Siemens was instrumental in bringing the Nazis to power and keeping them there as they murdered millions of Jews, along with Gypsies, trade unionists, leftists, homosexuals and others. Serving as one of its engines of genocide, Siemens provided the German Reich with, among other things, slave labor factories located next to concentration camps. Apparently, Siemens thinks that it has been good enough for long enough and that this Internet thing has made a sense of history a thing of the past.
Oopsie.
Bloomberg reports that Siemens AG and its joint venture, Nokia Siemens Networks, has made it possible for Bahraini secret police to intercept and generate transcripts of text messages and other mobile communications made by protesters in that country’s troubled version of the Arab Spring.
Protesters, independent-minded bloggers and journalists and activists of all ages and both genders have been arrested and “interrogated” (in Bahrain that means, beaten with rubber hoses until they pass out or die), based on the interceptions that Siemens has made possible.
According to Bloomberg:
“Computers loaded with Western-made surveillance software generated the transcripts wielded in the interrogations described by Al Khanjar and scores of other detainees whose similar treatment was tracked by rights activists, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its October issue.
“The spy gear in Bahrain was sold by Siemens AG (SIE), and maintained by Nokia Siemens Networks and NSN’s divested unit, Trovicor GmbH, according to two people whose positions at the companies gave them direct knowledge of the installations. Both requested anonymity because they have signed nondisclosure agreements. The sale and maintenance contracts were also confirmed by Ben Roome, a Nokia Siemens spokesman based in Farnborough, England.”
The use of Western-developed and manufactured technology for the purpose of restricting freedom in non-Western countries has become common knowledge. Without Western technology like Siemens and Nokia produce, the kind of tinhorns who run countries like Bahrain wouldn’t have information upon which to justify their torture.
A knowledgeable Bahraini activist, who cannot be identified by name for fear of safety being compromised, responded to our inquiry.
“I feel that the Siemens connection is the only one that was exposed but I honestly think they do similar things with BlackBerry devices and other partnerships in crime. Everybody already saw the Nokia one coming because they were already exposed big-time with their connection to Iran’s 2009 protests crackdown. Since then many have continued to boycott them here.”
In April, Agence France Presse had reported at least four Bahrainis had wound up dead after their interrogations.
We have questions in to Siemens, who did not respond by posting time.
Oubliette photo by Son of Groucho
