Grand Prix of Bahrain, 2015. HOCH ZWEI/DPA/PA Images. All rights reserved.The Formula 1 Grand Prix is set to hit Bahrain from 14 to 16 April. As it stands, the world will hear the whir of race-cars, crackling fireworks and loudspeakers’ booming choruses. “If you like sunshine, sand and the sea, then you will love Bahrain,” beams F1’s online Destination Guide.
It could all sound very rosy indeed – that is, until you listen beyond the fanfare and overhear the host government’s furtive attempts to silence those who might leak its abuses.
For an inkling of Bahrain’s human rights record, consider its ranking of 162nd out of 180 countries on the 2016 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. This is a place where participating in a demonstration could lead to a serious stint behind bars. Political prisoners might go six months without enjoying this so-called sunshine, said Zainab al-Khawaja, who now lives in Denmark after having been repeatedly jailed in Bahrain for protesting. Many have been mistreated in detention and some even stripped of citizenship.
