Tony Blair’s institute paid by brutal GCC regimes
Bahraini and other exiles from the GCC countries have been alarmed by recent reports that Tony Blair’s think tank is being paid to advise countries with poor human rights records. The ex-PM’s Institute for Global Change (TBI) is being paid by the authoritarian governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain as it continues to expand as an advisory service for overseas leaders. The TBI – at which Blair is an unpaid executive chairman – began working with the Bahraini leadership over the past 12 months on a modernisation programme despite concerns about human rights abuses. Last year, it emerged that the TBI continued to carry out paid work for Saudi Arabia after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. In recent months, the TBI has co-hosted events with Bahraini authorities. During a roundtable event in London in October, Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Abdulla al Khalifa, Bahrain’s deputy foreign minister, outlined the country’s desire to strengthen ties with Blair’s organisation.
Meanwhile, the Bahrain’s regime’s security services have detained several people as the New Year approached. They include 14-year-old Hussein Majeed Salman, who was taken into custody after being sentenced to five months in prison for taking part in peaceful protests. Three other Bahrainis: Musa Jaafar, Ahmed Hassan and Al-Sayyid Muhammad Jamal, were picked up after taking part in protests calling for the release of the country’s jailed opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, who marked nine years behind bars last week. A fifth person, 18-year-old Muslim Aqeel Hubail, was ordered to appear for questioning at Sitra police station where he was arrested. Native Bahraini youth, Khalil Mohammed (from Aali town) has been detained and remanded in custody for seven days. He has been transferred to the Dry Dock prison. On 29th December two more native Bahrainis were arrested: Ahmed Hassan and Sayed Mohammed Jamal, from Bilad Al Qadeem.
The detention of two native political prisoners has been extended. On 29th December, Murtada Al-Samahiji (from Malikiyah) and Moosa (from Aali) had their detention extended by 15 more days. Political prisoner, Muntadar Basel, 18 (from Al Zahra town) has had his detention extended for 60 days. Prominent activist Ali Muhanna was arrested after being ordered to appear for questioning by police earlier on Monday. Muhanna said in a post on X that he was summoned for taking part in pro-Palestine protests. Muhanna was jailed in the past and is constantly harassed by authorities for demanding the release of his son Hussain Muhanna and for publicly criticizing Manama’s human rights abuses.
The elderly political prisoner, Mohammed Hassan Al Raml is continuing his hunger strike until his right for medical treatment is restored. His health is rapidly deteriorating especially with his progressing age. Human Rights activist, Ibtisam Al Sayegh has called for his immediate release to save his life. One of the detainees who fainted on Wednesday due to an ongoing mass hunger strike in the Dry Dock prison was refused treatment when he was taken to the prison clinic. Despite his severely low blood sugar, Hassan Al-Bahar also refused to end his hunger strike until the demands of the inmates are met. Al-Bahar is one of two dozen young detainees at Dry Dock jail who have been on hunger strike for several days in protest over bad conditions & ill-treatment.
As the New Year approached, political prisoners continued to count the number of years in incarcerations. Both Jalal Abbas Hassan Al Asfoor, 31 and Mohsin Ibrahim Mohsin Ahmed Al Marzooq, from Duraz have completed ten years. Hussain Abdulla Khalil Ibrahim, 36 from Demstan has completed six years behind bars.
On 31st December regime’s courts issued two-year prison sentence on native Salman Naji Salman from Hamala town. He was arrested on 10th November after participating in a demonstration in the town of Dair, in support of the Palestinians. On 31st December regime’s courts imposed a six-month prison sentence on Hussain Ali Sultan, 19 from Sitra Mhazza. He was detained on 7the October after being summoned by the CID department. He was accused of taking part in peaceful protests against the regime.
On 31st December, Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders mentioned Bahrain as a country which detains human rights activists: She tweeted: “My Wall of Shame 2023 – countries who have imprisoned peaceful #HRDs from 10 years to life: #Bahrain #Belarus #China #Eygpt #Eritrea #Iran #Laos #Mexico #Morocco #Nigeria #Russa #Rwanda #SaudiArabia #Tajikistan #Turkey #UAE #Vietnam.”
The people of Bahrain are seriously concerned for their own safety and welfare after the regime’s misguided decision to join the Red Sea Alliance against the people of Yemen. The authorities in Sanaa have now threatened to take action against member states of that alliance. Instead of heeding the calls to withdraw from that alliance, the khalifi regime has detained around 300 Yemenis working in the military and placed them at Al Dhale’ Camp to the West of Manama. This is a staging place to deport them to Yemen.
Calls have been made for the Saudi regime to release one of their prisoners of conscience. Ten years ago, Saudi authorities arrested prominent human rights defender Fawzan al-Harbi, co-founder of Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), because of his peaceful human rights work. The Special Criminal Court (SCC) later sentenced him to a ten-year prison term, to be followed by a ten-year travel ban. He has committed no offence and he must be set free.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
3rd January 2024