Several hundred people are now protesting at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. and plan to march to the White House. Organizers expect between one and two thousand people to take part today. The rallies protest the Bahrain regime’s crackdown against the pro-democracy movement there as well as Saudi and U.S. government backing of the regime in Bahrain. Saudi troops moved into Bahrain at the request of the regime on March 14 (just days after the earthquake in Japan). For more information on rallies, see: bahrainrallydc.wordpress.com and #bahrainrally.

Among the groups participating:

HUSAIN ABDULLA
Abdulla is director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain. He said today: “The European parliament has been condemning the violent repression of peaceful protesters in Bahrain to no avail while the U.S. government has been silent. Then, yesterday, the U.S. finally said something about the Bahrain regime eliminating opposition parties and the regime immediately backed off. This shows the U.S. government has real influence. Unfortunately, instead of getting the regime to stop its violence, it has backed it.”

MOHAMMAD ALI NAQUVI
Naquvi is with the American Council for Freedom in Bahrain, which said in a statement: “[We] demand an end to the intimidation, torture and killing of peaceful protesters, human rights activists and health and medical personnel in Bahrain at the hands of the Bahraini military and security forces provided by Saudi Arabia and other states. Political institutions have been trying to stoke the fire of Shia-Sunni sectarianism instead of resolving the real issues — the barbaric actions and unfair political and economic policies of the ruling family in Bahrain [and] a state of forceful repression. …

“The U.S. has an obligation to immediately suspend the transfer of weapons, munitions and related equipment to Bahrain that could be used to commit further human rights violations, and to urgently review all arms supplies and training support to Bahrain’s military, security and police forces. American interests will only be enhanced if we work to increase stability in the region by furthering human rights without discrimination.”

Background: “CNN arrests expose crackdown in Bahrain”

“Bahrain questions three journalists after crackdown”

“U.S. Keeps Quiet over Repression”

Zainab Alkhawaja’s (who is on a hunger strike following the beating and detention of her father, a human rights activist) letter to President Obama: angryarabiya.blogspot.com

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167