Bahraini torture princes in Florida Ironman

This video says about itself:

I was sexually assaulted and tortured to extract false confession – Bahraini medic.

31 March 2013

She explained that she was arrested from her own apartment along with 19 other doctors who disappeared from their homes and hospitals.

While the Bahraini absolute monarchy‘s police keep oppressing free speech and art, and while some of the Bahraini royals are on a very expensive (for both the Bahraini and the Greek people) holiday in Greece … other Bahraini royals are in Florida, USA.

By Erin McDonough in the USA:

Bahrain Royals Lead Team In Ironman, Despite Torture Allegations

10/30/2013 5:26 pm EDT

Two Bahraini princes, Nasser and Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa are currently training in Florida for the upcoming Ironman [Triathlon] competition, which takes place on Saturday. Bahraini human rights organizations have accused both men of serious human rights offenses. Rachel Burke Peterson, Director of Communications at Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, joined HuffPost Live’s Ahmed Shihab-Eldin to discuss whether or not the US government and the Ironman competition should take action in order to address the alleged human rights violations.

Following the advent of the Arab Spring in Tunisia, pro-democracy protests erupted across Bahrain in the winter of 2011. The ruling regime responded with an immediate crackdown, deploying a strong security force.

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights reports that both Nasser and Khalid Khalifa were responsible for the torture of several pro-democracy protesters. Further, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has reported that “Following [Nasser Khalifa’s] directives more than 150 professional athletes, coaches and referees were subjected to arbitrary arrests, night raids, detention, abuse and torture by electric cables and other means.”

Peterson said that the Ironman organization should address these reports and hold the Khalifa brothers accountable for any human rights abuses.

“Our main concern is that to allow them to participate in the Ironman competition… it sets a precedent,” she said, “that…those that commit human rights abuses are no longer going to be held to standards that we would consider to be international.”

While Peterson expressed frustration with the lack of reportage on this story, she feels that overall the US government is increasingly willing to censure Bahrain for human rights crimes.

“We are seeing a turn in the US narrative towards Bahrain and our hope is that [this turn] will [continue to] strengthen,” she said, “and that the United States’ government as well as other leaders throughout the world can encourage the government of Bahrain to stop its human rights violations, to end the culture of impunity, and to listen to their citizens’ demands.”

I hope that Ms Peterson is right on what she perceives as maybe the beginning of a rift between Washington and its dictatorial Bahraini royal allies. Lately, there are indeed some signs of such a beginning of a rift between the US government and the regime of Bahrain; and the regime of Saudi Arabia. This is because so far, there has not been a United States military attack on Syria. Some Gulf royals see that postponement (let us hope: postponement for ever) of such a bloody attack as a sign that President Obama is a “pussy“; contrary to the strong involvement of Gulf royals (including the Bahraini torture royals now in Florida) in fanning the fires of war in Syria.

However, in the near future, there may very well be strong pressure on Obama by the military-industrial complex, by neo-conservatives and by “liberal hawks” within his own administration, to show that he is not a “pussy” by having a bloody attack on Syria after all. If there would be such a dangerous escalation of war, then one may expect strongly that Washington would drop even its most timid criticisms of human rights violations by the Bahraini, Saudi, etc. autocrats; in the name of not upsetting valuable allies in supposedly “humanitarian” warfare.

Panama City Race Organizers, Police Won’t Scrutinize Bahraini Royals Accused Of Abuse: here.

Wanted for Justice in Bahrain: Nasser Hamad Al-Khalifa: here.

Bahrain police close art display on pro-democracy uprising: here.

Britain: Google says there was a report, an hour ago, in the Daily Telegraph; headlined Prince Charles risks controversy by meeting Bahraini leader. However, that page has mysteriously disappeared on the Telegraph site. (Self-)censorship?

Related articles

• Bahraini torture prince now Syrian ‘humanitarian’
• Torture of Bahraini doctors and Ireland
• British Duke of York praises torturing Bahraini absolute monarchy

• Bahraini torture prince in Qatar football World Cup scandal (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Bahrain dictatorship’s torture update (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Bahrainis win Norwegian human rights prize (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Bahrain dictatorship jails peaceful protesters (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Bahrain autocracy persecutes oppositionists (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)