“U.S. Government Urged to Break Silence on Bahrain Abuses”

Brenda Bowser-Soder, of Human Rights First, noted that the U.S. government must stop ignoring the ongoing violence committed by Bahraini security forces.”The Government must break its silence on Bahrain and condemn today’s ongoing violent attacks on peaceful protestors,” wrote Soder. There have been widespread reports of security forces attacking pro-democracy demonstrators with tear gas and bird shot, and hospitals are under military control making injured protesters fear torture or arrest if they go to the hospital.

The government crackdown continues as hundreds of students, faculty, and administrators were dismissed from universities “solely for expressing opinions critical of the government and ruling family or attending overwhelmingly peaceful anti-government demonstrations in February and March of this year,” stated by Human Rights Watch. Many of the students and staff continue to face harassment, intimidation, and dismissal because of their views of the government.

There are now reports of security forces targeting women, as a group of women protesters entered Bahrain’s largest mall, City Centre, and walked around chanting. Police then raided the mall, and “dozens of women were arrested, humiliated and beaten.” The lethal use of tear gas by Bahraini security forces is being criticized by many after several have died from overexposure to tear gas, and video clips of tear gas being used against women.

Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley stated “Supporting brutal Middle East dictators – as the U.S. Government must know by now - only invites chaos and human rights abuses. Today, this administration needs to get on the right side of history in Bahrain.”