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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators called on Secretary of State Anthony Brinken to pressure the Kingdom of Bahrain to end the “violent and systemic repression” of its population.
“We are writing to express our concern about the disturbing rights record of the Bahraini government and to better understand your government’s strategy to resolve this issue together with our important allies and partners,” said seven influential Wrote a panel of US senators.
This Gulf country and the US military allies have been condemned by international human rights organizations after they imprisoned thousands of protesters, journalists, and activists after the popular uprising against the monarchy was suppressed by Saudi Arabia with force and help in 2011. Since then, Bahrain’s political opposition has been banned and independent media have been shut down.There are reports that Torture Some of the death penalty cases involved political prisoners accused of “terrorism.”
Letter signer (PDF) Are Democratic Senators Ron Wyden, Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin and Jeff Merkley, and Republican Marco Rubio.
They called on Secretary of State Brinken to “promote reforms and respect for basic human rights” in Bahrain.
“We have long expressed concern about the situation in Bahrain, precisely because Manama is an important ally,” the senators said.
The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet patrolling the Persian Gulf is stationed in Bahrain, and the senators expressed concern that “violent and systematic repression in Bahrain will breed resentment and instability”, which may threaten the existence of the United States.
Bahrain is a Most Shia countries That is ruled by the Sunni monarchy. Over the years, reports from the US State Department documented human rights violations in Bahrain.
The letter said: “Bahraini continue to call for institutions and accountability, and their safety and the safety of their families are often at great risk.”
Amnesty International and 15 other human rights organizations called on Bahrain in July to release Abdul Jalil al-Singace, a political prisoner who was sentenced to life for participating in the 2011 uprising imprisonment.
59-year-old al-Singace is an important member of the Shiite opposition Haq movement. He has been on a hunger strike to protest the abuse.
The Bahraini government refuses to accept allegations of human rights violations and denies discriminating against its Shia citizens. A press officer at the Bahraini Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s inquiry about the Senator’s letter.
Husain Abdulla, a Bahraini exile, founded the American Democracy and Human Rights Organization in Bahrain. He said that the Biden administration tried to put human rights at the center of its foreign policy and that “Bahrain is a test case”.
Abdullah said in a statement on the organization’s website: “The Bahraini government is a shocking, stubborn and flagrant violation of its citizens’ rights at almost every level,” he praised the senator’s letter.
.@ADHRB along with @amnesty, @hrw, @BahrainRights, @UN_SPExperts with @GulfCentre4HR Participated in the side events of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council and requested immediate release in #Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/X96haTA8Oo
-Colossus Diplomacy (@ColossusDiplo) September 23, 2021
In August, human rights organizations called for an independent investigation into the death of the deceased. Hassan Abdul Nabi Mansour, 35, A Bahraini prisoner died in custody after allegedly deprived of essential medicines and treatment.
Human rights groups stated that Mansour was the third prisoner who died of medical negligence in Bahrain since April.
Reuters quoted government officials and activists as reporting that earlier this month, Bahrain conditionally released 30 prisoners under new regulations that allow electronic surveillance and home detention.
Sayed Ahmed al-Wadaei, head of the Bahrain Institute of Rights and Democracy, told Reuters that 27 of the released were political prisoners, and many were imprisoned when they were young.
Al-Wadaei said: “They will continue to face severe restrictions on their freedom, and these rare releases are still overshadowed by the continued imprisonment of hundreds of political prisoners in Bahrain.”
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