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A gaggle of 15 rights teams urged the administration of US President Joe Biden to handle the deterioration of human rights in Bahrain by adopting a rights-based international coverage in the direction of the Gulf.
The group, which incorporates the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Amnesty Worldwide, Reprieve, and the World Organisation Towards Torture, wrote in a letter to US State Secretary Anthony Blinken on Wednesday that “Final December, you famous that ‘[i]n too many nations, individuals are imprisoned and face torture or demise for talking their minds, reporting the information, or demanding their rights.’ This assertion sadly displays the scenario in Bahrain over the past 4 years”.
The letter factors to human rights activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Nabeel Rajab and Ebtisam al-Saegh, who’ve been detained in Bahrain for his or her activism.
”The Biden administration ought to urge Bahrain to rescind restrictions on civil society, take real steps in the direction of justice reform and the restoration of civil rights and reinstate restrictions on arms gross sales to Bahrain pending an enchancment within the nation’s rights document.”
Bahrain has engaged in a widespread crackdown since 2011, when the nation’s royal household confronted nationwide protests calling for its removing.
Former President Donald Trump, who was cosy with Gulf monarchies criticised for his or her human rights information, mentioned there would no points between Bahrain and Washington through the first 12 months of his time period.
The letter mentioned Bahrain’s rulers have been emboldened by President Trump “sending a transparent message that his administration would place the pursuit of revenue earlier than individuals”.
Bahrain was amongst Arab nations that signed normalisation agreements with Israel underneath the Trump administration.
The protests got here amid related actions in Tunisia and Egypt, now often called the Arab Spring. A 2021 report from BIRD (PDF) commemorating the widespread demonstrations mentioned that “inside days of the primary protests, the rulers of Bahrain responded with unrestrained repression, the brutality and scale of which was unprecedented in Bahrain’s fashionable historical past.”
The letter got here because the Biden administration confronted criticism for failing to sanction Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for his position within the assassination of Saudi journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.
A declassified report launched final week exhibits that US intelligence companies decided MBS ordered Khashoggi to be killed contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Biden administration, which promised to reevaluate the US-Saudi relationship to prioritise human rights, selected to not sanction MBS.
A State Division spokesperson mentioned Biden desires to “recalibrate” the connection, not “rupture” it.
A number of lawmakers, together with Consultant Ilhan Omar, have launched payments to sanction MBS. Omar mentioned taking motion on MBS’s actions is a “take a look at of our humanity” as she unveiled the invoice.