Double standards on Bahrain

This week saw a damning report by Amnesty International into ongoing human rights abuses in Bahrain.

The charity accused the regime of "making a mockery" of its pledge to introduce human rights reforms and heavily criticised the British government for its failure to condemn the continuing abuses.

Last year in response to the Arab Spring uprisings the Bahraini regime, with the assistance of Saudi Arabia, brutally suppressed democratic protest in the kingdom.

Under pressure from foreign governments and their own people the authorities set up the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) to investigate abuses.

In a landmark report it found that the Bahraini government had been responsible for gross human rights violations.

It made a series of recommendations and called on the authorities to bring to account those responsible and to carry out independent investigations into allegations of torture and other violations.

Though the Bahraini regime committed itself to implementing the BICI recommendations, a year on Amnesty says that in actual fact the authorities have responded with further repression.

This culminated last month in a total ban on all protest and the stripping of Bahraini nationality from 31 opposition figures.

Last month Foreign Secretary William Hague held talks with Bahraini crown prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in London, following which he welcomed the prince's "personal commitment to an inclusive political dialogue."

He further welcomed "the recent commitments made by the government of Bahrain last month at the Human Rights Council, in particular to consider ratifying the optional protocol to the convention against torture," and he encouraged it "to take this forward as soon as possible."

"I fully endorse the crown prince's call for an end to the violence and for Bahrainis to unite together to ensure long-term peace and security and I welcome the steps taken by the King of Bahrain to initiate political dialogue," Hague added.

Amnesty's report Bahrain: Reform Shelved, Repression Unleashed tells a rather different story.

It documents widespread recent violations by the Bahraini security forces, including the use of unnecessary and excessive - and sometimes fatal - force against protesters.

It cites the example of 16-year-old Hussam al-Haddad who died in al-Muharraq on August 17, the day after he was shot by riot police.

His family say he had gone to a nearby cafe while demonstrations were being staged in the area.

On October 9 Bahrain's special investigation unit ruled that the policeman who shot him was acting in self-defence after being attacked and the case was closed.

Amnesty also states that an increasing number of youths aged between 15 and 18 have been held in adult prisons and detention centres in Bahrain during recent months.

It has found evidence of around 80 such cases - adding that human rights defenders and activists denouncing such abuses have been repeatedly harassed, with some jailed.

On November 7 the regime stripped 31 opposition figures of their Bahraini nationality.

A Ministry of Interior statement indicated that the group, including politicians, activists and religious figures, had their nationality revoked because they had caused "damage to state security."

While violence has increased on both sides Amnesty stressed that the use of violence by protesters does not exonerate the authorities from their obligations to respect human rights.

Amnesty International Middle East and north Africa deputy director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said: "The scale and nature of the violations unleashed in Bahrain since the BICI made its recommendations are making a mockery of the reform process in the country.

"The authorities have reneged on their promises to pursue the path of reform. Any claim by the government that it is committed to the rule of law and to improving human rights sounds hollow, in the face of a moribund reform process.

"As the country is engulfed in entrenched unrest and instability looms, the international community, and especially Bahrain's allies, have a duty to condemn what is happening in the country and to stop using the BICI report as a shield to avoid having to criticise the Bahraini authorities."

Despite the well documented evidence of such abuses the British government continues to do lucrative business with the Gulf state.

During the Arab spring uprisings public condemnation of British arms sales to repressive regimes in the Middle East and north Africa forced the government to revoke 158 export licences - 44 of these to Bahrain.

Yet months later the government quietly resumed sales of armaments to the regimes.

Figures obtained by Campaign Against Arms Trade indicate that between July and September last year Britain granted an estimated £1.3 million worth of licences for arms exports to Bahrain, including those for gun silencers, weapons sights, rifles and naval guns.

Last month Britain signed an agreement with Bahrain to provide it with further military and security assistance.

The Ministry of Defence described the deal as a continuation of an existing relationship which will help provide security to a critically important region.

But Bahraini opposition spokesmen claim the agreement has encouraged the regime to extend its crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.

Chatham House's senior research fellow on the Middle East Jane Kinnimont said: "It's not clear to what extent this agreement will really deepen military co-operation between Britain and Bahrain.

"The uprising in Bahrain hasn't finished. Things look likely to go from bad to worse and there'll be a lot of concerns about exactly what sort of weapons have been supplied, and how they're going to be used."