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Tell U.S. Senator John Kerry: Stop Arms Sale to Bahrain Dictatorship!

9-28-2011

By Brian Dooley
Director, Human Rights Defenders

U.S. Senator John Kerry: Don't reward the repressive Bahraini government with weapons!

One major lesson the United States should have learned from the Arab Spring is to stop supporting dictators. Apparently, the Pentagon didn’t get this memo.

The U.S. Department of Defense is now preparing to sell $53 million worth of armored Humvees and missiles to the dictatorship in Bahrain—at the same time that the Bahraini government is violently cracking down on pro-democracy advocates.

Ask U.S. Senator John Kerry to stop the Pentagon’s arms sale to Bahrain until Bahrain cleans up its act on human rights!

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton recently urged countries selling weapons to Syrian President Assad to “get on the right side of history.” And President Obama stated that America “cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy.” The Pentagon seems to be on a different page.

The Bahraini government has cracked down on pro-democracy advocates in Bahrain. In my recent visits there, I’ve documented mass arrests, torture, and four deaths in custody. Government forces have killed dozens more in the streets. In addition, Bahraini courts continue to unjustly try people—including medics who were arrested simply for treating wounded activists.

Senator John Kerry has long opposed arming tyrants. And as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has the responsibility to investigate why the United States is rewarding a tyrannical country with a record of violently abusing its citizens.

Tell U.S. Senator Kerry to stop the arms sale to Bahrain until democracy and human rights are established!

Resuming arms sale to Bahrain contradicts the United States’ support for regional stability and peaceful reform in the Middle East. It’s time to make sure that the United States gets on the right side of history.


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Posted in Blog | 9 Comments »

  • Sharon Vieth

    We need to ensure dignity and respect for others,

  • Karen Corbman

    I agree with your goal, but wonder why the emails are not directed to Senator Levin, who is the chair of the Armed Services Committee in addition to Kerry. I would imagine that military sales might be overseen by that committee.

  • Mohd

    pls stop it unless you enjoy killing people

  • Dawn Lee

    Please do not believe everything the Human Rights people are saying about Bahrain There have been abuses on both sides but I do not believe there is systematic discrimination in Bahrain. I have lived here for over twenty years and what happened in Feb and March was unbelievable. I am sorry but the hospital was taken over by anti-government protesters. It became incredible when the protestors moved out of the roundabout area in to the main highways. They marched into main Sunni areas of Bahrain (Riffa and Busiteen). Ex-pat workers were being targeted. If the government had not stepped in there would have been a civil war.

    • Bajis Al Maseeri

      It is expected that some pro-Bahraini government try to disturb the real picture in Bahrain. It is unclear to me what is motivating them to do that other than shaking the picture of the prodemocracy movement in Bahrain. It is an old way of doing that but I am sure any human right activist can uncover it easily. It happens wherever there is a peaceful struggle for democracy anywhere in the world.

  • Bahrain

    Oh marc how much were u paid for writing theses tales.surprisingly u somehow didn’t c how ur peaceful protestors r messing up residents and citizens life,instilling fear in people and kids. Using young kids and women for causing chaos. Y didn’t u raise this question to your friends none of the mature people r on streets burning tires or throwing garbage over the street blocking peoples access. How come human rights is only concerned with the ppl inhaling the gas what about us living in the neighborhood who are either stuck inside our houses because the thugs plan to block the roads or have to inhale smoke from burning garbage???
    Or are we not human mr Marc ????

  • Ali

    I would like to ask the protestors whats the goal of blocking roads and killing foreigner employes !!!!
    am i wrong???
    most of the international media plays some clips which proof that.
    you are saying the nation of Bahrain want …….?? which nation are you talking about !!
    you are not even some 10s thousand ,what about the rest??

  • smabbas

    the whole world has witnessed through videos the brutal killings by Bahrain govt forces the heavy crackdown on unarmed protesters by al khalifa regime is unwarranted inhuman and unpredictable. he has not spared women and children. god knows what he will do tomorrow. any sale of weapons will add fuel to fire