The Bahraini writer and journalist Abbas Busafwan accused the Bahraini regime of working to Saudize (Saudi Arabia) the state of Bahrain in terms of the absence of the press and a free and independent judiciary.
Busafwan said that there is a danger now that the press, judges, civil society institutions and parliament in Bahrain will transform into a situation similar to the Saudi case.
Bahraini Leaks quoted part of a televised speech for him, in which he said that the authority “is now working to transform Bahrain into another Saudi Arabia and other UAE.”
Security complications
Busafwan emphasized that the Bahraini opposition is operating under stifling internal and regional security complications.
He noted that the opposition, which has been calling for political reforms since the 2011 protests, “paid a heavy price.”
However, he cautioned that the current international developments could re-discuss the Bahraini human rights situation.
He indicated that the green light given by the current US President Donald Trump for the “arrogance” of the Bahraini regime would diminish with the assumption of power by his successor, Joe Biden.
For example, he expected that no new executions of Bahraini activists would occur during the term of the next US president.
Suppression policies
Weeks ago, more than 18 human rights organizations and groups wrote a joint letter addressed to US President-elect Joe Biden.
The letter expressed concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain’s prisons.
It urged a review of the US foreign policy towards the ongoing repression policies in Bahrain against opposition figures and human rights defenders.
It also highlighted several measures taken by Bahrain’s government over the past decade, including banning all opposition parties and increasing death sentences tenfold since 2017.
Human Rights Watch confirmed that Bahrain did not witness any improvement in the human rights file in the past year 2020.
In its global report 2021, the organization stated that the Khilafite regime’s authorities escalated their crackdown on activities on the Internet and social media in 2020.
It also prosecuted critics for peaceful expression. Courts upheld death sentences against opposition activists after unfair trials.
And in 2011, the opposition organized peaceful protests across the country to demand reforms in the kingdom.
But the ruling Al Khalifa family responded by forcefully suppressing dissent and requested Saudi Arabia’s help, which sent forces to help quell those protests.
