(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, a plea that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests. We have conducted an interview with Bahraini political analyst, Jaffar al-Hasabi from London to further discuss the issue. The video also offers the opinions of an additional guest: political analyst Ibrahim Mousavi from the Lebanese capital city of Beirut. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview. Q: There are many activists along with demonstrators in jail and many of them are claiming that they have been tortured. Which international body should be perusing these claims and what exactly is being done for these people? al-Hasabi: Well, Bismillah al rahman al rahim [in the name of god, the most gracious, the most merciful], what you are hearing just from the international community, is just the organization of…, the human rights organization, but from the governments we do not hear anything which is they supposed to be more clear about what is happening in Bahrain right now and everyday there are facts from last week from al-Wefaq party; they said, 270 attacks, just in two months against the Bahraini people houses and more than ten million [US dollars] being stolen from the houses.
And the torture is everyday taking place in Bahrain and in front of the international community and also they are, every time, the government of Bahrain, misleading the international community by making a very bad written drama, showing the international community that the people are making…, let us say, they found five tones of explosive materials and they have found 1500 people being trained in Iraq and so and so.
These fake information to the international community just to say that the Bahraini people are not peaceful people, and they are trying to use arms and they are using explosives to… Q: Mr. al-Hasabi let me just jump in here because you are saying as far as the picture that they are trying to create for the international community, but is not it true that if the international community really wanted to know what is going on in Bahrain, that they know that they could be there on the ground? That they could see for themselves exactly what is happening? Al-Hasabi: Well, what we see is more support from America and Britain and for small things they did, they could not condemn and they could not even bar the Prince Nasser who came for the Olympics here; he is in Britain now and he committed crimes against our people in Bahrain and there are many victims saying clearly that he was involved in torturing them and they are victims of them and this is what they did, they did not ban him, they allowed him to… Q: Ok, Mr. al-Hasabi, let us look at the role of Saudi Arabia in all this, we know that Saudi Arabia sent troops and equipment into Bahrain and that their backed troops are involved in the brutal crackdown on the Bahraini people. Is Saudi Arabia had not gone and involved in this situation in Bahrain, do you think that the regime in Manama would have still been able to suppress the protesters for this long? al-Hasabi: Well, we knew from after the 14th of February that the Bahraini government has fallen from…, I mean they have lost all the power in Bahrain, but because of the Saudi Army and because of the support from America and Britain, they stood back again against our people. But also we know that the shaky situation in Saudi Arabia will not allow her to crackdown more the situation in Bahrain because the shaky situation in Saudi Arabia will let her, let us say, suffer from the situation inside Saudi Arabia.
And for how long? We do not know, but the good thing for the Bahraini people, [Is that] they are continuing what they are doing and they are not afraid anymore from what is happening regionally or internationally because they have to focus on what they are doing and with the continuation of what they are doing we will succeed. Even if the Saudi money and … Q: Ok Mr. al-Hasabi, let us look at the security crackdown, in general taking place in Bahrain. Now we know the leading security people right now are actually a British individual and an American former policemen, who have taken over security details in Bahrain. How responsible would you say that these individuals really are for what is happening? One is the former police chief of London, John Yates and the other [is] police chief of Philadelphia and Miami in the United States, Mr. John Timoney. How responsible would you say that they are? Do you think that the security forces are taking their cues from them? al-Hasabi: Well, yesterday the Times said it clearly that the support from the Britain and America, either with sending their expertise, let us say, to crackdown the demonstration and to suppress our people; and yesterday the Times said it clearly that the torture is continuing, so what experience he brought with him, John Yates, he already he has been accused in this country as one of the corrupt persons, using his power to do a corrupt influence to his department. So they sent these people just to suppress our people, to crackdown our people and to try killing more people of Bahrain. So this is what they do, they are…, we know that America and Britain are participating in a very brutal and bad game in Bahrain. And what is happening is showing clearly to the international community should know that Britain and America, they are, carrying blood on their hands of our Bahraini people. Q: Looking at whole frame of things at this point in time when we have the situation with a British individual heading this security detail over there. Should not then London be putting pressure or Washington be putting pressure because an American is also part if that security team, on their own nationals, if they really want to make the difference as far as the violence on the ground and put pressure on the security detail? Why are not they putting pressure on their own nationals? al-Hasabi: In Britain and also in America as well, we are trying to put pressure on the government of Britain, let us say, to try to at least eliminate their power act in Bahrain. But it seems that the media and the double standards, which is being carried out in Britain and America is making all the works against or…, is so limited and is not doing any huge work. But we will try to reach all the organizations, the media just to make it clear for the British people that what the government of Britain is doing is wrong and they are not with the Bahraini people and it will be firing back against them, like what happened in Iran after the revolution.
Now the Americans have been, let us say, with Shah [last king of Iran] and they now they lost Iran and they lost the sharing and participating with Iran policy.
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