Manama, March 17: Amnesty International calls on Western governments to stop sending weapons to Bahrain, as the regime is stepping up its “unwarranted” crackdown on protesters, using arms supplied by the West.
In a report released on Thursday, the human rights group asked the governments in Europe and the US to stop sending weapons to crisis-hit Bahrain and review their arms trading policies, as there is a clear risk of human rights violations, a Media correspondent in London reported.
According to the report, American and French tear gas canisters and rubber ammunition were found at Manama’s Pearl Square after the heavy government crackdown on anti-government protesters on February 17 and 18.
Pointing at Britain, Amnesty International UK Arms Program Director Oliver Sprague said:
“The UK has licensed the export to Bahrain of tear gas, assault rifles and machine guns and it is a very real possibility that some of this equipment could recently have been used to commit serious human rights violations by the security forces.
The Amnesty report comes as a three-month state of emergency has been declared by the King of Bahrain, who has brought in Saudi troops in an attempt to help clear protesters.
Since mid-February, thousands of anti-government protesters in Bahrain have poured into the streets, calling for an end to Al-Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country for almost two centuries.
On March 14, Bahrain’s fellow members of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar — dispatched their armed forces to the Persian Gulf island at Manama’s request to quell the countrywide protests.
About 15 people have been killed and 1,000 injured during the anti-government protests in troubled Bahrain, inspired by the recent revolutions and uprisings across the Arab world.
——–Agencies