[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S1071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                BAHRAIN

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this month marks another important 
anniversary for many Bahrainis. Four years ago, more than a 100,000 
people took to the streets of Manama, camping out at Pearl Roundabout 
and peacefully protesting their lack of access to Bahrain's political 
system and their government's abuse of basic human rights. Bahrain's 
rulers responded to these calls for reform as authoritarian regimes so 
often do: with force. In the years since, an estimated 3,000 Bahrainis 
have been arrested, more than 150 protestors have been killed and more 
than 100 people have had their citizenship revoked. Indeed, the 
Bahraini regime continues to go to great lengths to stifle peaceful 
protest and quell any dissent by closing down media outlets and filling 
up already overcrowded prisons with political prisoners and human 
rights defenders. While many Bahrainis feel their struggle has been 
forgotten by the world, I want them to know that it will not go 
unremembered or unmarked here in the U.S. Senate.
  The regime continues to go to great lengths to convince the world 
that it is making progress but I am sad to report that I cannot share 
that conclusion. Not while the regime refuses to permit a visit by Juan 
Mendez, the U.N.'s top torture investigator. Not while opposition 
leaders sit in Bahraini jails. And not while the State Department's 
last Human Rights Report lists abuses that include ``restrictions on 
civil liberties,'' ``arbitrary deprivation of life,'' and ``arrest and 
detention of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to 
their torture in detention.''
  Four years after the peaceful protests began, Bahrain's rulers 
continue to commit human rights violations while taking only 
superficial steps toward a meaningful political solution. As a result, 
several attempts to conclude a national dialogue among Bahrain's 
interests and parties have only resulted in stalemate. Unsurprisingly, 
the regime cracked down on the largest political opposition bloc in the 
lead-up to the November 2014 elections, resulting in a large-scale 
boycott of the election by voters. The regime arrested a senior 
opposition leader 1 month later, an action that the State Department 
warned ``will only inflame tensions'' and further dampen potential for 
a renewed political dialogue. The regime responded not by releasing 
that leader, but by doubling down and moving to criminalize the 
political party he leads.
  On this somber anniversary, I want to take the occasion to urge the 
Bahraini regime to implement true and meaningful reforms, to cease the 
use of violence and repression against peaceful protesters, and to 
engage in credible dialogue about the future of Bahrain. To be clear, 
my aim is not to dictate to Bahrain's rulers what their government 
ought to look like; indeed, those decisions can only be made by the 
people of Bahrain. But Bahrain has long been an ally of the United 
States, and I believe this country has an obligation to hold friends to 
a higher standard.
  To those who will say that human rights abuses are bad but that 
stability and cooperation in the region must come before such concerns, 
I say that you are offering a false choice. I worry there will come a 
day when peaceful protesters, seeing no hope for redress, ask 
themselves if they, too, should not resort to violence. Indeed, the 
prospect of further violence and instability--or full-blown civil war--
could have a profound impact on regional security and on the thousands 
of United States military personnel stationed in Bahrain. That is why I 
will continue coming down to this floor on this sad anniversary and 
keep using my voice in this body to raise awareness of this important 
issue.

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