Bahrain Special: Nabeel Rajab's Speech "Our Problem is with the King"

Nabeel Rajab speaks to crowd at the mass gathering of Bahraini political societies, 12 January

See also Bahrain Special: The Steel Rods of the Police
Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Meaningless Amnesty, Cosmetic Speech?

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I think that we are entering a new phase of activism. We are entering a phase in which we have to escalate our activism work as individuals, organizations, activists and human rights defenders. The regime has undoubtedly gotten used to the current rhythm of protests, just like a body that gets used to certain drugs. The regime got used to these gatherings and to the small village protests that it ends and disperses using tear gas. At the same time it tries to mislead the world public opinion in saying that Bahrain does not have any problems except for some small protests inside the villages and these gatherings.

We have to be clear in our speech. Our problem is not with the Prime Minister, nor with the government of the Prime Minister, whom are all merely employees. Our problem is with the King of Bahrain.

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Bahrain Analysis: Will 2012 Be Just Like 2011? (Gengler)

An opposition rally in Sitra in Bahrain on 5 January --- the crowd chants, "Down Down [King] Hamad"

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As Bahrain approaches the one-year anniversary of the February uprising, neither the formal opposition in al-Wifaq et al., nor the youth-dominated street movement, shows signs of losing interest in pursuing fundamental political change. Indeed, February 14, 2012, will carry more symbolism even than the same date in 2011, as it marks simultaneously the one-year anniversary of mass protests as well as the ten-year anniversary of Bahrain's 2002 Constitution, promulgated unilaterally by King Hamad and, for protesters, symptomatic of the latter's aborted political reform project promised at the outset of his ascension.

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: Friday's "For Democracy" Opposition Rally

The opposition's montage of the Friday rally "For Democracy"

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An EA correspondent reports from Bahrain on Friday's "For Democracy" rally organised by five opposition groups:

Tens of thousands of people participated in the rally organised yesterday by the opposition societies, demanding transformation to a democratic system in which the people are the source of authority.

Bahraini flags, along with flags from the "Arab Spring" countries were waving high during the march that began at A'ali roundabout and reaching Salmabad roundabout before returning to its starting point.

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Bahrain Interview: Former MP Matar Ibrahim Matar on His Detention and The Country's Future

If we show tangible results through reform, then the youth will move towards reform rather than revolution. But without progression and with the government’s denial of the existence of a political problem, the people will go for a violent revolution.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: And There Will Be Marches....

2118 GMT: The cynics said that the Syrian President was trying to buy time when he signed a deal two days ago with the Arab League. Today, the Syrian people tested the claims made by the regime, taking to the streets in nearly every major city and in every region across the country.

And now we have our answer from the regime: as many as 25 civilians are dead.

For two days, the video evidence, verified by shots of newspapers, protest signs, landmarks, and comparison against eyewitness accounts, has pointed towards a single conclusion. The Syrian military regime, led by Bashar al Assad, has no interest in negotiating, reforming, or ceding power. Today the regime sent two messages, as it showed that if you surrender then you may be spared, but if you continue to resist, we will shoot.

The first message was sent via State TV (SANA), but the regime has so little credibility that the US State Department advised Syrians not to take up Assad's offer of amnesty. The second message was sent with weapons, troops and tanks --- the instruments that the regime has used all along.

So, we have a return to a tag line we've written many times since March. The protesters, undeterred by violence, refuse to give in, the people want the "fall of the regime," and the regime, thus far, refuses to fall. So...what happens next?

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Bahrain Feature: A New "Martyr"? The Death of Ali Hassan Al Daihi

Ali Hassan Al Daihi in HospitalIt appears tonight that Bahrain has another high-profile dispute over the death of a civilian, allegedly at the hands of riot police.

According to the opposition party Al Wefaq, the father of its Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Hussain Al Daihi, was beaten on Wednesday night as he returned home. Ali Hassan Al Daihi, found on the floor of the house by one of his sons, said he had been assaulted --- his son tried to leave to confront the police but his dad stopped him. There was a deep wound on the back of Ali Hassan Al Daihi's head and bruises on his forehead and around his eyes. Blood was flowing from his mouth.

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: Saturday's Opposition Rally in Al Hajar for the "Arab Uprisings"

An EA correspondent was at Saturday's mass rally, organised by leading opposition parties, in Al Hajar in Bahrain:

The theme of the protest was the "Arab Spring", with flags of all the countries of the Arab uprisings in the arena. The event started with two short anthemsperformed by a band, the first for the Egyptian Revolution and the second for all the Arab uprisings.

A short recorded speech by the detained opposition leader Ebrahim Sharif --- given on January during a protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Bahrain --- was broadcast. This was followed by a speech by Sheikh Ali Salman, the Secretary General of the Al Wefaq party, a speech which was stronger than that given to previous gatherings....

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Bahrain: Inside an Opposition Gathering on the "Path to Democracy"

Friday's two-hour gathering, organised by four main political societies, in the Bahraini village of Ma'ameer, "The path for democracy"

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An EA source inside Bahrain summarises Friday's two-hour rally, organised by four main political societies, in Ma'ameer:

The event started at 4:00 pm with reading some of the Qur'an, after which two speeches where given, the first by Waad political society member, the lawyer Mr. Isa Ebrahim, and the second by Al Wefaq member and former member of Parliament, A. Aljalil Khalil.

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Bahrain: Opposition Gathering on the "Path to Democracy"

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Libya, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Victors as Abusers?

Protesters in the Barzeh district of Damascus chant, "We don't bow down except to God"

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2034 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria have released a statement describing the events that took place today in Syria:

The Governorate of Idlib has witnessed a fierce military campaign that involved the death of several dozen martyrs from the village of Binnish alone, along with dozens of forced disappearances and arrests. Most of the villages and towns in the Idlib Governorate reported gunfire and a complete shutdown of telephone, satellite, and Internet communicatons.

In Binnish, a massive number of mourners, including more than 10,000 people who were able to travel in from neighboring villages, came out to hold funerals for the martyrs.

Nighttime demonstrations began all over Saraqeb and Idlib proper, and continued in a number of Governorates. In the Damascus suburbs, protesters came out in Douma, Harasta, Saqba, Zamalka, Daraya, Irbeen, Kafrbatna, and Jdeidet Artouz. Protesters were chanting for the toppling of the regime and for the victory of Homs and the cities under siege.

Homs, Daraa, and other neighborhoods were also subjected to a major military campaign, according to activists and confirmed by the LCCS:

Homs, as usual, did not fail to hold nighttime demonstrations; protesters came out in most neighborhoods. Security forces responded by firing on protesters in Dablan, Insha’at, and Khaldieh. In Hawla, Ghouta, and Qasir, security forces injured two protesters. Even Rastan held nighttime demonstrations, and today Homs experienced new kidnappings: Mrs. Sawsan Al-Saghir, her daughter Qamar Al-Rajab, and Mrs. Al-Rajab’s 1-year old twins Bahaa and Diaa were kidnapped.The Shabbiha kidnapped them from their home in Bayada.

In Qamishli, Deir Ezzor, Bokamal, Daraa, Basr Al-Harir, Hirak, Hara, and Daeel, thousands protested. Security forces fired on protesters in the Jabileh neighborhood to disperse them.

People in Douma, the Qadam neighborhood in Damascus, Homs, and Rastan were all subjected to a campaign of random arrests.

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