world's oil reserves, giving it immeasurable influence on the global stage. And that nucleus of power and wealth would be used to consolidate its influence over rest of the region and the world. If the GCC integrates Yemen, it will be able to turn the Persian Gulf into the Arabian Gulf, and if it integrates Libya, Sudan and Iraq, then it will have a combined population of 100 million and be able to approach the 50 percent world oil reserves marker.

Whether or not the GCC can transition to a Muslim EU, in the words of its charter, "founded on the creed of Islam," is still an open question. In the last five years the GCC has struggled toward adopting a common market and a common currency, its unity undercut by suspicion of the House of Saud and internal rivalries. While Article Four of the GCC Charter had always made unity into a goal of the GCC and previous Riyadh Declarations had called for consolidating their Arab and Islamic identities into a regional union, there was never enough external pressure and internal promise to make that feasible.

Iran's nuclear program and the Arab Spring have changed all that. Saudi Arabia's suppression of Shiite protesters in Bahrain was the first significant use of the GCC's previously inept Peninsula Shield Force. The victory in Bahrain has kept its Sunni monarchy in power and made it dependent on Saudi backing which has also made its officials into the most enthusiastic proponents of the union.

Holding back the Arab Spring in Bahrain was not only a proxy victory against Iran, it also demonstrated that Saudi influence could hold off Western action against GCC members under its umbrella and gave added weight to Saud Al-Faisal's call for a combined military and foreign policy. Saudi Arabia can offer GCC members the protection of its enormous influence in the West, as well as one of the largest armies in the region, armed and trained by the United States, and an eventual nuclear umbrella.

The Obama Administration has left the nations of the region with very few options. They can either wait for America and Europe to hand them over to the Muslim Brotherhood on a democratic platter. They can become puppets of Iran. They can long for the return of a Turkish Ottoman Empire under the AKP. Or they can look to the Saudis for leadership and aid. » | Daniel Greenfield | Tuesday, May 16, 2012

Related material here and here

Golfe : l'Iran hausse le ton face à l'Arabie saoudite

LE POINT: Téhéran a appelé sa population à manifester contre une tentative d'"annexion" par Riyad du royaume de Bahreïn.

L'Iran a haussé le ton, mercredi, contre un projet d'union entre l'Arabie saoudite et Bahreïn, appelant les Iraniens à se mobiliser contre ce que Téhéran considère comme une tentative d'"annexion" par Riyad d'un territoire appartenant autrefois à la Perse. Le Conseil de coordination de la propagande islamique, qui organise les manifestations officielles du régime iranien, a appelé la population à manifester dans tout le pays après la prière du vendredi "contre le plan américain d'annexion de Bahreïn par l'Arabie saoudite et pour exprimer sa colère contre les régimes laquais d'Al-Khalifa et d'Al-Saoud", en référence aux familles régnantes dans ces deux pays.

Les dirigeants des six monarchies arabes du Golfe ont décidé lundi de poursuivre l'étude d'un projet d'union, qui pourrait regrouper dans un premier temps l'Arabie saoudite et le petit royaume de Bahreïn, secoué par des manifestations de la population majoritairement chiite, comme en Iran, contre le pouvoir sunnite. Le gouvernement et le parlement iraniens ont violemment dénoncé ce projet, estimant qu'il violait les droits de la population bahreïnie et ne pouvait qu'aggraver la crise. » | Source AFP | mercredi 16 mai 2012

Gulf Considers Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Union
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Gulf leaders gathered in Riyadh on Monday to discuss developing their six-nation council into a union, a Saudi proposal likely to start with the kingdom and unrest-hit Bahrain.

But the proposed union between the regional kingpin Saudi Arabia and the fellow Sunni-ruled kingdom of Bahrain has been slammed by legislators in Shiite Iran.

The exact nature of this union, first floated by Saudi King Abdullah in December, remains unclear, but Bahraini State Minister for Information Samira Rajab said it could follow the "European Union model."

Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat quoted a Gulf Cooperation Council official as saying that the summit might lead to a "declaration of intentions on a union between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar" which Kuwait might join.

Remaining GCC members, the United Arab Emirates and Oman - whose respective leaders Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan and Sultan Qaboos are not attending the Riyadh talks - would later join the union, the daily added.

Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman said on Sunday the "option of a (GCC) union has become urgent," adding that these nations must cooperate to ensure security in the region. » | Agencies | Monday, May 14, 2012

US Resumes Weapons Sale to Bahrain
The US will resume selling weapons to Bahrain despite concerns over its treatment of protesters. The announcement followed a meeting between Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Bahrain's crown prince. Imran Khan reports.

Bahrain Arrests Prominent Rights Activist

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab, a leader of protests against authorities in the Gulf kingdom, has been arrested on his return from a trip abroad, the interior ministry and activists said on Sunday.

Mr Rajab, who heads the non-governmental Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), was arrested at the airport late on Saturday over charges of "participating in illegal assembly and calling others to join," the centre said in a statement.

His trial is expected to begin on Sunday.

"Nabeel Rajab arrested by order of public prosecution. All legal procedures are being taken," the interior ministry said on its Twitter account.

Mr Rajab was returning from Lebanon where he met the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, according to activist Mohammed al-Maskati, who travelled with him.

He was led away by people in plainclothes, Mr Maskati wrote on his Twitter page.

The BCHR said Mr Rajab could face further charges, as he was summoned for interrogation on April 26 accused of "insulting the statutory bodies". » | Source: AFP | Sunday, May 06, 2012

Bahraini Activist to Remain in Jail until Retrial
A man on hunger strike in Bahrain for more than 80 days is to be given a retrial, on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. But Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and 20 others will have to stay in jail until then. Charles Stratford explains.

Interview with Bahrain's Prime Minster: The Opposition 'Are Terrorizing the Rest of This Country'
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In one of the first interviews he has given to the Western media in years, Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa defends his government's course of action against the country's opposition. He tells SPIEGEL ONLINE that he will not tolerate Western interference and accuses protesters of seeking to turn Bahrain into a "second Iran." » | Interview conducted by Souad Mekhennet in Bahrain | Friday, April 27, 2012

Bahrain Grand Prix: Riot Squads, Teargas and Petrol Bombs as Protesters Claim Police Beat Shia Activist to Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As drivers prepared for the Bahrain Grand Prix, parts of the desert kingdom looked more like a war zone and one protester was discovered dead. Colin Freeman reports.

Built very much for strength rather than speed, they were not the kind of vehicles normally seen at the world's premiere motor racing event. Stretched along the desert highway leading to the Bahrain's Formula One race track were dozens of armoured personnel carriers - ready to use all means necessary to ensure the event went ahead.

More reminiscent of a war zone than a spectator sport, this was the extraordinary scene on Saturday as the Bahraini authorities launched a massive security clampdown to prevent pro-democracy supporters disrupting Sunday's Grand Prix. Yet their efforts to keep things peaceful proved fruitless: by late afternoon, demonstrators around the capital, Manama, were once again fighting running street battles with police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

"This is not way to deal with peaceful protests," said demonstrator Hussein Mohammed, 25, looking down a street to where clouds of tear gas were drifting. "The government should not be hosting racing contests when people are denied basic rights."

Last night, it was claimed that one activist had already paid the ultimate price. The body of Salah Habib Abbas, 37, a municipal gardener, was found lying in a pool of blood on the roof of an allotment shed close to Shakhura village, where anti-government protesters had played a cat-and-mouse game with police the night before.

Fellow demonstrators said that after being chased through allotments, he had last been seen being arrested by police, who they alleged then beat him to death. » | Colin Freeman, Manama | Saturday, April 21, 2012

Related »

Leading Article: No Credit to Bahrain or Formula One
THE INDEPENDENT: The Formula One Grand Prix should not be happening in Bahrain this weekend. That is the long and the short of it. Although the security situation is evidently better than it was last season, when the race was first postponed and then cancelled, this is largely a result of the repression exerted by the authorities.

It does not mean there has been any serious accommodation with the opposition, still less that the regime has become any more democratic. Several dozen people have been killed in protests since the start of the year and a leading opposition activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is on hunger strike in prison. Even John Yates, formerly of Scotland Yard, who is currently advising the Bahrain government, has said that the security of the race cannot be guaranteed. » | Leading article | Saturday, April 21, 2012

Related »

Robert Fisk: This Is Politics Not Sport. If Drivers Can't See That, They Are the Pits
THE INDEPENDENT: Supposing it was Assad shelling out £40m for a race. Would Ecclestone be happy to give him a soft sporting cover for his repression?

When the Foreign Office urges British motor racing fans to stay away from Bahrain, this ain't no sporting event, folks, it's a political one. The Bahraini authorities prove it by welcoming sports reporters but refusing visas to other correspondents who want to tell the world what's going on in this minority-run, Saudi-dominated kingdom.

But what do our lads tell us from the circuit, 25 miles from the Bahraini capital, Manama? Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are only in it for sport. Bahraini repression of its democratic majority? Nothing to do with us, governor. And Sebastian Vettel? "I think it's a lot of hype." Hype? HYPE? The Arab Awakening came to Bahrain a year ago, a majority Shia people demanding a democratically elected government – with a minority Sunni monarch still at its head, for heaven's sake, as generous an Arab Spring as you could find – and it's met with police gunfire, torture and death. And Master Vettel – is there anything left of the old cliché "moral compass"? – claims "it's a lot of hype". What a disgraceful man. » | Robert Fisk | Saturday, April 21, 2012

Related here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Gespannte Lage in Bahrain
Das Video hier abspielen | Freitag, 20. April 2012
Verwandt »

Bahrain Grand Prix: Protester Found Dead after Clashes with Authorities

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anti-government protesters in Bahrain have claimed a man has been found dead after a night of violent clashes with police ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix.

Opposition leaders in Bahrain said the man's body was found at a site where protesters had clashed violently with security forces during the night.

Protesters had flooded a main highway in a march stretching for miles while the authorities deployed armoured vehicles on to the streets of the country's capital and the main road heading to the race track.

Security forces fired tear gas into the crowds as the country's leaders struggle to contain opposition anger ahead of the Grand Prix.

The government allowed the massive Friday demonstration in an apparent bid to avoid the hit-and-run street battles that are the hallmark of the Gulf nation's 14-month uprising – and an embarrassing spectacle for Bahrain's Western-backed rulers as F1 teams prepare for Sunday's race.

But violence flared as small groups in the march peeled away from the route to challenge riot police, who answered with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.

Some protesters sought refuge in a shopping mall and nearby shops about 12 miles north of the Formula One track, where practice runs took place and Bahrain's crown prince vowed the country's premier international event would go ahead. » | Saturday, April 21, 2012

Related »