Harper inconsistent on rights in the case of Bahrain

Harper inconsistent on rights in the case of Bahrain
November 15, 2011 – Eva Sajoo – Troy Media

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper returned from the recent Commonwealth Summit in Perth, Australia, he cast human rights as the defining issue for member nations — even threatening to boycott the next meeting in Sri Lanka if the subject is not forthrightly discussed.

As he put it, “the most important part of the Commonwealth is that we are building on a common heritage and trying to push globally an agenda of freedom, democracy, and human rights.”
But despite Harper’s attempts to burnish his credentials as a champion of human rights, his government has shown a willingness to ignore them entirely in recent months.

The ongoing events of the Arab spring have tested Western commitments to human rights and democratic values. Popular demonstrations have faced repressive responses from governments that Canada is accustomed to doing business with. Bahrain, for example, as a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, was identified as a “priority market” for Canadian exports and investment, according to a government fact sheet on Canada-Bahrain relations. This may explain the resolute silence of our human rights champions in Ottawa after recent events.

In early August, Al-Jazeera’s English service aired a chilling documentary called “Shouting in the Dark”. It detailed the mass demonstrations for democracy in Bahrain that began in February, and the continuing trend of arbitrary arrest, torture, and detention of those suspected of participating in protests or sympathising with those who have. This was swiftly followed by an official protest from the Bahraini government, which succeeded in cancelling planned re-runs of the documentary. The U.S. proved unwilling to upset the Al Khalifa government which hosts its Fifth Fleet, and limited its comments to encouraging a “national dialogue” process.

While the Bahraini government has represented this as a measure of its good intentions, the torture and silencing of its citizens has continued, well documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The crackdown includes heavy prison sentences for human rights activists, doctors, and member of the political opposition. The government also requires signed oaths of political silence from university students as a condition of enrolment.

Canada, which lately has been faithfully mirroring the policies of its southern neighbour, has said nothing. Rather, the government fact sheet on our relations with Bahrain states that “Canada and Bahrain share common views on the importance of education.”

Now one of our fellow Canadian citizens, Nasser Al Raas, has been subjected to the same pattern of detention and torture that has terrorised Bahrainis. Al Raas visited the country in March, to see his fiancée and sisters. When he attempted to leave he was arrested, his passport and identification confiscated. After a month of torture, during which he was compelled to sign confessions while blindfolded, he has been charged with participating in protests and sentenced to five years in prison. He also suffers from a heart condition which requires medication – something he was denied in prison. His family has appealed to the Canadian government for help, but with little effect. …more