(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - What is the way forward in the revolutionary process? How long will the people have to wait before victory is achieved? These are legitimate questions that are posed not by revolutionaries but bystanders who await which side wins in order to achieve relative settlement. In every society the vanguards of change are few, while the majority are able to accommodate themselves within the status quo. While many would encourage change, few are ready to accept prolonged conflicts and revolutions. This is one of the factors that encourage despots and dictators to cling to power, adopt harsh measures against adversaries and hope for time to dampen the zeal for change. They hope public impatience will become a factor against those seeking change. This is why revolutions are often short events that could either win or lose. If they become protracted they are seen as having lost momentum and any chance or real change.
Repression is essential tool in the hands of dictators that help prolong the conflict and help them regain control. In the process they expect to be condemned for all sorts of human rights violations, excessive use of force, extra-judicial killings. This is the basic theory that leads despotic regime to reject change and insist on maintaining the status quo.
Usually these despots receive all kinds of support from their foreign allies whose credentials in terms of human rights and democratic values are becoming under greater scrutiny.
The past six decades have seen the emergence of a new culture in the world that gives greater value to human rights following the atrocities committed in the Second World War. The West has prided itself as a champion of this culture and has challenged its adversaries on this platform. However; a closer scrutiny of human rights in modern times reveals shocking results. Not only has the West tolerated enormous violations of these rights by its own allies, but it has often participated in committing them.
Sending troops and security "experts" to countries like Bahrain has not resulted in any improvements in the way the despotic rulers have dealt with the rights of their people. People like Ian Henderson, David Jump and now John Yates have not curtailed the excesses of the torturers who had worked under their command, directly or otherwise. The British and American governments have not raise eyebrows when they were informed by victims of torture that their allies in Manama had committed gross violations of their rights. The international community has failed to create a regime that would scrutinize the excesses of dictatorships or take action against sadistic elements within those regimes.
As recently as July when the Olympics were held in London, the UK government was ready to embrace Nasser, the son of Bahrain's dictator who had personally tortured helpless prisoners. The opposition is in possession of documented evidence linking him to abuse of prisoners.
The UK government had turned blind eye to two former ambassadors who had run the most notorious torture agency in Bahrain; the National Security Agency (NSA). The opposition had written to the Foreign Office with details of their involvement in torture but the FCO turned a blind eye to those claims. Two years ago a British citizen was subjected to most horrific forms of torture at the NSA; he told a British Embassy official of his ordeal when he visited him in jail but no action was taken.
If opposition groups thought that administering human rights abuses by their dictators would deter Western governments from dealing with those dictators, they could not have been further from reality.
Modern politicians have excelled in policy phrasing and apologetic approaches to such serious crimes that have convinced dictators they would be immune from serious scrutiny let alone being held to account for their torture crimes.
Adoption of human rights is a noble cause but the world has become so absorbed by real ‘politique' that it can no longer act against torturers. Tyrants and despots are enjoying the lack of scrutiny of their actions despite the noise that has come from Geneva in recent years.
As for Bahrain, there is an abundance of documentation incriminating the regime including several of its senior members in crimes against humanity. But this has not stopped it committing more of them. It is being sheltered rigorously by the West although it has been proven to be biological torturer.
Violence is another means of change. Bahrainis have refrained from armed struggle and confined their struggle to peaceful demonstrations and protests. It is clear that this is not appreciated by US, UK governments; which are the main supporters of the Al-Khalifa regime.
In recent months, the two governments have adopted a devious approach. In every meeting with the political opposition their officials insisted that these societies "condemned" what they call "violence" referring to the use by some youth of Molotov bottles to fend off regime's criminal attacks.
These undisciplined forces have targeted residential homes with their lethal chemical gases that have resulted in more than fifty deaths over the past twelve months.
Armed struggle has never been adopted by the Bahraini opposition despite their mounting casualties. They will continue civil disobedience strategy with daily demonstrations and protests until they overthrow the regime.
The revolution has marched forward embracing more people and entrenching itself as the final choice of the people of Bahrain. It is clear that the Al-Khalifa is incapable of reform, unable to respect human rights or allow freedom of speech and assembly, or engaging in meaningful dialogue with the political opposition.
These facts have helped the pro-revolution forces which have argued for the removal of the regime as then only viable and possible solution to the ills of the country.
Almost other alternative solutions have been attempted but none has helped the people. When the present dictator promised reform 12 years ago many people had big hopes and thought he would be different from his predecessors. But within those hopes were swiftly dashed.
He gradually became more dictatorial and despotic than those before him. Today, Bahrainis are witness to the darkest era the country has ever passed through for centuries. The extent of violence, torture, discrimination, enmity and arrogance has no parallels in the history of the country. No native Bahraini wishes that his reign extends one day longer.
The world must understand the predicaments of the victims who are ready to face more miseries in the revolutionary process to remove him and his clan from power. The "civilized" world ought to be brave enough to support the pro-democracy movement seeking to achieve change in their land.
The revolution, this time, is serious, adamant and final. Whatever pains may be suffered in this revolutionary process of change will be much less than the future suffering if the Al-Khalifa hereditary dictatorship is allowed to remain under any pretext. The point of no-return has been reached and no one can change the course of the unfolding history of the new Bahrain.
/129
Repression is essential tool in the hands of dictators that help prolong the conflict and help them regain control. In the process they expect to be condemned for all sorts of human rights violations, excessive use of force, extra-judicial killings. This is the basic theory that leads despotic regime to reject change and insist on maintaining the status quo.
Usually these despots receive all kinds of support from their foreign allies whose credentials in terms of human rights and democratic values are becoming under greater scrutiny.
The past six decades have seen the emergence of a new culture in the world that gives greater value to human rights following the atrocities committed in the Second World War. The West has prided itself as a champion of this culture and has challenged its adversaries on this platform. However; a closer scrutiny of human rights in modern times reveals shocking results. Not only has the West tolerated enormous violations of these rights by its own allies, but it has often participated in committing them.
Sending troops and security "experts" to countries like Bahrain has not resulted in any improvements in the way the despotic rulers have dealt with the rights of their people. People like Ian Henderson, David Jump and now John Yates have not curtailed the excesses of the torturers who had worked under their command, directly or otherwise. The British and American governments have not raise eyebrows when they were informed by victims of torture that their allies in Manama had committed gross violations of their rights. The international community has failed to create a regime that would scrutinize the excesses of dictatorships or take action against sadistic elements within those regimes.
As recently as July when the Olympics were held in London, the UK government was ready to embrace Nasser, the son of Bahrain's dictator who had personally tortured helpless prisoners. The opposition is in possession of documented evidence linking him to abuse of prisoners.
The UK government had turned blind eye to two former ambassadors who had run the most notorious torture agency in Bahrain; the National Security Agency (NSA). The opposition had written to the Foreign Office with details of their involvement in torture but the FCO turned a blind eye to those claims. Two years ago a British citizen was subjected to most horrific forms of torture at the NSA; he told a British Embassy official of his ordeal when he visited him in jail but no action was taken.
If opposition groups thought that administering human rights abuses by their dictators would deter Western governments from dealing with those dictators, they could not have been further from reality.
Modern politicians have excelled in policy phrasing and apologetic approaches to such serious crimes that have convinced dictators they would be immune from serious scrutiny let alone being held to account for their torture crimes.
Adoption of human rights is a noble cause but the world has become so absorbed by real ‘politique' that it can no longer act against torturers. Tyrants and despots are enjoying the lack of scrutiny of their actions despite the noise that has come from Geneva in recent years.
As for Bahrain, there is an abundance of documentation incriminating the regime including several of its senior members in crimes against humanity. But this has not stopped it committing more of them. It is being sheltered rigorously by the West although it has been proven to be biological torturer.
Violence is another means of change. Bahrainis have refrained from armed struggle and confined their struggle to peaceful demonstrations and protests. It is clear that this is not appreciated by US, UK governments; which are the main supporters of the Al-Khalifa regime.
In recent months, the two governments have adopted a devious approach. In every meeting with the political opposition their officials insisted that these societies "condemned" what they call "violence" referring to the use by some youth of Molotov bottles to fend off regime's criminal attacks.
These undisciplined forces have targeted residential homes with their lethal chemical gases that have resulted in more than fifty deaths over the past twelve months.
Armed struggle has never been adopted by the Bahraini opposition despite their mounting casualties. They will continue civil disobedience strategy with daily demonstrations and protests until they overthrow the regime.
The revolution has marched forward embracing more people and entrenching itself as the final choice of the people of Bahrain. It is clear that the Al-Khalifa is incapable of reform, unable to respect human rights or allow freedom of speech and assembly, or engaging in meaningful dialogue with the political opposition.
These facts have helped the pro-revolution forces which have argued for the removal of the regime as then only viable and possible solution to the ills of the country.
Almost other alternative solutions have been attempted but none has helped the people. When the present dictator promised reform 12 years ago many people had big hopes and thought he would be different from his predecessors. But within those hopes were swiftly dashed.
He gradually became more dictatorial and despotic than those before him. Today, Bahrainis are witness to the darkest era the country has ever passed through for centuries. The extent of violence, torture, discrimination, enmity and arrogance has no parallels in the history of the country. No native Bahraini wishes that his reign extends one day longer.
The world must understand the predicaments of the victims who are ready to face more miseries in the revolutionary process to remove him and his clan from power. The "civilized" world ought to be brave enough to support the pro-democracy movement seeking to achieve change in their land.
The revolution, this time, is serious, adamant and final. Whatever pains may be suffered in this revolutionary process of change will be much less than the future suffering if the Al-Khalifa hereditary dictatorship is allowed to remain under any pretext. The point of no-return has been reached and no one can change the course of the unfolding history of the new Bahrain.
/129