UK policies embolden human rights violations in Bahrain amid abuse of female activists, MPs warn

Female human rights campaigners have been forced to endure physical and sexual assault in Bahrain and the British government’s policies embolden such human rights infringements, MPs warned in a damning letter to the prime minister.

Politicians from across the political spectrum hit out at the UK’s close relationship with Bahrain and urged Britain to stop providing the wealthy Gulf country with training for its judiciary and police.

Bahrain, which has been ruled by the Al Khalifa family for more than two centuries, is “one of the Middle East’s most repressive states”, according to US NGO Freedom House.

Cross-party MPs drew attention to the cases of four Bahraini women who have been on the receiving end of the authorities clampdown on dissenting voices which campaigners say has escalated and deepened since 2017.

Campaigners say two of the women, Najah Yusuf and Ebtisam AlSaegh, were sexually assaulted for their human rights activism and criticism of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, respectively, while Hajer Mansoor and Medina Ali are still detained at Isa Town prison where they are allegedly subjected to “systematic harassment”.

Ms Yusuf, a former civil servant, was jailed in April 2017 after hitting out at the Bahrain Grand Prix and human rights violations in the Gulf nation on Facebook. The mother-of-four, who alleges she has suffered rape, harassment and abuse in prison, was pardoned and released from jail in August.

The case of Ms Mansoor, who was allegedly jailed as punishment for her son-in-law Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei’s human rights work, has been raised with the UK government by a number of cross-party MPs in both the Commons and the House of Lords.

The letter to Boris Johnson, seen exclusively by The Independent, has been signed by Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat leader, Ian Blackford, SNP Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, and Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader.

It draws attention to a report, released in September by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, which revealed the crackdown in the country has increasingly targeted women.

“Officials have often acted outside of both the principles of due process, or have been found to have treated female prisoners appallingly on the back of trumped, politically-motivated charges,” reads the letter.

MPs hit out at the government’s foreign policy towards Bahrain, drawing attention to the fact the UK “is not only allied to Bahrain, it provides significant funding and training through Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes, and trades large quantities of munitions with the country” and it does so “amid a complete lack of transparency.”

This includes £6.5m of taxpayer’s money spent funding training to local oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the National Institute for Human Rights, which the United Nations has condemned for their dearth of transparency and independence.

The British government has consistently refused to condemn allegations of human rights violations in Bahrain. The UK has licenced £105m worth of arms to Bahrain since the pro-democracy Arab Spring uprising started in February 2011, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade.

The MPs stressed “the UK’s relationship with Bahrain further compromises the credentials of the UK as a country that shows leadership in promoting and tackling human rights abuses” and called for the cases of the women to be raised “directly and at the highest levels” with Bahrain in order to allow them to be freed from jail.

Mr Blackford, of the SNP, said: “The government of Bahrain has time and time again been found to have not just fallen short in upholding human rights, but has actively violated them.

“The UK cannot sit idly by on this matter and we will continue to hold the UK government to account over its links with the Bahrain government."

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), added: “At a time when attacks on female activists and human rights defenders are increasing across the GCC, it is a travesty that the UK government remains unwilling to criticise their gulf allies. This letter by leading MPs representing progressive parties is an important landmark, demonstrating that Bahrain’s mistreatment of female detainees can no longer be swept under the carpet.

“It is time for the government to publicly condemn abuses against women by their Bahrain counterpart and do everything within their power to secure their release. This includes suspending the technical assistance programme to Bahrain, which has demonstrably failed to halt the abuses and bolstered the climate of impunity that pervades throughout the country.”

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.