Bahrain Live Coverage: Shutting Away Political Prisoners, Shutting Away the News

One of Amber Lyon's reports from Bahrain for CNN, whom she now accuses of shutting away her award-documentary (see 0735 GMT)

See also Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Free Syrian Army Tries to Re-Structure and Assert Control
Tuesday's Bahrain Live Coverage: Will High-Profile Activists Receive Court Verdicts Today?

---

1445 GMT: Bahrain Yesterday in the British House of Commons, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander MP questioned Foreign Secretary William Hague over Bahrain:

Mr Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire South) (Lab): The Bahraini Government have long claimed their determination to pursue the path of reform and reconciliation, but only yesterday it emerged that the retrial of 20 activists and Opposition figures had resulted in all of them being found guilty, with long sentences and, in the case of eight defendants, life sentences. In light of this, can the Foreign Secretary set out the British Government’s judgment as to whether these were fair trials? More widely, what is his assessment of the Bahraini Government’s commitment to reform and reconciliation?

Mr Hague: I am very disappointed at the Bahraini civil court’s decision to uphold all the sentences of 20 political activists in Bahrain. We welcome the decision to review these cases in a civilian court but we remain very concerned by some of the charges that defendants were convicted of, and I urge the Bahraini Government to ensure that the human rights and freedoms of their citizens are fully upheld at all times. We are aware that the defendants can now appeal to a further court and we hope that this will be conducted thoroughly, with urgency and with due legal process. That will be one of the tests of the Bahraini Government’s commitment to reform.

Whilst the question was likely prompted by Tuesday's verdict in the trial of 20 activist, its timing also suggests the possibility that Labour may be seeking to make a wider issue of the British Government's controversial support for Bahrain. Up to now, Labour MPs like Jeremy Corbyn and Dennis MacShane have been vocal critics of the Bahrain regime, buut the leadership has been comparatively quiet. Alexander and Labour leader Ed Miliband were last vocal in April, when they both called for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain to be cancelled.

Click to read more ...

Iran Snapshot: The World's Worst Pundit Today --- Mr Tucker Carlson

In my opinion, Tucker Carlson has proved that anyone who is loud, well-connected, and wearing a bowtie can appear on American television as a pundit, regardless of his/her idiocy.

Normally, this would not be worth a mention, but Carlson has exceeded himself in an interview with Fox News: "Iran deserves to be annihilated. I think they’re lunatics. I think they’re evil."

A sequel is posted below. Meanwhile, let's tip our hat again to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show who single-handedly decimated Carlson's short-lived career on CNN's Crossfire in 2004:

Click to read more ...

US War-On-Terror Special: The Drone Mentality (Greenwald)

Glenn Greenwald, writing for Salon, summarises the US use of drone strikes in the latest phase of the War on Terror. From the realization that not even the CIA knows who the strikes are killing to the foggy legal justification for the drone operations to the personal story of the death of 16-year-old Tariq Aziz, Greenwald collects and examines the latest headlines in his blanket condemnation of the tactic.

Click to read more ...

US WikiLeaks Feature: The Persecution of Private Bradley Manning --- State Department Spokesman Resigns

UPDATE 13 MARCH: The case of Bradley Manning has claimed a victim today, albeit not of anyone who has been responsible for his detention.

On Thursday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley dared to say that, while "Bradley Manning is in the right place" for his actions, his forced-nudity treatment by Department of Defense officials was "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid".

The remarks were documented by a BBC reporter, and by Friday afternoon, President Obama was having to hold the line, explaining that the handling of Manning was justified and appropriate. Asked "whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of the confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards", Obama replied that Pentagon officials "assure me that they are. I can't go into details about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Private Manning's safety as well."

Crowley has now paid the price for the criticism, resigning because White House officials are reportedly furious that he dared refer to mistreatment.

Crowley had told friends that he was deeply concerned that mistreatment of Manning could undermine the legitimate prosecution of the solider, and he worried that the case could damage the US reputation around the world after Obama had said he would end abuses of detainees.

Click to read more ...

WikiLeaks and "Justice": The Detention of Private Bradley Manning (Greenwald)

Last week Glenn Greenwald wrote this article for Salon. On Tuesday, Bradley Manning's lawyer David Coombs wrote, "The defense has raised the conditions of confinement...on multiple occasions with the Quantico confinement facility and the Army Staff Judge Advocate’s (SJA) Office assigned to handle this case. Our efforts, unfortunately, have not resulted any in positive results."

On Wednesday, the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, confirmed that the case is being investigated.

Click to read more ...