winfrey, and former president bill clinton. then to bahrain or prominent human rights activist nabeel rajab has just been released after two years in prison. regret i was great in prison for giving speeches, my participation in defending human rights in bahrain. these two years have changed me to be much stronger. prison for me was like a school and a will continue to fight for the people and human rights and with the political societies until we achieve our goals that we started on february 14. >> all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. at least 29 people are dead after a militant attack on pakistan's main international airport in karachi. gunmen disguised as state forces made it past the security checkpoint to attack a terminal used by government officials. pakistani forces regained control of the terminal after an overnight gunbattle. 10 airport guards were killed along with 10 militants. the pakistani taliban has claimed responsibility, claiming it was avenging the treatment of its prisoners in a u.s. drone strike that killed its leader late last year. the pakistani government moved toward peace talks with the taliban earlier this year, but the process has faltered with a split inside the taliban over whether to take part. egyptian military leader abdel fattah el-sisi has been sworn in as the country's new president following his landslide election win last month. cici took over 95% and a vote boycotted by opponents and criticized by international observers. he headed the country's ruling military council after leading the coup that overthrew mohamed morsi one year ago next month. in his inaugural address, he pledged to overcome what he called the mistakes of the past. i intend to make sure the upcoming rebuilding phase will be full of pledges domestically and internationally to make up for what we have missed and fix the mistakes of the past. we will establish a strong republic that will be just, safe, and stable am a prosperous, and blessed. republic that believes in knowledge and work in a state that realizes resources have to come from its children and go to its children. >> sisi is the sixth military leader to run egypt since the army overthrew the monarchy in 1952. five people are dead in las vegas after a pair shooters killed three people, then took their own lives. the suspects reportedly shouted, this is a revolution, before shooting dead two police officers eating lunch. they fatally shot a civilian inside a nearby walmart. las vegas sheriff gillespie the tell how the rampage unfolded. of officers arrived on scene and did hear shots being fired. one citizen was discovered deceased inside the front door of the store. our officers injured the front and back of the walmart store -- our offers entered the front and back of the walmart store. our officers came in contact with the suspects which in part place between the officers and the suspects. a short time later, more shots were heard. pulmonary acute -- preliminary appears the female shot the male suspect and took her own life. >> according to abc news, the u.s. is averaging 15 mass shootings a year, threefold increase from six years ago. the shooters in las vegas put flags on both police officers who were killed from the revolutionary war saying don't tread on me. new details have emerged of freed u.s. soldier bowe bergdahl's time in captivity. he has told military doctors he was beaten, tortured, and locked in a metal cage for weeks and possibly months at a time as punishment for trying to escape. he is reportedly now in good enough physical condition to fly home to the united states, but will remain at an american military hospital in germany until mentally ready. the obama administration faces continued republican criticism for winning bergdahl's freedom in return for five taliban prisoners held at guantánamo bay. speaking to cnn, republican senator john mccain claimed obama has released "hard-core sts who arehadi responsible for 9/11." >> it would have been offensive and income principle to consciously leave an american behind, no matter what. to leave an american behind in the hands of people who would torture him, cut off his head, to any number of things, and we would consciously choose to do that? that is the other side of this equation. i don't think anybody would think that is the appropriate thing to do. >> the fbi says it is investigating death threats and to bowe bergdahl's father. the first of the threats were received last week when the town of hailey, idaho canceled around celebrating the younger bergdahl's release. bob bergdahl has been target of right-wing criticism after he learned to speak pashto and grew out his beard in a bid to reach out to his sons captors. dozens of lgbt couples have exchanged vows in wisconsin after a federal judge struck down the state same-sex marriage ban. to county'sked office in milwaukee and madison on friday shortly after the ruling came down. the emirate and civil liberties union called the decision a theory for equality -- american civil liberties union called the decision a vertro for equality. >> there are more steps coming, but this is a huge, huge victory for equality and freedom in the state. >> wisconsin's ban became the latest to be rejected since the supreme court overturned the defense of marriage act last year. gay marriage advocates have now won 15 straight cases since the supreme court's decision. texas republicans have adopted lgbt conversion as an official party position. around 7000 delegates approved without debate a platform that includes so-called repartee of therapy.tive the tea party back to plank recognizes -- both new jersey and california have been the so-called conversion therapy on minors. the federal government has transferred hundreds of undocumented immigrant children to makeshift detention center in arizona following a surge of crossings from central america. over 1000 children are reportedly being held at a , some sleeping in plastic containers. around 300 children caught near the texas border crossing with mexico were moved to nogales over the weekend. the phoenix restoration project, and immigrant rights group, voiced concerns over the children's conditions. >> i think the volume that we are seeing right now is pretty unprecedented, and they're putting together some last-minute in transitional shelters in processing areas, which, of course, we have concerns whether or not those facilities are added that we have already seen the facilities in which the family units were being held were very inadequate and to the point of being inhumane. >> after their detention, the children will be sent to one of three u.s. military bases in oklahoma, california, or taxes. the department of homeland security says it is seeing a surge of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in central america. up to 90,000 unaccompanied minors are expected across into the united states this year. last month, u.s. officials dropped off hundreds of undocumented immigrants at a phoenix bus station. they were told to find a relatives around the nation and then report to the nearest federal immigration center. advocates have accused the government of straining the migrants with no food or money in sweltering heat. the writer and activist maya angelou was remembered saturday at a moral service in north carolina. she died last month at the age of 86. first lady michelle obama, former president bill clinton, and oprah winfrey were among the dignitaries donner angelou at the university where she taught for three decades. obama said angelou had championed african-american women like no other before. >> she showed us eventually if we stay true to who we are, in the world would embrace us -- then the world would embrace us. [applause] and she did this not just for black women, but for all women, for all human beings. be taught us all it is ok to your regular old self, whatever that is. your poor self, your broken self, you're brilliant, bold, phenomenal self. 's reach.maya angelou >> we will have more from the memorial service after the headlines. tens of thousands of people rallied in spain over the weekend as part of a continued push for a referendum on ending the monarchy. anti-meineke demonstrations have erupted since the king announced plans to abdicate throne to his son. the king was selected by dictator franco and crown after his death in 1975. meanwhile in the northern region, tens of thousands of people held hands sunday to form a giant human chain calling for a vote on independence. an estimated 100,000 people took part. has sentencedt five people to prison for the 2006 murder of the journalist and human rights advocate anna politkovskaya. she was shot dead outside her home. two of the defendants were jailed for life all three others were given sentences between 12 to 20 years. they wanttivists said the case to remain open until it is determined who ordered her murder. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. relatives of maya angelou gathered in north carolina saturday for a private memorial service to remember one of the world's most famous writers of the 20th century. first lady michelle obama, former president bill clinton, oprah winfrey were among the dignitaries who honored angelou at wake forest university in winston-salem, where maya angelou taught for three decades. she died on may 28 at her home in north carolina. she was 86 years old. born marguerite and johnson in st. louis, maya angelou grew up in arkansas in the jim crow south. at the age of seven or eight, she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. he was killed shortly thereafter. as a result of the trauma, she remained virtually silent for five years, speaking only to her brother. age 17.me a mother at the 1950's and 1960's, short on to become an actress, singer, and dancer. after she fell in love with the south african civil rights activist, they moved to cairo. she later lived in ghana, where met not the ask -- next. she returned to the u.s. to support the effort, but malcom x was assassinated shortly after her return. the 1968edy and assassination of her friend dr. martin luther king jr. devastated angelou. it was in 1969 she was encouraged by the author james baldwin among others to focus on her writing. thus was born "i know why the caged bird sings." in 1993, maya angelou recited her poem "on the pulse of the morning" at bill clinton's inauguration. she was the first poet to make inaugural cetacean since robert frost at john f. kennedy's inauguration in 1961. resident clinton spoke at saturday's memorial. >> i loved maya. the last time we were together was just a couple of weeks ago at the lbj library in austin. they were having a 50th anniversary of the signing of the civil rights movement. i gave my little talk and we , and it wasis lunch like a political version of the "antiques roadshow." [laughter] bill russell came up and hug me and reminded me how short i was. i looked over and there was maya. i went over to her and hugged her and said, i cannot believe that you have gotten yourself here. because i am just wheelchair-bound, doesn't mean i don't get around. [laughter] [applause] that is the first thing i want to say, that girl got around. [laughter] let me tell you how this all started. my first encounter with maya angelou was as a young man when i know why the caged bird sings." shortly after he came out, i read it and i was the one who was struck dumb. all, it isfirst of said about 25 miles from where i was born. i've a lot of relatives. under the people she was talking about, the problems. me the thing that struck about the book, even more than inrible abuse she endured the five years of silence that followed -- and the five years of silence that followed, was this little kid, the whole time this was going on, was paying attention. she may have stopped talking, but she never stopped looking. she was paying attention. absorbing the people she saw, the patterns of life, the experience, and trying to make sense of it. experiences for five lifetimes. we could all just show up here and talk about a piece of her life. think about that. she moved from being a new child being reunited with her mother, to being in the school of dance and drama to being the first arican-american woman to be streetcar director. , to having toby be a short order cook and other .tuff to feed the baby that was all when she was a teenager. she wasn't even 20 years old and all that had happened to her. in her 20's, she was singing and dancing and acting in uris does in u.s. and europe. she became a member of the harlem writers guild. by 32, should move to run a newspaper and by 33 she was living in ghana. by then she'd had mastered filing which is, went through verbal accident -- horrible accident. i admire you and i'm grateful to you for the life you have lived. [applause] thank you for that. and she meets malcolm x becomes here to work for him and he gets killed. she goes to work for martin luther king, and on her 40th birthday, he gets killed. we could all just be up here talking about how maya angelou represented a big piece of america's history and try triumphed over adversity and proved how dumb racism is, but her great gift in her action-packed life was she was always paying attention. and by the time she started writing her books and poetry, what she was basically doing was calling our attention to the things she had been paying attention to. and she did it with the clarity and power that will wash over as long as there's a written and spoken word. "the caged bird" was the first manifestation of her great gifts . otherwise, someone would have written a book about a little girl and what happened to her and how she couldn't talk, and why she didn't talk. calling our kept attention to things. her giganticht of figure is like the little firefighters weise to catch and put in jars. aty would come on unpredictable times and make you see something that otherwise you would have missed. something right before your nose. something in your mind you have buried. something in your heart you are afraid to face. she called her attention in thousands of ways to her belief that life is a gift, manifest in each new day. she called our attention to the fact that things that really work, loveignity, and kindness -- are things we can all share and don't cost anything. and they matter more than the differences of wealth and power, strength and beauty of intellect. all that is nice if you put it to the right use, but nothing is than giving honor to the things we share. she also taught us through all those decades of challenges that life is a constant choice. every day, you have to get up and make a choice. whether you choose light or darkness. go in.to reach out or choose to speak out or shut up. will you be paralyzed by your past and failures, or will you forgive yourself enough to be unchained? history, despite its retching pain, need not be lived again. that is what she taught me and millions of others. here is why i think she died when she did. it was her voice. she was without a voice for five thes, initially developed greatest one on the planet. god loaned her his voice. she had the voice of god. and he decided he wanted back for a while. [laughter] [applause] so, my friend, we thank you for calling our attention to the things you paid attention to. we thank you for helping to organize our scale so we give heavyweight to the most important things. we thank you for reminding us that on each new day, we can .ive birth again to the dream and that every day we should look into our sister's eyes and our brothers face, to all our nation and say, good morning. as long as we have time, we should keep the courage to begin again. that is what you did. and how blessed we are because of it. >> former president bill clinton speaking saturday at the memorial service for maya angelou, who died on may 2 28 at the age of 86. after the break, we will hear from first lady michelle obama and oprah winfrey. back in a moment. ♪ [music break] >> that was a clip by oprah's own tv of maya angelou. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. performer, poet, the maya angelou was also remembered saturday at the memorial in north carolina at wake forrest where she taught for three decades. maya angelou died last month at the age of 86. speakers included first lady michelle obama. guy, to all ofy, you, to the friends, president clinton, oprah, my mother sicily tyson, ambassador young, let me just share something with you. my mother, marian robinson, never cares about anything i do. [laughter] passedn dr. maya angelou , she said, you're going, are you? i said, mom, i'm not really sure, have to check with my schedule. she said, you're going, right? i said, well i'm going to get back to you, but i will have to check with people and figure it out. up to her room and found out a schedule to go and she said, that's good, now i'm happy. [laughter] honor,uch a profound truly a profound honor to be here today on behalf of of myself and my husband as we celebrate one of the greatest spirits our world has ever known , our dear friend dr. maya angelou. in the book of psalms, a recent "i praise you for i am fearfully and wonderfully made. wonderful are your works. my soul knows very well. my frame was not hidden from you when i was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth." what a perfect description of maya angelou and the gift she gave to her family and to all who loved her. she taught us that we are each wonderfully made, intricately woven, and put on this earth for purpose far greater than we could ever imagine. and when i think about maya angelou, i think about the .ffirming power of her words the first time i read "phenomenal woman," i was struck by how she celebrated black women's beauty like no one had ever dared to before. [applause] our curves, our stride, our strength, our grace. her words were clever and sassy, powerful and sexual and boastful. and in that one singular poem, maya angelou spoke to the essence of like women, but she also graced us with an anthem for all women, a call for all of us to embrace our god-given beauty. and how desperately black girl stated that message -- needed that message. as a young woman, i needed that message. as a child, my first thought was malibu barbie. [laughter] that was the standard for perfection. that is what the world told me to aspire to. but then i discovered maya meelou, and her words lifted right out of my own little head. her message was very simple. she told us our work has nothing to do with what the world might say. instead, she said each of us comes from the creator, trailing wisps of glory. she reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race. words sustained me on every step of my journey, through lonely moments in ivy-covered classrooms and colorless skyscrapers, through blissful moments mothering two splendid baby girls, long years on the campaign trail were my very womanhood was dissected and questioned at times. for me, that was the power of maya angelou's words. words so powerful that they cared a little black girl from the south side of chicago all the way to the white house. [applause] and today, as first lady, whenever the term "authentic" is used to describe me, i take it as a tremendous compliment because i know that i'm following in the footsteps of great women like maya angelou. but really, i'm just a beginner. i am baby authentic. [laughter] maya angelou, now, she was the original. she was the master. for at a time when there were such stifling constraints on how black women could exist in the world, she serenely disregarded all of the rules with fierce -- fiercely, passionate, unapologetic self. she was comfortable in every last inch of her glorious brown skin. but for dr. angelou, her own transition was never enough. you see, she didn't just want to be phenomenal herself, she wanted all of us to be phenomenal right alongside her. [applause] so that is what she did throughout her lifetime. she gathered so many of us under her wing. i wish i was a daughter, but i was right under that wing. sharing her wisdom, her genius, and her boundless love. i first came into her presence in 2008 when she spoke at a campaign rally here in north carolina. at that point, she was in a wheelchair hooked up to an oxygen tank to help her breathe. let me tell you, she rolled up like she owned the place. [laughter] she took the stage, as she always did, like she had been born there. andi was so completely awed overwhelmed by her presence, i could barely concentrate on what she was saying to me. though while i don't remember her exact words, i do remember exactly how she made me feel. [applause] she made me feel like i owned the place, too. she made me feel like i had been born on that stage right next to her. and i remember thinking to myself, maya angelou knows who i am, and she is rooting for me. so now i'm good. [laughter] i can do this. [applause] i can do this. and that is really true for us all. because in so many ways, maya angelou new us. she knew our hopes, our pain, our ambition, our fear, our anger, our shame. she assured us that despite it all -- in fact, because of it all, we were good. and in doing so, she paved the way for me and oprah and so many others just to be our good old black woman sells. -- black woman selves. eventually,s that if we stayed true to who we are, then the world would embrace us. [applause] and she did this not just for black women, but for all women, for all human beings. she taught us all that it is ok to be your regular old self, whatever that is. your poor self, your broken self, you're brilliant, bold, phenomenal self. that was maya angelou's reach. she touched me, she touched all of you, she touched people all across the globe, including a young white woman from kansas who named her daughter after maya and raised her son to be the first black president of the united states. [applause] so when i heard that dr. angelou had passed, well, i felt a deep sense of loss. i also felt a profound sense of peace, because there is no question that maya angelou will because there us was something truly divine about maya. i know that now as always, she is right where she belongs. may her memory be a blessing to us all. thank you. god bless. >> first lady michelle obama speaking at saturday's memorial service for maya angelou at wake forest university, where maya angelou taught for over 30 years. oprah winfrey also spoke. >> i remember the first time i heard that phrase, "god put a rainbow in the clouds." ands in utter despair distraught and had called maya -- i remember being locked in the bathroom with the door closed, sitting on the toilet seat. she couldng so hard barely understand what i was saying. i was upset about something that i can remember now what it was. isn't that how life works? for long-distance cry on her shoulder, but she wasn't having it. she said, as you all know she could, stoppe it! stop it now. note say, what? what? crying now.op your and i continued to stifel and she said, did you hear me? and i said, yes, ma'am. myy she could level me to seven year old self in an instant. said, i'm trying to explain what happened. she said, i want you to stop and " because whatever it is, you have the faith to know that god has put a rainbow in the clouds. [applause] and you are going to come out on the other side of whatever it is the better for it. in always, no matter the time of day or night or the situation, she was always there for me to be the rainbow. i marvel at god. i am just in awe that i, a girl, colored then negro ,rowing up in mississippi having read "i know why the caged bird sings," and for the first time, reading a story about someone who was like me. i marveled that from the first , i was that girl who had done easter pieces and christmas pieces. i was secretary loved to read. i was that girl who was raised by my southern grandmother. i was that girl who was raped at nine. so when i first met maya angelou the late 1970's as a young news reporter in baltimore and begged her to do interview with me. i said, i promise, promise, if you just give me your time, i promise it will only be five minutes. at the end of four minutes and 58 seconds, until the cameramen, done. and maya angelou looked at me and said, who are you, girl? [laughter] first we became friendly and then sister friends and the first time she told me i was her daughter, i knew i had found home. sitting at her kitchen table on valley road, she was reading paul lawrence dunbar, "little brown baby with sparkling eyes." that was my favorite place to be, at the kitchen table, or sitting at her feet, leaning over her lap, laughing out loud for real. soaking up all the knowledge, all the things that she had to teach, the grace, the love -- all of it, my heart was full. a phoneid we ever have conversation where i wasn't taking notes. she was always teaching. when you learn, teach. when you get, give. i was a devoted student of maya angelou. learning to our very last conversation, the sunday before she died. it has been difficult for me to try to put into words what it said,to lose, as sicily the rock. she was my anchor. so it is hard to describe to you what it means when you're anchor shifts. what i realized this morning, i really don't have to put it into words. what i have to do is live it. because that is what she would want. us tould want me, you, live her legacy. i remember when i opened my school in south africa and i said to her, oh, maya, this is gwen be my greatest legacy. and she said, not so fast. [laughter] your legacy, she said, is every woman who ever watched your show and decided to go back to school. your legacy is every man who decided to forgive his father. it is every gay person who decided to come out because they saw a show of yours. your legacy is every person you ever touched. your legacy is how you lived and what you did and what you said every day. so true, sister maya. i want to live your legacy. we want to live your legacy as you touched us all. thosef us who knew her, only touched by her words or those who are able to be blessed to sit at the kitchen table, we are next in line to the a maya angelou to someone else. it is a challenge i am braced with my whole heart. -- i am braced with my whole heart. i cannot fill her shoes, but i can walk in her footsteps. to carry and pass on to the next generation. what she knew so well, we should try to teach all of us. we are more alike than we are different. when i see you, i'm really just looking at myself in a different costume. i am human, therefore, nothing human is alien to me, she's to teach. must tear jan and pass on, lifting humanity up, helping people to live lives of purpose and dignity to pass on. the poetry of courage and respect. that is what she would want. that is what we will do. will do it in a way that she must would want. in my last conversation with her, i was telling her about going to film the movie "selma." and she said to me, as she always did when i was doing any kind of job and she said "baby, i want you to do it and i want way!" take it all the speakingwinfrey, saturday at the memorial service for the poet, performer, author, the writer, playwright, activist maya angelou. she died may 28 at the age of 86. you can go to our website to see and hear and read the transcript of these eulogies, democracynow.org. back in a moment. ♪ [music break] >> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we turn to the gulf island , were leadingrain human rights activist has been released after nearly two years in prison for his role in pro-democracy protest. speaking after his release, dashl rajab headed to the head of the bahrain center for human rights, thou to continue the struggle for democracy under the u.s.-backed monarchy. >> with great regret i was in prison for giving speeches. my participation in defending the human rights in bahrain, but really, these two years have changed me to be much stronger. prison for me was like a school. i will continue to fight for the people and human rights and with the political societies until we achieve our goals that we started on february 14. >> the bahraini government has raged -- which to crack down since an uprising broke out in february 2011. last month, thousands marched at the funeral of a 14 old boy who activist say was killed by shotgun pellets fired by police. meanwhile, a recent report by human rights watch has found bahrain's courts play key role in maintaining the countries how to repress a political order, routinely sentencing peaceful protesters killing the prison terms. the report is called "criminalizing dissent, entrenching impunity." for more, we go to the capital city of manama were we are joined by nabeel rajab, director of the gulf center for human rights. welcome to democracy now! congratulations on your freedom. how does it feel to be out of prison? >> first of all, thank you very much. i am happy to talk to you after doing more than two years, and please, before i start, i would ask you and urge you, please continue covering bahrain as bahrain is being ignored and neglected by most of the tv stations and the media because [indiscernible] i urge you to continue covering bahrain. years, there'so a saying that says, god does not kill you, that does not kill you, it makes you stronger. that is what happened to me. i am more determined to fight for freedom and democracy in my country. as i told you, more than two years ago, struggle for democracy in this part of the world is not an easy thing. it is a difficult thing. you're dealing with the ruling family that came outside this treated200 years ago, people like slaves. now we want to change the situation to more democratic environment. it is not an easy thing. it has a cost. there'll be more cost. thousands of people are behind bars, hundreds of human rights and political activists are behind bars. in and out of jail the past three and four years. we pay the high cost. the struggle still goes on. [indiscernible] 2011, we started a peaceful revolution, calling for democracy. since that day, we have started a one-way ticket and we're not going back until we achieve our democracy. eel, on what charges reconvicted and sent to prison for two years? >> first, it was charges against me, once i was criticizing the prime minister and the other one [indiscernible] of them from the same ruling family. then i was charged with taking bushin an illegal protest did not get permission, and for whichi got -- protest of did not give permission, and for those i got two years. >> how are you treated in prison? i was isolated from the other prisoners. i was kept in a separate cell in a separate building. i don't communicate or mix with the other hundreds and thousands of political prisoners. i was with two or three exam times for people, most charged with criminal charges far away from my charges. they disconnected me from the outside world. i was not allowed to talk on the telephone with my family about -- i was not aware what was going on with the country. >> nabeel rajab, you're speaking to people all across the world. what was the role of the u.s. navy fifth fleet in bahrain, the significance or what kind of power does the u.s. have in relation to the bahraini monarchy? >> bahrain, the navy plays a big role there, the american navy more than the state department. priority is the arms sale and all that. so we have been ignored completely by merrick and government and western powers. very disappointing. i always say, ignoring the struggle of people and supporting dictators, that pushes people toward extremism. we have been abandoned by the american government. we have been ignored completely. people are dying. villages are being attacked. of the worst countries in the human rights in the past two years. but you don't see any action taken by the american government . instead of that, uc officials coming and going as if nothing is happening. they support the dictatorship. i don't know, maybe they don't think democracy will serve their interest, so that is why they -- nobody can change the situation. no one can change the policy except the american people. i urge american people to pressure the american government , through your hartman got to your congressman to change the situation and ask the government not to support dictators. there supporting dictators. it is the struggle of people fighting for democracy. >> nabeel rajab, we're joined in new york i josh colangelo, consultant to human rights watch an attorney who wrote the root word ", realizing dissent, entrenching impunity." can you talk about the situation nabeel rajab has been in and so many others? when have seen since 2011 massive pro-democracy protests began the bahraini courts have consistently convicted people and sentenced them to long terms, essentially for expressing opposition to the political system in bahrain. if you call for the establishment of a republic in bahrain, that can get your life term. if you call for the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, that can get you sent to jail. we have seen this and military courts created during the unrest in 2011 and it continues now in civilian courts as well. >> what are the main findings now and recommendations of this report? bywe found bahraini courts, their own words, meaning if you verdicts,d their are sending people away because people said they want a more democratic form of government. we also looked at cases in which security personnel have been charged with human rights abuses, including killings. what we found there is even when courts concluded that security personnel had committed fairly heinous crimes -- beating detainees to death, shooting them at very close range -- people would get sentences of six months, for example, which you compare to nabeel rajab's two-year sentence for being at a peaceful protest, really tells you probably everything you need to know about the justice system. >> and the role of u.s. military? >> what we have seen is quiet diplomacy, if that is in fact happening, does not appear to have much effect. what is interesting to note is in 2011 after months of a severe crackdown, the king of bahrain appointed an independent commission to investigate human rights abuses that had taken place. in all honesty, was a commendable step. that happened shortly after president obama openly spoke in critical terms about the situation in bahrain, which certainly suggests even public words by the us government can have an effect there. we have not heard this public words in a very long time. >> and the story of the opera watch a -- alwawaja. nabeel rajab, a number of people who have been imprisoned is alkahawaja. what is happening with him? between me and zainab was just a few meters and i cannot see him for the past three years. my uncle was also there, 67 years of age, and he was a few meters from me but i could not see him. unfortunately, this people are facing what i face but they are together. they were not isolated by me. not isolated like me. at this issue of how human rights defendants are treated in this country, you have many people, if they are not in jail, there out of the country, running from the situation because except me, i don't think there are many activists here now. clocks are you going to speak are you going to continue to speak out? >> the newspapers are saying i to jail because i did not keep quiet as they expected. somebody has to pay the price to achieve democracy and freedom. the u.s.olangelo, what could do to change the situation, the significance of the navy's fifth fleet there? >> some people say because we want to have this naval base that the u.s. is without leverage. in other words, it has to be committed to the current system as it exists. what we know is the bahrainis in their view, are relying on the bus for their own security. so that is a two-way street. quiet efforts that may been going on, again, they don't seem to be bearing fruit so it is time to change tactics. >> josh colangelo and nabeel rajab, thank you for being with us. josh colangelo attorney and consultant for human rights watch. we will have a link to your report. forthank you, nabeel rajab, joining us, back asterisk of the call center for human rights, just released after nearly two years in prison for his role in pro-democracy protests in the island kingdom of bahrain. he was joining us from manama. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. 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