On June 7th, 20 members of the US Congress sent a letter to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain to express their “concern and disappointment” regarding the recent cancellation of a trip to Bahrain by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Méndez. Mr. Méndez was scheduled to travel to Bahrain in May to independently assess whether torture and ill-treatment continue to be perpetrated against protesters, activists, and other civilians. In a statement, Mr. Méndez expressed his “deep disappointment” over the Bahrain government’s decision. “I would have conducted my visit in the spirit of cooperation and expected the Government to share that approach; regrettably, this does not appear to be the case,” Mr. Méndez said.
In their letter, US lawmakers urged the king to reverse the decision to deny access to Bahrain by Mr. Méndez and other international observers, noting that security forces have allegedly tortured detainees “with impunity” in recent years. The letter was led by Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), and signed by the following Members of Congress:
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Representative Donna Edwards (D-MD
Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL)
Representative Jim Himes (D-CT)
Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA)
Representative Jim Moran (D-VA)
Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
