Sunday 21 February 2016 for archives
Britain lobbied UN to whitewash Bahrain police abuses | Politics | The Guardian
►http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/feb/21/britain-lobbied-un-bahrain-human-rights-abuses
Britain lobbied UN to whitewash Bahrain police abuses
Documents indicate UK and Saudi Arabia worked to water down human rights statement
A Bahraini protester during clashes with riot police following a demo to mark the fifth anniversary of the Arab spring-inspired uprising. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images
Jamie Doward
Britain has been accused of waging a behind-the-scenes PR offensive aimed at neutering United Nations criticism of Bahrain for its human rights record, including the alleged use of torture by its security forces.
Bahrain’s young people mark fifth anniversary of Arab spring
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Documents shared with the Observer reveal that the UN’s criticism of the Gulf state was substantially watered down after lobbying by the UK and Saudi Arabia, a major purchaser of British-made weapons and military hardware.