Amnesty report on human rights slammed

Manama : Bahrain Embassy in UK has slammed Amnesty International’s report on human rights situation in Bahrain, saying it lacked credibility and contained several fallacies. 

“From the image chosen for the cover picture, to the portrayal of events and developments in the country, the report conveys an unrepresentative picture of life in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and an entirely false narrative of a government clampdown against non-violent activists,” the embassy said, referring to the Amnesty International Report, ‘No One Can Protect You’, which set out a number of allegations of a supposed crackdown on human rights defenders in the Kingdom. 

“While a full response to the report, and the inaccuracies it contain, will necessarily require time to review the various allegations made, the Embassy wishes to place on record its initial concerns with the text,” the embassy said in the statement issued few hours after the report was published.

“The reality is that Bahrain’s political and economic development continues apace, in an overwhelmingly stable, secure and peaceful environment, despite the efforts of a small number of extremists to spread fear and terror through violent attacks on police and civilians (often involving firearms, Molotov cocktails or improvised explosive devices), and attempts forcibly to seal off some areas (the so-called peaceful sit-ins referred to in the report),” the embassy said.

“Regrettably, these efforts are part of a wider campaign to inject a poisonous sectarian and theocratic agenda into Bahrain’s political arena, coupled with the aggressive targeting of human rights bodies to spread a false narrative of grievance and persecution,” the embassy said. 

“Further, the report makes no mention of the numerous oversight bodies that exist in the Kingdom of Bahrain to investigate precisely the kind of allegations made by some of its sources,” the embassy said.

“These bodies have already established a solid and credible track record of dealing transparently and effectively with allegations of misconduct or abuse against government personnel (resulting, for example in a number of criminal prosecutions and disciplinary sanctions against police personnel), and have been internationally-recognised for their work,” it said.

“Indeed, the fact that the report’s sources have chosen to make unsubstantiated allegations outside Bahrain, rather than take the well-known and readily available domestic avenues that exist for redress, casts immediate and severe questions over their credibility,” it said.

 “Accordingly, the Embassy has deep concerns over some of the report’s methodology, in particular as to the motivations and credibility (or otherwise) of some of its sources. Nevertheless, the Embassy has always sought to establish an effective dialogue with Amnesty in London, and hopes that it will be possible to establish a working relationship so that Amnesty can present in future a more accurate, balanced and representative picture of human rights in Bahrain,” it said.