UK to be sued over Bahrain crackdown

UK to be sued over Bahrain crackdown
By shiapost – June 18, 2011

A group of lawyers are set to take the United Kingdom to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over its role in the brutal crackdown of Bahrainis.

The lawyers from Lebanon, Spain, France and Italy accuse Britain of selling arms, including sniper rifles, to the Manama regime and training Bahraini police forces, who are accused of using heavy-handed tactics against anti-government protesters in the Persian Gulf sheikdom, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The legal dossier targets both members of the British government and the Ministry of Defense.
It includes harrowing testimonies, medical records and photographic evidence of what are described as crimes against humanity.

“We know that they have trained Bahraini police how to capture and how to stop protests in Bahrain,” Chief Representative of Beirut-based International Coalition against Impunity, May el-Khansa, told Press TV.

The ICC has promised to examine the dossier within the next month, but it is not yet clear if it will open an investigation into the case.

The coalition of lawyers is now hoping that the ICC will refer the case to the United Nations for further investigation.

The United Kingdom has a long history of meddling in Bahrain.

The UK helped establish the Al Khalifa dynasty in Bahrain — whose ruling system was inspired by the British monarchy. …more