61 British MPs Sign Motion Demanding Release of Leaders and Political Detainees, Engaging in Dialogue
2022-02-01 - 9:30 p
Bahrain Mirror: The British House of Commons is witnessing a widespread movement in light of the high number of voters on a parliamentary motion condemning human rights violations in Bahrain from different parties, within limited hours of its introduction.
Activist Ali Mushaima said via his Twitter account that the number of signatories reached 61.
Among the most prominent signatories are former opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, a House of Commons member Sir Peter Bottomley and MPs from various British parties.
A number of MPs expressed their intention to join their colleagues in the coming hours and sign the petition, which spoke about "the strike of Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace and demanded the release of opposition figures, on top Hasan Mushaima, Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulwahab Hussein and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja." It also demanded to abolish the death sentences, release political prisoners and hold responsible the perpetrators in torture crimes.
The motion said that "This House is concerned by continuing serious human rights violations, including the ongoing arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment of prisoners of conscience."
The petition notes that Freedom House ranked Bahrain in its 2021 report as a not free country and ranked 150 out of 167 countries in the Global Democracy Index issued by The Economist magazine for the year 2020, and ranked 168 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index for the year 2021.
The British parliamentarians urged the Bahraini authorities to release all prisoners of conscience, enable civil society representatives and human rights defenders to work freely, allow genuine political opposition and independent media, and end the use of the death penalty.
They also urged the Bahraini authorities to initiate an objective and inclusive dialogue within the country on political and constitutional reform and to cooperate with human rights organizations and experts, including from the United Nations, to allow, among other things, an independent assessment of prison conditions and conditions.
The petition called on the British government to review its funding to Bahrain and other agreements with it and to interview human rights defenders, organizations, representatives of civil society and the peaceful opposition from Bahrain.
The British Government faces pressure for its funding- from taxpayers' money- activities that supporting Bahrain's Interior Ministry and other bodies responsible for serious human rights violations against detainees and activists.
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