The United State's Shameful Bahrain Policy
Behind the walls of a prison compound, the man who helped lead last year's pro-democracy protests in Bahrain is continuing a lonely, painful battle for freedom away from the media spotlight.
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Behind the walls of a prison compound, the man who helped lead last year's pro-democracy protests in Bahrain is continuing a lonely, painful battle for freedom away from the media spotlight.
While Khawaja continues to peacefully resist by whatever means in his power, the Bahraini regime continues to suppress with brute force the pro-democracy movement he helped spearhead. Despite its criminal abuse of a prominent human rights champion in the Arab world, and despite the documented instances of killings, torture, and indefinite imprisonment of countless other Bahraini citizens, the U.S. government continues to support the Al-Khalifa regime in the face of its democratic uprising and refuses to publicly call for the release of Alkhawaja and other pro-democracy activists. While the U.S. has consistently proclaimed its intention to champion the cause of democratic uprisings in the Middle East and around the world, there continues to be a policy of "business as usual" in its dealings with a Bahraini government which has moved aggressively to crush a peaceful citizens movement calling for democracy and respect for human rights. Indeed, while the regime was wrapping up a campaign of torture and murder directed at democracy activists, the U.S. lawmakers pursued a decision to resume arms sales to Bahrain, pushing forward a $53 million dollar sale of weaponry and other equipment to the country. In the midst of loud denunciations of the atrocities of Bashar Assad in Syria and coming on the heels of a military campaign ostensibly fought to protect the democratic uprising in Libya, the decision to not just support but to continue arming the Bahraini regime is one that flies in the face of stated U.S. priorities in the region. While several American officials are reported to have promised Bahraini activists that they would privately lobby for the rights of Khawaja and others who are suffering the abuses of the regime, the U.S. government has steadfastly declined to offer a public condemnation of the documented crimes of its Gulf ally, nor will it openly call on them to release Alkhawaja or any of the other detainees whom Amnesty International has designated to be prisoners of conscience.
Read the full article at Salon.com
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While Khawaja continues to peacefully resist by whatever means in his power, the Bahraini regime continues to suppress with brute force the pro-democracy movement he helped spearhead. Despite its criminal abuse of a prominent human rights champion in the Arab world, and despite the documented instances of killings, torture, and indefinite imprisonment of countless other Bahraini citizens, the U.S. government continues to support the Al-Khalifa regime in the face of its democratic uprising and refuses to publicly call for the release of Alkhawaja and other pro-democracy activists. While the U.S. has consistently proclaimed its intention to champion the cause of democratic uprisings in the Middle East and around the world, there continues to be a policy of "business as usual" in its dealings with a Bahraini government which has moved aggressively to crush a peaceful citizens movement calling for democracy and respect for human rights. Indeed, while the regime was wrapping up a campaign of torture and murder directed at democracy activists, the U.S. lawmakers pursued a decision to resume arms sales to Bahrain, pushing forward a $53 million dollar sale of weaponry and other equipment to the country. In the midst of loud denunciations of the atrocities of Bashar Assad in Syria and coming on the heels of a military campaign ostensibly fought to protect the democratic uprising in Libya, the decision to not just support but to continue arming the Bahraini regime is one that flies in the face of stated U.S. priorities in the region. While several American officials are reported to have promised Bahraini activists that they would privately lobby for the rights of Khawaja and others who are suffering the abuses of the regime, the U.S. government has steadfastly declined to offer a public condemnation of the documented crimes of its Gulf ally, nor will it openly call on them to release Alkhawaja or any of the other detainees whom Amnesty International has designated to be prisoners of conscience.
Read the full article at Salon.com
While Khawaja continues to peacefully resist by whatever means in his power, the Bahraini regime continues to suppress with brute force the pro-democracy movement he helped spearhead. Despite its criminal abuse of a prominent human rights champion in the Arab world, and despite the documented instances of killings, torture, and indefinite imprisonment of countless other Bahraini citizens, the U.S. government continues to support the Al-Khalifa regime in the face of its democratic uprising and refuses to publicly call for the release of Alkhawaja and other pro-democracy activists. While the U.S. has consistently proclaimed its intention to champion the cause of democratic uprisings in the Middle East and around the world, there continues to be a policy of "business as usual" in its dealings with a Bahraini government which has moved aggressively to crush a peaceful citizens movement calling for democracy and respect for human rights. Indeed, while the regime was wrapping up a campaign of torture and murder directed at democracy activists, the U.S. lawmakers pursued a decision to resume arms sales to Bahrain, pushing forward a $53 million dollar sale of weaponry and other equipment to the country. In the midst of loud denunciations of the atrocities of Bashar Assad in Syria and coming on the heels of a military campaign ostensibly fought to protect the democratic uprising in Libya, the decision to not just support but to continue arming the Bahraini regime is one that flies in the face of stated U.S. priorities in the region. While several American officials are reported to have promised Bahraini activists that they would privately lobby for the rights of Khawaja and others who are suffering the abuses of the regime, the U.S. government has steadfastly declined to offer a public condemnation of the documented crimes of its Gulf ally, nor will it openly call on them to release Alkhawaja or any of the other detainees whom Amnesty International has designated to be prisoners of conscience.
Read the full article at Salon.com