Bahraini Blogger Ali Abdelemam

Rasha sent me this: I cite with her permission):  "I just wanted to bring to your attention the case of Ali Abdelemam.  He is a bahraini blogger and the moderator of the now banned Bahrain Online which is a chat room which is viewed by the Bahraini government as being anti-government.  Nothing on Bahrain Online is censored and it became so important in bahrain that many ministers and government officials would get their news from there.  Ali Abdelemam is now being charged under the Bahraini governments "anti-terrorism" laws.  Before the trial, he was detained without access to counsel.  There is also evidence that he has been tortured by bahraini authorities.  The trial is closed to all the media.  No one has any idea what's going on.  The bahraini government has basically gone crazy.  Of course this isn't unexpected.  After nearly a decade of liberalization, they are arresting people left and right and accusing prominent opposition figures of terrorism.  22 have been arrested so far and we expect many more.  Bahrain is definitely regressing.  Before no one was scared of the government and we said whatever we wanted.  Now my parents refuse to talk about the situation on the phone.  My friends on facebook are silent about the situation.  My mother who was visiting me in the US warned me about posting any anti-government articles on facebook.  People are scared."

Here's a link to a blog about Ali Abdelemam as well as a wall street journal article on him."