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Bahrain Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Bahrain

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  • Alkhawaja

    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 coma at any point, and she has called on President Obama to pressure the government Bahrain, its strategic ally in the...
    Apr 02, 2012 | Story
  • Bahrain-button

    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 observers in the country in the hopes of preventing violence by security forces. Their arrest comes just ahead of the...
    Feb 13, 2012 | Story
  • Bahrain_activist_button

    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 bin Isa Al Khalifa’s government. According to the commission, nearly 3,000 people were detained during the protests,...
    Nov 28, 2011 | Story
  • Bahrain-activist-thumb

    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.
    Nov 23, 2011 | Web Exclusive
  • Syria_bahrain_button

    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." We speak with University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole about why the United States has not been more vocal in supporting...
    Jun 22, 2011 | Story
  • Saudi_button

    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. We discuss the role of Saudi Arabia in recent regional uprisings with Toby Jones, assistant professor of history...
    Jun 16, 2011 | Story
  • Bahrain_crackdown

    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 the ground, we don’t see anything, any signal, that makes us optimistic that the government has the willingness...
    Jun 09, 2011 | Story
  • Saudi

    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, Saudi Arabia sent troops to Bahrain to support its royal family after a month of protests. We speak with Toby Jones,...
    May 06, 2011 | Story
  • Play-bahrain

    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 arrests are part of a campaign of intimidation that runs directly counter to the Geneva Convention, which guarantees medical...
    May 05, 2011 | Story
  • Zainab_bahrain

    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 are released. We also speak with Human Rights Watch researcher, Faraz Sanei, who just spent six weeks in Bahrain....
    Apr 18, 2011 | Story