Arms campaigners urge Prince Andrew to boycott Bahrain conference

Campaign Against Arms Trade has called for Prince Andrew to withdraw his support for the 'This is Bahrain' conference which will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in central London, on May 16. Despite having stepped down from his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for UK Trade & Investment, Prince Andrew has consistently worked with the oppressive Bahraini regime and helped to promote arms sales abroad.

Prince Andrew is scheduled to open the conference, which has been organised by the pro-government Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations. The event will be used to whitewash the crimes and human rights abuses of the Bahraini government.

Andrew Smith from Campaign Against Arms Trade said: “Royalists and republicans don't always see eye to eye, but surely one point that everyone can agree on is that it is totally inappropriate for any member of the Royal family to use their position to lend UK support to brutal dictatorships like the one in Bahrain.”

This is not an isolated event. In January this year Prince Andrew joined the king of Bahrain for GREAT British Week, a week long 'celebration' to mark 200 years of 'friendship and strong bilateral relations' between Great Britain and Bahrain. The event was also attended by the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond MP, and a range of arms companies, including BAE Systems which was trying to secure sales of its Eurofighter jet.

hrain, bolstered by his international support, has increased the repression by introducing a law that imposes jail sentences of up to seven years and a fine of up to 10,000 dinars ($15,700) on anyone who publicly insults him.

Smith continued: “Without justice there can be no peace in Bahrain, and this can’t happen as long as governments like the UK continue to provide political and military support for the regime. This support is only strengthening the regime as it toughens its stance and intensifies its crackdown on dissent. There needs to be an embargo on all arms sales to Bahrain and an end to the extensive political support that it receives.”

In 2013 alone the UK licensed £18 million in military contracts to the Bahraini regime. This includes licences for machine guns, sniper rifles, weapon sights, ammunition and anti riot shields, all of which can be used for internal repression.

The Bahraini regime has been condemned by Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and the Economist Democracy Index, which listed it among the 20 most authoritarian governments in the world.