[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2864]
[From the U.S. 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 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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