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UK's Relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

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UK's Relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee UK's relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain This is a volume of submissions, relevant to the inquiry: The UK's relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrai , which have been reported to the House. Only those submissions written specifically for the Committee have been included. List of unprinted written evidence Page 1 Bahrain Human Rights Monitor (SAB 01) 1 2 Roger Tomkys (SAB 02) 6 3 Brigadier Peter Sincock (SAB 03) 12 4 Peter Francis (SAB 04) 15 5 Bharat Jashanmal (SAB 06) 17 6 George Williams, Gulf Daily News (SAB 07) 21 7 Amjad Bseisu (SAB 09) 23 8 Raymond Weaver (SAB 10) 25 9 Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) (SAB12) 27 10 Marilyn Collins (SAB 13) 30 11 Omar Al-Hassan (SAB 15) 33 12 Rehman Chishti MP (SAB 16) 42 13 Sir Harold Walker (SAB 19) 45 14 Sir John Shepherd KCVO CMG (SAB 20) 47 15 Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security, Shura Council-Kingdom of Bahrain (SAB 21) 53 16 Philip Smith (SAB 22) 58 17 Paul Mercer, Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain) (SAB 23) 59 18 Graeme Lamb (SAB 24) 66 19 LuaLuaTV (SAB 25) 74 20 Citizens for Bahrain (SAB 29) 76 21 Caroline Nokes MP (SAB 32) 81 22 Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA) (SAB 33) 84 23 Human Rights Watch (SAB 38) 90 24 FCO (SAB 40) 96 25 REDRESS (SAB 44) 113 26 Colin Murray (SAB 45) 122 27 Islamic Human Rights Commission (SAB 46) 133 28 Robin Lamb (SAB 55) 140 29 Douglas Hansen-Luke & Rosamund de Sybel (SAB 56) 148 30 Mabadea Society For Human Rights (SAB 58) 160 31 Royal United Services Industry (RUSI) (SAB 59) 163 32 Dr Kristian Ulrichsen (SAB 60) 170 33 Caroline Montagu (SAB 61) 178 34 Robert Lacey (SAB 63) 183 35 British Council (SAB 64) 191 36 Amnesty International (SAB 65) 198 SAB 01 Written evidence from the Bahrain Human Rights Monitor 1- Introduction The UK, more than any country in the world, is well qualified and adequately equipped to deal with the affairs of the Middle East, particularly the Gulf Region. This could be attributed mainly to the deep knowledge it acquired of the region during the colonial era, not only from a Geo-political perspective, but also from the platform of a profound understanding and appreciation of the complex social, cultural and religious heritage that contributed to shaping its political infrastructure and influencing its way of thinking. * Though the end of the colonial era and the two World Wars and lately the collapse of the Iron Curtain have ushered a new World Order characterized by the emergence of new global powers with economic, military and subsequently political might, the UK’s status on the world stage has never diminished, particularly in matters concerning its former spheres of influence. * As such, the stance the UK adopts towards any emerging regional or international issue carries a considerable weight and a tendency to resonate and influence opinion within its allies, if not worldwide. * That is why the role the UK could play in helping Bahrain resolve its current crisis is crucial and should never be underestimated. 2 - About us * We, the “Bahrain Human Rights Monitor” are a London-based Independent Human Rights Organisation that concerns itself with the protection and promotion of Human Rights in Bahrain. As such, we strive to strengthen relations between the civil society organisations, official bodies and International Human Rights Organisations. We provide news follow ups, in-depth analysis and advice on Human Rights issues in the country, through a monthly Bulletin in addition to periodic and occasional statements and publications, symposiums and seminars. One of our major objectives is to help, through our work, in bringing unity and cohesion to a Bahraini Society that has been blighted by divisions, sectarian strife and violence. Since the break of the recent sad events in Bahrain, we have worked doubly hard to document and condemn Human Rights abuses perpetrated by any of the parties involved, official or civil, and to call for an end to the cycle of violence and the sectarian incitement that threatens to derail the Country’s march towards Political reforms and greater respect for Human Rights. * As we welcome the opportunity to submit this written contribution on the situation in Bahrain to the House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee as it prepares to hold an inquiry into the FCO’s Foreign policy towards the Gulf Region, we would like to confirm our readiness to participate in any future event the House of Commons and its Foreign Affairs Committee might consider organising on the Bahraini issue. 1 3- The Crisis in Bahrain * Until recently, Bahrain was renowned for its religious freedom and tolerance. Nowhere in the whole of the Gulf Region had all religious beliefs, creeds and practices coexisted in total harmony as in Bahrain. * What made Bahrain an oasis of serenity and religious tolerance was the fact that the state took it upon itself to act as a custodian of all creeds, not just allowing each and every individual, whether a citizen, resident or even a visitor, the freedom to worship and practice according to their faith and religious beliefs, but also offered substantial financial contributions to all existing religious groups and sects such as Christians, Jews, Shias, Sunnis, Hindus and Sikhs. This fact was duly recognized by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s (BICI) report which stated that Bahrain is a model of ethnic and sectarian cohesion when compared to neighbouring countries. * Religious or sectarian affiliations had never before been an issue in the Bahraini community, or an element that restricted any interactions or even intermarriages between followers of different religious beliefs. Then, why has the sectarian element suddenly become one of the focal points of the recent Bahraini crisis? * The roots of the current Bahraini crisis are political in essence... Bahrain had embarked on a reform process initiated since 2002, but the slow pace of the implementation of the political reforms has led to a simmering resentment that burst onto the surface inspired by the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, in what has been dubbed (The Arab Spring). * It is fair to say that the initial Bahraini popular protests were political in nature, demanding legitimate and reasonable wider political reforms until a minority of fanatics derailed the course of the protests. * The turning point could be traced to the call by an extremist faction of the Shia opposition for the overthrow, not only of the government but also of the Monarchy... That in turn raised suspicion and concern among the Sunni population who felt that any threat to the Monarchy would eventually affect them, and would mean the end of the road to what had hitherto been achieved in the field of political and economic reforms. * The harsh measures taken by the security forces combined with the hijacking of the peaceful protests by hardliners led to the violence and confrontation that have sadly resulted in the perpetration of grave human rights violations. * Consequently the sectarian card entered the frame as the political leaders on both sides of the sectarian divide succumbed to the extreme elements that were mobilizing the streets and sought, therefore, to employ that card in the political point-scoring. * This precarious situation was not helped by a hasty decision taken by the relevant Bahraini authorities to demolish what they had identified as unauthorized Shia places of worship, whereby around 30 of these places, according to the BICI’s report, have been demolished between March 1st and May 11th 2011. The BICI’s report criticised the procedure as well as the timing of that decision. 2 * The role played by the Media, official, social and otherwise, has unfortunately, not been conducive to easing the tension and rebuilding the shattered trust between the opposing sides... 3- The remedies * The government of Bahrain, faced by an International outcry, soon realised the error of its ways and sought to remedy the situation. * To be fair The King of Bahrain tried his utmost to contain the situation from the outset by ordering the minister of interior to publicly apologise to the families of the victims of the unrest and later addressed the nation himself acknowledging the legitimacy of the protesters’ demands. The King later took the bold and unprecedented initiative in July last year by establishing the BICI, and later endorsing its findings and recommendations. That represented a breakthrough and a clear indication of his willingness to address Bahrain’s problems in a manner that would allow the country to move forward and continue the process of political, economic and social reforms, he himself had initiated a decade ago. * The implementation of the BICI’S recommendations went ahead with some tangible results in the areas of training of Judges and members of the General Prosecution, compensations, investigating violations, rebuilding of the religious sites, reinstatement of dismissed workers, in addition to taking advanced steps towards instilling Human Rights culture in the education system and drafting legislative amendments to support freedom of expression and enhance media performance. * The pace of the implementation of some of the recommendation was to some extent disappointing particularly those related to public security matters and the development of a national reconciliation programme due to the continuous use of violence by some rouge elements among the protesters and
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