Egypt Election: Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Could Face...
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As Obama OKs Weapons to Bahrain, Neurosurgeon Tortured by Regime Faces Trial for Treating Protesters
Human rights organizations are criticizing the Obama administration’s decision to resume military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchy’s ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. The State Department has said it will allow a multi-million-dollar weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national...May 15, 2012 | Story -
Part 2: Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth on Palestinian Prisoners, Saudi Arabia’s Role in Bahrain
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]May 08, 2012 | Blog Post -
Justice Cheated: Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth on Failures of Guantánamo Military Tribunals
The military tribunal established to prosecute the five leading suspects in the September 11th attacks opened this weekend at Guantánamo Bay. During a nine-hour hearing on Saturday, the five prisoners refused to enter pleas on murder and terrorism charges, or to talk or listen to the judge, in what one of their lawyers explained...May 08, 2012 | Story -
Jailed Bahraini Activists Get Appeal, But U.S.-Backed Regime’s Abuses Continue Unabated
Bahrain has granted appeals for 21 people accused of trying to overthrow the U.S.-backed monarchy after the Arab Spring protests began last last year. The prisoners include human rights leader Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who is on the 82nd day of his hunger strike. "We’ve seen this before, where if there’s enough international...April 30, 2012 | Story -
Democracy Now! Host Amy Goodman Named "Truthdigger of the Week" for Bahrain Coverage
Amy Goodman caught Truthdig’s attention last week for her coverage of the crisis in Bahrain, which might readily have been pitched to American audiences as a story worthy of coverage as part of last year’s Arab Spring, with a familiar arc involving protesters rising up against a dictatorial regime, were it not for the...April 10, 2012 | Blog Post -
"Shouting in the Dark": Film Chronicles Bahrain’s Pro-Democracy Uprising Against U.S.-Backed Rule
As Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is near death on the 58th day of a hunger strike protesting his imprisonment, we look at an award-winning documentary that tells the story of the uprising in Bahrain with extraordinary footage shot entirely undercover by Al Jazeera English reporters. It’s called "Bahrain:...April 06, 2012 | Story -
Bahraini Hunger Striker’s Life in Peril as U.S.-Backed Forces Continue Anti-Democracy Crackdown
The U.S.-backed monarchy in Bahrain continues the crackdown on protesters, with reports of many injuries and at least one death over the weekend. We speak to Zainab Alkhawaja, the daughter of jailed human rights leader Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who is now on the 54th day of his hunger strike. Doctors say her father could go into a...April 02, 2012 | Story -
U.S.-Backed Bahraini Forces Arrest and Deport Two American Peace Activists Acting as Human Rights Observers
On Saturday, Bahrain arrested and deported two U.S. human rights lawyers, Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath, for their role in recent protests. They were deported Sunday and returned to New York last night. Both Arraf and Sainath are human rights lawyers and members of the Witness Bahrain initiative, which places international...February 13, 2012 | Story -
Wife of Bahraini Political Prisoner Condemns U.S.-Backed Regime for Killing, Torturing Protesters
Bahrain has announced a commission to steer reforms after an inquiry found systematic rights abuse during a government crackdown on pro-democracy protests this year, but opposition parties say they will not participate in the commission. Published last week, the 500-page report outlines various abuses committed by King Hamad...November 28, 2011 | Story -
Arab Spring Under the King: Bahraini Activist Ala’a Shehabi on Crackdown on Pro-Democracy Protests
Clashes have erupted in Bahrain ahead of the release of a report investigating the crackdown on the pro-democracy uprising earlier this year. Watch Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat interview Bahraini activist Ala’a Shehabi, wife of a Bahraini political prisoner seized and jailed during the uprising.November 23, 2011 | Blog Post -
Obama Limits Criticism of Ongoing Arab Spring Violent Crackdowns in Syria, Bahrain
The Obama administration has issued minor criticism of human rights abuses against peaceful protests by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the monarchy in Bahrain. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just recently said the conflict in Yemen would end only if President Ali Abdullah Saleh "steps down."...June 22, 2011 | Story -
Aiming to Preserve Autocratic Mideast Rule, Saudi Arabia Helps Crush Uprisings in Bahrain, Yemen
While the United States remains heavily involved in the Libya conflict, it has been noticeably silent on the violent suppression of popular uprisings against autocratic regimes in Bahrain and Yemen, both of which are close allies of Saudi Arabia. In March, Bahrain called in Saudi troops to help crush massive pro-democracy protests....June 16, 2011 | Story -
Obama Hides Meeting with Top Bahraini Leader — And Mutes Criticism of Ongoing Crackdown
Amidst an intensifying crackdown on anti-government protesters in the tiny Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain, President Obama met Tuesday with Crown Prince Salman bin Isa al-Khalifa, a visit that was not announced beforehand. We speak with Nabeel Rajab, president of Bahrain’s Center for Human Rights, based in Manama. "On...June 09, 2011 | Story -
Oil Wealth, U.S. Backing Enables Saudi Arabia to Crush Dissent in Bahrain and at Home
Saudi Arabia, the oil rich kingdom that is the birthplace and former home of Osama bin Laden, has staved off the widespread popular protests that have swept across the region since January. The country’s oil-rich Eastern Province, bordering Bahrain, has witnessed protests from the minority Shia Muslim population. In March,...May 06, 2011 | Story -
Physicians Urge Obama Admin to Pressure Mideast Ally Bahrain to End Repression of Doctors, Patients
The Gulf nation of Bahrain has announced that 47 medical workers who treated pro-democracy protesters during the nation’s popular uprising will be tried before a military court on charges of acting against the state. Some could face the death penalty for providing medical assistance to protesters. Human rights groups say the...May 05, 2011 | Story -
On 8th Day of Hunger Strike, Bahraini Activist Zainab Alkhawaja Urges U.S. to Press for Family’s Release
As the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters continues in the Gulf state of Bahrain, we speak with Zainab Alkhawaja, whose father, husband and brother-in-law were detained last Saturday following a late night raid at their home. Zainab is on the eighth day of a hunger strike that she vows to continue until her family members...April 18, 2011 | Story -
"Barack Obama Must Speak Out On Bahrain Bloodshed" By Amy Goodman
One month into the pro-democracy uprising in the small Gulf state of Bahrain — where the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet is based, tasked with protecting “U.S. interests” — Bahrainis are suffering the same violent repression as Libyans. So why does Obama have nothing to say?April 13, 2011 | Blog Post -
"I Am Willing to Give My Life": Bahraini Human Rights Activists Risk Lives to Protest U.S./Saudi-Backed Repression
The Gulf nation of Bahrain is intensifying its crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. On Saturday, masked police offers broke into the home of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, a prominent Bahraini human rights activist. He was beaten and detained. We speak to his daughter, Zainab Alkhawaja, who witnessed the attack and is now on a hunger...April 12, 2011 | Story -
“Bahrain is No Longer an Independent Country, It is Occupied by Saudi Forces”: Activist Says Pro-Democracy Protests Will Continue
The King of Bahrain has declared a state of emergency for three months following weeks of pro-democracy protests. The King’s announcement comes one day after about 1,000 Saudi troops crossed into Bahrain to help defend Bahrain’s ruling family. Pro-democracy protesters have described the Saudi presence on the island...March 15, 2011 | Story -
“People Are Bleeding in the Streets:” Bahrain Police Wage Brutal Overnight Attack on Hundreds of Pro-Democracy Protesters
During an overnight raid in the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, heavily armed riot police surrounded thousands of demonstrators as they slept in a central square in the nation’s capital. Rubber bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades were fired into the crowd without warning. At least four people were killed and hundreds...February 17, 2011 | Story
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Columns
By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
Web Exclusives
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]
