UK peer calls for UN human rights commissioner to visit Bahrain

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury has written to Foreign Secretary William Hague calling for the UN to intervene in Bahrain following the conviction of 21 opposition leaders by a military court, including eight given life sentences.

“I suggest that we ask the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Bahrain and report to the world on the human rights situation, and particularly on the state of health of the people convicted, most if not all of whom have apparently been tortured,” Avebury said in his letter.

“May I also ask you to protest to the authorities about the trial and life sentence passed on the British citizen Saeed Al-Shahabi, who wasn’t notified of the charges against him, let alone represented by a lawyer of his choice,” the letter also said.

“This was a grossly irregular process, and one that I hope you will publicly condemn,” Hague was told.

Following Wednesday’s conviction, the only reaction from the UK government has come from Middle East Minister Alistair Burt who said he was “extremely concerned by the process surrounding today’s sentencing of 21 opposition members and the nature of many of the charges.”

‘It is deeply worrying that civilians are being tried before tribunals chaired by a military judge, with reports of abuse in detention, lack of access to legal counsel and coerced confessions,” Burt said.

But Avebury told the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in London that “action needs to be taken at the level of the Secretary of State (Hague)” and that the UK needs to do more than just continually express ‘concern’ about the situation.