ID :
210558
Sat, 10/01/2011 - 11:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/210558
The shortlink copeid
Bahrain’s PM must step down: Human Rights advocate
London, Oct. 1, IRNA – The advocacy officer at Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in London believes that there may be no alternative but for Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman to be replaced as prime minister in Bahrain.
Salman, the uncle of the reigning Bahraini monarch, is the longest-serving un-elected prime minister in the world, having held the post since the British left 40 years ago in 1971.
“It seems absolutely imperative that he steps down in order for reforms to succeed,” John Lubbock said in an interview with IRNA.
“It seems certain that while the prime minister is pulling the strings at the Ministry of the Interior, there can be no judicial independence or reform of the security forces,” he said.
The human rights advocate spoke of the situation in Bahrain as being very complicated since the renewal of pro-democracy protests but referred to reports of an ensuing power struggle which, he said, may give the “best chance for reform.”
Behind the scenes, he said that Wefaq, the largest party, and the government are trying to agree some kind of deal “involving a way in which the Prime Minister can step down without the shame of looking like he has been forced out.”
“The Bahraini government does know that it needs to reform or else it would not be talking to Wefaq and encouraging mediation from the Turkish and Iraqi governments,” he said.
The seeming power struggle comes as Bahraini authorities continued to use military courts to jail some 20 medics on Thursday after upholding long sentences on prominent activists and others.
Lubbock said that the Bahrain Human Rights Centre was “of course very disappointed” at the verdicts. And that it was “very hard to know what the aim of the Bahraini regime is.”
“In all cases, the trials have not followed internationally accepted standards for a fair trial, with claims of torture being ignored by judges, and the continuation of military trials for civilians,” he said.
But despite its defiance, the London advocate believed that the Bahraini authorities are “not impervious to international pressure or world opinion,”
“It's just that until some kind of deal is agreed on reforms, it will be business as usual, and the prime minister wants to look like he is still in control,” he said.
“He seems to have this anachronistic belief that since repression has worked in the past, it will eventually be effective in silencing calls for reform,” he added.
The West’s attitude toward the Middle East, has often been criticised for its double stands and hypocrisy, even before the Arab uprisings, but Lubbock believed that there also had been some consistencies.
“Looking back at history tells us that since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, Western policy has mostly been motivated by the desire for easy access to oil,” he said.
“From the Sykes-Picot agreement which carved up the Ottoman lands between Britain and France, to the Iraq war, the West has been consistent in its policy in terms of pragmatic support for states which are favourable to Western influence.”
The human rights advocate said that in general, the West wants a “stable Middle-East region, because that means less interruption to oil supplies,” and does “not want to repeat the oil crisis of the 1970s.”
“This is why it does not support reform movements in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia more strongly, because it would anger the governments of those states and possibly lead to social unrest which would destabilise oil production,” he said.
Lubbock also told IRNA that Western states are divided on this, “especially those working in human rights and development, who would love to see pro-democracy movements succeed.”
“But those of us in the West who want to see human rights and democracy succeed are not in charge of final government policy - it is the realist hawks in the security agencies and the leaders of government who have the final say,” he said.
He referred to his own experience of talking to government representatives at the Human Rights Council who say things like 'we would love to do something to help Bahrain, but the Pentagon, or whichever national security agency makes foreign policy, would not agree to it'./end
Salman, the uncle of the reigning Bahraini monarch, is the longest-serving un-elected prime minister in the world, having held the post since the British left 40 years ago in 1971.
“It seems absolutely imperative that he steps down in order for reforms to succeed,” John Lubbock said in an interview with IRNA.
“It seems certain that while the prime minister is pulling the strings at the Ministry of the Interior, there can be no judicial independence or reform of the security forces,” he said.
The human rights advocate spoke of the situation in Bahrain as being very complicated since the renewal of pro-democracy protests but referred to reports of an ensuing power struggle which, he said, may give the “best chance for reform.”
Behind the scenes, he said that Wefaq, the largest party, and the government are trying to agree some kind of deal “involving a way in which the Prime Minister can step down without the shame of looking like he has been forced out.”
“The Bahraini government does know that it needs to reform or else it would not be talking to Wefaq and encouraging mediation from the Turkish and Iraqi governments,” he said.
The seeming power struggle comes as Bahraini authorities continued to use military courts to jail some 20 medics on Thursday after upholding long sentences on prominent activists and others.
Lubbock said that the Bahrain Human Rights Centre was “of course very disappointed” at the verdicts. And that it was “very hard to know what the aim of the Bahraini regime is.”
“In all cases, the trials have not followed internationally accepted standards for a fair trial, with claims of torture being ignored by judges, and the continuation of military trials for civilians,” he said.
But despite its defiance, the London advocate believed that the Bahraini authorities are “not impervious to international pressure or world opinion,”
“It's just that until some kind of deal is agreed on reforms, it will be business as usual, and the prime minister wants to look like he is still in control,” he said.
“He seems to have this anachronistic belief that since repression has worked in the past, it will eventually be effective in silencing calls for reform,” he added.
The West’s attitude toward the Middle East, has often been criticised for its double stands and hypocrisy, even before the Arab uprisings, but Lubbock believed that there also had been some consistencies.
“Looking back at history tells us that since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, Western policy has mostly been motivated by the desire for easy access to oil,” he said.
“From the Sykes-Picot agreement which carved up the Ottoman lands between Britain and France, to the Iraq war, the West has been consistent in its policy in terms of pragmatic support for states which are favourable to Western influence.”
The human rights advocate said that in general, the West wants a “stable Middle-East region, because that means less interruption to oil supplies,” and does “not want to repeat the oil crisis of the 1970s.”
“This is why it does not support reform movements in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia more strongly, because it would anger the governments of those states and possibly lead to social unrest which would destabilise oil production,” he said.
Lubbock also told IRNA that Western states are divided on this, “especially those working in human rights and development, who would love to see pro-democracy movements succeed.”
“But those of us in the West who want to see human rights and democracy succeed are not in charge of final government policy - it is the realist hawks in the security agencies and the leaders of government who have the final say,” he said.
He referred to his own experience of talking to government representatives at the Human Rights Council who say things like 'we would love to do something to help Bahrain, but the Pentagon, or whichever national security agency makes foreign policy, would not agree to it'./end
