Update 2: Send an email that will be seen by the Bahraini government. I just spoke with the embassy press office and they are collecting emails that will be sent to Bahrain at the end of the day. information@BahrainEmbassy.org
"They are killing us!" one protester tweeted as Bahraini Defense forces violently ambushed peaceful protesters sleeping in tents at Pearl Square (Bahrain's Tahrir Square) at 3 am. Shooting with buckshot, rubber bullets, teargas, and hitting people batons, the foreign mercenary force killed 4 and wounded at least 600. Those attacked and wounded included women and children, doctors, and journalists, including ABC's Miguel Martinez. According to the Al Jazeera English (AJE) liveblog:
16:15pm a spokesman for the central command of Bahrain's forces made a statement on state television:
Bahrain defence forces will take all necessary measures to secure safety, order and stability.
(h/t jnhobbs)
Nick Kristof from the New York Times who is in Bahrain reporting has been the subject of ominous tweets from the members of the Bahrain royal family:
@alibinkhalifa
@NickKristof Is an #NYTimes reporter who is supporting outlaws with weapons here in #Bahrain and also promote Hizbullah
(h/t mugsy)
The Bahraini police are also confiscating cameraphones and twitterers are advising each other to delete photographs of protesters to protect their identity.
Demonstrators and medics were rounded up on buses and severely beaten. Families were separated in the chaos and an Associated Press photographer saw police rounding up lost children and taking them into vehicles. Over 60 people are missing.
MSNBC described doctors who were attacked along with protesters.
Dr. Sadek Akikri, 44, said he was tending to sick protesters at a makeshift medical tent in the square when the police stormed in. He said he was tied up and severely beaten, then thrown on a bus with others.
"They were beating me so hard I could no longer see. There was so much blood running from my head," he said. "I was yelling, 'I'm a doctor. I'm a doctor.' But they didn't stop."
He said the police beating him spoke Urdu, the main language of Pakistan.
Unlike Egypt where there is a connection between the people and the military, Bahrain hires foreign mercenaries as police officers who have shown no mercy on the peaceful protesters.
Kristof puts the unfolding violence in context, explaining the protesters' demands and Bahrain's relationship to the U.S.:
At first the protesters just wanted the release of political prisoners, an end to torture and less concentration of power in the al-Khalifa family that controls the country. But, now, after the violence against peaceful protesters, the crowds increasingly are calling for the overthrow of the Khalifa family. Many would accept a British-style constitutional monarchy in which King Hamad, one of the Khalifas, would reign without power. But an increasing number are calling for the ouster of the king himself.
....
All of this puts the United States in a bind. Bahrain is a critical United States ally because it is home to the American Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and Washington has close relations with the Khalifa family. What’s more, in some ways Bahrain was a model for the region. It gives women and minorities a far greater role than Saudi Arabia next door, it has achieved near universal literacy for women as well as men, and it has introduced some genuine democratic reforms. Of the 40 members of the (not powerful) Lower House of Parliament, 18 belong to an opposition party.
....
The problem is that Bahrain has educated its people and created a middle class that isn’t content to settle for crumbs beneath a paternalistic Arab potentate — and this country is inherently unstable as a predominately Shiite country ruled by a Sunni royal family. That’s one reason Bahrain’s upheavals are sending a tremor through other gulf autocracies that oppress Shiites, not least Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain's parliament — minus opposition lawmakers — met in emergency session. One pro-government member, Jamila Salman, broke down into tears.
How is the U.S. government responding?
According to MSNBC
Clinton telephoned her Bahraini counterpart on Thursday, the State Department said.
"She expressed deep concern about recent events and urged restraint moving forward. They discussed political and economic reform efforts to respond to the citizens of Bahrain," a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
A Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Dave Lapan, described Bahrain — home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet — as a "long-time ally" and an "important partner," adding that it was "closely watching developments."
(h/t Phil S 33)
How do you feel about this response?
Do you think the U.S. government is responding forcefully enough by urging restraint? At least this time, it is not asking for restraint on both sides. I feel strongly that our government should be forcefully condemning the Bahraini government's attack on peaceful protesters. Please join me in letting Clinton, Obama, and members of Congress that we expect more immediate action and stronger statements opposing the violence in Bahrain. Please also share with us what happens during your calls in the comments.
Kristof interviewed several of the protesters. One woman, Hayat, said that:
she had been shot with rubber bullets twice this week. After hospitalization (which others confirmed), she painfully returned to the streets to continue to demand more democracy. “I will sacrifice my life if necessary so my children can have a better life,” she said.
Can you take five minutes to make phone calls to support her?
Contact Information for the Bahrain DC embassy and NYC consulate
Contact the Bahrain embassy and consulate and let them know the world is watching and condemning the Bahraini government for it's ruthless violence and repression.
Update 2: Send an email that will be seen by the Bahraini government. I just spoke with the embassy press office and they are collecting emails that will be sent to Bahrain at the end of the day. information@BahrainEmbassy.org
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202 342 1111, Fax: 202 362 2192
Bahrain Consulates General in New York
2 United Nations Plaza, 44th St., E., 25th Floor,
New York, NY 10017.
(212) 223-6200, FAX (212) 319-0687
Bahraini Ambassador to the U.S.
Ms. Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Contact Info for the White House, State Department, and Congress
Contact your elected representatives and ask them to publicly demand that Bahrain immediately halt all violence against the protesters and respect the freedoms of all Bahrainis.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
Webform for email: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Congress
Senators: You can find contact information for your senators here
Representatives: You can look up your representatives here
Or simply call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
US State Department
Contact the State Department and urge that Hillary Clinton publicly demand that the government of Bahrain immediately halt all violence against the protesters and respect the freedoms of all Bahrainis.
Secretary Hillary Clinton 202-647-5291
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg 202-647-8636
Special Assistant to the Secretary and the Executive Secretary of the Department Stephen D. Mull 202-647-5301
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA)
Assistant Secretary Jeffrey D. Feltman 202-647-7209
Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs (NEA/ARP)
Director Andrew Steinfeld 202-647-6184
Deputy Director Eric Gaudiosi 202-647-6563
Bureau of Public Affairs (PA)
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Philip J. Crowley 202-647-6607
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL)
Asia and Western Hemisphere Affairs (DRL/AWH)
Senior Advisor Susan O'Sullivan 202-647-8283
Deputy Director Catherine Kuchta-Hebling 202-647-8237
Senior Advisor on Asia Susan O'Sullivan 202-647-8271
Director Robert W. Boehme 202-647-8237
Office of Near East and South Central Affairs (DRL/NESCA)
Director Kari Johnstone, Acting 202-647-0407
Deputy Director Kari Johnstone 202-647-1473
OMS Esther Zaiback 202-647-4308
Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR)
Office of Analysis for Near East and South Asia (INR/NESA)
Director Nabeel Khoury 202-647-8660
Arab-Israel States Division Chief Conny Mayer 202-647-5076
North Africa and Arabian Peninsula Division Chief Tom King 202-647-8413
South Asia Division Chief Steve Ghitelman 202-647-78660
Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO)
Office of Human Rights, Humanitarian, and Social Affairs (IO/RHS)
Director Atul Keshap 202-736-7791
Deputy Director Cari Enav 202-647-5070
Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance
Deputy Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance Robert H. Goldberg 202-647-2608
Chief Operating Officer Wade Warren, Acting 202-647-2676
Office of the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs and Coordinator
Under Secretary Maria Otero 202-647-1189
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Assistant Secretary Michael H. Posner 202-647-2126
Update 1: Mona Eltawahy retweeted a Bahraini protester's tweet last night asking people to contact the Formula 1 racing organization that is planning events in the coming weeks. Responding to the brutality in Pearl Square, Formula 1 has canceled the race scheduled for the end of this week and is considering canceling the larger event in March. The statement from their website follows after Eltahwahy's tweet. Please call and tell them you will not attend a race in a country that kills its own citizens for protesting.
zarazavich joshe sifferman
by monaeltahawy
@monaeltahawy Contact Formula 1: www.bookf1.com/contact-us.htm - comment that you intended to buy ticket but now boycott.
55 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
»
Focal Point
NexusIndivulsus Focal Point
by monaeltahawy
@
@monaeltahawy @bmaz Here is a list of F1 folks on Twitter. Please RT http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/... #Bahrain #feb14
58 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
Situation worsens in Bahrain as GP2 Asia race is cancelled
17 February 2011 by Keith Collantine
The political situation in Bahrain continues to deteriorate, putting the running of next month’s season-opening F1 race in jeopardy.
The government has used security forces to break up demonstrations by protesters demanding political reform. At least two people have been killed and over a hundred have been injured.
The practice sessions for tomorrow’s GP2 Asia races have been cancelled as medical crews are being deployed elsewhere.
GP2 reporter Will Buxton said on Twitter that some of the teams are staying near Pearl Roundabout, where much of the violence has taken place:
“Hearing that some GP2 teams are staying near Pearl Roundabout and have been told not to go back to their hotels.”
There are also reports of foreign journalists being denied access to the country. Writing on his blog, Buxton added:
“We arrived in Bahrain last night, and the airport was relatively quiet. Despite this, I and about five of my colleagues had our passports taken away with no explanation.
“After a 15 minute wait, our passports were returned, again with no real explanation as to where they had been taken or what had been done with them other than that it was part of new procedure. How this will work over the Grand Prix weekend when the airport is set to become far busier and with a sudden and vast influx of international media remains to be seen.”
This week’s GP2 Asia races were scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday.
F1 is due to test at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 3rd-6th ahead of the first race of the season.
Update: The GP2 Asia race has been cancelled. The series organisers issued the following statement:
“Following the current events in Bahrain, at the request of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation, it has been decided that the remainder of the meeting which was supposed to take place this week at Bahrain International Circuit is cancelled due to force majeure.”
Thank you for making the calls. Quoting Kristof to close:
America has important interests at stake in Bahrain — and important values. I hope that our cozy relations with those in power won’t dull our appreciation that history is more likely to side with protesters being shot with rubber bullets than with the regimes doing the shooting.
Your phone calls can make a difference.
Recommended News Sources and Twitter Feeds for Bahrain:
href="http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/16/live-blog-bahrain">Al Jazeera Liveblog (h/t jlynne)
Global Voices (h/t jlynne)
@maryamalkhawaja (head of the Foreign Relations Office of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights)
@BahrainRights
@JustAmira (reporting from Manama, responsible for @globalvoices coverage of MENA)
@Kristof
If you have additional sources and feeds, please leave them in a comment beneath the tipjar.