Bahrain dictatorship, newspaper ban and United States weapons

This video from Britain says about itself:

Bahrain: Weapons vs. Human Rights

30 August 2013

In Bahrain, democracy protesters have been met with fierce repression. Protesters have been tortured, imprisoned, injured and killed. On 7 August, King Hamad suspended the right to protest, warning protesters they would be met with force.

On the same day, he met David Cameron at Number 10 to finalise the details of another arms purchase.

The UK is promoting weapons over human rights and giving legitimacy to repression.

In September, the Bahraini government will again be in London to shop for more weapons at the arms fair.

Aug 7 [2015] The U.S. government on Friday said it approved a possible sale of $150 million worth of equipment to Bahrain to maintain its fleet of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets, even as two U.S. senators introduced legislation to reinstate an arms sales ban that was lifted by the Obama administration in June: here.

From Eurasia Review:

Saturday, August 8th, 2015

US Senators Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced legislation this week that would block the sale or transfer of certain arms to Bahrain until the State Department certifies that Bahrain has fully implemented all of the recommendations by an independent oversight commission.

“This legislation sends the clear message U.S. arms should not aid and abet the Bahraini government’s continued repression of its own people. It is deeply troubling that the State Department has decided to lift its ban on certain arms sales to Bahrain while it continues to torture and imprison peaceful political protesters,” Wyden said.

See also here. And here.

By REEM KHALIFA, Associated Press:

Bahrain Suspends Publication of Independent Newspaper

MANAMA, Bahrain — Aug 6, 2015, 8:34 PM ET

Bahrain’s government has suspended the publication of the independent newspaper Al-Wasat.

The official Bahrain News Agency said in a brief statement issued Thursday night that the suspension is “due to its violation of the law and repeated dissemination of information that affects national unity and the Kingdom’s relationship with other countries.”

Brian Dooley of the Washington-based group Human Rights First called the paper’s suspended publication, “another seriously alarming, if predictable, move from the Bahraini government in silencing all opposition voices and crushing dissent.”

Al-Wasat is a widely respected newspaper in the Mideast region edited by Mansoor Al-Jamri, 53, who received a CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2011.

The paper was forced to shut down temporarily in 2011, in the aftermath of widespread unrest and pro-democracy protests. In April 2011, the paper’s co-founder, Karim Fakhrawy, was tortured to death in custody.

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