06 November 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its great disappointment by recent statements made by United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Janet A. Sanderson and the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Ambassador Sanderson, career diplomat and former US ambassador to Haiti and Algeria, visited Bahrain, October 11- 13, 2010 and was quoted as saying: “We are not here, frankly, to impose our views on others, but to encourage the countries of the region to fulfill their priorities in this area.” She added, “The dialogue that we had on human rights could be difficult, but it is open, ongoing and part of our relationship.”[1]
06 November 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its great disappointment by recent statements made by United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Janet A. Sanderson and the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Ambassador Sanderson, career diplomat and former US ambassador to Haiti and Algeria, visited Bahrain, October 11- 13, 2010 and was quoted as saying: “We are not here, frankly, to impose our views on others, but to encourage the countries of the region to fulfill their priorities in this area.” She added, “The dialogue that we had on human rights could be difficult, but it is open, ongoing and part of our relationship.”[1]
We regret that Ambassador Sanderson made these unfortunate statements, running counter to the US stated official policy regarding the protection of human rights. Ambassador Sanderson’s comments neither reflect the severity of the current situation of oppression and injustice in Bahrain, nor do they reflect President Obama’s repeated public commitment to human dignity.
In the last three months the government of Bahrain has committed numerous human rights violations including the arbitrary and incommunicado detention of dozens of human rights activists and hundreds of citizens including children. Detainees were prevented from meeting with their lawyers and relatives, and they were punished before trial with suspension from their jobs. The crime of torture is being practiced on a larger scale than previously witnessed in Bahrain. Censorship is rampant. News coverage of the cases is banned, websites and newsletters are banned. Bloggers have been arrested including the most prominent Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam. The government has taken all measures to suppress dissidents including taking over control of the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS). All of this on the basis of unstable charges that the government keeps changing.
BCHR is disappointed that Ambassador Sanderson did not account for any of these serious violations in her statement. BCHR is also disappointed that she did not try to meet with representatives from the nongovernmental human rights organizations in Bahrain like the BCHR to be fully apprised of the situation before making these statements. Her statement ignores the many statements and press releases issued by dozens of local and international human rights organizations on the escalating crises of human rights in Bahrain.
Amid this climate of injustice, Secretary Clinton issued a statement on the 31st of October[2] congratulating Bahrain for its recent municipal and parliamentary elections and demonstrating “that multi-ethnic, multi-confessional societies can address their challenges through peaceful reform and representative institutions.”
Her congratulatory remarks were followed by a dishearteningly short allusion to the deteriorating situation of human rights. “We are concerned by efforts in the lead-up to the elections to restrict freedom of expression and association targeted at civil society. We have shared our concerns with the Government of Bahrain and continue to rely on our partners in the Government to meet Bahrain’s own high standards of democratic reform, and to investigate credible allegations.”
This deceiving praise of Bahraini democracy comes at a time when fundamental principles of democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of association are under fierce attack.
According to Joe Stork, Deputy Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch, “What we are seeing in Bahrain these days is a return to full-blown authoritarianism. The government has taken over associations and shut down media it doesn’t like to silence the loudest critics and intimidate the rest, and Washington says nothing publicly.”
Amnesty International has also called upon the government of Bahrain in several statements since last August to conduct “a thorough, independent investigation by the Bahraini authorities into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment – allegations that cast a dark shadow over Bahrain’s human rights record,”
The organization Frontline Defenders has publicly acknowledged the current situation as well. “Human Rights defenders have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, threats and harassment. Despite provisions for basic rights in Bahraini law and the fact that it has ratified a number of international human rights treaties, the enjoyment of civil and political rights is, in practice, limited.”
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies spoke of the aggressive crack down on human rights defenders in Bahrain at the 15th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner mentioned Bahrain when she spoke of the increasing attacks on human rights defenders.
The Observatory for the protection of Human Rights defenders, Reporters without borders, WAN-IFRA, The Islamic Human Rights Commission and several other NGOs have all expressed concerns on the recent deterioration of human rights in Bahrain.
BCHR calls upon individuals and advocacy organizations supporting human rights:
– To reject Ambassador Sanderson’s unfortunate statements
– To petition elected representatives in the Senate and Congress to demand Bahrain be held accountable by the United States government for its record of abusing human rights
– To call upon Bahrain to end its abusive record against human rights
Please send your letters to:
– US Senators, Congressmen and Congresswomen
– US Department of State
– Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa , King of Bahrain, Fax: +973 176 64 587
– Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa , Prime Minister , Fax: + 973 17533033
– Sheikh Khaled Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tel: +973 172 27 555; Fax : +973 172 12 6032
– Permanent Mission of Bahrain to the United Nations in Geneva, 1 chemin Jacques-Attenville, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, CP 39, 1292 Chambésy, Switzerland. Fax: + 41 22 758 96 50. Email: info@bahrain-mission.ch
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[1]Bahrain charges 23 Shiite activists with terrorism
[2]Bahrain National Elections