Rehan Naqvi
Press TV, Oslo
“We Are the Giant” is a documentary film about the wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world. It is going to be screened in the Human Rights Human Wrongs film festival in Oslo. When it comes to Bahrain, it shows the struggle by the al-Khawaja family during the popular protests against the ruling Al Khalifa regime in the tiny Persian Gulf state.
This is the seventh edition of this festival in Oslo. It will screen more than twenty documentary films and hold panel discussion sessions about them. One of the subjects discussed during these sessions was the Arab Spring. Bahraini human rights activist Maryam alKhawaja was one of the participants in the debate."
During her speech, Maryam al-Khawaja said the west did not support the revolution in Bahrain because of double standards of western counties.
The other members of the debate panel included Jamila Raqib of Albert Einstein Institution and Jacob Hoeigilt of the Peace Research Institute, Oslo. Raqib said the international community has failed in recent years to adequately support the pro-democracy calls in many countries, including in Bahrain.
Activists say instead of making good on its promises, the ruling Al Khalifa regime has launched a crackdown on Bahrain’s anti-government protests, which started in 2011. Protesters have demanded more democracy and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community.