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Al-Wefaq Condemns British Foreign Office's Report on Bahrain: UK Abandoned HR for Money and Bribes

2023-07-16 - 6:58 p

Bahrain Mirror: Al-Wefaq condemned the "incomprehensible and shocking move" by the UK Foreign Office in its "unprofessional" annual report which excluded Bahrain from the list of countries violating human rights.

Al-Wefaq said in a statement "This report has been issued at a time when the Bahraini government is involved in dozens of crimes that violate human rights and infringe the most basic freedoms at various levels. It has also been issued while Bahrain is under a tight security grip, whereby security officials have green light to practice torture, arbitrary arrests and restrict freedoms. Bahrain has turned into a den to spread fear among those demanding freedom, democracy and justice. This report has been issued after shuttle meetings and unethical financial deals between Manama and the UK."

 The society dubbed the report "a cheap lie and a black day" in the history of human rights, noting that the UK has abandoned the minimal principles of human rights in exchange for money and bribes.

Al-Wefaq confirmed that "Bahrain's rights file is overburdened with heinous violations, and that buying countries' positions will not change the reality." It also stressed that "attempts to cover up the escalating crisis is a failed scheme and an evidence of the failure of Bahrain's regime, and that the British government is the largest sponsor of tyranny, authoritarianism and dictatorships in the world."

Meanwhile, it stressed that "human rights violations in Bahrain are escalating and continuing." The society highlighted that "As of mid-2023, local and international rights organizations have documented hundreds of violations, security prosecutions, and unfair trials."

Al-Wefaq pointed out that "the regime's prisons are overcrowded with political prisoners, and that dozens of states embrace hundreds of exiles and statelessness Bahrainis. In Bahrain, there are dozens of citizens with disabilities and illnesses due to the brutal security grip in prisons. All this is happening in front of the eyes of the world and documented in credible reports, which inevitably reach the British government since 2011."

The society underscored that international reports, including those of UN rights committees and the latest US State Department, have both confirmed that the policy of persecuting Shiite citizens has not only reached its maximum levels, but also amounts to collective punishment.

Al-Wefaq asserted that Bahrain needs a consensual constitution drafted in a legal and democratic manner, to be a starting point for a comprehensive settlement to the accumulated political, economic, sectarian and humanitarian crises, which are result of the absence a constitutional modern state. The support of some countries sponsoring dictatorships and tyranny has also contributed to this.

Arabic Version