U.S. trade and investment plan ‘quid pro quo’ for US Silence about Rights Abusing, Child Murdering Bahrain Regime

Bahrain’s Denial of Visas to Rights Activists Underscores Contempt for Human and Worker Rights
2 October, 2012 – Huntington Post – Cathy Feingold – Director, AFL-CIO’s International Department

What is the best way for the United States to stand against violent repression, the quashing of dissent, show trials, torture and other egregious violations of human and civil rights?

In the case of Bahrain, apparently, it is to include the country in a new U.S. trade and investment plan and offer mostly silence as the regime crushes its opposition, invests heavily in a public relations campaign and closes off the country to human rights and social justice activists.

Two weeks ago, the AFL-CIO awarded a human rights award to the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) and their Tunisian counterparts, the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), for the courageous role they played during the Arab uprisings of early 2011. The two countries offer a stark contrast in outcomes, with the people of Bahrain seeing their chances for a more democratic and just society dimming by the day.

The GFBTU — a nonsectarian organization whose membership includes 60 unions and workers from industrial, textile, construction, petroleum, insurance and other sectors — has consistently advocated for social and economic justice through dialogue with all social partners. Its commitment to this agenda and to a broader dialogue that would allow for the democratic participation of all Bahrainis has proved threatening to powerful elements of the royal family who runs the country.

Once the only union federation in Bahrain, the GFBTU is being undermined by a new, government-allied federation ironically named the Bahrain Labor Union Free Federation, or BLUFF. After accepting the award in Washington, D.C., GFBTU leaders — and other human rights activists from Bahrain — flew to Geneva and spoke critically at a United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting regarding their government’s torture and imprisonment of opposition leaders, attacks on workers and their fundamental rights, and failure to implement many recommendations resulting from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). The BICI, established to study the unrest and the government’s response to it, was critical of the government and recommended a variety of actions for the government to take to address its violation of international human and labor rights.

In response, the government has accused activists of tarnishing its reputation. Their names and photos — circled in red — were published in Al Watan newspaper, a clear threat with chilling consequences for any Bahraini citizen who values freedom of speech. Even less subtle, the very GFBTU leaders who accepted a humanitarian award have told us that they receive regular and threatening calls and messages. …more