HRW to US: Halt Arms Sales to Bahrain

Rasa - Human Rights Watch called on the United States to put on hold two planned arms sales to its close ally Bahrain in light of “dismal human rights record” in the tiny Persian Gulf state, as rights groups contend that Washington is ignoring the rights violations in Bahrain because the Sheikhdom is an export market for its weapons.

News ID: 437897

Date: 26 May 2018 - 22:08

RNA - The United States has recently approved a possible sale to Manama of 3,000 bomb bodies worth an estimated US$45 million. The State Department had approved a possible sale of attack helicopters worth an estimated US$911 million in April.

Manama had concluded a $3.8-billion deal with a US aerospace and military equipment giant to purchase 16 upgraded F-16 fighters in October 2017, as US President Donald Trump has eased restrictions on arms sales to certain countries, including Bahrain.

Washington director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Margon stressed that "these two weapons sales make clear that [US President Donald] Trump administration intends nothing short of a free pass on human rights for Bahrain".

"In the past year, Bahrain has sharpened its crackdown on activists, lawyers, and journalists," Human Rights Watch said in a statement, adding that "It has arbitrarily revoked a record number of citizenships of nationals, carried out unfair trials of civilians in military courts, and harassed, intimidated, imprisoned, and prosecuted rights defenders and their family members".

Bahrain has crushed pro-democracy rallies since 2011. Scores of people have been killed and many others imprisoned during the ruling Al-Khalifah regime’s crackdown, as Rights groups have accused Manama of seeking to stamp out dissent.

Bahrain’s parliament has approved in March 2017 the trial of civilians at military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide.

The kingdom has also revoked the citizenship of tens of people and gave tens of others life sentences on terrorism charges in recent months.

According to Fars News Agancy, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have repeatedly expressed deep concern over deterioration of human rights in Bahrain, stressing that the situation reveals the regime’s campaign to silence voices of dissent.

Bahrain is also a member of the US-backed Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen since 2015 to restore power to fugitive President Mansour Hadi. Riyadh-led air campaign against the Arab country has so far killed more than 16,000 Yemenis.

UK also sold at least $85 million worth of arms to Bahrain between 2000 and 2016, while under British law, London cannot export weapons to countries that will use them in violation of international humanitarian law.

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