Bahrain's Reform Progress 2015 Update

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Government of Bahrain would like to take this opportunity to update you on human rights developments in Bahrain.

Previous joint statements on Bahrain have adopted a narrative of misinformation and false allegations. In preparing these joint statements, little to no effort was made to understand the reality in Bahrain or to seek out the government's point of view. It is therefore the Government of Bahrain's hope that this outline provides a factual, up-to-date briefing on the current human rights situation in the country.

While the Government of Bahrain recognizes that countries that previously endorsed joint statements have largely done so in good faith, they fail to grasp the impact that such statements have had on the ground in Bahrain.  For instance, the joint statements' lack of recognition of reforms and positive progress discourages reformists and empowers radicals.  Statements condemning the arrest of "protesters" does nothing more than encourage the violent, unprovoked attacks on police that motivated the arrests in the first place. And statements calling for all sides to refrain from violence create a moral equivalency between legal police action and illegal, fatal terrorist acts including bombings that have killed both police officers and innocent civilians.

The Government of Bahrain remains adamant in its pursuit of reform and welcomes a constructive approach of bilateral discussions on any issues of concern. We hope that the following information is helpful to your government when deciding whether to endorse a proposed joint statement.

An update on the most recent reform process is highlighted in the link below to gain an understanding on where Bahrain stands today. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Embassy for further information.

For Highlights of Bahrain's Reform Progress 2015: https://medium.com/@bahrainembdc/highlights-of-bahrain-s-reform-progress-2015-d1863093b945

SOURCE Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the United States