[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                BAHRAIN

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, February marks the anniversary of the 
massive, peaceful protests against Bahrain's repressive regime in 2011. 
Bahraini citizens, men and women of all ages and backgrounds, demanded 
more accountability from their leaders and more agency in their lives.
  Instead of sitting down with the protestors as leaders in Oregon or 
Washington, DC, often do, Bahrain's rulers unleashed the country's 
security forces on them. I am afraid that it has now become a rather 
sad tradition of mine to remind the Senate of these events, and so 
before February gives way to March, I just wanted to offer a few words 
on why this issue continues to resonate.
  Bahrain held elections in November 2018, but they were hardly on the 
level. ``The Economist'' termed them ``unfair.'' The head of Human 
Rights First called them ``fake elections.'' The Project on Middle East 
Democracy and Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain said 
they were a ``sham.'' The list goes on.
  This should come as no surprise to anybody paying attention to 
development in Bahrain because the regime banned opposition parties 
from participating altogether. That is not exactly a recipe for a free, 
fair, or legitimate outcome.
  Indeed, the regime has spent the past couple years detaining, 
intimidating, and silencing the political opposition.
  But don't take my word for it, that's how Amnesty International 
characterized the situation before the November elections.
  The repression extends far beyond the ballot box. Human rights 
advocates say the regime has arbitrarily stripped hundreds of 
individuals of their citizenship in the past few years.
  Human Right Watch indicates that the regime closed the last remaining 
independent newspaper in 2017. Freedom House says the regime continues 
to bully journalists and to persecute those who are critical of the 
regime.
  Bahrain is a longtime U.S. ally in a tumultuous region. My intent 
with these annual statements is neither to insult the Kingdom nor to 
demand the administration cut ties.
  No, the point of these statements is to make it clear that I believe 
the United States should always promote basic rights and values and 
further, that I believe the United States must--must--hold its friends 
and partners to a higher moral standard.
  I was concerned that the previous administration did not do more to 
push Bahrain's rulers on this point, but I am deeply disappointed that 
the Trump administration seems hell-bent on setting a new low.
  The President himself has made clear that he views the world through 
a transactional lens and is willing to overlook rights violations in 
the name of arms sales or greater defense cooperation.
  So it is hardly surprising to read that Trump administration 
officials fail to raise human rights concerns with their Bahraini 
counterparts.
  This must change. I hope it will change. And I hope that the influx 
of new members of Congress following the 2018 midterm elections will 
cause it to change.
  Today I renew my call on Bahrain's monarchy to stop brutally 
repressing peaceful protest, to release political prisoners like 
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab, and to offer Bahrainis a greater 
voice in their country's future.

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