Just saw this on today’s Al-Wasat:‬

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العاهل يستقبل عائلة بن رجب

استقبل عاهل البلاد جلالة الملك حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة بقصر الصافرية أمس عائلة بن رجب، وذلك للسلام على جلالته، وقد رحب عاهل البلاد بالجميع وتبادل معهم الأحاديث الودية.

وأكد خلال اللقاء أن مملكة البحرين حققت الكثير من الإنجازات في مختلف الميادين، وذلك بفضل عمل وعطاء أبناء الوطن ودور عائلات أهل البحرين الكرام وتكاتفهم لخدمة وطنهم.

وقد أعرب أفراد عائلة بن رجب عن شكرهم وامتنانهم لعاهل البلاد، داعين الله أن يحفظ جلالته.

وخلال المقابلة ألقى عيسى حسن بن رجب قصيدة شكر لعاهل البلاد نيابة عن أخيه محافظ الشمالية جعفر حسن عبدالرسول بن رجب بهذه المناسبة.
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Al-Wasat Newspaper – 3 Aug 2010

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‪Briefly, HM the King received the bin Rajab family who extended their wishes to HM and one of them read out some poetry in praise of His Majesty.

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‪Very strange. Because, that big guy sitting closest to His Majesty is none other than ex-minister Mansour bin Rajab who is supposedly under investigation and house arrest for corruption, money laundering and even purportedly assisting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the bargain too. So seeing this news-piece and his personage in the presence of HM only suggests that he has been exonerated with the charges against him dropped!‬

‪It can only be perceived that he was not found guilty and he’s a free man. So what happened? Has bin Rajab’s name been cleared? Can he now take everyone who slandered him to court (as he likes to do!) Where’s the truth in all this?

An intriguing situation to be sure and I am mildly interested in how this drama will continue to unfold…

Woke up this morning to this:

للمرة الأولى في البحرين
القبض على وزير بتهمة غسيل الأموال

علمت «الوقت» من مصادر خاصة أن جهاز الأمن الوطني قد أقدم يوم أمس الخميس ألقى القبض على احد الوزراء والتحقيق معه بتهمة غسيل الأموال.

وقالت المصادر إن الوزير قد تم استدعاؤه عصر أمس من قبل جهاز الأمن الوطني، حيث رافقته عناصر الجهاز من بيته إلى مكتبه الذي تم إخضاعه للتفتيش»، مشيرة إلى انه «تم الطلب منه استدعاء موظفيه الذين حضروا إلى مكتبه وتم التحفظ على أجهزة الهواتف النقالة الخاصة بهم».
وأوضحت المصادر أن «التحقيق مع الوزير تم أولا في مقر جهاز الأمن الوطني ثم تمت إحالته إلى قسم مكافحة الجرائم الاقتصادية التابعة للتحقيقات الجنائية بالعدلية، وباشرت عناصره التحقيق مع الوزير»، إلا أن المصادر لم تكشف عن تفاصيل أخرى تتعلق بحجم الأموال التي تم غسلها ومصادرها، كما لم تكشف عن عدد الذين تم التحفظ عليهم.

يشار إلى أنها المرة الأولى في البحرين التي تقوم فيها أجهزة الأمن والتحقيقات الجنائية بالتحقيق مع وزير لايزال على رأس عمله.
http://alwaqt.com/art.php?aid=202904

and from the GDN’s front page:
Official held for fraud

An official accused of running money laundering operations in Bahrain and abroad was arrested yesterday following investigations by the Economic Crimes Directorate. Interior Ministry assistant under-secretary for legal affairs Brigadier Rashid Bu Humood said the ministry discovered the fact early last year and closely monitored in secret the official’s activities in Bahrain and abroad. His contacts and meetings with his aides and parties he was dealing with abroad were subjected to strict control after taking all required legal measures. He has been referred to Public Prosecution.

Wanna guess who this minister is?

They don’t mention him in the pieces above of course, but according to various online forums it appears to be my friend Mansour bin Rajab!

Well this is a turn of events isn’t it? If it is indeed the Right Honourable Minister of course.

Messages?

Don’t know, but maybe it’s a combination of factors:

1. the government is signaling that they’re serious (again) about combating corruption
2. they want an improvement in their CPI
3. the cookie jar is being depleted too fast
4. same with the goat bank (Islamically correct form of a piggy bank)
5. discovered this expeditious method of reducing staffing levels
6. enacting the corruption article of the Labour Law saves termination fees

or any other number of factors.

Whatever it is, like the rest of Bahrain I’ll wait for clarifications and an outcome of this case, if any.

One thing I will guarantee you though: watch this situation being played with sectarian notes.

Let’s forget the ministers’ alleged culpability and mismanagement for a second, both of them, and let us just consider the issues of how they were questioned, how MPs themselves – the supposed defenders of the masses who elected them and that thing called the constitution – have unashamedly sided and sidled to their chosen minister and how the questions were chosen and framed.

To me, the questions in both cases were oratorical more than they were seeking to probe and find truths on which a decision could be based, or even allow the minister in question to realise that he does have people watching over his ministry’s actions and that he will be held responsible for its performance. The “facts” gathered by MPs were second-hand hearsay rather than damning evidence; and over and above these considerations, MPs positions was premeditated based solely on the whether the minister belonged to their sect.

Should we really be surprised that the emperor was proven – once again – to actually be naked?

Carry on chums!

Brilliant performance, and to hell with the country.

Now where did I put that countdown script?

Is a bastardisation of the translation of an Arabic idiom which is better transcribed in English as “Cleaner than a white thobe” at least – thobe being the Arabian traditional male garment – which might have taken away the derogatory insinuation given by the use of the word “dress”. This Arabic proverb is akin to the English idiom “pure as the driven snow”, but for reasons not apparent to me, the GDN decided in its own lack of wisdom to translate it as such in relation to the Bahraini minister bin Rajab’s declaration of innocence. My suspicion is that they are taking sides, we do not see the same skew in reporting when they talk about the other minister under investigation by parliament.

Not that it would make any difference whatsoever of course; parliament itself is skewed in its current make up, which is sectarian to the core. Am I at all surprised then that Attiyatallah himself was declared innocent of misleading the country by a committee whose members already amply declared their position, even before he was greeted and led to his plush seat in the investigation committee by beaming members of the investigation panel? Of course not. This is a foregone conclusion.

As is the matter of convicting bin Rajab for his financial and administrative irregularities. In that committee, Al-Wefaq’s has the numbers.

The downside for the future of this country is once again the affirmation of the cloud of sectarianism; one in which a person votes for his tribe and sect regardless of the guilt and culpability of the person or issue in question.

I am so gratified that we have visionaries in this society and am doubly so when I find an honourable member of the reigning cabinet extends himself even further by bridging the cultural gap that maatems^[1] traditionally play in society.

For instance, what is wrong with local maatems, like the ancient and quite famous Ma’atem bin Rajab, holding meetings to celebrate the healthy return of our beloved king? What is wrong with almost all the maatems in Muharraq putting up boards of welcome and well-deserved congratulations for our illustrious prime minister for receiving the honour of the UN Habitat Medal? Of course this is part of their mandate as they reflect the people’s views from the grass-roots up and their love of this country. It is – I understand – nothing to do with positional politics at all, but a clear and an unadulterated fiesta of gushing love to our beloved leadership.

I shall of course attempt to be present at this national festival of love and urge everyone to do their utmost to do so too.

I wish to congratulate the right honourable excellency Mr. Mansour Hassan bin Rajab for taking this very much needed initiative and pray God that that ancient area of Manama which embraces his family’s maatem not to suffer any electricity blackout during the celebrations and poetry recitals.

[1] Maatems: plural, religious halls of mourning frequented mainly by the Shi’a.

نعم يا بو حسن… من سيوف الحيدر لسيوف العرضى!

Another celebration took place yesterday in Rifa’a in honour of our PM’s UN prize, mounted this time by the central governate’s municipal council. I am very glad to see that the executive branch, represented by the Honourable Mansour bin Rajab, Minister of Agricultural Affairs and the Municipalities not only taking part in it, but leading the celebrations by participating in the traditional Ardhah dance.

The Right Honourable Gentleman is no stranger to the sword, him having handled it countless times in the Hussaini processions – the Aza – thus demonstrating his multifaceted personality and skills.

Excellent Good News™ your excellency.

And I am also undisappointed that once again I see his picture in the national papers, vying with the appearances of the Minister of Commerce whom he will soon surpass or tie with in the Guinness Book of Records for the “daily appearances in local papers” metric.

While I value the role of some members of the ruling family are doing in the development of this great country and their countless philanthropic activities which I know they are not waiting to be thanked for because they see these efforts as their duty, I have noticed that some ministers have started posting non-discreet “thank you notes” signing them with their personal names rather than that of their ministries at least; take this for instance:

I value His Excellency The Minister Mansour bin Hassan bin Rajab’s [Abu Hamad née Hassan] diligence in thanking Her Majesty the Queen for patronizing the opening of the Andalus Garden in Manama – which I am anxious to visit and benefit from in gardening ideas as a budding gardener myself – but my question here is: is it appropriate for His Excellency the Minister of Agricultural Affairs and Municipalities to sign such a thank you note personally? I’ve notice that His Excellency has done the same with thanking His Highness the Prime Minister in a road-side hoarding in Muharraq on the old airport road on which only The Minister’s name was present in “the credits”.

Unless of course he paid for these himself from his own personal funds, then I have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever, He is free to utilise his own money how He sees fit. However, if He used the Ministry’s funds to do so, I would have thought that there are rules and laws against that which might go into the mismanagement of public funds and position areas.

I’m glad to inform you that the libel case levied against me by the minister of agricultural affairs and municipalities Mansour bin Rajab has officially been dropped this morning and the judge has accepted our joint signed document.

As such, I have removed the gag!

I’ll blog more about the whole experience at a later date, maybe even write a book, goodness knows I have enough material to fill a few pages up!

Thanks once again to everyone for your invaluable support especially to Adel Marzooq and Fatima Al-Hawaj for their tremendous unselfish efforts exerted on my behalf.

Sorry, I don’t have time to translate it just now as I have to be elsewhere, but will try to do so tomorrow. Needless to say, I would like to thank the BJA very much indeed for standing by me and all bloggers in Bahrain in support of the basic human right of freedom of speech.

We went to the court this morning with a number of people already present and offered their support. But due to the main judge’s family bereavement, for which I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Shaikh Mohammed bin Ali on the passing of his mother, the case has been administratively deferred to be heard on May 8th.

I would also like to sincerely thank everyone who was present and all of those who called, emailed and texted their support as well.

In particular I would like to thank the lead advocate Ms. Fatima Al-Hawaj and the legal team offered by the Bahrain Human Rights Society to assist Ms. Al-Hawaj in the case, Lawyers Nawaf Al-Sayed and Lo’ay Qarouni; Tawfiq Al-Rayyash, Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, the head of the Bahrain Journalists Union Mohammed Fadhel, journalists Mohammed Al-Sawwad from Al-Waqt (who was involved very recently in a similar case), Mohammed Aslam of the GDN, Mohammed Abbas of Reuters, Sandeep Singh Grewal from the Bahrain Tribune and Adel Al-Shaikh from Al-Wasat.

I would also like to sincerely thank my family who have always stood by me. My wife Frances, my brother Jamal and sister Maha as well as my children. I am sure that if my other siblings were in Bahrain they would have not hesitated an instant by being present to offer their support.

The legal team have asked for the case’s documents for their review and preparation, and we await the new court’s date to present our case before the High Criminal Court.

Thank you all for your unstinting support. I truly appreciate it.

What I want to emphasize, if I may, this is not really a case against Mahmood Al-Yousif as much as it is a case against the tenets of the freedom of expression.

We, the people, should not be cowed into a status of never questioning or criticising a government official no matter how high that position is. They have to realise themselves, or be made to realise that the positions they occupy being called “civil servants” is no accident of nomenclature, but fact.

Unfortunately, both the Penal Code and the Press & Publications Law specifically not only discourages this civic responsibility of criticism, but glaringly criminalise it!

Is it any wonder that these very officials have risen within their own spheres to a status of demi-gods, inviolate, unapproachable and completely disconnected with the very people they are sworn to serve?

Parliament, on the other hand, continues to prevaricate and hasn’t even scheduled discussions on a retooled Press & Publications law which will elevate freedoms of expression in all its forms, concerning themselves more with perceived sorcerers and witches!

No, this is not a case against Mahmood Al-Yousif and never was. What I have written is rather mild when you consider it. This is a case purposefully levied to silence criticism.

Today it is me. Tomorrow it is everyone who dares to even glance “wrongly” at a public official, even if that official happens to be a janitor.

We’re all gathering tomorrow morning at the Court building at 9:30. Cases are looked at starting at 10:00am.

It’s a freedom of expression case, any way you look at it. Please show your opposition to attempts to stifle this freedom by being there.

Thank you.

Jufair – Bahraini Journalists Association – Sunday, April 15, 2007
Bahraini Journalists Association invites all journalists in Bahrain to amass in solidarity with the Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif at the High Criminal Court on Tuesday April 17, 2007 due to the case brought against him by the Minister of Municipalities Mansour bin Rajab.

This calls all the journalists to be present at the courtroom and declare their solidarity with Al-Yousif on this issue of freedom of opinion and expression in Bahrain. The BJA condemns the insistence of the minister in pursuing a lawsuit against Al-Yousif, especially as Al-Yousif’s criticism of the minister in his Internet published article was criticism of the minister’s capacity as public official rather than personal. The BJA also calls on civic institutions political and social to show their solidarity by attending at the trial and release supportive statements of Al-Yousif. The Society also announces that it has asked Advocate Fatima Al-Hawaj to assume the defense of Mahmood Al-Yousif and would like to thank Ms. Al-Hawaj for her acceptance in assuming that role.

The Bahraini Journalists Association, realizes the seriousness of the continuation of such trials, which seek to undermine one of the most important achievements in the national reform of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which is the tenet of the freedom of speech; thus, the Journalists Association will not stand idle and watch the the assassination attempts of this freedom.

The Bahraini Journalists Association will exert all efforts available within its powers and will activate all the tools at its disposal as well as its relations with regional and international organizations to demand a stop to these judicial campaigns against journalists in Bahrain.

The Association stresses that in espousing the cause of Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif had taken into consideration the commitments and legal contexts of electronic publishing asserting that freedom of expression in these laws are an integral part of freedom of speech as required by the tenets of the National Action Charter and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It has also taken into account the adoption of international journalists institutions of similar electronic publishing cases and defended them within the context of the freedom of the press.

We in the Journalists Association are confident of the impartiality of the judiciary in Bahrain and will be supportive of freedom of speech and expression. The Association appreciates that the members of the press in Bahrain, both members and non-members, respond to this call to mobilize on the day of the trial hoping that the minister responds to our demands of withdrawing this lawsuit.

Adel Marzooq
Vice President
Bahrain Journalists Association

note: translation to English is my attempt

I received a summons yesterday delivered to my home instructing me to present myself at the High Criminal Court next Tuesday (17 April 2007) charged under both the Penal Code (3/92, 364, 365) and the Press & Publications Law 47/2002 (3/4, 72, 77) in the defamation case brought against me by a sitting minister; H. E. Mansour Hassan bin Rajab, the Minister of Agricultural Affairs and Municipalities relating to my criticism of his public figure and that of his ministry for lackadaisical performance in executing their duties.

I am grateful for the various mediation efforts enacted on my behalf which have gained the Minister’s assurances – twice – that he would drop the case; however, unfortunately this obviously has not happened.

I am very grateful for the tremendous support I have received from Bahraini and international journalists and friends in this regard. They not only promise to be present at the trial in a show of solidarity, but the Bahrain Journalists’ Association specifically have appointed Ms. Fatima Al-Hawaj to take up the defence of the case on my behalf.

I have also received and continue to receive the unstinting support from the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights as well as the Bahrain Human Rights Society. I truly appreciate their advice and their support.

I am convinced that I did no wrong. I have portrayed my criticism squarely at a public figure and a government organ both of whom I think did not execute their job to the full extent of their capability. This case is nothing more than a scare tactic to silence any form of criticism, especially that of a public official. Why else is a case like this is to be heard at the highest criminal court in the land? Why else is a defamation case looked at in the same court that adjudicates murder and treason cases?

I believe in our constitution, and believe in the human right of free speech and expression. I know that with your support I can go through this.

If you wish, you can show your support by writing about this case and you are more than welcome to be present at the court next Tuesday morning to show your support.

For background information about this case, please use the following link:
http://mahmood.tv/tag/bin-rajab

and full press coverage (so far) at:
http://mahmood.tv/bin-rajab-vs-al-yousif-libel-case/

A higher resolution image of the attached document (for publication) is available at:
http://mahmood.tv/pages/courtcase_binrajab_vs_alyousif_pp.jpg

Read more…

The Bahrain Journalists Association has just released a strongly worded press release in which it condemned the minister of municipalities and agriculture’s reneging on an agreement in which I have fully fulfilled.

My thanks go to Adel Marzooq who has been a pillar of support and mediation. I wish to thank him publicly for all of his efforts.

نستنكر إخلال وزير شئون البلديات بإتفاقية سحب الإدعاء ضد البلوغر محمود اليوسف

عادل مرزوق : نتضامن مع اليوسف وسندعو الصحافيين للإحتشاد في يوم المحاكمة

الجفير – جمعية الصحافيين البحرينية

صرح نائب رئيس جمعية الصحافيين البحرينية عادل مرزوق أنه قام بوساطة غير رسمية – وبموافقة من مجلس إدارة جمعية الصحافيين البحرينية – بين وزير شئون البلديات والزراعة منصور بن رجب والبلوغر محمود اليوسف فيما يتعلق بالدعوى التي قدمها الوزير للنيابة العامة ضد اليوسف.

وأكد مرزوق أن إتفاق المصالحة الذي توسطت فيه الجمعية كان يقتضي أن يقوم الأخير بحذف بعض الكلمات من التقرير الذي نشره في مدونته باللغة الإنجليزية على أن يقوم الوزير بسحب الدعوى من النيابة العامة بعد ذلك.

وأكد مرزوق أنه أجرى بعض الاتصالات التي أجراها مع الوزير والبلوغر محمود اليوسف ووسيط آخر من طرف الوزير. وأكد ان اليوسف إلتزم ببنود المصالحة وقام فعلاً بحذف الكلمات مثار “الجدل” إلا أن الوزير رفض – بحسب الوسيط – التنازل متذرعاً بضرورة بضرورة حذف التعليقات على الموضوع. وهو ما أعتبره مرزوق “تصرفاً غريباً” من جانب الوزير ووسيطه، وأنها شروط لم تكن مدرجة ضمن الإتفاق الأولي.

هذا وأعلن مرزوق أنه يجري الآن بعض الاتصالات مع باقي مجلس إدارة جمعية الصحافيين من أجل توجيه دعوة رسمية لجميع الصحافيين المنتمين للجمعية للتضامن مع البلوغر محمود اليوسف في أولى جلسات المحاكمة في حال قامت النيابة العامة بتحويل القضية للقضاء معتبراً الدفاع عن اليوسف دعماً لحرية التعبير ووقوفاً في صف حرية الكلمة وضرورة التخفيف من حدية التحسس في نقد الشخصيات العامة.

وأشار نائب رئيس جمعية الصحافيين إلى أن الجمعية ستدرس الصفة القانونية في تبنيها الدفاع عن اليوسف في ضوء أنه ليس عضواً فيها، وأنه في حال موافقة مجلس الإدارة على ذلك فإنها – الجمعية – ستخاطب رسمياً شتى المنظمات الدولية والحقوقية المختصة لحثها على دعم اليوسف بشتى الطرق الممكنة.

We register our dismay due to the Minister of Municipal Affairs reneging on the agreement to withdraw the case against blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif

Adel Marzooq: We declare our solidarity with Al-Yousif and will call on all journalists to demonstrate [at the court house] when the court convenes to consider the case

Juffair – Bahrain Journalist Association

The vice president of the Bahrain Journalist Association Mr. Adel Marzooq issued a statement declaring that he acted as an unofficial mediator – with the full agreement of the Association’s board – between the Minister of Municipal and Agricultural Affairs Mansour bin Rajab and the blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif in the case lodged with the public prosecutor by the minister against Al-Yousif.

Marzooq affirmed that he did communicate with the minister, the blogger and another intermediary on the minister’s behalf. He confirmed that Al-Yousif did abide by the terms of the agreement fully and has indeed removed the “contentious” words, but the minister refused – according to the 2nd intermediary – to withdraw the case making further demands to remove the comments on the published article as well, which Marzooq considered as an “unwarranted behavior” by the minister and his mediator, and that these conditions were never part of the original agreement.

Marzooq further declared that he communicated with members of the Association’s board to officially request all affiliated journalists to offer their solidarity with Al-Yousif when the court convenes to consider this case in support of the freedom of expression and resolutely stand with the freedom of speech and urge public figures to reduce their sensitivity to criticism.

The vice president of the Bahrain Journalists Association said that the Association will study the legality of adopting the defence of Al-Yousif in light of his not being a member of the Association. In the event of the board’s agreement, the Association will communicate with a multitude of concerned international and legal bodies and ask them to offer their support to Al-Yousif in any way they can.