Bahrain

UK voices support for despotic Bahraini regime

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British Foreign Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia Alistair Burt has reiterated London’s support for the Al Khalifa regime despite Manama’s continued brutal crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests.

During his time in Bahrain on March 11-12, Burt said Britain backs the so-called reform talks, dubbed the National Consensus Dialogue.

This comes as earlier this month British rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) suggested that “all the talk of national dialogue and reform mean nothing” as long as the Bahraini regime continues to imprison human rights and political activists unjustly.

According to the reports, the British minister and Bahraini officials held discussions on bilateral and regional issues, as well as security and political reforms.

“My visit underlined to me the strong relationship between the British people and Bahraini people and I see no reason why this relationship between our peoples should not become stronger in the years to come,” Burt said.

Earlier in February, he also made a phone conversation with Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, reaffirming the UK’s support for the ruling regime of the tiny Persian Gulf island while it faces accusations of human rights violations.

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising in Bahrain began.

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