Whitewashing 101: A Guide on Bahrain's methods in covering up their human rights abuses
Nine years have passed since the Bahraini people took to the streets calling for political reform and respect for human rights. Since then, the only progress the Government of Bahrain has achieved is the advancement of its whitewashing strategies. Through sham oversight bodies and their respective social media platforms, the Bahraini ruling family has invested significantly in concealing the brutal reality of the human rights situation.Take for instance the Bahraini Ministry of Interior (MOI). This institution is supposedly tasked with the oversight of citizen protection the country’s internal security. Conversely however, it has been frequently plagued with longstanding allegations of gross misconduct and a plethora of human rights abuses.There are well-founded accusations that the Public Prosecution Office (PPO) has been filling the MOI with former employees – deliberately incumbering the judiciary’s ability to function impartially – and substantiated claims of torture in order to extract false confessions from activists and human rights defenders.
The content displayed on the MOI’s online platforms portray a fictious narrative far removed from reality.The MOI, for example, expressed its relentless dedication towards facilitating a safe environment during the Ashura season. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has been personally applauded for his inclusive approach, that apparently“embodied the meanings of national cohesion and provided a model for national brotherhood”. Critics of the regime however, remain unconvinced of the county’s ‘national cohesion’ and ‘brotherhood’ in the face of 300 denaturalization’s, most of which targeted Shia activists and Shia clerics merely for peaceful expression. Moreover, the continuous torture of Shia opposition leaders and the targeted discrimination aimed at the Shia community, for example the restrictions on religious rights and the demolition of Shia mosques and religious institutions, runs counter to the public narrative of cohesion. Unless the members of the MOI responsible for these violations are held to account, spurious claims of unity will mask the truth.
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