Free Ali Abdulemam: Update I

Ali is free!  The king of Bahrain freed a number of prisoners and Ali was one of them.

Bahraini Shi'ites Still on Trial

The 25 Shi'ites accused of plotting against the government claim they were tortured in jail.  That seems to be fairly typical of many Middle Eastern governments, and is often used to get confessions.  The article in the Gulf Daily News out of Bahrain is very small and says that media coverage has been banned.  Two other Bahrainis were arrested for anti-government posters showing pictures of men in jail (possibly some of the 25 Shi'ites?).  According to the Free Ali Facebook page, Ali's trial is adjourned until November 11th.

Let's hope the world will take notice of the suppression going on in Bahrain and do something about it.

Shi'ites on Trial in Bahrain

The Bahraini government is putting 25 Shi'ites on trial for allegedly conspiring against the Sunni government.  You may remember that blogger Ali Abdulemam is also on trial.  This article finally mentions that he is a Shi'ite.  Also, another blogger, and activist, is on trial too: Abdeljalil Al-Singace.

Seventy percent of the Bahraini population is Shi'ite, but the ruling family and most of the government is Sunni.  Because of that, the rulers are paranoid about the Shi'ites taking over and being too close to Iran.  Most of those arrested are considered human rights activists and have probably been tortured.  This is really a deplorable state of affairs for Bahrain.  Many of the Gulf nations have slowly been expanding voting rights and civil liberties, but this is a huge step backwards for Bahrain.

New Roundups

I've been a bit remiss in keeping up with the news this week, so here's a quick recap of some of the goings on:

Egypt is cracking down even more on the media and the Muslim Brotherhood.  And again, the US isn't saying anything about it.

A small TV station in Kuwait was attacked by a mob, for making fun of the ruling family.

Rachel Corrie's family finally got their day in court, in Israel.  The driver of the bulldozer that killed Rachel testified behind a screen.

Bahrain is cracking down on Shi'ites, ahead of elections there.  Bahrain has a large Shi'ite population, and is worried about Iran gaining a foothold.

Blogger Ali Abdulemam is still in jail in Bahrain.  I'm not sure if he is Shi'ite or if he was just arrested for daring to speak his own mind.

Free Ali Abdulemam

Bahrain blogger Ali Abdulemam has been detained and possibly tortured. Please visit the Free Ali website to find out who you can e-mail or tweet to help Ali.

As a blogger, and an American, I firmly believe in freedom of speech, especially on the internet. I have a great deal of respect for bloggers from countries like Saudi Arabia, who face real persecution for speaking the truth. Please keep Ali in your prayers.