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The UK's Relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

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The UK's Relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee The UK’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain Fifth Report of Session 2013–14 Volume II Additional written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be published 12 November 2013 Published on 22 November 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited The Foreign Affairs Committee The Foreign Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated agencies. Current membership Rt Hon Richard Ottaway (Conservative, Croydon South) (Chair) Mr John Baron (Conservative, Basildon and Billericay) Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife) Rt Hon Ann Clwyd (Labour, Cynon Valley) Mike Gapes (Labour/Co-op, Ilford South) Mark Hendrick (Labour/Co-op, Preston) Sandra Osborne (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) Andrew Rosindell (Conservative, Romford) Mr Frank Roy (Labour, Motherwell and Wishaw) Rt Hon Sir John Stanley (Conservative, Tonbridge and Malling) Rory Stewart (Conservative, Penrith and The Border) The following Members were also members of the Committee during the parliament: Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth (Labour, Coventry North East) Emma Reynolds (Labour, Wolverhampton North East) Mr Dave Watts (Labour, St Helens North) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including news items) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/facom. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the front of this volume. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Kenneth Fox (Clerk), Peter McGrath (Second Clerk), Zoe Oliver-Watts (Senior Committee Specialist), Dr Brigid Fowler (Committee Specialist), Louise Glen (Senior Committee Assistant), Vanessa Hallinan (Committee Assistant), and Alex Paterson (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6105; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. List of additional written evidence (published in Volume II on the Committee’s website www.parliament.uk/facom) 1 Bahrain Human Rights Monitor Ev w1 2 Brigadier Peter Sincock, Chairman The Bahrain Society in UK Ev w4 3 Peter Francis, Chemical Engineer (Retired) Ev w6 4 Mary Martini Ev w6 5 Bharat Jashanmal Ev w7 6 George Williams, Editor-in Chief of the Gulf Daily News Ev w9 7 Amjad Bseisu Ev w10 8 Raymond Weaver Ev w11 9 Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society Ev w12 10 Marilyn Collins Ev w13 11 Dr Omar Al-Hassan Ev w15 12 Rehman Chishti MP, Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham Ev w19 13 Human Rights First Ev w21 14 Sir Harold Walker Ev w22 15 Sir John Shepherd KCVO CMG Ev w23 16 Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security, Shura Council Kingdom of Bahrain Ev w27 17 Philip Smith Ev w29 18 Paul Mercer, Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain) Ev w30 19 Lieutenant General (Rtd) Sir Graeme Lamb KBE, CMG, DSO Ev w33 20 LuaLua TV Ev w39 21 Bahrain Freedom Movement Ev w39 22 Citizens for Bahrain Ev w43 23 Abdulrahman Rashid Bumjaid MP, Head of Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Committee, Council of Representatives, Kingdom of Bahrain Ev w46 24 Dr Mike Diboll Ev w52 25 Caroline Nokes MP Ev w56 26 The Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA) Ev w57 27 Campaign Against Arms Trade Ev w61 28 John Horne, Bahrain Watch Ev w64 29 Index on Censorship Ev w75 30 Bahrain Justice and Development Movement Ev w77 31 The Redress Trust (REDRESS) Ev w82 32 C.R.G. Murray, Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University Ev w88 33 Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Ev w92 34 Human Rights Department of the National Unity Assembly Association Ev w95 35 Bahrain Watch Ev w99 36 Douglas Hansen-Luke and Rosamund de Sybel Ev w105 37 Mr Abdulla Faisal Al Doseri, President of the Mabadea Society for Human Rights Ev w109 38 Dr Kristian Coates Ulrichsen Ev w111 39 Robert Lacey Ev w115 40 The British Council Ev w121 41 Rt Hon The Lord Mayor Alderman Roger Gifford Ev w124 42 Bill Marczak Ev w125 43 Lawyer Mohamed Altajer President of BRAVO, board member, Bahrain Human Rights Observatory Ev w129 cobber Pack: U PL: CWE1 [SO] Processed: [19-11-2013 14:38] Job: 032687 Unit: PG01 Foreign Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev w1 Written evidence 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. 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.
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