U.S. State Department: Efforts for National Reconciliation in Bahrain Have Reached a Dead End

The U.S. Department of State has reported that efforts for national reconciliation in Bahrain have reached a dead end following the protests in 2011. The report states that the Bahraini government has not implemented recommendations for reforms regarding the guarantee of freedom of expression, including for opposition figures. Reuters reported on Wednesday that it has received a copy of this report, which was provided to the U.S. Congress this week. The U.S. State Department noted that the Bahraini government has made some progress in implementing reforms recommended by an independent commission, but much work remains to be done. According to Reuters, this report has been published with a several-month delay. Meanwhile, in the past three weeks, the Bahraini government has taken actions against opposition figures, including suspending the activities of the Al-Wefaq Society, increasing the sentence of Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of Al-Wefaq, arresting prominent human rights activist Nabil Rajab, and the Ministry of Interior of Bahrain announced this week the revocation of Ayatollah Isa Qassim's citizenship. The U.S., the U.K., and international human rights organizations have criticized the human rights record of the Bahraini government in recent years. Despite the fact that the majority of Bahrain's population is Shia Muslim, the country is ruled by a Sunni royal family. In this context, Senator Patrick Leahy reacted to the U.S. State Department's report on Bahrain, stating that while some positive reforms have been made in Bahrain, this process has been halted by the torture of opposition prisoners and recent government actions to silence political opposition leaders, harassment of human rights advocates, and the revocation of a religious leader's citizenship. Senator Leahy emphasized in a statement provided to Reuters that such actions further limit the options available to the opposition for expressing their dissent peacefully. The Bahraini government has not yet responded to this report. Meanwhile, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated that John Kerry spoke by phone with the Bahraini foreign minister on Wednesday. Shia protesters claim that the Bahraini government discriminates against them. During what was called the Arab Spring, Bahrain also witnessed widespread protests by Shia protesters in 2011, which were suppressed with military intervention from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.