La France condamne fermement la répression brutale en Syrie
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - La France a condamné fermement dimanche la poursuite "de plus en plus brutale de la répression en Syrie", y compris avec l'utilisation d'armes lourdes comme à Djisr al Choughour.

"Cette situation inacceptable, qui alourdit encore le bilan des victimes civiles en Syrie, crée une menace pour la stabilité régionale. Elle doit cesser", a déclaré Bernard Valero, porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères. » | Gérard Bon, édité par Pierre Sérisier | Dimanche 12 Juin 2011

Syrian from Jisr al-Shughur Talks to Al Jazeera
A resident of the northern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur gives his account of events there as the military launches operations in the area and thousands flee to Turkey

US Calls on Syria to End 'Outrageous' Violence

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The United States has toughened its stance on Syria, calling for an "immediate end to brutality and violence" and warning President Bashar al-Assad he is leading his nation on a "dangerous path."

White House spokesman Jay Carney issued a statement after Syrian forces killed at least 25 people in nationwide democracy protests and helicopters, tanks and troops opened fire on protesters in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour.

"The United States strongly condemns the Syrian government's outrageous use of violence across Syria today and particularly in the northwestern region," he said.

"There must be an immediate end to the brutality and violence."

The statement contained a clear sign of Washington's growing impatience over Syria after top officials had repeatedly called for Assad to embrace reform or get out of the way – but stopped short of demanding his departure.

"Earlier this week, we urged the Syrian government to exercise maximum restraint and not to respond to its own reported losses through additional civilian casualties," Mr Carney added. "The Syrian government is leading Syria on a dangerous path. » | Alastair Jamieson | Saturday, June 11, 2011

Syria: Eyewitness Account of Violence in Jisr al-Shughour

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian helicopters, tanks and troops opened fire on protesters in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. Here one resident, Hassan, tells his story.

The situation is very difficult. They came and started to destroy our houses - all the houses where we were living are destroyed. They used tanks.

We are now at the Turkish border, in the mountains, near the border town of Güvecci. There are 3,000 families on the border now.

We, our children and families, we are all together. I am 20 years old and I have three children.

If they attack here, we will cross the border. They are in the city (Jisr al-Shughour) now, and they didn’t come after us.

We don’t have milk for the babies. From the Turkish jandarma (gendarmerie, the Turkish forces guarding the border) we will get milk. Everybody is sick, there is no milk for the babies.

Trouble started a long time ago, but today is the worst. » | As told to Piotr Zalewski, Antakya | Saturday, June 11, 2011

Syria Vows to Retaliate after Attack on Police and Security Forces

THE GUARDIAN: Regime to intensify crackdown on protesters after claiming that dozens of government personnel were killed in Jisr al-Shughour

The Syrian government has vowed to retaliate after claiming that dozens of its police and security forces were killed in attacks in and around the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour.

In an indication they will intensify the crackdown on protesters that has already killed an estimated 1,200 civilians, authorities rapidly upgraded the toll in the town 20 miles from the Turkish border.

The state news agency, Sana, initially said 28 personnel had been killed, including in an armed ambush and at a state security post. It revised the figure up to 43, 80 and then 120 within the space of an hour without an explanation. The claims could not be independently verified.

"We will act firmly and decisively based on the law [and] will never be silent over any armed attack that targets the country's security," the interior minister, Ibrahim Shaar, said in a statement broadcast on state television. » | Nidaa Hassan in Damascus | Monday, June 06, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian forces crackdown to result in massive loss of life: Residents of Jisr al-Shughour in north-west Syria warned of an imminent atrocity if the security forces carry out an operation to take control of the town following the deaths of 120 soldiers in clashes. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Bahraini Doctors, Nurses Charged for Helping Injured
Medical staff who treated protesters accused of plotting to overthrow kingdom's monarchy amid reports of more violence. Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports from Bahrain

Inside Story - FIA: Putting Money before Morality?
The motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, has unanimously voted to return the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2011 Formula One race calendar. The race, which is due to be held on October 30, was originally called off in February because of pro-democracy protests. The FIA, says its decision "reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain". But it has angered human rights bodies and campaigners. Amnesty international says that despite the lifting of emergency laws that have been in place since March, serious human rights violations continue to be committed in the kingdom with security measures still in place to stop large gatherings. So, will the event bring unity to the kingdom, as the organisers claim? Or are they simply putting money before morality?


FIA: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile »

Shocking Evidence of Syria Crackdown Emerges
More shocking evidence of the crackdown on protesters in Syria has appeared in video posted on YouTube.

It is claimed that the film shows Syria's Security Forces fabricating evidence after shooting a group of men on a rooftop.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford has the details.

Bahrain: Locked Up for Reading a Poem

THE INDEPENDENT: Ayat al-Gormezi, the woman who symbolises Bahrain's fight for freedom

Bahrain's security forces are increasingly targeting women in their campaign against pro-democracy protesters despite yesterday lifting martial law in the island kingdom.

Ayat al-Gormezi, 20, a poet and student arrested two months ago after reading out a poem at a pro-democracy rally, is due to go on trial today before a military tribunal, her mother said. Ayat was forced to turn herself in when masked policemen threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.

She has not been seen since her arrest, though her mother did talk to her once by phone and Ayat said that she had been forced to sign a false confession. Her mother has since been told that her daughter has been in a military hospital after being tortured.

"We are the people who will kill humiliation and assassinate misery," a film captures Ayat telling a cheering crowd of protesters in Pearl Square in February. "We are the people who will destroy the foundation of injustice." She addresses King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa directly and says to him: "Don't you hear their cries, don't you hear their screams?" As she finishes, the crowd shouts: "Down with Hamad."

Ayat's call for change was no more radical than that heard in the streets of Tunis, Cairo and Benghazi at about the same time. But her reference to the king might explain the fury shown by the Bahraini security forces who, going by photographs of the scene, smashed up her bedroom when they raided her house and could not find her.

There are signs that Bahraini police, riot police and special security are detaining and mistreating more and more women. Many are held incommunicado, forced to sign confessions or threatened with rape, according to Bahraini human rights groups. » | Patrick Cockburn | Thursday, June 02, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Female poet brought before Bahrain military tribunal: A female poet whose "death" became the focus of an Iranian state propaganda campaign against Bahrain has been brought before a military tribunal in the island kingdom. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, June 02, 2011

Outrage in Syria over Killing of Teenage Boy
Activists in Syria have called for a second day of mass demonstrations to protest the alleged torture and killing of a 13-year-old boy

Saudi Troops Sent to Crush Bahrain Protests 'Had British Training'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabian troops sent into Bahrain to crush a popular uprising may have had British military training, the Government has admitted.

The British Government has said it is "deeply concerned" by reports of human rights abuses in Bahrain, where the ruling royal family has used Saudi troops to put down Shi'ite demonstrations.

The Sunni royal family in Saudi Arabia fears the growing influence of Shi'ite Iran in the Middle East, and is helping Bahrain's Sunni rulers retain power.

The Ministry of Defence has now admitted that members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard sent into Bahrain may have received military training from the British Armed Forces in Saudi Arabia.

The revelation is likely to renew allegations that the Coalition is sending mixed messages on democracy in the Middle East.

Despite British criticism of the Bahrainis' actions, David Cameron last week welcomed the Crown Prince of Bahrain to Downing Street, drawing criticism from human rights groups. » | James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

'Scores Killed' in Syrian Protests
Syrian rights groups say security forces there killed more than fifty anti-government activists during the last two days.

President Bashar al-Assad has been meeting with local dignitaries over the two-month long unrest, with a view to urging a national dialogue.

But opposition groups within and outside the country are setting strong conditions for any talks.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from neighbouring Lebanon.

Syria's Defiant Women Risk All to Protest against President Bashar al-Assad
THE GUARDIAN: Women on the frontline of demonstrations against Syria's brutal regime are now being targeted by security forces


They came for the men first, as the security forces of Syria's PresidentBashar al-Assad killed, beat and arrested people protesting against his regime.

Next, they came for the women of Syria's revolution. Despite the threats, however, they refuse to be silenced.

As the violence has become worse, women activists have organised a Friday protest of Free Women showing solidarity with those seized or killed. Women-only protests in towns across the country have led the effort to let the outside world know what is happening in Syria. But they are now being targeted as well, with the same lethal brutality.

Two weeks ago three women were shot dead at an all-women march near the besieged city of Banias. A week later human rights activist Catherine al-Talli, 32, was detained in the Barzeh district of Damascus after being forced off a minibus when it was stopped at a checkpoint by the secret police.

Others, such as Razan Zeitouneh, whose husband has been arrested, have been forced into hiding as evidence emerges that the regime is targeting relatives of those it is seeking to arrest.

Yesterday it was Zeitouneh who reported that the final death toll for the latest crackdown on Friday protests by the regime had been 30. Twelve were reported dead in Ma'aret al-Nu'man, south of the city of Aleppo, after tanks entered the town earlier in the day to disperse protesters; 11 in the central city of Homs and seven in Deraa, Latakia, the Damascus suburbs and Hama. » | Peter Beaumont | Saturday, May 21, 2011

Bahrain: David Cameron Under Fire for No 10 Crown Prince Photocall

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron risked criticism after he was pictured shaking hands with the Crown Prince of Bahrain on the steps of Downing Street.

The Prime Minister met Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa for talks at No 10 amid concern of the Gulf state’s human rights record.

The pair met in private for discussions on the uprisings across the Middle East and north Africa, including a bloody crackdown by Bahraini authorities on demonstrators.

But critics said officials should not be “rolling out the red carpet for Bahrain's torturer-in-chief”, insisting the meeting sent out the wrong signal.

It came as President Barack Obama gave a major speech last night throwing American weight behind the Arab Spring protests, which have been shaking the autocracies of the Middle East.

Mr Cameron was said to have urged Bahrain to embrace ''reform rather than repression'' in response to pro-democracy protests in the Gulf state.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters have been arrested and put on trial in special courts[.]

The Crown Prince’s London visit also follows a row about his invitation to last month’s Royal Wedding of the Duke of Duchess of Cambridge.

He later declined the invitation amid fears his presence might act as a distraction and attract widespread demonstrations. » | Andrew Hough | Friday, May 20, 2011

Bahrain Visit: Cameron Embraces Tyranny

THE INDEPENDENT: In Bahrain, it was another day of violence and repression as the Saudi-backed Al-Khalifa dynasty continued to clamp down on protesters demanding a better life for the repressed Shia majority.

But in Downing Street, David Cameron exchanged a warm handshake with Bahrain's Crown Prince, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa. While other Arab tyrants feel the full force of British disapproval, Sheikh Salman is here on a mission to repair the damaged reputation of his dynasty. His visit prompted an outcry from politicians and civil rights campaigners. It came on the day when President Obama delivered his first major speech on the Arab Spring, which he said would open a "new chapter in American diplomacy". "It will be the policy of the US to promote reform, and to support transitions to democracy," he promised.

The Labour MP Denis MacShane, a former Foreign Office minister, said: "It's unbelievable, at a time when Bahrain is becoming the torture chamber of the Gulf, with terrible reports of killings and beatings, that David Cameron has even allowed the torturer-in-chief into Britain, let alone into Downing Street." Amnesty International UK's director, Kate Allen, said: "The Prime Minister ought to make it clear to Sheikh Salman that Bahrain's relations with the UK will suffer if the Bahraini authorities refuse to allow peaceful protests or conduct proper investigations into numerous allegations that detained protesters have been tortured." Continue reading and comment » | Andy McSmith | Friday, May 20, 2011

Inside Story - Syria: Mass Graves and Slayings
Inside Story, with presenter Dareen Abughaida, discusses with Najib Ghadbian, professor of political science at the University of Arkansas; Nabilia Ramdani, middle east analyst; and Ambassador Richard Murphy, former US Ambassador to Syria.

Bahrain Mosques Targeted?

Hundreds Flee to Lebanon amid Violence in Syria
Residents flee border town as army enters following protest

US Politicians Talk Bahrain
Some US politicians are now calling for the White House to take action against Bahrain for its human rights violations. Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett reports from Washington D.C.

Bahrain Targets Shia Religious Sites
Part three in our exclusive series on Bahrain reveals that the government destroyed Shia mosques and religious institutions as part of its crackdown on dissent

Inside Story: Bahrain - The Black Hole of Arab Uprisings?

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