US senators urge State Dept to confront Bahrain’s ‘repression’
Al Jazeera
Since a 2011 uprising, the Gulf country has arrested thousands of protesters and reportedly subjected prisoners to torture.
A bipartisan group of United States senators has called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to press the Kingdom of Bahrain to end what it calls the “violent, systemic repression” of its population.
“We write to raise our concerns about the government of Bahrain’s troubling rights record and to better understand your administration’s strategy for pressing this issue with our important ally and partner,” a group of seven influential US senators wrote.
The Gulf state and US military ally has been condemned by international human rights groups after imprisoning thousands of protesters, journalists and activists following a popular uprising against the monarchy in 2011 that was put down with force and help from Saudi Arabia. Since then, political opposition in Bahrain has been banned and independent media shut down. There have been reports of torture and forced confessions in death penalty cases, some involving political prisoners accused of “terrorism”.
