UN Condemns Bahrain Crackdown On Protests, Calls For Reform

Secretary General Ban Ki Moon says reports of a violent crackdown against demonstrators in Bahrain are “deeply troubling”, and urged Bahraini officials to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice. 

“The United Nations has been urging the leaders in the region, as elsewhere around the world, to listen attentively to the people and to respond to their legitimate aspirations” said the Secretary General “I will be reaching out again in the days ahead to leaders in the region to reiterate that message. I will say it once again: The situation calls for bold reforms, not repression.” 

According media reports from Bahrain’s capital Manama, several people were killed and hundreds more injured early this morning when security forces tried to clear out Pearl Square, where several thousand people had been gathering since the start of the week to demand political reforms from King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. 

Ban said governments in the Middle East and North Africa have obligations to respect the human rights of peaceful protesters.  

“Across the region, people are standing up to voice their legitimate aspirations” said Ban “Each country is unique, each situation is different but there are common challenges in the region and important principles to  uphold.”

Ban said he believed the protests in Bahrain and through out the Arab world  had been fueled by a lack of economic opportunities and basic freedoms.

“Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of communication should be fully guaranteed. Those have been largely neglected in the region. That is the lesson which leaders should learn and try to change as soon as possible, reflecting such strong voices from their own people”