Americans Deported From Bahrain: Reports

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain deported two American women Saturday accused of aiding anti-government activists after entering on tourist visas, officials and activists said. The announcement comes amid escalating tensions ahead of the one-year anniversary of the uprising against the Gulf kingdom's rulers.

The two women, identified by Bahraini authorities as Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath, were ordered out of the country after being arrested at a protest in the capital Manana, said Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority. Officials offered no other details about the deportation or the two women.

Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said the pair are U.S. citizens. The U.S. Embassy said it is looking into the reports. Journalists and rights observers need prior approval to enter Bahrain, but American tourists or business travelers can obtain a visa upon arrival.

Security forces have stepped pressure before the Feb. 14 anniversary of the start of Shiite-led protests seeking a greater political voice in the strategic island nation, ruled by a Sunni monarchy that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The statement from Bahrain officials accused the women of violating tourist visa rules by joining the protests "in order to report on them" for websites and social media linked to Rajab's rights group.

Bahrain's majority Shiites began protests last year seeking a greater voice in political and security affairs. Authorities responded with widespread crackdowns and arrests. At least 40 people have died in the unrest, and some right groups place the total higher.

The country's monarchy later offered some concessions, including giving more powers to the elected parliament. But protesters demand the monarchy give up its near monopoly control of political affairs.

Comments

[Martin Timothy]

06:25 PM on 02/15/2012

This is the real situation with “foreign agitators” .. American Jew and Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, whose photograph, backlit by police barricades, went world wide .. was arrested for inciting violence in Egypt 12 June 2011, then traded for eighty one detained Egyptians, who tuned up at OWS San Francisco.

The football violence that caused some 70 dead and 1000 injured in Egypt, 2 February 2012 was orchestrated by thugs, some of whom were armed with clubs and swords, were bussed in, while the stadium gates against which most were crushed to death, had been welded shut!

In the United States, protesters at Occupy CPAC event 6 February 2012, organized by AFL-CIO and the Occupy DC movement, were paid sixty bucks a head, to protest outside the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC .. americanvisionnews.com

The Canada Greenberg op, that busses OWS ppl into New York City, from Bellevue pavilion for the insane, that provided embittered psychiatrist Major Hasan, a Canadian actor blamed for the Fort Hood massacre, and the “Harley Shirt Guy” whose scripted comments, re the collapse of the WTC Towers went world wide on 911, is behind these stunts!

[lawa]

05:47 PM on 02/12/2012

maybe tourists should visit and learn and appreciate the host country rather than condemning the government. now with the womn deported thier safety is ensured. Bahrain is already having civil problems, it is a hot spot not a good idea to critize the powers to be. like a guest in your home, you dont need to be told how to run your house. the navy has use of the island nation and that makes this a tough situation to deal with.

[tchspirit6]

04:00 PM on 02/12/2012

so they did not use the cover -- disguise --- as tourists. what gave them away? was it the microphone -- or the cigarette smoking?

[Brehas2]

11:09 AM on 02/12/2012

No other country tolerates what America tolerates. Every European country takes pride in its national language whether its German or French or whatever. Here in America ENGLISH should be the national language. Other languages should be secondary. With this established we would have a more united and strengthened country instead of being balkanized.

[dknowles60]

01:55 PM on 02/12/2012

hear! hear!

[tchspirit6]

04:01 PM on 02/12/2012

oh, so they were speaking english...forgot to speak berhainese?

[irishkids1234]

10:39 AM on 02/12/2012

Should we now deport Bahrainian women?

[hertamania]

03:20 PM on 02/12/2012

YES

[tchspirit6]

04:02 PM on 02/12/2012

only if they don't speak english.

[ricksophie]

12:27 AM on 02/12/2012

The government of Bahrain knows how to handle a problem. If a foreigner comes to there country and meddles in the country’s affairs they deport them..
In America, illegal’s come here and protest being deported, our schools, welfare and food stamps and new state laws (Arizona and Georgia) and our government sends the D.O.J. to support the illegal's. We could learn something from Bahrain…

[TheTruth33]

01:35 AM on 02/12/2012

record numbers of illegals have been deported from America the last 3 years. spin elsewhere.

[ricksophie]

04:18 PM on 02/12/2012

“SPIN” You my friend are over dosing on liberal kool-aid… There are still between 10 and 20 million illgeal’s in our country and they need to be deported. They continue to suck up all the taxpayer money they can. (6 billion a year just in California)
Your leader, Obama, can’t make up his mind to either pound his own chest and brag about how many illegal’s he has deported or stop all the deportation. He is very good at speaking out of both sides of his mouth and, noting you reply, you are buying this. I can only guess that you don’t recognize pandering when you see it….

[dknowles60]

01:55 PM on 02/12/2012

great post

[keezze]

11:58 PM on 02/11/2012

Yes it takes just one smile and wink and click of a pretty American babes hi heal shoes to ignite a mass flood of protesters demanding freedom and the change of dictator to democracy in good ole Bahrain. Out with oppression in with modern freedoms. hip hip hurey

[tchspirit6]

04:03 PM on 02/12/2012

glad you got that off your chest...hip, hip horray for progress, change.

[Rodney Davis]

11:17 PM on 02/11/2012

Typical Americans with an American supremacist mindset. AMERICA THE MEDDLER!

[budget-2]

01:12 AM on 02/12/2012

with names like these women have, i don,t think they were born here. they may have applyed for
citizenship and went thru the process . what should happen , is the u.s. should revoke their citizenship and deport them back to where ever they came from.

[Jeff McConnell]

10:46 AM on 02/12/2012

Rodney are you an American? I think I can safely say that most Americans couldn't care less about the politics in Bahrain, or anywhere else, for that matter...

[Rodney Davis]

02:01 PM on 02/12/2012

Yes, I was born in America. This is why I can say what I say about America. I bare witness to the history of America and can testify of the wicked treatment of America of not only the natives of this land but the Africans that she stole to work the land. I hear a lot of this term lately called " entitlements " but America and Americans seem to think that they are ENTITLED to push their ideology on the rest of the world. WHO ELSE GOT BASES AND SOLDIERS ALL OVER THE PLANET LIKE AMERICA? America is that mystery Babylon in scripture. AND SHE IS ON HER WAY DOWN!

[Rodney Davis]

07:48 PM on 02/13/2012

Overseas American military bases

Afghanistan
Bagram Airfield
Shindand Airbase
Kandahar International Airport

Bahrain
Bahrain International Airport
Sheikh Isa Air Base

Bulgaria
Main article: Bulgarian-American Joint Military Facilities
Bezmer Air Base
Graf Ignatievo Air Base

Germany
Ansbach
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Geilenkirchen
Ramstein Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base

Greenland
Thule Air Base

Guam
Andersen Air Force Base

Italy
Aviano Air Base
Sigonella Naval Air Station
Camp Darby (Pisa-Livorno)

Japan
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Prefecture
Misawa Air Base, Misawa, Aomori
Yokota Air Base, Tokyo

Kuwait
Ali Al Salem Air Base
Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base

Oman
Masirah Air Base
Thumrait Air Base

Qatar
Al Udeid Air Base

Saudi Arabia
Eskan Village
Singapore
Paya Lebar Air Base

South Korea
Kunsan Air Base
Osan Air Base

Kyrgyzstan
Manas Air Base

Netherlands
Joint Force Command Brunssum

Portugal
Lajes Field, Azores

Spain
Morón Air Base, Andalusia
Morón de la Frontera, Andalusia

Turkey
Incirlik Air Base

United Arab Emirates
Al Dhafra Air Base

United Kingdom (tenant facilities only)
RAF Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk
RAF Menwith Hill, Yorkshire Dales
RAF Mildenhall, Mildenhall
RAF Croughton, Upper Heyford
RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire

[skyeagle]

11:10 PM on 02/11/2012

The got away lucky. I am surprised they didn't say they were merely hiking by the protest when they were illegally detained.

[nonpolit123]

11:01 PM on 02/11/2012

If we are in a foreign country, we have no business in trying to interfere with their politics. We don't want foreigners coming to the states and doing this so why should they. If they are guilty then they are lucky they were only deported.

[capnamerca]

12:28 AM on 02/12/2012

You are correct in part. Sadly though, we do promote and allow foreigners to come in and interfere/influence our politics. By the millions ! ! !

[nonpolit123]

01:07 AM on 02/12/2012

And we cannot even practice our religion in theirs. We need to be the same.

[dknowles60]

01:56 PM on 02/12/2012

very well said

[jrwest78]

12:45 AM on 02/12/2012

they pay our servicemen a nice per diem to work there

[nonpolit123]

01:08 AM on 02/12/2012

Which country are you referring to ?

[nonpolit123]

03:12 AM on 02/12/2012

I think you are confused. Our govt pays our service members. Other countries charge us for having service members in their countries. Iraq , Afghanastan do not pay us perse, but the amount of aid we give them far exceeds anything a normal country would charge us.

[tippy301]

10:58 PM on 02/11/2012

Deported ? To where? The Black Hole Of Calcutta ?

[chainsawd1]

10:45 PM on 02/11/2012

It's their country, their rules. If these two women violated tourist visa rules by joining the protests, then they risked being deported and they were.

The fact that they were there to "report on the demonstrations" for websites and social media linked to Rajab's rights group, tells me they were only there to report on the demonstrations and not join them.

[soldier123]

10:38 PM on 02/11/2012

They are lucky tht they were not thrown in prison or stoned. When in a foreign country one must act accordingly. Some Americans when they visit a foreign country act very disrespectful and very loud.

[nonpolit123]

11:02 PM on 02/11/2012

Too many times you are right. The arrogant American attitude. I see it often abroad and makes one feel shame for their actions.

[lawa]

05:56 PM on 02/12/2012

we have gtmo

[zane1260]

10:09 PM on 02/11/2012

You can get kicked out of this country for a lot less than that.

[nonpolit123]

11:03 PM on 02/11/2012

Actually no you can't, but the point here is they were lucky not more was done to tem. Most other countries are not as tolerant as we are to something like this.

[bobbing4apples47]

11:42 PM on 02/11/2012

We are swamped by people who are here illegally. We now are expected to change the language of the land tp accomadate them. They demand we support them and we do. Tell me how they can be deported for less than what these two did. It was a joke right.

[dknowles60]

01:58 PM on 02/12/2012

good one

[bowled2474]

05:31 PM on 02/12/2012

Not to worry they will self-deport as soon as Romney is Elected President........Bahahahaha

[sallyma]

09:48 PM on 02/11/2012

I think all americans need to leave the middle eastern countries. Do not tour these areas.
It isn't safe, and why in the world would anyone want to visit this area. Those places are hostile.

[Poovoh]

10:47 PM on 02/11/2012

Why anyone would want to tour the Middle East is for the scenery and the history, but yeah, I'd be just too scared to go.

[tigerlilycousin]

11:03 PM on 02/11/2012

And then have the nerve to join a protest!