British royals welcome Bahraini, Swazi dictators

This video is called Lethal Use of Tear Gas in Bahrain from Amber Lyon of CNN.

New York, May 17, 2012–A journalist who criticized Bahrain’s proposed union with Saudi Arabia was seized from his home near Manama on Wednesday and his whereabouts are unknown. The Committee to Protect Journalists called today for his immediate release: here.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights expresses (BYSHR) its deep concern after the riot police using birdshot in all the villages in Bahrain to suppress the protests: here.

Bahrain Live Coverage: Day 100 of a Hunger Strike: here.

A Crackdown in Crayon: Bahrain’s Children Draw Their Country’s Crisis: here.

From the BBC in Britain:

18 May 2012 Last updated at 03:26 GMT

The Queen’s lunch for monarchs attracts controversy

The King of Bahrain and Swaziland‘s King Mswati III are among controversial monarchs expected at a Windsor Castle lunch being hosted by the Queen later.

Critics accuse Bahrain of human rights abuses and say King Mswati lives in luxury while his people starve.

Campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised The Queen for inviting “royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee“.

The Foreign Office said it was having “a full and frank discussion on a range of issues” with Bahrain’s government.

Buckingham Palace said it will not comment on the lunch.

It will be followed by an evening banquet, hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Not all the monarchs will be at both events.

Mr Tatchell said the invitations were “a shocking misjudgement” that showed the Queen was “out of touch with the humanitarian values of most British people”.

“Inviting blood-stained despots brings shame to our monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations,” he said.

“It is a kick in the teeth to pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners in these totalitarian royal regimes.”

Bahrain officials said King Hamad al-Khalifa – whose country is in a state of civil unrest following crackdowns on protests last year – was expected to attend.

From WalesOnline:

Guests from controversial regimes include Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Sheikh Nasser Mohamed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait and Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

From news24:

Mbabane – Swazi pro-democracy groups were outraged on Thursday at the invitation of King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, to a lunch marking the diamond jubilee of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen accused of ‘error of judgement’ for shaking hands with despotic King of Bahrain at controversial Jubilee lunch: here.

From daily The Guardian in Britain:

Guess who’s coming to dinner? Anger over Queen’s jubilee bash guest list

Protesters say invitation list includes monarchs of several countries accused of human rights abuses

‘Blood-stained despots’ invited to Buckingham Palace facing protests: here.

From The Zimdiaspora:

King Mswati’s 6th wife flees domestic abuse

Thursday, 17 May 2012 10:37

By Correspondent

The 6th wife of Swazi King Mswati III has fled the royal compound due to domestic abuse according to the Swaziland Solidarity Network.

A royal guard revealed that Angela “LaGija” Dlamini was subjected to emotional and physical abuse by her husband for many years.

She left the palace to visit her parents in Hhohho, northern Swaziland and never returned.

LaGija is now the third wife to leave the royal household. According to a 2004 report in the Daily Sun, the first to flee was Delisa Magwaza 30, known as Inkhosikati LaMagwaza, who made her way to London via Cape Town.

Swaziland: Queen’s Shoes Cost 3 Years’ Pay: here.

In this the jubilee year please bear in mind that when visiting Paraguay in 1967 Prince Philip said to dictator General Alfredo Stroessner that it was “good to be in a country that wasn’t ruled by its people!” Here.

Diamond jubilees are not common affairs. The current Queen’s celebrations are only the second such event in recent British history: here.