News / Reports

UK military brass complicit in Bahrain's human rights abuses

Saturday, 07 November 2020 1:40 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 07 November 2020 1:40 AM ]

Bianca Rahimi

Press TV, London

On the 14th of March 2011, Bahraini security forces began a violent crackdown on protests demanding greater political participation, free and fair elections and an end to corruption and equality for the country’s suppressed Shia majority.

It has now been revealed that, the UK’s top military officer General Sir David Richards, was in Manama, holding meetings with the country’s senior military officials and the crown prince 5 days earlier. In the brutal crackdown, Bahrain’s security forces were backed by 1,000 UK-trained and equipped Saudi troops. Since then.

Torture is widespread in Bahrain’s prisons especially for the purpose of extracting confessions that are used to sentence people to death. And the country has the largest number of political prisoners in relation to population.

Nonetheless the British government continues to support the regime. UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said this when construction began on a new permanent naval base in Bahrain in 2015.

Strategic interests seem to be Westminster’s priority. According to human rights watch, which describes human rights in Bahrain as Dismal, arbitrary arrests, torture, executions and forced disappearances continue with little interference from so-called democracies.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk