The U.S. client regime in Bahrain has once again brutally crushed demonstrations in the capital, Manama. Demonstrations, attended by thousands of workers and young people, were organized to mark the first anniversary of the people’s uprising against the dictatorial rule of King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. The protesters’ demands included an end to the monarchy and jobs and equal rights for the country’s Shia majority, which is oppressed and disenfranchised by the Sunni monarchy.
On Feb. 13, firing tear gas and stun grenades at the crowd, the police blocked a march to the iconic Pearl roundabout, the site of last year’s protests. Shia villages around the country were also besieged by the police. On Feb. 14, the police raided homes and made preemptive arrests to stop a scheduled march. As a result of the consecutive days of brutal police repression, over 120 protesters were wounded, 37 severely, with head injuries and fractures.
The protests, which started a year ago, initially demanded reforms but quickly transformed into a movement against the oppressive monarchy. The regime immediately responded with severe police repression. In March last year, U.S. client states Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates eagerly helped the Bahraini military forces crush the protests, sending hundreds of troops and police. Thousands were arrested, many tortured and killed. The regime also launched widespread attacks that destroyed Shia mosques.
In June 2011, 48 doctors and nurses who had treated activists during the protests were tried by a military court on charges of plotting against the regime. In September, 20 of them were sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison based on offenses such as “instigating hatred against the ruling system,” “incitement to overthrow the regime,” and “spreading false news.” Later reports by Human Rights Watch confirmed that they had been subjected to abuse and torture in detention.
Torture has in fact been systematically used by the Ministry of Interior, the National Security Agency and the Bahrain Defense Force during the suppression of the recent uprisings. Reminiscent of the techniques used by the U.S. military in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, detainees have been subjected to abusive practices including blindfolding, enforced standing for prolonged periods, beating, punching, electrocution, sleep-deprivation and verbal abuse.
The absolute monarchy of Bahrain has been fully backed by the United States for its entire existence. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, not only backs up the regime’s survival militarily, it is also an extremely important tool for the imperialist interests of Washington in the region. This is especially true now that the United States and its allies, particularly Israel, are preparing for a new imperialist war against Iran, just across the Persian Gulf from Bahrain.
Since 2000, the United States has sold Bahrain about $1.4 billion in arms. As recently as September 2011, the administration revealed to Congress its plans for another sale of $53 million. Initially delayed by protests from human rights organizations, the State Department has recently announced that the sale will proceed.
Bahrain’s police are now being advised by John Timoney, a senior vice president and consultant for police and security matters at Andrews International. Timoney gained his experience in repressive police tactics as chief of police in Miami and Philadelphia. He is notorious for the suppression of demonstrations against the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit in 2003 in Miami. Tactics used there included excessive police force and unlawful arrests.
Bahrain is clearly an undemocratic, repressive regime that systematically tortures, kills and jails its own people when they resist its oppression. The fact that it is fully backed by the United States in more ways than one clearly exposes the hypocrisy and double standards of U.S. imperialism regarding democracy and human rights.
The truth is, the United States could not care less about democracy or human rights.
Oppressive puppet regimes like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia continue to enjoy full support provided they comply with imperialist dictates and loyally serve the interests of the United States and its allies. Any regime striving for independence becomes the target of military intervention and total destruction under the shameless pretext of protecting “democracy and human rights,” as seen most recently in Libya.
