Bahrain human rights situation deteriorates as world unconcerned: Activists

Pro-democracy campaigners have warned about the significant deterioration of human rights in Bahrain, stating that the ease of international pressure on the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom has emboldened the ruling Al Khalifah regime not to shy away from its heavy-handed crackdown on dissent.

“Bahrain is now clearly sliding in a new and very dangerous direction with 37 people arrested yesterday alone,” Brian Dooley, the director of the Human Rights Defenders program at the US-based Human Rights First organization, said on Thursday.

“The fairly weak level of restraint that was there before has all but gone,” he said, calling on the United States and Britain to wield their influence on the Bahraini regime and step up their criticism.

Meanwhile, activists said at a press conference in Lebanon on Thursday that the human rights situation has deteriorated in Bahrain as 19 people are now sitting on death row, there are renewed reports of torture in detention and military courts are now trying civilians.

The activists also said they are seriously worried about the health of imprisoned prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and demanded his access to adequate healthcare.

“Recently alarming signals have multiplied… regarding his detention condition,” International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) President Dimitris Christopoulos said. Rajab is FIDH’s deputy secretary general.

“Nabeel is in real danger,” Sheikh Maytham al-Salman from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights said.