ADHRB Weekly: New F1 boss urged to launch independent inquiry into Bahrain Grand Prix as human rights concerns continue

ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #392

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Bahrain

New F1 boss urged to launch independent inquiry into Bahrain Grand Prix as human rights concerns continue

New Formula One (F1) CEO Stefano Domenicali should “establish a commission of independent experts to investigate the human rights impact of F1’s activities in Bahrain” and take steps to compensate victims, in light of ongoing abuses linked to the Bahrain Grand Prix and growing international concern about ‘sportswashing’, 24 international NGOs and trade unions including Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Human Rights Watch and the International Trade Union Confederation stated in an open letter sent yesterday.

Since the Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled a decade ago amid the Bahraini government’s “brutal suppression” of the country’s 2011 Arab Spring pro-democracy movement, the human rights situation in the country has “only worsened,” while individuals continued to be targeted for publicly opposing the presence of F1 in the country.

The letter highlights a renewed government crackdown on dissent in 2021, which saw an 11-year old boy detained “for joining protests against the November 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.” Calls for an inquiry were also backed by 61 UK parliamentarians in a similar letter sent last week by Layla Moran MP.

Read the full article here

Congressman McGovern in a Congressional Statement on the 10th Anniversary of the Bahrain Peaceful Protests: US Should Pause all Arm Sales and Develop a Contingency Plan to Relocate the 5th Fleet

Congressman James McGovern (D-MA) submitted a statement for the Congressional Record, addressing Bahrain’s crackdown on peaceful protestors on the 10th anniversary of the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) commends and supports Congressman McGovern’s statement and the concerns that he raises.

Mr. McGovern said: "last month marked the tenth anniversary of peaceful protests that spurred great hope for change in Bahrain, only to have those hopes dashed. On February 14, 2011, thousands of Bahrainis took to the streets in peaceful protests throughout the country to call for democratization and social and economic reform. Bahraini security forces attacked the peaceful protesters, first with pepper spray and flash-bangs, then with rubber bullets and finally with shotguns. The protesters remained peaceful, and in the days that followed, the protests grew. The Pearl Roundabout in the capital city, Manama, became the hub with hundreds camping there and sharing food. Then came Bahrain Bloody Thursday. (...)''

Read the full article here

Profile in Persecution

Profile In Persecution: Sayed Redha Fadhul

Sayed Redha Fadhul was a 15-year-old high school student when he was arrested during a raid on his house, along with his brother and cousin in 2020. He was then placed in solitary confinement for a month with no contact with a lawyer or his family and was subject to extreme psychological and physical torture. He was charged with terrorist acts committed three years prior, when he was only 12 years old. He remains in Dry Dock Detention Center to this day, awaiting his transfer to New Dry Dock Prison.

On 16 January 2020 at dawn, General Security vehicles, officers in civilian clothing, and riot police with private civilian cars stormed the complex where Sayed Redha’s mother lived. They first asked about Sayed’s cousin, Ali Mohamed, and after raiding his mother’s villa and not finding him, they began to search the compound villas. They then raided the villa belonging to Sayed Redha’s mother, and arrested him along with his older brother, Sayed Mohamed Baqer Mahdi, and their cousin Ali Mohamed Hasan. The family had gone on a trip outside the Kingdom of Bahrain three days before the arrest, and they preferred that their sons stay in the family’s housing complex as it was safer. The authorities did not mention the reason for the arrest, and no arrest warrant was presented. Two days after the arrest, Sayed Redha was able to call his uncle for a few seconds, telling him that he was being interrogated, all he could say was that he was fine and safe, then the call was disconnected. Following the call, Sayed Redha was disappeared for more than a month, as his family had no knowledge of his whereabouts, and he was not allowed to contact them or his lawyer.

Read the full article here

ADHRB at the UN

HRC46 Written Statement: Political Prisoners in Bahrain

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain Inc (ADHRB) welcomes this opportunity at the 46th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) to draw attention to the ongoing imprisonment of women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia. Since 2018 the Saudi government has targeted prominent women’s rights defenders with imprisonment and torture, and several remain in incarceration.

Read the full text of the statement here

HRC46 Written Statement: Ongoing Detention of Women’s Rights Defenders in Saudi Arabia

Bahrain resides within the heart of the Arabian Gulf, an archipelago of 33 natural islands with an additional 51 artificial ones, it comprises a total area of 765 sq. km. The largest of Bahrain’s islands is Manama, the capital, and comprises approximately 85 percent of the country’s total landmass. Manama consists mostly of rocky and bare terrain, apart from the narrow fertile strip located along the island’s North and North-Western Coast. Bahrain has a population of approximately 1.5 million people and is particularly vulnerable to plastic waste. Bahrain’s waters have been historically known for their richness of wildlife and are home to over 200 different fish species. Fishing, particularly pearl fishing, plays a significant role in Bahraini history as it was the primary means of subsistence for the Bahraini people for centuries. The sea is so important to Bahraini identity and culture that its name means two seas in Arabic, a tribute to its natural heritage of sweet water springs and salty seawater.

Saudi Arabia is home to the guardianship system, which creates both formal and informal laws with the primary aim of controlling and limiting the independence of women from their male relatives. This system manifests itself in the everyday lives of women by prohibiting them from independently making a variety of decisions without first obtaining the permission of their male guardian – whether it be their husband, brother, son, or other male relatives.

Read the full text of the statement here

GCC in the Wire

- Human Rights Watch calls on Qatar to dismantle male guardianship (Reuters)

DUBAI (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Qatar on Monday to eliminate male guardianship rules that prevent women making independent decisions on basic rights such as marriage, travel and accessing reproductive health care.

- Khashoggi urder: US lawmakers advance bills that would punish Saudi Arabia (Middle East Eye)

US lawmakers have advanced two bills that would punish Saudi Arabia over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, signalling bipartisan support for holding the kingdom and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for the killing.

- Lewis Hamilton puts F1 on notice over human rights before Bahrain GP (The Guardian)

Lewis Hamilton has stated his belief that Formula One can no longer ignore human rights issues in the countries it visits, putting the sport’s chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, in an awkward position after he rejected calls to launch an independent inquiry into alleged human rights abuses associated with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

- New Zealand approved military exports to Saudis' Yemen war ally UAE (The Guardian)

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) approved export permits for military equipment that was sent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of Saudi Arabia’s partners in the war in Yemen, in 2018 and 2019, RNZ has reported.

- ‘We’re treated as children,’ Qatari women tell rights group (The Guardian)

Women in Qatar are living under a system of “deep discrimination” – dependent on men for permission to marry, travel, pursue higher education or make decisions about their own children, according to a new report.

Are you a victim of a human rights abuse in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, or other GCC states?

Document your case with the Special Procedures of the United Nations through ADHRB's UN Complaint Program.

Contact us at: [email protected]

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Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain · 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW · Suite 205 · Washington, DC 20036 · USA