DropSiteNews reports: “15,000 targets struck in Iran…” and: “Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said its navy launched two waves of missile and drone strikes” including “targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet at Mina Salman port in Manama, Bahrain.”
RAED JARRAR, [email protected], @raedjarrar
Jarrar is advocacy director for DAWN, founded by slain writer Jamal Khashoggi. He is in contact with people in the region, many of whom do not feel safe talking directly to the media. Jarrar said today: “Since the beginning of the war on Iran, GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries have launched a sweeping crackdown on freedom of expression. The most concerning escalation is happening in Bahrain, where DAWN has confirmed that authorities have arrested at least 148 people for peaceful protest and online expression. They have charged activists with treason and sympathy with Iran. Bahrain’s own Public Prosecution has opened trials against people for posting videos online, calling their expression a manifestation of treason and vowing to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. They are seeking the death penalty against some of them. Two young men, Husain Naji Fateel and Ali Mahdi, face severe charges after they marched peacefully to the U.S. Embassy and posted footage online. Kuwait has reportedly jailed more than 40 people for posting condolences for Ayatollah Khamenei. In UAE, authorities have apparently arrested a university student for sharing a missile video on a private family chat. Qatar has arrested over three hundred people for spreading what it calls misleading information.
“DAWN calls on all GCC governments to immediately and unconditionally release everyone detained for peaceful expression and drop all charges against them.”