(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Bahrainis have rallied outside the capital, Manama, to protest against the proposed Saudi Arabia-Bahrain merger plan.
Bahraini opposition has described the proposed merger plan as a sellout of the country's independence and an effort to give Saudi security forces a stronger hand in the suppression of anti-government protests.
We have conducted an interview with Kamel Wazni, political analyst, to hear his opinion on this issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Q: We are looking at the United Nations Human Rights office and it is supposed to see that countries who are members of it abide by UN Human Rights laws.
Now they have voiced concern over the excessive use of force against the protesters in Bahrain, it has included tear gas and rubber bullets. This brings us to what has occurred recently and that is the United States resuming arms sale to Bahrain. How does that even fit in with human rights with the US being a member?
Wazni: Well obviously we have to look at the United States, what it did from the beginning of the revolution in Bahrain; the revolution that asked for civil rights movement, where people [were] asking for maybe equal rights in their own country, where there is a widespread discrimination against the people and there has been large people being segregated and not given the opportunity.
The United States is actually siding with the government of Al Khalifa at the expense of the large population because their economic interest and political interest and military interest is with the Al Khalifa family. They have no regard whatsoever for the people of Bahrain or their democratic voice or civil right voice that has actually supposed to be honored by the United States, which always claims it is trying to spread democracy around the world.
But here there is a case where it is very much the people of Bahrain wanted their own democratic system to take place but Mrs. Clinton as we see is selling weapons and Obama the civil rights activist and Noble Prize recipient is actually encouraging the Bahrainis to continue the crackdown and has said this is a weapon and this is the way to do it.
So this is a body where we have to look at it very carefully but we have to give them some opportunity for the human rights; maybe there is some maybe honest voice on the body and they should look very carefully at what is taking place in Bahrain.
Because we have to look at the committee that was established by Al Khalifa and they found him guilty because they found he had violated a lot of laws, international laws, human rights laws and the committee that he established, Al Khalifa, found that he is actually guilty of human rights violation …
So if his own committee found him guilty so I think they have no reason whatsoever for the UN civil rights committee to find him also and raise their voice that he is guilty and the Free World should give the Bahraini people the voice to actually have their freedom and have their aspiration and have their hopes.
Because they are determined people, wanted to have a free and honorable life despite whether the Americans like it or not, whether they like to have the American Fifth Fleet or not. It is not about America; it is about the people of Bahrain, they voice their voice clearly and should be heard.
Q: Let us talk about this annexing of Bahrain, this merger with Saudi Arabia, still trying to figure out the motives behind what Saudi Arabia wants to create here.
What is it doing exactly? Does it want to protect Bahrain? Does it show that Bahrain’s rulers have failed in dealing with the people of Bahrain or is it a way to say you know what, I have been exercising rights violations for the past decades, the kingdom of Saud, the UN has not done anything, let’s put Bahrain under my wings knowing that nothing is going to happen?
Wazni: I think let us call it a force occupation by the Saudi. They send their forces; they are participating in the torture and the killing and the rape of the Bahraini people. They are involved in the process of discrimination and they are trying to bail the failed system of Bahrain.
I think the Saudis are participating in the crime against humanity that is taking place in Bahrain and here they tried to impose their will on the Bahraini people. Actually they wanted to annex Bahrain and make it part of Saudi Arabia against the will of the people.
Fine, if they think this is the way they should put a referendum to the people of Bahrain and yesterday we showed what the Bahrainis really want. They are actually against the Saudi intervention and the Saudi killing of Bahraini people and they do not want Saudis to have any influence whatsoever inside Bahrain.
If anything the Saudis should do, they should withdraw their forces from Bahrain and let the Bahraini people determine their fate.
I think the Saudis know the Bahraini government, the Khalifa government have used all their options, they are bankrupt, they will be considered very soon criminal by the international court, by the human rights, probably we will hear something maybe in the coming week.
I am hopeful and doubtful at the same time about what is going to come out from the UN but this is very clear. There is a crime against humanity, it is being committed by the Bahraini government and the Khalifa family and the Saudis.
So my … recommendation to the council that is going to meet on Monday is not to look at the Bahraini government, look at the Saudis because the Saudis are running the show, are running the torture, are running the destruction of mosques inside Bahrain, are running the process of discrimination. That is really what the Saudis are doing.
So today the world should be very careful about how they should look at the process to end this occupation of the Saudi and the Saudis should not think about the issue of building a federalist with Bahrain because this is unaccepted by the people of Bahrain and we saw the thousand and hundreds of thousands on the street saying “no to Saudi Arabia.” This will not pass.
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