1 May 2019 – Yesterday, President Macron of France received King Hamad of Bahrain at the Palace Elysee in Paris. Following the meeting, palace staff released an official press release on their website, in which they stated that “the president encouraged Bahraini authorities to continue their efforts to re-establish a political dialogue that includes all components of Bahraini society” and “stressed that the guarantee of rights was inseparable from stability.”
According to the press release, the two leaders also discussed the problems of radicalisation and the financing of terrorism in the Middle East, while President Macron promised to “support Bahrain in its ambitious strategy of economic diversification.”
However, the Bahraini Foreign Minister, Khalid Alkhalifa, took issue with the Elysee’s statement, challenging many of their claims in a series of posts on his official Twitter page. In one tweet, Alkhalifa stated that “the French president did not raise any issue related to political dialogue,” asserting that “Bahrain has a political dialogue that takes place every day through legislative institutions and free expression in the press and the media.”
لقاء سيدي جلالة الملك حمد بن عيسى مع فخامةالرئيس إيمانويل ماكرون كان واضحا و مفيدا و غطى جميع أوجه التعاون بين البلدين ، و جميع قضايا الساعة في المنطقة . ولم يتطرق الى اي حوار سياسي في البحرين او اي تعاون في مجال الموضة كما ورد في بيان الاليزيه المعد سلفا قبل الاجتماع
— خالد بن أحمد (@khalidalkhalifa) April 30, 2019
Furthermore, Alkhalifa claimed that President Macron in fact praised King Hamad for his policy of “reform and openness,” professing that the Elysee’s press release was prepared in advance of the meeting.
الرئيس الفرنسي لم يطرح اي موضوع يتعلق بحوار سياسي ، فالبحرين بها حوار سياسي يجري كل يوم من خلال المؤسسات التشريعية و التعبير الحر في الصحافة و الاعلام . بل اشاد الرئيس الفرنسي بسياسة صاحب الجلالة الملك في الإصلاح و الانفتاح و شجع على الاستمرار في هذا النهج القويم .
— خالد بن أحمد (@khalidalkhalifa) April 30, 2019
However, when approached by Reuters for comment on the discrepancy, a French presidential source said the French government had discussed various subjects with Bahraini authorities, including “inclusive political dialogue.” France’s dismissal of Alkhalifa’s allegations raises questions about the strength of the budding relationship between France and Bahrain, who signed a memorandum of understanding with French companies on Monday worth over $2 billion. Over the last few years, the Bahraini government has intensified a crackdown on civil liberties and freedom of expression in Bahrain which has suppressed dissenting voices and crushed any semblance of political dialogue.
In 2017, the government shuttered the country’s only independent newspaper – Al-Wasat – and forcibly dissolved major opposition parties, barring their members from running in elections. Bahrain’s Minister of Public Information, Ali Al-Romaihi, who signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Audiovisual Institute of the Republic of France on Monday, was personally responsible for the closure of Al-Wasat and the dismissal of its 160 staff members.
In their 2019 Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Bahrain 167th out of 180 countries, citing the widespread harassment and imprisonment of journalists. Macron’s purported praise for Bahrain’s “openness” is thus highly concerning.
BIRD Director of Advocacy, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, commented: “President Macron’s team must clarify their statement and call out Bahrain on their dismal human rights record. France’s $2 billion investment in Bahrain must not prevent them from speaking out, particularly given their historic commitment to and defence of freedom of expression. These statements from Bahrain’s Foreign Minister must not go unchallenged; Bahrain cannot simply imprison political opposition, close the only independent newspaper and then proclaim the opposite.”
