Activists slam UK support for dictators

http://edition.presstv.ir/TextOnly/detail.aspx?id=266432 Activists slam UK support for dictators Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:27:03 GMT Human rights activists have accused Britain for supporting the Bahraini government, which is known for torturing and imprisoning people who oppose the regime. Activists accused Britain of aiding Bahrain’s Al-Khalifa ruling family, after the British government signed a defence treaty with the dictatorship this week in complete disregard for the violent breach of human rights on the Persian Gulf Island. A Bahraini human rights activist and daughter of an imprisoned protester, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, recently travelled to Britain to hold talks with the Foreign Office in a desperate attempt to ask the British government for some sort of policy shift towards the Persian Gulf Island. But Maryam al-Khawaja admitted that it is “unlikely” she can get an audience in the British government with her plea. This comes as, the Bahrain Freedom Movement has also described the Thursday meeting between British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Bahraini prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as another form of “political support” to the Al Khalifa regime. “William Hague has failed to condemn the regime for arresting the medics, human rights activists, the children or the political leaders,” The Bahraini Freedom Movement said. “He has failed to call for the prosecution of the senior torturers like [commander of Bahrain Royal Guard] Nasser bin Hamad al-khalifa or the military leader who had given orders to kill protesters and destroy people’s property and act mercilessly against Bahraini natives. It was one of the most disappointing public policies by the UK Government.,” the group added. Over the past 18 months, many civilians in Bahrain have taken to the streets to demand democracy and change. The Bahraini government has forcibly managed to remain in power by issuing an aggressive crack down on protesters. The Bahraini security forces are accused of widely using poisonous tear gas and other riot control weapons against protesters while carrying out vast political arrests even on children and abusing prisoners.