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Bahrain under fire for crackdown on dissent

Tuesday, 12 July 2016 8:59 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 13 July 2016 10:10 AM ]

Bahraini demonstrators attend a protest against the revocation of the citizenship of top Bahraini Shiae cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim (portrait), on June 20, 2016 near Qassim. (AFP Photo)

These are some of the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

EU, Amnesty condemn Bahrain

Serious signs appeared last week that the international community is finally turning its attention to the deteriorating rights situation in Bahrain. This past Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to condemn Bahrain's crackdown on rights activists over the past month. EU Parliamentarians specifically condemned Bahrain for jailing activists and dissolving the country’s leading opposition party. The European Parliament, together with the Amnesty International, has also called on Bahrain to free prominent human rights defender and activist Nabeel Rajab. Another key figure whose case has specifically caught the attention of EU Parliamentarians is Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim. The EU has called on Bahrain to reverse its decision to strip the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim.

Dallas Shooting Aftermath

The US is still reeling from the fatal shooting of police officers in the city of Dallas on Thursday. Authorities identified the shooter as a black Army veteran who was described as “upset about Black Lives Matter” and “recent police shootings” in the states of Minnesota and Louisiana. Johnson was killed when a police robot detonated a bomb near him following a standoff that lasted several hours. The way Johnson was killed is reminiscent of the bombing of a black liberation group known as move in West Philadelphia in the 1980s.

NATO hard line against Russia

The leaders of NATO member states have gathered in the Polish capital Warsaw to take part in the western military alliance's largest summit since the Cold War. A resurgent Russia topped the agenda of the summit. Jens Stol-tenberg also announced on Friday that NATO took control of a US-built missile system in Europe. Stoltenberg, however, claims that the missile shield is entirely defensive and represents no threat to Russia’s strategic nuclear deterrent. Washington for its turn argues that handing over control to the multinational NATO alliance can calm Russian fears.

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