[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BAHRAIN MUST CHANGE DIRECTION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 14, 2019

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, today marks the 8th anniversary of the 
beginning of the Pearl Uprising in Bahrain.
  On this day eight years ago, thousands of Bahrainis gathered in 
peaceful protests to demand greater political freedom, and political 
and constitutional reform.
  Their demands were not new--the roots went back to the 1970s.
  They were not radical: Bahrainis wanted greater popular participation 
in governance, equal access to socio-economic opportunities and 
development, action against corruption and an end to the practice of 
political naturalization.
  And they were not sectarian--even though Bahrain is a majority Shi'a 
country ruled by a minority Sunni monarchy.
  But by the end of March 2011, what started as a moment of hope had 
been met with massive repression by the Bahraini government and 
security forces sent by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As 
protests grew and spread, at least 35 people died, some 3,000 people 
were injured, thousands were detained or lost their jobs, and many were 
brutally tortured, including medical doctors.
  King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain did take some steps to 
address the people's demands. His appointment of the 5-member Bahrain 
Independent Commission of Inquiry BICI) to examine the government's 
response to the protests was an important gesture. And the 26 
recommendations contained in the BICI report, which the monarch 
promised to implement, did inspire some new hope that change was 
possible.
  Many of us in Congress urged the government to fully implement the 
BICI recommendations and to cease the repression of human rights 
defenders and peaceful opposition leaders.
  But in the years since, hope has been completely dashed. Some initial 
important reforms have been rolled back, opposition political societies 
are banned, peaceful human rights defenders and popular opposition 
leaders are spending their lives in jail, sectarian divisions have 
hardened, hundreds have been stripped of their citizenship, no 
independent press remains, the most recent elections were a sham--and 
to top it all off, the Bahraini government has supported the Saudis in 
the brutal war in Yemen and the senseless embargo of Qatar.
  Madam Speaker, some observers turn a blind eye to Bahrain's 
increasingly authoritarian rule because they accept Bahrain's argument 
that Iran is to blame for encouraging the Shi'a population to rebel.
  These days, any mention of Iran is often enough to silence legitimate 
criticism.
  But what I see is a Bahraini government whose own policies deepen 
sectarian divisions and create the conditions for unrest.
  In spite of their majority status, Bahraini Shiites are less likely 
to hold jobs in the all-important public sector. They are almost 
entirely disqualified from serving in the police or military. They live 
in highly segregated neighborhoods with inferior public services 
compared to Sunni areas. They are systematically underrepresented in 
the lower house of parliament.
  No one should be surprised that this stark political and economic 
inequality causes grievance. Add to that Bahrain's crushing of 
political expression and channels of participation, and you have a 
recipe for fostering extremism.
  No government that does this can be considered a true United States 
ally in the war against terrorism. You cannot claim to be fighting 
extremism when your own policies foster it.
  On this anniversary, I renew my call to the government of Bahrain to 
free Nabeel Rajab, Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Abduljalil 
Al-Singace, Ahmed Humaidan, Naji Fateel and all other prisoners of 
conscience jailed for exercising their most fundamental human rights.
  And I call on the government to end the prohibition on political 
societies, decriminalize all speech, allow national and international 
press to operate without state intervention, stop rendering its 
citizens stateless, strip the National Security Agency of its power to 
arrest, bring its anti-terrorism legislation into line with 
international human rights standards, integrate its security forces and 
end discrimination against the Shi'a population everywhere it exists.
  Only if these steps are taken will the rights of all the Bahraini 
people, the country's long-term stability and America's national 
interests be assured.

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