DLA Piper represents Bahrain, which is in the midst of a bloody three-year old crackdown of its majority Shiite population, before Congress as it seeks support for what it says are its anti-terrorism efforts.
Inspired by the "Arab Spring," Bahrain's dissenters demand installation of a constitutional monarchy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs bills Piper based on the hourly fees of its three-member team that includes Richard Newcomb ($910 rate), Laurence Levinson ($660) and Christine Daya ($390)
Newcomb is a veteran of the Treasury Dept., once heading its Office of Foreign Assets Control. He crafted economic sanctions on Iraq in 1990 following its invasion of Kuwait. Newcomb also shaped strictures on Burma, Cuba, Iran, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Colombia’s narcotics traffickers.
Levinson is a long-time Democratic bigwig, who served in the Kennedy, Johnson and Carter administrations. He also was senior VP/government affairs at Paramount Communications, becoming Viacom’s chief Washington representative after it acquired the movie company.
Daya is fluent in Arabic.
Human Rights Watch issued its most recent negative report on Bahrain on May 28.
The 64-page volume is called “Criminalizing Dissent, Entrenching Impunity: Persistent Failures of Bahraini Justice System Since the BCCI Report.”
It raps King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for failure to follow up on his promise of more than two years ago to deliver on the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations to free peaceful dissenters and hold abusive officials accountable.
HRW also rapped “Bahrain’s allies in London, Washington, and Brussels” for failing “to press the government of Bahrain to take serious steps to hold security forces accountable for abuse, or to call openly for the release of high-profile political prisoners.
Publicis Group’s MSLGroup, via its Qorvis Communications unit, and UK’s-based Bell Pottinger worked for Bahrain.
The island nation is home of the US Fifth Fleet and a major financial center for the oil rich countries of the Persian Gulf.
Patron Saudi Arabia, which once sent troops to quell the revolt, bolsters Bahrain.
Missy Edwards Strategies represents Shein Technology Group, the Los Angeles arm of the embattled Singapore-based “instant fashion” retailer.
Carlsbad, a north San Diego County city of 115K people, is looking for a firm to provide government relations and Sacramento lobbying services.
Gordon Sondland, who was US ambassador to the European Union under Donald Trump, has registered as a representative of Ukraine’s cabinet and ministers.
The Daschle Group is representing Santa Monica-based Stand with Hong Kong Action, an advocacy group that fights to end Chinese repression in Hong Kong.
McKinsey & Co. has reached out to Republican shop Harbinger Strategies to educate policymakers about the activities of the embattled management consultancy.
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