[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H1760-H1761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN

  (Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in solidarity with 
the people of Bahrain as they mark the third anniversary of the 
February 2011 popular protest. More than 200,000 people took to the 
streets to demand basic human rights and government protection.
  Sadly, this anniversary will not be one of celebration. Rather than 
seeing a move toward reform, systematic human rights abuses and 
restrictions

[[Page H1761]]

continue, and freedom of association and expression have been curtailed 
drastically. Human rights defenders are jailed for life for peacefully 
calling for reform, while police officers convicted of torturing a 
prisoner to death are allowed to walk free.
  As home to the 5th Fleet and thousands of U.S. servicemembers, the 
U.S. has an obligation to call on the government of Bahrain to enact 
meaningful reforms and adhere to its international human rights 
commitments. In the midst of increasing instability, it is time for the 
U.S. to hold its ally accountable and consider a contingency plan for a 
removal of the 5th Fleet.

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