Quraeah, Bahrain – A Shiite Muslim opposition party Wednesday threatened to boycott Bahrain’s parliamentary elections, due in October, unless democratic reforms are introduced.                                                                                                                                                                                        

Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Quraeah, Bahrain – A Shiite Muslim opposition party Wednesday threatened to boycott Bahrain’s parliamentary elections, due in October, unless democratic reforms are introduced.

The Islamic Action Society (Amal) said it wanted to see constitutional reforms aimed at making parliament more independent.

“We not only believe that the current parliament does not create the grounds for participation in shaping the country’s future, but in fact see it as a hindrance to building a democratic state and one that empowers corruption,” Sheikh Mohammed Ali al Mahfood, the secretary general of Amal, told reporters.

The other three opposition groupings, which comprise Shiite Islamists, pan-Arabs, and communists, have confirmed that they will be contesting the elections, which are set for October 23.

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Sunday he did not want anotherwar with Shiite in northern Yemen, after a week of clashes reportedly killed at least 70 people.

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Sunday he did not want another war with Shiite in northern Yemen, after a week of clashes reportedly killed at least 70 people.

“Peace, security and stability are the choice of the state,” Saleh said at a military ceremony.

“I say no to another war” with the Shiite Huthis, Saleh added.

His remarks came a day after tribal mediators succeeded to halt fighting between the Huthis and the army-backed tribe of Bin Aziz. At least 70 people were killed in those clashes and related fighting.

“Stop jeopardising the security and stability of the province of Saada,” Saleh said.

After six rounds of fighting between government forces and the Huthis, Saleh earlier this month ruled out another conflict with the Shias.

Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating the February ceasefire.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Sunday that its part would not allow anyone, whoever he was, to hurt the dignity of the resistance. This resistance, according to Sayyed Nasrallah, was able to crush the new Middle East plan in 2006.

Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Sunday that its part would not allow anyone, whoever he was, to hurt the dignity of the resistance. This resistance, according to Sayyed Nasrallah, was able to crush the new Middle East plan in 2006.

Speaking in a ceremony honoring the martyr’s children at Shahed Institution in Beirut’s southern suburb, The Sayyed started his speech by paying tribute to the resistance martyrs.

“For 30 years, the martyrs have been the most important symbols of this country. They are the best victory makers of this nation. They protected its dignity and presence… We, as a resistance movement, have offered the most precious [of our sons]. My leader in the Resistance, Sayyed Abbas al-Moussawi and my brother in jihad, Imad Moghniyyeh, are the most precious people I have lost,” his eminence said.

Sayyed Nasrallah added that with these sacrifices, the Resistance is the most precious of what we have, stressing that “we will not allow anyone in the world – small or big -to hurt its dignity.”

Hezbollah Secretary General continued, “All plots that threatened Lebanon, Palestine and the region were stopped by the Resistance. The Resistance prevented the plot in 1982 and the one in 2000 that aimed to accomplish the project of [building a] greater Israel [by invading Lebanon]. In 2006, the Resistance put an end to the new Middle East project, which was highly funded. This Resistance made Lebanon in the heart of the regional equation after it was inferior. It made Lebanon a player.”

His eminence stressed that the Resistance made Lebanon strong and that was why officials come to the country, adding that this Resistance was the reason that leaders meet Lebanese officials abroad.

Sayyed Nasrallah also thanked all people who helped the Resistance in Lebanon, from Iran to Syria to all honorable people, however, he stressed that the Resistance was the one that fought. He also said that unfortunately everyone, but some Lebanese, knows the value of this Resistance, including Lebanon’s enemies who are planning to take it away.

“They may bargain on gas and oil but they can never bargain on the Resistance,” his eminence stressed, adding that the war on the Resistance will continue, and (US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey) Feltman himself admitted this before Congress.

Sayyed Nasrallah also said that the international community tried to bring the resistance power to an end in the 2006 July War and failed. “I will talk about this during the victory ceremony, which was postponed to August 3 upon President Michel Sleiman’s request because he will receive prominent guests in Lebanon on July 30.”

“My press conference today is for the  people to hear me well and not toquote  me” from different sources, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah began his press conference in Beirut’s southern suburb Thursday night.

“My press conference today is for the people to hear me well and not to quote me” from different sources, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah began his press conference in Beirut’s southern suburb Thursday night.

The Sayyed stressed that “we have to bear in mind that as of this moment, Lebanon has been pushed into a very sensitive and complicate stage from the gates of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” His eminence also underlined the right of the resistance to defend itself regardless of those who “philosophize and claim that he who defends himself confesses his crime.”

“An indictment had been written, before the investigation (into the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri) and before Hezbollah members were interrogated as witnesses. It was written but its issuance was delayed for political reasons. Judge Daniel Belmar’s deliberations with UNSC members and French officials had to do with the political timing, not the context. Before leaving to Washington, PM Saad Hariri visited me and told me that in month ‘x’, an indictment will be issued and it will implicate ‘undisciplined members of Hezbollah’, not the whole party.”

The Hezbollah chief lashed out at “those who protested my speech last week” adding that they don’t want Hezbollah to speak out before the issuance of the indictment. “We firmly reject this as we firmly reject accusing any Hezbollah member.”
His eminence pointed that from the first minutes after Hariri was assassinated, the media were ready to implicate Syria and the four generals in the crime. “The media are also ready today for any indictment. We believe that there is a major plot to target the resistance, Lebanon, and the whole region. I cannot be sure that an indictment would be issued in September or October because the date can be postponed for political reasons, however an indictment will be issued eventually in accordance with the plot that has been prepared for the region.”

Sayyed Nasrallah reminded that the target was the resistance “which constitutes the main obstacle for any settlement that would establish a U.S. and Israeli hegemony against the Palestinians.” He called on so-called March 14 powers to review their position “because the results of their stances and their policies have affected Lebanon and the region.”
The Sayyed praised MP Walid Jumblatt for his courage to make a clear and public review. “It is not enough to say in 2010: we want to good and normal relations with Syria. They ought to say that they have made serious mistakes since 2005 and that they were heading straight to the abyss and dragging you (March 14 audience) behind us. Do you have enough courage to say what you have concluded and yet, you refuse to reveal? Brave and sincere leaderships admit their mistakes. No one is asking you for an apology.”

The Secretary General reminded that in 2005 the so called March 14 leadership had immediately accused Syria of assassinating Hariri, without investigation and without proof. “You were the prosecutor and you were the punishers. You dragged the whole country based on your accusation.” He added that five years later, the same March 14 camp is calling for normal relations with Damascus. “This cannot pass that easy…What is the guarantee that you will not take the country towards more mazes in the five or ten years to come? What you did in this country in terms of confessional and sectarian incitement is unprecedented in 100 years of Lebanon’s history. What is the guilt of those Hezbollah members, the Shiites and the rest of the opposition on top of which were our Sunni brothers? What is the crime of Syria’s allies who were later called opposition forces, including General Michel Aoun? You said during general elections in 2005: Anyone who votes for ‘them’ would be voting for PM Hariri’s killers. Elections took place based on a false accusation to Syria and its allies in Lebanon, and these elections gave birth to a government that took decisions.”

Sayyed Nasrallah went on to say that the March 14 racist speech led to the killing of several Syrian laborers in Lebanon, served in isolating then President Emile Lahoud, fueling the endeavor to occupy the Presidential Palace in Baabda, toppling then PM Omar Karameh and pointing the finger at him and his ministers, isolating some judges, and throwing four innocent officers in jail for four years. “The one thing that has never changed is that there is still no evidence to implicate Syria despite the false witnesses they brought to the investigation.”

The Hezbollah chief then addressed the Lebanese in general and the March 14 supporters in particular saying that “we are the victims of big schemes; much bigger than us and much bigger than Lebanon.”
“If these political leaderships did not make their review and did not correct their mistakes, knowing that during four and half years, they took the country to the most difficult stage in its history…in the framework of a big scheme for the region, will you be willing to follow their lead after all this experience? You are free and you bear the responsibility.”

Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech saying that Hezbollah was not afraid of anything, even the indictment. “Let them issue it now and let us finish already. Those who conspire against the resistance and Lebanon – and have so far failed – ought to be concerned because more schemes will be foiled. We know the nature of the responsibility that we’re shouldering and we urge those who have so far miscalculated their moves to make the right calculations this time.”

The Secretary General answered the questions of reporters who were following up his speech through a giant screen at the Shahed School.
In one of his answers, the Sayyed pointed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Saudi Arabia can do a lot concerning the STL indictment. “They can tell those who are playing the ‘game of the nations’ that Lebanon cannot afford such games. I believe that they (Hariri and S.Arabia) have the stature that enables them to say just that. However, I am not asking them to do anything. It is up to them to take the decision they see fit.”
His eminence said he was asking no one to apologize. “All I asked was that they make a review and speak frankly to their audience. I have not called for the resignation of the government or anyone else, however I shall have a position after the issuance of the indictment.”
Concerning PM Hariri’s position after the indictment, Sayyed Nasrallah said: “Both our positions will be difficult and everybody should observe Lebanon’s interest.”

Responding to a question about Hezbollah respecting STL decisions, the S.G. said: “We have never said that we respect the tribunal’s decisions and we have never said that we do not respect them. We have doubted the tribunal from day one; this is why we requested that the issue of the tribunal be discussed by the Cabinet. Everybody knows how the previous administration passed the Tribunal bill; Hezbollah and Amal Movement minister were not given three day – not one week, but three days only – to study the bill. Despite this, we backed the principle of establishing the court. Unless the court’s resolutions were based on solid and true evidence, I cannot accept its decisions, and it does not seem to me that the court is founding its decisions on solid evidence. If the court said that Al-Qaeda had killed Hariri, I would refuse its conclusion because the international investigation has skipped one hypothesis; the Israeli hypothesis. Israel has the motive, the capabilities, the control and the interest to kill Hariri, but it is forbidden to work on this hypothesis. As long as it does not take this hypothesis into consideration, the court will not be unprejudiced.”

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed he did not attack the Information Branch in his speech last week.
“The truth is that I thanked it for the efforts exerted recently to nab spies. I only asked a question, and this is my right. What was leaked in the press is not enough and confirms my information. I will not say that the Information Branch provided us with false information because the Branch has its own analyses of telephone calls which result in certain conclusions that are not necessarily definite. The same Branch interrogated people suspected of spying for Israel, some came out innocent and others confessed to collaborating with Israel. These are technical matters. The Branch did not lie to us, but the conclusions of their analyses were wrong. They gave us three telephone numbers for three Hezbollah officials suspected of collaborating with Israel. We took those three numbers and we summoned the brothers who owned the numbers. You should know that we do not tolerate collaboration with Israel. Those brothers are still Hezbollah officials because we conducted a real and serious investigation that led us to a definite conclusion. If I had the slightest proof that they had been penetrated by the Israel Mossad, I would have at least isolated them and fired them from the party. We don’t even tolerate suspicion of collaboration. Why we given those names? Why is there an attempt to portray us as a penetrated party? This is something that has to do with a story that I will tell you during my next press conference God willing.”

The Hezbollah Secretary General concluded that the party has never and will never wage war, “knowing that the breakout of any war in the region will not be limited. In 2006 we captured two Israeli soldiers; never in history had the capture of two soldiers led to war.”
“We are a resistance movement working on liberating the rest of our occupied land our own way and we will defend our country like we have alway done-

Saudi security sources arrested a human rights activist for criticizing theSaudi Wahhabi government attacks on Shia Muslim citizens.

Saudi security sources arrested a human rights activist for criticizing the Saudi Wahhabi government attacks on Shia Muslim citizens.

Human Rights Watch ordered Saudi King immediately release a human rights activist who detained illegally just because of his criticizing article against Saudi Wahhabis who always use pressure against Ahl ul Bayt followers. The charges against the activist, Shaikh Mikhlif bin Dahham al-Shammari, appear to violate his right to free expression, Human Rights Watch said.

Arresting officers told al-Shammari they were acting on the orders of Prince Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abd al-‘Aziz, the governor of the Eastern Province, in response to articles al-Shammari had written and published recently on several websites, blocked in Saudi Arabia, that criticized statements of clerics attacking Shia Muslims.

“Arresting Mikhlif al-Shammari’s simply for opinions he expressed peacefully shows the limited reach of King Abdullah’s commitment so far, five years into his reign, to protect human rights,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

Earlier, on May 15, Khobar police arrested al-Shammari over the articles he had written criticizing anti-Shia religious views. Al-Shammari told Human Rights Watch at the time that he refused to answer questions put to him by the police since King Abdullah had ordered that cases regarding publications fall within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Culture, not the police and regular courts. The police released him after six hours based on a personal bail guarantee, but the police changed the description of his case from one concerning his articles to one of “creating public attention against corruption,” al-Shammari told Human Rights Watch.

He was arrested again on the evening of June 15, while he was dining at the home of an acquaintance in Jubail, 80 kilometers north of his home in Khobar. Officers of the Criminal Investigation Department took him to the Khobar police station, where they placed him in a holding cell overnight with 10 other persons. Al-Shammari was able to communicate briefly with his family and Human Rights Watch. On June 16, he began a hunger strike to protest his arbitrary detention.  His arrest was the result of the earlier investigation into his articles, al-Shammari told Human Rights Watch, but he has not been charged or brought before a prosecutor.

In one of the articles in question, al-Shammari responded to remarks of Muhammad al-‘Arifi, a controversial government-salaried imam of the Buradi mosque in Riyadh. During a sermon on January 1, al-‘Arifi had described Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whom many Saudi and other Shia Muslims consider their highest religious authority, as an “obscene, irreligious atheist.” Al-Shammari asked how Sunnis would feel if a Shia had called al-‘Arifi an “obscene, irreligious, atheist Wahhabi in Najd.”

Since December 2009, al-Shammari has published 18 articles on public interest and human rights issues, including Sunni-Shia relations.

The Amnesty International has referred to the Zionist regime’s new deceptive move to distract the attention of world public opinion, and has underlined that Israel should completely lift the siege of Gaza, because this siege violates international rules and regulations.

According to jnn, the Amnesty International noted that given the announcement of Zionist regime’s Cabinet about ease of Gaza siege, it is perfectly clear that the usurper state of Israel has no intention of lifting the siege of Gaza and ending the collective punishment of the Palestinian population of this impoverished enclave.

Based on the statement issued by Amnesty International, Israel only allows the entry of a few goods to this coastal region, while the Zionist regime still obstructs the entry of many goods to this coastal sliver.

Many peace activists and humanitarian organizations have called for the lift of siege of Gaza.

Amnesty International says the United States used cluster bombs on a cruise missile in Yemen, killing 55 people, most of whom were civilians                                              

The attack, according to the rights group, targeted Al-Maajala in the Abyan province at a time when Washington was pushing hard to project militants in the country.

“Amnesty International is gravely concerned by evidence that cluster munitions appear to have been used in Yemen,” said Mike Lewis, the group’s arms control researcher, AFP reported.

The group cited a Yemeni parliamentary committee as reporting in February that the attack had killed 41 local residents, including 14 women and 21 children, in addition to 14 alleged militants.

Deputy Director of AI’s Middle East and North Africa Program, Philip Luther warned that “a military strike of this kind against alleged militants without an attempt to detain them is at the very least unlawful.”

“The fact that so many of the victims were actually women and children indicates that the attack was in fact grossly irresponsible, particularly given the likely use of cluster munitions,” he also said.

Lewis said, “Cluster munitions have indiscriminate effects and unexploded bomblets threaten lives and livelihoods for years afterwards.”

AI had obtained photographs which showed remains of the BGM-109D Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile. “This type of missile, launched from a warship or submarine, is designed to carry a payload of 166 cluster sub-munitions (bomblets) which each explode into over 200 sharp steel fragments that can cause injuries up to 150 meters (about 500 feet) away,” an AI statement said.

“An incendiary material inside the bomblet also spreads fragments of burning zirconium designed to set fire to nearby flammable objects,” it added.