"The public prosecutor's office in Bahrain says six people have been detained for allegedly defaming the country's ruler on Twitter. ... The six were detained over the past couple of days and the prosecutor's statement Wednesday said they will be charged with misusing Twitter and insulting King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa." (03/13/13)
http://tinyurl.com/ago9w48"Two street cleaners were killed and a third man critically wounded in bomb explosions in Bahrain on Monday, reports said. Reports quoting the police chief of the capital Manama said home-made explosives exploded when the street cleaners kicked it unknowingly. He said five bombs exploded in Qudaibiya and Adliya areas in Manama early this morning." (11/05/12)
http://tinyurl.com/aevtpbl"Bahrain has banned all rallies and gatherings to ensure public safety and prevent violence, the state news agency reported, following more than a year of protests by opposition demonstrators." (10/30/12)
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=289815"One hundred and ninety Iranian MPs issued a statement on Sunday strongly condemning the decision made by Persian Gulf Arab states to discuss a proposal for a closer political union among them that could begin with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain weighed closer political union at a summit of Persian Gulf Arab leaders on Monday in Riyadh aimed at pooling efforts to neutralize popular uprisings against despotic monarchial systems." (05/14/12)
http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/97845"A Bahrain court Monday ordered retrials for a prominent hunger striker and 20 others convicted by a military-led tribunal in crackdowns against a 14-month-old uprising in the Gulf kingdom. The decision, which shifts the cases to Bahrain's highest appeals court, was seen as a victory for supporters of rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and other opposition figures sentenced last year under martial law-style rules imposed by Bahrain's rulers." (04/30/12)
http://abcn.ws/IOGXRA"Witnesses say police in Bahrain have used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters calling for the release of a jailed hunger striker. The protesters clashed with police Tuesday as they attempted to march toward Pearl Square, the focal point of an uprising against the monarchy in its early weeks last year." (04/24/12)
http://tinyurl.com/883kj7p"Jailed activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was feared to have died, his lawyer said on Monday, after Bahraini authorities turned down repeated requests to contact him. ... Khawaja, a Shiite who was condemned with other opposition activists to life in jail over an alleged plot to topple the Sunni monarchy during a month-long protest a year ago, began a hunger strike on the night of February 8-9." (04/09/12)
http://bit.ly/IuIOKj"Bahrain has turned down several journalists for visas to visit the Persian Gulf nation on the one-year anniversary of sweeping antigovernment protests next Tuesday, telling them it has gotten too many requests. The rejected journalists include New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who was detained in Bahrain while watching protests in December, along with correspondents for the BBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor and other outlets." (02/07/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6smn59f"The United States is selling some military equipment to Bahrain as it walks a fine line between pushing the Sunni monarchy to open talks with the opposition while proceeding cautiously with a strategic ally to counter Iran. The sale of an undisclosed amount of spare parts and equipment has drawn opposition from some in Congress who argue that it sends the wrong signal about the U.S. commitment to human rights." (01/30/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6r5jm5o"Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades as they clashed Sunday with hundreds of opposition supporters, some hurling Molotov cocktails, following the politically charged funeral of a 15-year-old boy. ... Police earlier tried to seal off the site of the funeral to prevent crowds from gathering. The opposition says the teenager died Saturday after a tear gas canister fired at close range hit him in the chest." (01/01/12)
http://fxn.ws/vd9nYU"The Bahrain government admitted Monday to the use of 'excessive force' against opposition protesters this year days before an independent commission set up by King Hamad al-Khalifa is due to present its findings on police actions. Legal action has been initiated against 20 police officers involved in the mistreatment, a government statement said." (11/21/11)
http://tinyurl.com/7c79tww"Bahrain appeared to buckle under international pressure Wednesday by ordering a retrial for 20 medical personnel sentenced to prison who were accused of backing anti-government protests and attempting to overthrow the ruling system in the Gulf kingdom. The decision also moves the trial of the medical personnel to a civilian court and allows the doctors and nurses to remain free pending the new trial." (10/05/11)
http://tinyurl.com/3zcnmgp"The U.N. human rights office on Friday questioned the fairness of a Bahrain court that sentenced an anti-government protester to death and gave lengthy prison sentences to medical staff who treated the injured during the country's uprising. Bahrain's military-run National Safety Court reportedly gave defendants and their lawyers little time to prepare, failed to investigate allegations of torture and conducted some trials in just 10 minutes, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said." (10/01/11)
http://tinyurl.com/3opk8vo"Bahraini security forces clashed with anti-government protesters after Wednesday morning prayers, and a 14-year-old boy died after being hit by a police tear gas canister, human rights activists said. The activists blamed police for the death of Ali Jawad Ahmad, who was in the crowd of protesters in the oil hub of Sitra." (08/31/11)
"A well-known pro-government Shiite cleric plans to launch a new party in an uphill battle against the tiny island kingdom’s opposition establishment. Sheik Mohsin Al-Asfoor attacked the Wefaq National Islamic Society, the main Shiite bloc, saying they represented Iranian interests, had a destructive agenda, and were led by religious lightweights." (08/09/11)
http://tinyurl.com/3qwynxo"Bahrain released two former lawmakers from the Shiite opposition Sunday along with several other detainees who were arrested in the wake of widespread anti-government protests. Their release appears to be aimed at diffusing tensions in the small island-country, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, Washington's main counterweight against Iran's influence in the oil-rich Gulf." (08/07/11)
"A Bahraini opposition figure said reconciliation talks between the Sunni monarchy and the Shiite opposition started Tuesday for the first time since anti-government protests erupted in the Gulf kingdom. Washington has pushed for dialogue in the strategic island nation, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The protests that began in February — inspired by wider Arab uprisings — have been the gravest challenge to any Gulf ruler in decades." (07/05/11)
http://tinyurl.com/6d6b2qh"The international committee investigating violent protests in Bahrain this year will be given access to official files and be able to meet witnesses in secret, the panel's chair said on Thursday. The five-member panel of human rights and legal experts, unveiled ahead of a national dialogue set to start on Saturday, is part of Bahrain's efforts to restore its image after its Sunni rulers cracked down on demonstrations led mostly by the Shi'ite majority in February and March." (06/30/11)
http://tinyurl.com/5tzbe8c"The mass trial of 28 Bahraini health professionals who treated injured anti-government protesters campaigning for greater freedoms in the Gulf kingdom resumed on Monday in a special security court. The prosecution of 28 doctors and nurses, who were charged with participating in efforts to topple Bahrain's monarchy, signals that the kingdom's Sunni rulers do not intend to end their relentless pursuit of the Shiite-led opposition despite appeals for dialogue." (06/27/11)
"A Bahrain court sentenced eight Shia opposition activists to life in prison Wednesday for 'plotting to overthrow' the kingdom’s Sunni rulers, nearly a week ahead of a national dialogue proposed by the king. The National Safety Court of first instance also jailed 13 others with sentences carrying terms between two to 15 years on similar charges, state news agency BNA added." (06/22/11)
http://tinyurl.com/6dhtc9b"Bahrain lifted state of emergency laws Wednesday that had allowed for a crackdown on political leaders and journalists, but at the same time continued its crackdown on the country's major Shiite political opposition movement. It filed charges against four top opposition leaders in a move that could weaken the country's Al Wefaq party, according to two opposition sources. This came as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa appealed for dialogue, saying that talks with opposition groups are scheduled to begin in July." (06/01/11)
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/01/bahrain.unrest/"The king of Bahrain has decreed that the country's state of emergency will end June 1, state media reported Sunday. Massive anti-government protests prompted King Hamad al-Khalifa's March 15 declaration of a three-month state of emergency in Bahrain, a strategically important kingdom and U.S. ally. Witnesses reported violent crackdowns on protesters after the state of emergency was imposed." (05/08/11)
http://tinyurl.com/3gwur86"Gulf troops will stay indefinitely in Bahrain as a counter to perceived threats from Iran, which the island kingdom's Sunni rulers have used as a reason for their harsh crackdown on the country's Shiite opposition. Bahrain's king declared martial law last month and invited about 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states to help contain a Shiite uprising that Sunni leaders around the oil-rich region believe could open the way for greater influence by Shiite powerhouse Iran." (04/18/11)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13397249"While we are diverted by the opera-bouffe spectacle of the civil war in Libya’s desert, a genuine tragedy — and potential geopolitical trainwreck — is unfolding in Bahrain. Those plucky demonstrators we saw occupying the Pearl Square roundabout in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, have been swept away by government security forces — together with the 300 foot monument at the roundabout, which came to symbolize the aspirations of the protesters and was therefore demolished by the government in a representative display of heavy-handedness." (04/06/11)
http://counterpunch.org/lee04052011.html
Touring tyranny in Bahrain
by Brian Terrell
"That we had come as tourists was true. We had intentionally neglected to mention, though, that we had been invited to Bahrain along with a few other international activists to monitor the government’s response to demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of Bahrain’s 'Arab Spring' pro-democracy uprising on Feb. 14." (02/21/12)
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