UK may announce Bahrain as ‘country of concern’

UK may announce Bahrain as ‘country of concern’
Fri Nov 22, 2013 17:47:51

British MPs say if Bahraini Al Khalifa regime doesn’t urgently move toward making reforms, the UK government should designate Bahrain a "country of concern" in its next human rights report.

In the fifth report of Foreign Affairs Committee published on Friday, British MPs have announced that Bahraini regime’s reputation has been damaged by the "aggressive way" the island state's security forces handled the Pearl Roundabout protests in 2011.

The Manama government's failure to implement "sensible" reforms proposed by the Bahrain independent commission of inquiry was "inexplicable," the report said warning that if Bahrain did not move forward urgently with reform, and if no greater progress is seen, the UK should designate it a "country of concern" in its next human rights report.

Redress, a London-based anti-torture group, called on the government to make sure that Bahrain allowed a visit by the UN Special rapporteur on torture.

Bahrain has blocked the entry of the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, for two times in June and May.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

According to local sources, scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested.

Physicians for Human Rights says doctors and nurses have been detained, tortured, or disappeared because they have "evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces, and riot police" in the crackdown on anti-government protesters.

SHI/SHI

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