UK faces legal challenges for supporting repressive Bahrain regime

A prominent Bahraini human rights activist is set to file a lawsuit against the British government for its failure to take into account human rights violations in the tiny Persian Gulf island nation.

The legal challenge is being brought by Moosa Mohammed, who was granted refugee status in the UK in 2013 after he claimed he was tortured and abducted by the Bahrain regime forces. He is set to seek a judicial review over the UK’s decision to build a new Royal Navy base in Bahrain, report says.

Britain and Bahrain signed an agreement on December 6, 2014 to expand and consolidate the UK’s long-term naval presence in the Persian Gulf region despite the Manama regime’s crackdown on public dissent.

In December last year, the Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond finally made the plan public which, human rights activists said is a "reward" for Britain’s silence on human rights abuses in Bahrain.

London has long been criticized for failing to condemn violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain. It has been accused of sacrificing human rights for the sake of trade and military deal with the Al Khalifa monarchy.

"The UK government has been seen to supporting these dictators even with closing its eyes and ignoring human rights. This is clear, very clear in the case of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately London has supported the regime of Bahrain knowing that the regime had exercised a systematic torture on the detainees", Saeed Shehabi, the head of Bahrain Freedom Movement told Press TV.

Mohammad’s case will challenge the UK's Ministry of Defense for not taking the human rights situation into account while agreeing the $22m base which is being funded primarily by Bahrain.

According to British media reports, Mohammed’s lawyers will claim that the MoD should have followed the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance, OSJA guidance set out by the government in 2011.  These rules call to consider “human rights implications” on security and justice agreements with Britain’s allies overseas.

 ‘Unrelenting crackdown’

The UK and the US supported Al Khalifa regime has continued its heavy handed tactic to silence the dissent.since 2011.

Many Bahrainis have been tortured or killed and hundreds more injured and arrested during the regime’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations. Regime forces have not spared even medics, lawyers and academics.  

The Bahraini rulers called in troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia to help smash protesters demanding an end to the centuries-old monarchy.

International rights organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have time and again slammed the Manama regime for its unrelenting crackdown on protests.

Just last month, Amnesty published a highly critical report on Bahrain. It highlighted illegal sentencing, unfair trials, torture of detainees, and excessive use of force against protesters.

‘More arrests’

Bahrain has arrested tens of prominent activists and political figures over the past months, the most prominent being Sheikh Ali Salman who is the leader of the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society in Bahrain.

Salman, who was arrested on December 28, is accused of seeking the regime change, the charge he and his bloc has denied vehemently.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011. Salman's arrest sparked more outrage inside and outside Bahrain. 

The Human Rights Watch has also recently urged Western governments to break their silence on Bahrain’s continued detention of opposition figures.

The head of the Bahrain Freedom Movement says the UK has been supporting the Bahraini regime at all international levels and prevents any resolution that may bring [the regime] before the human rights council.

"It should have stood and told the regime of Bahrain that enough is enough. You have tortured enough people, you have killed enough people, you have arrested enough doctors and you have detained and tortured enough nurses and teachers. So it is time for you to stop this nonsense and we are not going to support you", Shehabi concluded.

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