22 June 2011
The United States is expressing concern about the severity of life prison terms handed down Wednesday to Bahraini activists accused of plotting to overthrow the government of the Gulf kingdom in protests earlier this year. The human rights group Amnesty International meanwhile alleged that a “soft” U.S. approach to the case was a factor in the harsh verdict.
The Obama administration is criticizing the outcome of the trial
22 June 2011
The United States is expressing concern about the severity of life prison terms handed down Wednesday to Bahraini activists accused of plotting to overthrow the government of the Gulf kingdom in protests earlier this year. The human rights group Amnesty International meanwhile alleged that a “soft” U.S. approach to the case was a factor in the harsh verdict.
The Obama administration is criticizing the outcome of the trial in a Bahraini military court, but is in turn coming under criticism from a major human rights group for alleged “indifference” to the defendants’ fate.
A closely-watched trial of 21 Bahraini political activists, arrested for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the monarchy and colluding with foreign terrorists, ended with eight receiving life prison sentences and the rest lesser jail terms.
All but one of the defendants were Shiite Muslims who make up the majority of the population in the tiny Gulf state ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family.
Several of the accused were tried in absentia but seven of the eight defendants given life terms are in Bahraini custody.
Bahrain has been a key ally of Washington and hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet, though the Obama administration was critical of Bahrain’s tough tactics against the protests in February and March.
At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner expressed concern about the severity of the sentences and the fact that the civilians were tried in a military court. “As President Obama said in his May 19th speech, such steps are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain’s citizens. We understand that these cases will now go through an appeals process. We continue to urge the Bahraini government to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings, conducted in full accordance with Bahrain’s international obligations, and to create the conditions for a meaningful, inclusive and credible dialogue,” he said.
Bahrain’s King Hamad al-Khalifa has promised to open a national dialogue on political reform next month but trials are to continue, including a case against more than 30 doctors and nurses accused of supporting the protests.
Local and international human rights groups condemned Wednesday’s sentences among them Amnesty International, which called them “harsh, politically motivated and patently unfair.”
Amnesty’s Washington-based International Advocacy Director T. Kumar said the Obama administration, while championing human rights in other Middle Eastern counties, has been “half-hearted” about rights abuses in Bahrain.
He spoke to VOA in advance of a meeting with State Department officials on Bahrain. “United States policy is extremely disappointing. The way they reacted to abuses in the region is totally different from the way they react to abuses, what’s happening in Bahrain. We will claim that the sentences that were passed today is in part because of U.S. indifference, and soft approach to Bahraini authorities,” he said.
Amnesty’s Kumar said rather than engaging in “wishful thinking” about a Bahraini appeals process, the United States should demand the immediate and unconditional release of those sentenced Wednesday.
He said a wide majority of the more than 500 people detained in pro-reform demonstrations in Bahrain since February were peaceful protestors.
The United States has engaged in a high-level political dialogue with Bahrain including several visits by Assistant Secretary of State for Near eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman.
Spokesman Toner said the State Department’s top human rights official, Assistant Secretary Michael Posner, was in Bahrain last week.
State Department Daily Press Briefing, June 22
MR. TONER: Welcome to the State Department. Good afternoon. Just briefly at the top on Bahrain, we are concerned about the severity of the sentences handed down yesterday* in Bahrain. We’re also concerned about the use of military courts to try these civilians. As President Obama said in his May 29 – or May 19th speech, such steps are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain’s citizens. We understand that these cases will now go through an appeals process. We continue to urge the Bahraini Government to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings conducted in full accordance with Bahrain’s international legal obligations and to create the conditions for a meaningful, inclusive, and credible dialogue. And that’s all I have for the top. I’ll take your questions.
*sentences handed down today
QUESTION: On this topic, are you also doing – imposing sanctions on Bahrain or stop the cooperation with them?
MR. TONER: Well, as you know, Assistant Secretary Posner was in Bahrain I think just last week, and we’re continuing to call on the Government of Bahrain, as the President said in his May 19th speech, to create a dialogue, a national dialogue and create the environment that’s conducive for that dialogue to take place. And again, as the President noted, you can’t do that when members of the opposition, the peaceful opposition are in jail.
QUESTION: Are you confident –
QUESTION: But what kind of steps you can take for –
MR. TONER: Well, I think we continue our engagement with the Bahraini Government. It’s been significant to date, and we’re going to continue to press our concerns, but also to work with them, again, on – creating these kinds of conditions.
QUESTION: And what about sanctions?
MR. TONER: There’s no consideration that I’m aware of.
QUESTION: Are you confident in the appeal process in Bahrain?
MR. TONER: I didn’t hear your question, Said.
QUESTION: In the veracity of the appeal process in Bahrain?
MR. TONER: Well, again, we’re going to continue to keep an eye on it and to monitor events. We have, as a matter of practice, been observing these trials.
[..]QUESTION: In light of these developments about foreign troops that went through the GCC cooperation, some of the other Gulf countries and troops, how do you –
MR. TONER: You’re talking about Bahrain right now?
QUESTION: Talking about Bahrain, yes. How do you view those troops’ role in the Bahrain?
MR. TONER: Well, two points. One is that it’s a sovereign decision for Bahrain as a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to have invited these troops into their country. However, we’ve been consistent and clear in our message that there’s no security solution, there’s no – the only real solution to what’s going on in Bahrain is what we said is what we said. And what I just said previously is a process that leads to a national dialogue towards reconciliation.
Yeah. Go ahead, Michel.
QUESTION: Mark, do you consider that the discussions with the Bahraini Crown Prince have failed to convince Bahrain to change course?
MR. TONER: I would just say that we continue to discuss and make clear our views on the situation in Bahrain to a wide variety of interlocutors within the government.