Press Release
Published on July 14, 2011
Washington, D.C.—Despite an ongoing national dialogue between the government and some parts of civil society, Human Rights First documents in a report released today how the Bahraini government continues to intimidate, torture, and detain human rights defenders, and shoot at civilians. The report cites the continuing government crackdown in Bahrain through eyewitness accounts and testimonies from human rights defenders, and calls on the U.S. government to insist on benchmarks for the dialogue. The complete report and recommendations can be found here. “Human rights defenders with whom we spoke are wary that the dialogue is anything more than elaborate play-acting for the international community’s benefit,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley who just completed a fact-finding mission to Bahrain. “Many are asking that the U.S. government rapidly assess its effectiveness, and publicly state whether the dialogue is real.” The report also cites several human rights defenders’ concerns that the announced international investigation into the violence will have no actual influence on the Bahraini government’s attempt toward reconciliation. “Activists we spoke to are worried that the international community is ready to move on, but the situation on the ground is still dire for those calling for democratic reforms. There is still a real sense of fear in Bahrain,” added Dooley. During its mission, Human Rights First also documented reports of injured detainees being tortured on their wounds, sexual abuse, and attacks at medical facilities, as well as a deepening sectarian divide in Bahrain that has the potential to upset any chance at reconciliation. Based on this report and other recent findings, Human Rights First has updated its recommendations to the U.S. and Bahraini governments. They include, but are not limited to: The U.S. government:
The Bahraini government:
