No to Dollar Diplomacy: Protest the reception for Govt of Bahrain at Trump hotel

Demonstration against Dollar Diplomacy

When: 11:30am-2pm, 7 December 2016
Where: Trump International Hotel, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

On 7 December 2016, the Bahraini government will be holding a reception at the Trump International Hotel to mark the Kingdom’s national day and the anniversary of King Hamad’s accession to the throne. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) will be holding a protest outside the hotel to call attention to this unethical conflict of interest that further legitimizes the United States’ complicity in the ongoing human rights abuses in Bahrain. By holding the event at the President-elect’s hotel, it paints a clear picture that Bahraini authorities are willing to use their money to silence any sort of calls for reform. This mixture of money and politics is dangerous, potentially illegal, and further undermines US credibility in the international arena.

This relationship will impede any efforts to call attention to the widespread suppression at the hands of the monarchy against Bahraini civil and political society. The Bahraini authorities have relentlessly employed dangerous tactics by arbitrarily arresting, forcibly disappearing, and torturing its critics in order to suppress efforts of reform. There are at least 4,000 political prisoners in Bahrain, and the government has prosecuted countless citizens simply for exercising their rights to free speech, free assembly, and free expression. The authorities have targeted all sectors of society, including religious figures, political leaders, and human rights defenders. Individuals who have committed their lives to fighting for human rights for all in Bahrain, such as Nabeel Rajab, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, and Ghada Jamsheer, remain behind bars in prison.

Come out on 7 December and join us as we say to the Bahraini and US governments: “No to dollar diplomacy.”

Facebook event here.