AhlulBayt News Agency

source : Irna
Friday

20 May 2011

7:30:00 PM
242578

Bahraini human rights activist condemns Cameron meeting crown prince

Prime Minister David Cameron was accused on Friday by a Bahraini activist of ignoring human rights violations when meeting crown prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa for talks in London.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Prime Minister David Cameron was accused on Friday by a Bahraini activist of ignoring human rights violations when meeting crown prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa for talks in London. 

Bahraini human rights campaigner Abbas Omran was among protesters in London, who condemned the meeting that saw Cameron shake hands with the crown prince on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

“He is responsible for killing people,” Omran said.

The crown prince “was involved in giving orders for the military to open fire” from the start of peaceful protests on February 14, he said.

In an interview with IRNA, he related the extent of the regime's crackdown over the past three months that has led to more than 30 deaths and hundreds being injured, including many who have been denied hospital treatment.

The crown prince was reported to be launching a charm offensive in a bid to revive the island’s tarnished image, as a harsh security crackdown on anti-government protesters continues.

“We told him you are a criminal. Don't come to a civilised county, you should go to jail,” Omran said the protesters shouted as he arrived by car for the talks with Cameron.

The crown prince, he pointed out, did not come to attend last month's royal wedding in London after his invitation was cancelled following a campaign of protests against his attendance.

Like many others, the activist accused Cameron of employing double standards in contrast to the “hardline” reaction of calling for regime change in Libya, carrying out air strikes and referring abuses to the International Criminal Court.

“The UK says that each situation is different, but killing people is the same, human rights violations are the same,” he said

Omran suggested that the reason British prime minister was welcoming the crown prince was because of strategic and financial interests.

“The UK has also been training the military in Bahrain. Guns, tear gas and rubber bullets were all supplied by the UK. This was very clear from material found,” he said.

The human rights campaigner also accused US President Barack Obama in his speech on the Middle East of “ignoring what was happening on the ground” in Bahrain and like Cameron, was “supporting dictatorship.”

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