(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), four people died on January 25 as a result of the violent crackdown on the anti-regime demonstrations.
There is an interview with Lawrence J. Korb, a Senior Fellow at American Progress, to further talk about the continuing crackdown on Bahraini anti-government protesters and the US providing the regime with deadly weapons.
The video offers the opinions of two additional guests: Saeed al-Shahabi, with the Bahrain Freedom Movement and Sara Flounders who is the co-director of International Action Center. What follows is the text of the interview:
Q: Mr. Korb, you are sitting in Washington. Let's look at what Mr. al-Shahabi said about and let's start off with the poisonous tear gases that are being shot in people's homes or shot at protesters who are on the streets.
On these teargas canisters that are marked with 'made in the USA', how responsible is Washington for what is taking place on the ground in Bahrain?
Korb: There is no doubt about the fact that Washington ought to speak out about what is happening in Bahrain just as they are speaking out about what is happening in Syria and I think Washington has to be very careful that the equipment that they send to Bahrain for protecting them against external enemies is not used against the people.
And I think they want to make it very clear that if it continues to do this, they will not get anymore equipment. And I think again, going back to the clip you played about what President Obama said in the State of the Union message, you cannot have it both ways.
If you are going to be for it, you have to be for it not only in Syria and Libya and Egypt but also in Bahrain.
Q: What you said just now about what is happening as far as the equipment that to make sure that they protect themselves from external enemies, but we know 4 months ago, there was another shipment and again it has been approved by the Obama administration to send more military equipment. At this point in time, how logical is that?
If you have a repressive regime and they are killing their people, why would the United States continue to send this type of equipment when it is obvious that they are using it against their own people?
Korb: Again, I think basically when they shipped it, the demonstrations had stopped; the regime in Bahrain had a point that a commission headed by a very distinguished Egyptian born human rights lawyer to make suggestions about how to reform the government.
But having this, when this started again, I think that there should be no more shipments, but I think they thought that the protests had died down; we had a commission and that the regime would begin to implement the recommendations of the commission which would undermine the reasons for the protests.
Q: Mr. Korb, our guest in London, Mr. al-Shahabi talked about the silence that all of this is being met with. Let's talk about that silence coming from where you are sitting in Washington DC. As more people are dying every day that today the Bahrainis are deciding; some of them that they have no choice but to go on a hunger strike.
Perhaps someone else will pay more attention. We had, last week, 4 people being killed in one day. We are talking about a population of 1.2 million people. So percentage-wise we are talking about more people being killed in Bahrain than in any of these other revolutions or revolutions in the making. Why the silence from Washington?
Korb: I think you are right. The United States should speak out but there is no doubt about the fact that they have spoken out in other areas. They pulled the plug on Mubarak who had been a long time ally in Egypt; they used American power to aid the rebels in Libya.
Q: Mr. Korb, we do not want to go to another subject. Did they pull the plug on Mubarak or was the plug already pulled and they had no choice, but I am looking at Bahrain right now. I want to know why the silence on Bahrain.
Korb: OK, I already said that they should speak out, but when your other guests are saying they have not spoken out about anything, that is incorrect. And also I think it is important to keep in mind where is the Arab League here.
It is not just the United States that is involved; a lot of these changes have very little to do with the United States and even if the United States had not provided any type of equipment there, the government would be able to do what they are doing which is wrong.
They ought to speak out about it, but the United States' Fifth Fleet has nothing to do. I mean, an aircraft carrier has no role in dealing with this situation.
Q: Where is the Hamad government, where is that regime, getting its equipment that they are using to crackdown? Is it coming from the Arab League or is it coming from Washington or is it coming from London?
Korb: Wait a second. The United States equipment that they are giving has to do with dealing with external threats not internal threats, OK? Teargas canisters are not coming from the United States. So I think that is important to keep in mind; F15 jets have nothing to do with what is happening here. That is the type of equipment that they sell.
I agree with you. They need to be speaking out; I think they need to urge the regime to deal with the report which they [commissioned] which is different from other regimes. You know, Assad in Syria has not had a human rights group come in and tell him what reforms are needed.
So yes, they should speak out about it.
/129
There is an interview with Lawrence J. Korb, a Senior Fellow at American Progress, to further talk about the continuing crackdown on Bahraini anti-government protesters and the US providing the regime with deadly weapons.
The video offers the opinions of two additional guests: Saeed al-Shahabi, with the Bahrain Freedom Movement and Sara Flounders who is the co-director of International Action Center. What follows is the text of the interview:
Q: Mr. Korb, you are sitting in Washington. Let's look at what Mr. al-Shahabi said about and let's start off with the poisonous tear gases that are being shot in people's homes or shot at protesters who are on the streets.
On these teargas canisters that are marked with 'made in the USA', how responsible is Washington for what is taking place on the ground in Bahrain?
Korb: There is no doubt about the fact that Washington ought to speak out about what is happening in Bahrain just as they are speaking out about what is happening in Syria and I think Washington has to be very careful that the equipment that they send to Bahrain for protecting them against external enemies is not used against the people.
And I think they want to make it very clear that if it continues to do this, they will not get anymore equipment. And I think again, going back to the clip you played about what President Obama said in the State of the Union message, you cannot have it both ways.
If you are going to be for it, you have to be for it not only in Syria and Libya and Egypt but also in Bahrain.
Q: What you said just now about what is happening as far as the equipment that to make sure that they protect themselves from external enemies, but we know 4 months ago, there was another shipment and again it has been approved by the Obama administration to send more military equipment. At this point in time, how logical is that?
If you have a repressive regime and they are killing their people, why would the United States continue to send this type of equipment when it is obvious that they are using it against their own people?
Korb: Again, I think basically when they shipped it, the demonstrations had stopped; the regime in Bahrain had a point that a commission headed by a very distinguished Egyptian born human rights lawyer to make suggestions about how to reform the government.
But having this, when this started again, I think that there should be no more shipments, but I think they thought that the protests had died down; we had a commission and that the regime would begin to implement the recommendations of the commission which would undermine the reasons for the protests.
Q: Mr. Korb, our guest in London, Mr. al-Shahabi talked about the silence that all of this is being met with. Let's talk about that silence coming from where you are sitting in Washington DC. As more people are dying every day that today the Bahrainis are deciding; some of them that they have no choice but to go on a hunger strike.
Perhaps someone else will pay more attention. We had, last week, 4 people being killed in one day. We are talking about a population of 1.2 million people. So percentage-wise we are talking about more people being killed in Bahrain than in any of these other revolutions or revolutions in the making. Why the silence from Washington?
Korb: I think you are right. The United States should speak out but there is no doubt about the fact that they have spoken out in other areas. They pulled the plug on Mubarak who had been a long time ally in Egypt; they used American power to aid the rebels in Libya.
Q: Mr. Korb, we do not want to go to another subject. Did they pull the plug on Mubarak or was the plug already pulled and they had no choice, but I am looking at Bahrain right now. I want to know why the silence on Bahrain.
Korb: OK, I already said that they should speak out, but when your other guests are saying they have not spoken out about anything, that is incorrect. And also I think it is important to keep in mind where is the Arab League here.
It is not just the United States that is involved; a lot of these changes have very little to do with the United States and even if the United States had not provided any type of equipment there, the government would be able to do what they are doing which is wrong.
They ought to speak out about it, but the United States' Fifth Fleet has nothing to do. I mean, an aircraft carrier has no role in dealing with this situation.
Q: Where is the Hamad government, where is that regime, getting its equipment that they are using to crackdown? Is it coming from the Arab League or is it coming from Washington or is it coming from London?
Korb: Wait a second. The United States equipment that they are giving has to do with dealing with external threats not internal threats, OK? Teargas canisters are not coming from the United States. So I think that is important to keep in mind; F15 jets have nothing to do with what is happening here. That is the type of equipment that they sell.
I agree with you. They need to be speaking out; I think they need to urge the regime to deal with the report which they [commissioned] which is different from other regimes. You know, Assad in Syria has not had a human rights group come in and tell him what reforms are needed.
So yes, they should speak out about it.
/129