Happy New Year Mr. AlKhalifa

Happy New Year Mr. AlKhalifa,

I wish you a long and healthy life to contemplate the heinous damage of your families historic generational mis-administration of Bahrain.

I was cautioned as a child that sticks and stones would break my bones but names would never hurt me. Someone in Bahrain clearly suffered poor parental preparation for life's little jibes........ no personal insult intended. Yet.

While I am anti imperialist (because I believe in the tradition that honour is earned and people should choose the bravest and most noble from their own community as leaders), this tear-up gesture is not meant merely as an insult to a monarch, but to the entire self appointed criminal oppressive and tyrannical cartel regime of Bahrain. 

Let me clarify, it is 'You' collectively, who were either instrumental in the GCC annexing of the country, purchased killer Tear Gas and Shot Guns to pepper pellets at protestors, you who ordered the night raids and beatings, you cowardly filth who abducted and stood by and watched torture and rape of men and women and the terror you beat into children to force them to become informants. Your Gangs of extremists and imported police and pseudo army continue to oppress the indigenous natives of the island, relentlessly - every day and every night. You who ruined the education system and used sectarianism in reallocating jobs, just as the healthcare infrastructure was decimated with all the top professionals imprisoned - and which remains a sad and frightening shambles in spite of the pending report the old boys club from RCSI Ireland will produce from their recent loved up junket there. 

You think we can't see you behind the smoke cloud of sponsorship of ridiculous international events?! (Science?! Earth to Nasser...) Can you possibly TRY any harder?!?

This Poster Protest is costing you a PR fortune. Which I bet hurts a lot more than randomers, I include myself here in Ireland, tearing up sheets of A4 copy paper around the world with your image printed on them. They say you can tell countries under tyranny by the size of the dictators portrait posters at the airport. It must sting a little at the likelihood of being remembered not as 'the King who was torn down' - but torn up! 

Zainab AlKhawaja, Nabeel Rajab, Ali AlEkri, Maryam AlKhawaja, Hussein Parweez, Nafeesa AlAsfoor,  Mahdi AbuDeeb, Naji Fateel, Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, Hassan Mushaima and the 1000s of other brave and nameless activists, photographers, and journalists who keep the fires alive are the reason I make this gesture. Human Rights Defenders and political opponents are not criminals.

But these people are not 'yours' Mr AlKhalifa, and so they do not matter to you. Your family were pirates, colonisers and thieves - you call yourselves 'owners of the islands' and so the people's welfare matters only like creatures at the end of the garden. Shame on you for permitting the detention of a pregnant woman in her ninth month. That is a crime. 

Your time has come and the 'wall will fall' as predicted by your son Nasser, but it is falling onto himself. Your Uncle and Nephews do not have the capacity to run a donkey derby never mind a country! You really must sort out your house! The cats out of the bag on this one ........ So much squabbling! I actually feel for you as a bit of a victim in your own home. 

The paradox is that You, like USA and EU don't need to continue to live under the puppet masters Saudi Arabia who behead 1000s of people each year. You could even perhaps still legitimise a constitutional monarchy, if that's what the people vote for in genuinely democratic elections..... throw in some UN and independent monitors for some BICI flavoured good measure. You cant fool all the people all the time.

Respect can only be earned. Consider for your New Years Resolution passing a decree (and sticking to it mind) for open democracy, drop all politically motivated charges and do something noble. While you're at it declare a Jubilee and release the opposition members and activists who can actually HELP get the country off its knees, functioning and participating productively in the international arena again! 

The Baharna do not love you nor trust you but they could 'begin' to respect you. They must first forgive you. I caution you to act swiftly now, haste is of the essence. Otherwise the only diplomatic talks your people will be invited to participate in will be for a tribunal in The Hague. 

With all due respect and reverence,

I leave you to your thoughts.

Tara (..... of Ireland)

P.S. I post my pre-tear-up posters beneath as, like yourself, I can't stand the thought that anyone would risk forgetting what you look like.

Nabeel Rajabs current detention

Nabeel Rajab is a precious prisoner. Preventing a human rights fighter of this calibre from speaking the truth and exposing the criminal acts of the regime is a little victory that they are licking their chops about. They will be greedy to hold him as long as they can. He and Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and the other high-profile prisoners like Dr ALI AlEkry and Hassan Mushaima are important to keep locked away and silenced because of their incredible respect and love from the community. There are thousands of detainees: it is absurd.

The cost of this mass detention must be astronomical logistically, however the cost to their Public Relations must be mounting increasingly now due to the recent UK Court decision, ruling that Prince Nasser the Torturer is not immune to being prosecuted under British law. So Nabeels arrest is also in retaliation for that, although he had nothing whatsoever to do with this particular campaign, clearly, because he was imprisoned himself for the duration of the time it took to build the case and the brilliant

Team who worked so tenaciously on it.

3.5 million people signed a petition asking for his release but the Regine are simply terrified of him and no amount of pressure from the UN, USA, EU, or ourselves (NGOs and Civil Soc) can encourage them to see common sense. What a complete farce their elections in a few weeks will be. They are self appointed and the entire government will continue to be run as a narcissistic incestuous mafia cartel. If they have nothing to hide why don't they let journalists and human rights groups into the country to investigate?! Even Juan Mendez the Special Rapporteur on Torture is still not permitted entry! But we are determined and resolute to redouble our efforts and ensure that justice and accountability will be served.