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US must reject $1bn arms sales to Bahrain: HRW
[Al Jazeera] The United States must reject two planned arms sales totaling nearly $1bn to Bahrain in light of the Gulf country's "dismal record on human rights...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... ", a rights group said on Thursday. The US approved a possible sale to Bahrain of 3,000 bomb bodies worth an estimated $45m last week. In April, the State Department approved a possible sale of attack helicopters worth an estimated $911m. "These two weapons sales make clear that the Trump administration intends nothing short of a free pass on human rights for Bahrain," said Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. A close US and British ally, Sunni Moslem-ruled Bahrain has cracked down on the opposition, hailing mostly from the Shia Moslem majority, since it crushed pro-democracy demonstrations they led in 2011. Rights groups have accused authorities of seeking to stamp out dissent. Posted by: Fred 2018-05-25 |
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