Additional Representitives Stand Up for Bahrain

Farr, Grijalva, Harkin Sign Bahrain Arms Deal Resolutions
POMED – Novemebr 16, 2011

Two additional cosponsors have been added to H.J. Res. 80, which calls for “limiting the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to a certain proposed sale of defense articles and defense services to the Kingdom of Bahrain,” originally introduced by Rep. James McGovern (D-MA). The new cosponsors include Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) and Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ). Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has also been signed onto H.J. Res. 80′s companion resolution in the Senate S.J. Res. 28, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The resolution limits the proposed arms sale, requiring the Secretary of State to “certify to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives” that the Government of Bahrain “is conducting good faith investigations and prosecutions of alleged perpetrators responsible for the killing, torture, arbitrary detention, and other human rights violations committed since February 2011,” among other measures ensuring the Government of Bahrain’s compliance with international human rights standards.

Meanwhile, Isabel Coles argues that “the future of U.S. military support for Bahrain, starting with a $53 million arms deal now on the line, hinges on the findings of a human rights investigation into the Gulf kingdom’s handling of popular protests earlier this year.” Some fear that while the BICI report, due on November 23, may serve as a “springboard for reform,” the report will not present a “strategic solution to the issue to prevent the recurrence of these problems” in the form of a renewed . …more