The Obama administration. After all, they have now resumed arms shipments to the Bahrain monarchy at the very moment when Al Khalifa announced an even sharper crackdown on pro-democracy protestors.

Zeinab AlKhawaja, whom many of you know from her twitter writing as @AngryArabiya, will face a Bahraini court today and tomorrow on “charges of obstructing traffic and insulting an officer in one case, and insulting at a security officer at a military hospital in a second case.”

ast week at this time, the Bahraini government was “celebrating” their Formula One race by arresting a British Channel 4 television news crew who attempted to report on conditions in the country. The video here is the report they have now been able to file with footage smuggled out when they were deported.

Bahrain arrests foreign journalists attempting to cover civil rights demonstrations following F1 race. Ten women also being held for holding photo of AlKhawaja at F1 race, one beaten severely.

As I write this, the F1 teams are preparing to go ahead with their Grand Prix in Bahrain. The race begins at 1200 GMT with activists promising to try to disrupt it. From outside Bahrain, Anonymous is also going after Bahrain as seen in twitter comments at #OpBahrain.

Last summer, the King of Bahrain funded the “independent” Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry to review human rights issues in the country. The report was praised by the King’s American friends – and presented as justification for continued American support of the monarchy.

Today Bahrain began a “trial” for 21 opposition leaders, seven of them to be tried in absentia. The trial was suddenly announced on Saturday following public attention on Friday – including an urgent appeal by Amnesty International – when word spread that human rights leader Abdulhadi Alkhawaja had been taken from jail to a hospital for surgery for injuries caused by torture. (Alkhawaja is known to many FDL readers as the father of @angryarabiya)