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On Wednesday, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was awarded an honorary knighthood by Buckingham Palace. The announcement was made the same day as when King Abdullah of Jordan also received this accolade, both marking their silver jubilees. However, the honour has already been met with criticism from both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as Bahraini activists now living in exile. The Foreign Office refused to confirm whether the Foreign Secretary was involved in the decision to award the honours, instead referred the BBC to Buckingham Palace. Bahrain is central to UK strategy in the Gulf with the UK’s naval base in the country, which is now the Royal Navy’s main centre of operations in the region.
Despite, the joint honours and any potential political reasons behind the selection, the diploma which accompanies the honour cites the King as having “shown immense support and guidance to strategic vision and initiatives, which have had positive and far-reaching impacts in Bahrain and beyond”, particularly picking out in his contribution to the fight against terrorism – a shared interest with the UK Government. A spokesman for the Bahraini government – which has so far released no official statement on the award – said it was “firmly rejected these baseless claims which overlook the substantial progress the Kingdom has achieved in advancing individual rights and the rule of law,” adding Bahrain welcomed “constructive dialogue to address any legitimate concerns.”
Bahrain has instituted a number of human rights reforms since its violent suppression of pro-democracy protests of 2011 with a slow and steady path towards political representation. However, critics maintain that there remain political activists in prison or that the police at times appear to act with impunity. In 2014, the King of Bahrain signed a Royal Decree prohibiting torture, but Amnesty International maintains that the practice “continues to be widely reported in Bahrain”. Bahraini MP, Jamal Dawood, criticised the award of a knighthood to King Hamad, saying “The Bahrain government takes this step in order to make the world think that it is making reforms”, when in reality, he argues, activists “have not yet noticed any change”.
Bahrain and the UK have strong diplomatic, political and military relations, with King Hamad’s visit to Britain representing his first visit in more than 20 years. He arrived at Tyburn in a horse and carriage, and was received with a Royal Salute from a Guard of Honour.
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