[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Comment: UAE and Pakistan: harassing the ‘heretics’ Mohammad Taqi writes on the harassment of Shia Pakistanis in the Gulf state, which has been taking place for two years now, in Daily Times.
Israel’s Prisoner X Is Linked to Dubai Assassination in a New Report Jodi Rudoren writes on a report published in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarid, which claims that Ben Zygier, the Australian-Israeli man known as Prisoner X, took part in the assassination of the Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in 2010, in The New York Times.
Saudi princes warn of damage to UK relations if allegations emerge in trial Owen Bowcott writes on the Saudi royals’ efforts to prevent the disclosure of documents on disputed transactions that are at the center of a trial in London, in The Guardian.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi Arabia: Arrested for Protesting Detainment, Again Bayan Perazzo reports on the arrest of at least forty women and twelve children in Qassim and Riyadh last week for protesting the arbitrary detainment of family members, on Muftah.
The Laryngitic Dog Sheila Carapico analyzes the latest disclosure of the CIA’s use of a Saudi base to carry out drone strikes in Yemen, and the American media’s silence on the role of Riyadh in assisting the American administration in its war there, on Middle East Research and Information Project.
The Arab Spring and Lèse-Majesé Shahira Salloum argues that the charge of "defaming the majesty of the emir, sultan, or king" in the Gulf countries is a new charge whose purpose is to repress criticism, on Al-Akhbar English.
Kuwait: Who is the Most Vulnerable? Mona Kareem blogs on the sentences of the three members of parliament who were accused of insulting the emir, on Al-Akhbar English.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain protests second anniversary of uprising – Thursday, 14 February 2013 Matthew Weaver and Jon Henley provide live update on developments in Bahrain, in The Guardian.
Teenager killed in Bahrain anniversary protests A news report on clashes between security forces and protesters commemorating the second anniversary of the Bahraini uprising, on BBC.
Bahrain to investigate latest protest deaths A news report on the Bahraini government’s announcement that it will launch an investigation into the death a teenager and a policeman during rallies marking the second anniversary of the uprising, on Al Jazeera English.
Arrests follow fresh Bahrain violence A news report on clashes between security forces and protesters in a Shia village during the funeral of the teenager killed last week, on Al Jazeera English.
Bahrain: Nurses’ leader calls for international solidarity A news report on the appeal by Rula al Saffar, President of Bahrain Nursing Society, to the international community to exert pressure on the government to end violence, on MENA Solidarity Network.
Bahrain: it’s time to act Ali Alaswad argues that it is time for the Bahraini government to engage with the opposition, and for the international community to step up its pressure on the government, in The Guardian.
Decades of Oppression Foment Bahrain Revolution Shahira Salloum examines the history of protests in the kingdom, and the current demands of people, on Al-Akhbar English.
Bahrain’s Arab spring chapter is still being written two years on Ian Black analyzes the political scene in Bahrain on the second anniversary of the uprising, in The Guardian.
Bahrain: Silencing the voice of the voiceless Katherine Gallagher reflects on human rights abuses in Bahrain, on Al Jazeera English.
“Two Years of Deaths and Detentions”: Bahraini Pro-Democracy Protesters Mark Anniversary of Uprising A media report on the second anniversary of the Bahraini uprising, including an interview with Maryam Alkhawaja, the acting president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, on Democracy Now.
POMED Notes: “The Precarious Ally: Bahrain’s Impasse and U.S. Policy in the Gulf” A report on a panel discussion on Bahrain organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and featuring Toby Craig Johns, Matar Ebrahim Matar, Jon Alterman, Frederic Wehrey and Karim Sadjadpour, on Project on Middle East Democracy.
Crisis in Yemen
Deaths mar Yemen’s 2011 revolt anniversary A news report on the death of two protesters during rallies commemorating the second anniversary of the Yemeni uprising, on BBC.
Human Rights Watch
Yemen: Political Interference in Massacre Probe A statement by the organization condemning the failure of the current Yemeni government to hold members of the previous government accountable in the shooting of protesters on 18 March 2011.
Kuwait: Court Acquits Activists of ‘Offending Emir’ A statement by the organization commending the Kuwaiti governments for acquitting activists accused of insulting the emir.
Saudi Arabia: Free Ex-Judge Sentenced to 15 Years A statement by the organization calling upon the Saudi government to release Sulaiman al-Rashoodi, a former judge who is sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment.
Kuwait: Rights Setbacks Amid Political Crisis The organization’s assessment of Kuwait’s human rights record in its World Report 2013.
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