(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On his personal homepage, Volker Beck stressed that it would have been 'important and right' to cancel the Formula One race in Bahrain for the second year in a row amid the ongoing government repression and human rights violations.
Bahrain's hosting of the F1 race gives 'the wrong impression' that things have returned to being normal in that country when in fact it is not. The situation in Bahrain has not improved compared to last year, the opposition lawmaker said.
He accused the Bahraini regime of instrumentalizing the glitzy Formula One race in its bid to secure its own political survival.
Beck made clear there was a 'fatal trend' in awarding major international events to 'despots' cracking down on their people.
He slammed the Bahraini king for ruling his country with an iron fist.
Anti-government protesters in Bahrain are reportedly planning 'days of rage' directed at this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix, while security forces have rounded up scores of pro-democracy activists as part of a clampdown on the opposition.
Bahrain has been embroiled in a major turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year after uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
/106