CINA

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Yesterday's Guardian(UK) reported the following about the current stage of the gov't controlled TERROR CAMPAIGN against the democratic mass movement:

Bahrain braced for new wave of repression

Arrests and troop movements signal another government crackdown on protests in the tiny Gulf state

Bahrain is braced for a fresh bout of violent repression as new arrests and the alleged death of a female student fuel the tensions in the tiny Gulf state.

Armoured vehicles and security forces were reported to be gathering in the streets of the capital, Manama, and in surrounding suburbs and villages.

Meanwhile, evidence has emerged that Saudi forces have been involved in violence against the opposition in the mainly Shia villages and suburbs around Manama. In a graphic eyewitness account of the repression given to the Observer, a Bahraini who has been caught up in the violence claimed that officers with Saudi accents, in plainclothes but armed with automatic weapons, had led attacks on members of the Shia opposition on several occasions over the past month.

When Saudi and UAE troops from the Gulf Peninsula Shield force entered the kingdom at the request of the government last month, it was said that they were there to guard strategic buildings and infrastructure.

Reports from the city said that a young woman – beaten up last month by government supporters at Bahrain University – had died. A family member confirmed her death but the circumstances remained unclear. Arrests of lawyers and doctors working for the opposition continued.

Protesters, who were brutally removed from their peaceful anti-government site at Manama's Pearl roundabout last month, claim that there has since been a systematic campaign of repression by Sunni Bahraini security forces, backed by forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Human Rights Watch says that four people have died in custody over the past month, out of 430 who were arrested. Opposition sources say that the true figure is 720 arrested with 210 missing.

Tensions were high after another day of mourning, for Karim Fakhrawi, a Shia businessman who died in police detention, allegedly after being tortured. The mourning also coincided with an important Shia festival, the commemoration of the death of Fatima al-Zahra, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad. This is traditionally marked by three days of religious observance, including marches, which are now banned under Bahrain's month-old state of emergency.

Meanwhile, Mohammed al-Tajer, a lawyer who represented detainees held during the protests, was reportedly arrested along with a doctor accused of treating injured demonstrators. Doctors and medical facilities have been singled out in the repression, with the main hospital in Manama, Salimanya, under military occupation for the past month.

The government says that it is acting to maintain security after what it describes as an "attempted revolution" by mainly Shia protesters last month. It says hospitals were being used as organisation centres for the protests.

The government appears to be backing down from a plan to outlaw the leading opposition parties, Al Wefaq and Islamic Action, after protests from America and Britain. But a suppression of media reporting continues. Last week a correspondent from the Financial Times was denied entry at the airport. No reason was given.

Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, was detained at the airport for three hours before being allowed into the country. Other journalists reported increasing difficulties in obtaining visas.

Bell Pottinger, a British public relations company that advised the Bahraini crown prince, Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, and which was assisting with media visas, has had its government contracts suspended during the period of martial law.

Prince Salman is regarded as a moderate, but the failure of his offers of "dialogue" with the protesters has handed power to Sunni hardliners, led by the prime minister, Prince Khalifa, who has been in office since 1971.

The protests are seen as a threat to security across the whole Gulf region. There have been further protests in Iran in support of the mainly Shia Bahraini opposition, and Tehran recently warned Pakistan against sending any more "mercenaries" to join the crackdown.

Many Bahrain police officers are hired in Sunni countries such as Pakistan and Jordan (so we can call them mercenaries!!).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/16/bahrain-arrests-repression

Related articles/reports:
☞ The Bahrain Revolt (Huffington Post, 4.15)
☞ EU in a bind over Bahrain (Asia Times, 4.15)
☞ Bahrain cracks down on protesting footballers (Al-Jazeera, 4.15)
☞ A chilling account of the brutal clampdown... (Guardian, 4.16)


 

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This video was funded by Anti-Slavery International and the International Trade Union Confederation

 

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1.) 쌍용차 故임무창조합원 49재, 교섭촉구 결의대회에 함께합시다
 

2.) 4.15 삼성자본 규탄 결의 대회 함께합시다.
 

주체: 과천철거민과 삼성일반노조
일시: 4월 15일 (쇠 날) 11시 30분-13시까지
장소: 삼성본관 정문 바로 옆(2호선 강남역 4번 출구)

For more info please check out: ☞ 4/15 삼성자본 규탄 결의 대회...!
 

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Today's Asia Times(HK) published the following remarkable analysis:

Libya: Ceasefire or bust 

The so-called Libya contact group - that euphemism defining the minute Western/Gulf emirates "coalition of the willing" - meets (today) in Doha, Qatar, ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ministerial meetings in Berlin, amid an atmosphere of downright farce.

Former Libyan foreign minister and current defector to Britain Moussa Koussa is a stalwart of the Qatar meeting, trying to convince the "rebels" of the Interim National Council (INC) that the only possible solution for the moment implies Colonel Muammar Gaddafi remaining in power.

That also happens to be exactly what mediator Turkey is saying. No wonder the "rebels" and their sponsors - the dashing Arab liberator Anglo-French couple President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron - are fuming, and puzzled.

The head of the African Union (AU) mission to Libya, South African President Jacob Zuma - whose country is the only member of the BRICS group that supported United Nations Security Council resolution 1973 (Brazil, Russia, India and China abstained) - was convinced that Gaddafi had embraced the AU road map, which started with a ceasefire. But there has been no ceasefire so far. The wall of mistrust between Gaddafi and the rebels/NATO tandem has reached Himalayan proportions. NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen keeps stressing Gaddafi "does not keep his promises". Gaddafi is not fool enough to stop fighting while NATO may keep on bombing.

As for the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who along with her Amazon warriors, envoy to the UN Susan Rice and National Security Council aide Samantha Power, forced this sorry adventure on a reluctant White House - now also stress a ceasefire (but always with inbuilt "regime change").

It's quite useful to compare the AU approach - developed by South Africa, Uganda, Mali, Mauritania and Congo-Brazzaville - with NATO's. Once there's a ceasefire respected by both sides, there's the establishment of humanitarian corridors; civilians, local and foreigners (especially African migrant workers) can be protected; and a national political dialogue may start, meeting "the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people for democracy".

The INC is in no position to dictate its terms to Gaddafi. There's certainly a risk of a ceasefire reached after the current stalemate crystallizing a balkanization of Libya - east and west. But virtually no Libyans seem to want to embrace that possibility. The AU is simply being pragmatic. Libya - along with Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa - finances 75% of the AU budget.

Gaddafi is friendly with the majority of the 53-member AU; Mauritania, Mali and Congo-Brazzaville, for instance, benefited from a lot of Libyan investment (in fact, no less than 31 African countries did).

On top of it the mediators are Africans - not neo-colonial Europeans. South Africa's Zuma would be the first to viscerally repudiate an Anglo-French-dominated Libya. There was ample suspicion about Zuma's motives when South Africa voted for UN resolution 1973. Anyway, the fact is now Zuma says what the top four BRICS plus Germany were saying before the vote; this Anglo-French-drafted resolution is open-ended. And it opens the door to the West just deposing any African leader they fancy, whenever they want it.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has also been instrumental in this mediation. He considers Gaddafi a true nationalist - and as most of his African peers, not to mention in the Middle East and across the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the developing world, they all favor nationalists compared to foreign puppets a la INC.

Community values

 
The AU mediation finally shatters the myth of the "international community" fighting the same old demonized "evil dictator" figure in Libya. Unless one considers the "international community" as comprised of seven members among the 28-member NATO (France, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Canada and the US), plus those two paragons of democracy in the Persian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Regime change" (which is not part of the UN resolution) does have support; but only in Washington, London, Paris and Benghazi.

Now compare the realism of the AU position - similar to Turkey's - with the pathetic squabbling between the Anglo-French and NATO. London and Paris want NATO to go on a mad bombing spree - as if NATO bombs could be programmed to only decimate pro-Gaddafi Libyans.

Coming from two political midgets such as British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, that's no surprise. For its part, NATO's Brigadier-General Mark van Uhm tried to spin it in Brussels, warning - correctly - that Gaddafi's forces adapted to the air strikes by favoring "hit-and-run tactics by motorized columns of pickup trucks to wear out opposition forces psychologically rather than gain ground".

So NATO acknowledges it just can't shock and awe the enemy without provoking a genocide. And the grown ups in the picture are the Africans - who have come up with a plausible endgame. Only Paris, Rome and Doha have recognized the INC as the de facto Libyan government (can't resist the comparison with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE being the only ones to recognize the Taliban.)

It's telling that Washington at least has been more realistic. Now it's up to the Central Intelligence Agency-infested, opportunist-laden, marginally al-Qaeda-linked "rebels", and their Anglo-French sponsors, to wake up and smell the Arabica coffee.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MD14Ak01.html

Related news/reports:
☞ Contact group urges Libya action (Al-Jazeera, 4.13)
☞ The blame game is on in Libya (AToL, 4.13)
☞ Libya - live coverage (Guardian, 4.13)


 

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Syria: Mass Protests, Massacres and Resistance

Today's (London-based Arabic-language) newspaper Al-Hayat reported that the Syrian ruler Bashar Assad expressed his "regrets over the death of protestors during a Sunday anti-regime demonstration"...

But for the resisting masses the lession is clear:
 

Why? Because of the f*cking reality!! Despide Assad's repeated promises to "reform" the Syrian political system, his "security forces" yesterday - once again - went crazy...: ☞ Students rally in Syria's capital over deaths (source: Al-Jazeera), ☞ Student killed as Syria protest turns violent (source: Yedioth Ahronoth)

Related article:
☞ Syrian human rights watchdog: Death toll in protests reaches 200 (Haaretz, 4.12)

 

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Impressions from yesterday's Anti-Nuclear Rally in Suwon (S. Korea, Gyeonggi-do):
 

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Well, even the 'closest friend' of Seoul's ruling class (and its gov't) is zinging the current situation of the human rights in S. Korea (according to today's K. Times):

Discrimination against minorities persists in Korea

South Korea still discriminates against minorities and foreigners, the U.S. State Department said in its 2010 country report on human rights.

Citing a National Human Rights Commission report, the U.S. human rights report said there were six cases of alleged discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons last year.

“There are no specific laws punishing or providing compensation to victims of discrimination or violence against LGBT persons,” it said. “Societal discrimination against LGBT persons have persisted.”

In June the Constitutional Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of the military code of conduct prohibiting consensual homosexual relationships between military personnel.

At the year’s end the court had not issued a ruling, it said.

“Some observers claimed that persons with HIV/AIDS suffered from societal discrimination and a social stigma,” the report said.

The country has long prided itself on its racial homogeneity, but its growing ethnic minority population passed the 1.2 million mark midway through last year.

In cases of discrimination against ethnic minorities, it cited an incident where a man with a mental disability killed his foreign bride, which later led to a swift government crackdown on illegal matchmaking agencies.

It also said North Korean refugees, although supported by government-funded resettlement programs, “faced discrimination.”

Restrictions on Internet

It said that there were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, but considered 35 suicides among military personnel as a problem.

It said that 13 of them were allegedly caused by hazing, mistreatment, or an inability to adjust to military life in the first six month of service.

Regarding freedom of speech and the press, the country received a favorable evaluation in the report.

“The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the government generally respected these rights in practice,” the report said.

It added that an independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combined to ensure freedom of speech and of the press.

But it said, “there were some government restrictions on access to the Internet and reports that the government monitored e-mail and Internet chat rooms.”

The government blocked violent, sexually explicit, and gambling-oriented websites and required operators to rate their site as harmful or not to youth, based on telecommunications laws that ban Internet service providers from offering information to young age groups, the report said...

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/04/117_84929.html

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Today's ('left'-liberal) Hankyoreh published the following 'editorial':

DNA collection to intimidate unions

It has emerged that prosecutors have been collecting DNA samples from workers convicted of engaging in strikes and other activities. The practice, which currently targets workers who took part in a Ssangyong Motor strike and occupation of Daelim Motor, has reportedly been taking place at district prosecutor’s offices across the country since March. Not only does this have strong elements of a human rights violation, but it is an immoderate application of the law that could potentially curtail labor movement activity. It should be immediately halted.

The legal basis for collecting DNA is the Act on the Use and Protection of DNA Identification, the so-called “DNA Act.” Enacted in July 2010, this act allows the collection and storage of DNA from suspects in eleven cases of crime, including child molestation, rape, and drug crimes, in order to allow for efficient investigation of habitual and heinous crimes. The scope of those subjected to DNA collection also includes suspects in acts of violence, home invasion, and property damage as stipulated in the Punishment of Violence, etc. Act. The attitude of the prosecutors is that with this basis, there is no problem whatsoever with collecting DNA from striking workers punished under the latter act.

However, this is a farfetched application of the law, and in addition to containing elements of human rights infringements, it is also an abuse of public authority. First and foremost, taking samples from striking workers is extremely problematic in that it equates them with the perpetrators of heinous crimes. Strikes are both the core of the basic labor rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the most powerful means of protecting a worker’s survival rights. It is also necessarily expressed through collective action.

Even if it is unavoidable to hold workers responsible for physical clashes that occur during that process(*), it is unacceptable to treat them as though they were habitual and shameless criminals. This cannot be seen as anything but contempt for workers and their rights. Around 150 workers were convicted on the basis of the Punishment of Violences, etc. Act for the Ssangyong strike. Does this mean that every one of them is a heinous criminal?

There is a strong chance that the sample collection will lead to negative effects such as weakening of the labor movement through its psychological cowing of workers. If people whose criminal punishment is complete are treated as potential offenders and forced to submit DNA, there may be grounds for raising the fundamental human rights issue of double jeopardy.

Even if one sympathizes with the need for the DNA law, the scope of its application cannot be made excessively large. There needs to be a full reexamination of the individuals subject to this law’s application and the method of its implementation. Before then, prosecutors must end their collection of DNA from striking workers.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/471831.html

* Well, once again The Hankyoreh is (somehow) supporting the stance of the ruling class!!!

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AFTER THE CRACKDOWN: STATE TERROR AGAINST WORKERS, MEDIA AND POLITICAL ACTIVISTS

Latest news:

Bahraini firms have fired hundreds of mostly Shi'ite workers who went on strike to support pro-democracy protesters, part of a government crackdown, an opposition group said on yesterday.

Bahrain's unions called a general strike on March 13 to support pro-democracy protesters against the (Sunni-led) government who for weeks occupied a square in the capital until "security forces" moved in on March 16. The strike was called off on March 22.

Officials at Batelco, Gulf Air, Bahrain Airport Services and APM Terminals Bahrain said they had laid off more than 200 workers due to absence during the strike...

Bahrain's main opposition group, Wefaq, said it estimated that more than 1,000 workers had been laid off and that most were Shi'ites.

More lay-offs are expected at Bahrain Petroleum (Bapco) which has fired the head of its workers' union. Workers fear that hundreds could be fired at the company after parliament launched an investigation headed by a Sunni hardline deputy.

"Everybody is afraid," a worker who did not wish to be named told Reuters.

Bahrain has increased its arrests of bloggers, activists and Shi'ites, with more than 300 detained and dozens missing since last month's crackdown on the pro-democracy protests.

Bahrain has seen the worst clashes between its Shi'ite majority population (but supported by hundreds of Sunnis, mostly "ordinary" workers) and the Sunni-ruled security forces since the 1990s after pro-democracy protesters, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, took to the streets in February.

The "security forces" have killed at least 13 protesters during days of pro-democracy protests and prompted Bahrain to declare martial law and invite troops by Sunni Gulf neighbors... Saudi Arabia and the UAE, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) sent thousands of troops and riot  cops to smash the pro-democracy movement.

After "security forces", supported by the GCC occupation forces, crushed the protests, the government launched a crackdown on opposition activists, Shi'ite villages and media such as the only opposition newspaper, Al-Wasat...

Some related articles:
☞ Dangerous change rattles Bahrain (Asia Times, 4.06)
☞ Bahrain's hospital of ghosts (Al-Jazeera, 4.06)
☞ The Arab counter-revolution is winning (AToL, 3.18)