Bahrain Mirror: Ahead of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix this weekend (Friday 29 to Sunday 31 March), Amnesty International has highlighted the grim human rights record of the country.

Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East Director of Campaigns, said: "Beneath the glamour of the F1, there is a far more sinister side to Bahrain, revealing the country as a deeply repressive state where anyone critical of the government can be jailed merely for posting a tweet."

Amnesty further noted that prominent human rights defenders are under relentless attack in the country. "Nabeel Rajab was shamefully convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for tweeting about the conflict in Yemen and torture allegations in Jaw Prison."

Hadid went on to say that "instead of just ‘sportwashing' its image and glossing over its dismal human rights record through high speed sport, the Bahraini government should immediately repeal laws that criminalize freedom of expression and fast track the release of all prisoners of conscience."

Arabic Version