Bahrain Weekly – August 7: Al-Wefaq Dialogue Call Rebuffed by Government; Zainab al-Khawaja Arrested Headlines

• Government Holds Meeting with Wa’ad, Rejects Bi-Party Political Dialogue with al-Wefaq • Protests Continue, Zainab al-Khawaja Arrested • Government Charges Policemen with Mistreating Prisoners • Congressman’s Connections to Bahrain Lobby Scrutinized • NGOs React to Meeting Between French, Bahraini Leaders

Updates from Bahrain Government Holds Bilateral Meeting with Wa’ad, Rejects Bi-Party Dialogue with al-Wefaq: The Bahraini government announced that the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, met with a delegation of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad). The discussions were centered on “the urgent need to end the country’’s political, social, economic and security decline.” The minister reiterated the government’’s “seriousness to initiate a dialogue [that] starts with bilateral meetings, with an end result to please all parties.” Last week, Minister of State for Information Affairs Sameera Rajab called al-Wefaq’s request for dialogue between the party and the government “unacceptable” until al-Wefaq “acknowledge[s] what has been done [since the BICI was released]” and “call[s] for stopping the violence on the streets.” Rajab’s statement was in reaction to former al-Wefaq MP Matar Matar‘s public call for dialogue, saying “we are inviting [the government] and we are ready to talk to hardliners as well as moderates.” Al-Wefaq confirmed that they had met with the Minister of Justice but that the meeting did “nothing to deal with the [reconciliation] dialogue nor with resolving the political crisis in Bahrain.” The delegation reportedly stressed that “violence is rejected from all parties” and that political prisoners should be permitted to

be a part of any political dialogue. Protests Continue as Riot Police Arrest Activists: The uptick in unrest and violence continued in Bahrain as government forces attacked and dispersed numerous protests, resulting in dozens of injuries. Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was arrested for participating in these demonstrations. According to witnesses, riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades into crowds of hundreds, while the state news agency in Bahrain reported that a bus belonging to a government ministry had been attacked. A Bahraini policeman was injured when his patrol was reportedly attacked. A representative from the office of the prosecutor general said that two 14-year old boys were arrested in connection with a separate attack on a police station. In a separate case, a court lowered a 3-year prison sentence to 18 months for a citizen accused of being involved in the death of a police officer. Meanwhile, al-Wefaq reported that its member Ahlem al-Khzai was detained while trying to travel to Tunisia for an Amnesty International conference. Policemen Charged with Mistreating Prisoners: The Bahrain Chief of Public Security, Major General Tariq al-Hassan, called for an investigation into allegations of police misconduct and theft during recent home searches. The Chief said that all recent raids have complied with the law, but that the Ministry of the Interior would launch an investigation into allegations that security forces have stolen money and committed various abuses during these raids. On Tuesday, The government announced that 15 policemen would be charged with mistreating prisoners during the pro-democratic protests that began last year. Bahrain’s Chief Prosecutor Nawaf Hamza said that the procedure “confirms the intention of the Bahrain government to bring to account all those found guilty of human rights violations and to recompense the victims.” The International Affairs Authority claimed the charges “came as part of the serious commitment to punish all human rights violations.” Calls for National Unity Continue: Crown Prince Sultan bin Hamad al-Khalifa called for national unity on Tuesday, saying that disagreements over political issues are natural but that future abuses could not be tolerated. Meanwhile, former Al-Wefaq MP Matar Matar insisted that the government is not implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. Matar said that in the nine months since the report was issued, violations have only increased. return to top

Analysis and Commentary Congressman’s Connections to Bahrain Lobby Questioned: Justin Elliot of ProPublica investigated ties between U.S. Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) and lobbyists working on behalf the government of Bahrain. The Congressman visited Bahrain in April at a cost of $20,966 paid for by the Bahrain American Council, a non-profit group. Since the Council does not officially employ lobbyists, the trip abides by congressional ethics rules; however the Bahrain American Council was created by and shares an office with Policy Impact, a lobbying firm that advocates on behalf of the Bahraini government. Bahrain Not Being Sufficiently Pressured to Reform: Justin Gengler noted that the Government of Bahrain has not faced serious external pressure for political reform. While he said that police reform is important, what is even more crucial is to work to “address some of the underlying concerns motivating people to take to the streets for the past decade or more.” Editorial Criticizes U.S. Policy: A Washington Post editorial titled “Backfire in Bahrain” expressed the view that the decision to resume arm sales to Bahrain has not produced any of the positive effects that the administration hoped and that its policy of focusing on the moderation efforts of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa is clearly not working. What is needed instead is pressure on the hard-liners in Bahrain, “especially those who are complicit in torture and other illegal acts.” return to top

International and Bahraini Rights Organizations NGOs React to Meeting Between French President and Bahrain King: Six NGOs reacted to the meeting between French President Francois Hollande and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa by signing a public letter to President Hollande expressing concern with the secrecy of the meeting and the announcement that “bilateral military cooperation will be considered.” The letter asks President Hollande to clearly state that France “deplores Bahrain’s failure to date to implement the most important recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.” Bahraini state news reported that the two leaders discussed their countries’ relations, including military

cooperation aimed towards “achieving GCC military complementarity for the sake of regional security.” Groups Repeat Call for Release of Nabeel Rajab: The Gulf Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights called for the immediate release of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab and for the government to drop all charges against him. Rajab was recently sentenced to three months in jail for a post made on Twitter. Also, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange created a petition calling on the government to release Rajab and all other Bahraini prisoners of conscience. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights also called for the release of Zainab al-Khawaja who was arrested during a protest. After being taken into custody, al-Khawaja, whose leg had been broken after being hit with a tear gas canister, was allegedly verbally abused and threatened. return to top