The international community has failed in its duty to protect the civilian population of Bahrain. It has sat back and done nothing to rein in the regime of King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. He stands accused of terrorising his own people, resorting to mass arrest, detention without trial, torture and murder.
If the duty to protect civilians applies in Libya, why not in Bahrain?
In defence of the human rights of the Bahraini people, the United Nations, European Union, United States, United Kingdom and Arab League should work together to impose targeted sanctions: halt all arms sales to Bahrain, cease military co-operation, suspend the operation of the US naval base, institute a travel ban and assets-freeze on top regime officials and prohibit the export to Bahrain of luxury items for the rich ruling elite.
They should also refer Bahrain’s leaders to the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council on charges of torture and crimes against humanity, and report Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to the UN Security Council for their interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain and the role of their troops in the violent suppression of the democracy protests.
The protesters in Bahrain are demanding democracy and human rights, especially for the Shia Muslim majority who comprises more than 60 per cent of the population. Shias are excluded from political power by the pro-Sunni monarchy and government. They suffer sustained discrimination, especially in housing and jobs.
Human rights activists in Bahrain report that at least 30 civilians have been killed, including four people who have died in custody after beatings and torture. Around 400 democracy protesters have been injured. Doctors and nurses who treated the wounded and spoke publicly about their injuries have been arrested, beaten and tortured. Forty-seven of them are being put on trial.
Already four protesters have been sentenced to death, following military trials held behind closed doors.
Close to 1,000 Bahrainis have been arrested since the start of protests in February, although about 300 of these have since been released. Twenty-one opposition activists and human rights defenders are being prosecuted on trumped up charges.
An estimated 1,000 professionals have been sacked from their jobs, accused of pro-democracy and pro-Shia sympathies. The country’s only opposition newspaper has been closed down. The editors of Al-Wasat are being put on trial on bogus charges of misreporting the protests and the government’s crackdown. Twenty-seven Shia mosques, meeting houses and shrines have been destroyed or damaged.
A total of 1,500 Saudi and UAE soldiers entered Bahrain in March and are helping with this systematic brutality. This is unacceptable repressive interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain. The international community must demand their immediate withdrawal.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has condemned the savage tactics of the Bahraini regime as “shocking and illegal conduct”. But the people of Bahrain need more than words of condemnation. They need concerted international action against the criminal, western-backed tyranny of Al Khalifa, and his Saudi and UAE allies.
