Spanish newspaper: human rights demands to reveal suspicious deals between the former king of Spain and the king of Bahrain

There are renewed human rights demands for the Spanish government to reveal the truth about "suspicious deals" between the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, and the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

In a report published by the Spanish newspaper Diario 16, writer Carmen Marchena said that the Spanish government remains silent about the nature of the relationship, which is tainted by many ambiguities and secret deals with the Kingdom of Bahrain, while continuing to remain silent about the repeated violations of human rights in this Bahrain.

Under the headline "The Relationship of Juan Carlos and the King of Bahrain is a Secret of a State", the newspaper listed among those controversial deals are arms sales, the Bahraini royal family's acquisition of Cordoba Football Club, in addition to the transfer of 1.7 million euros from the King of Bahrain to the former King of Spain Juan Carlos The first to a bank account in Switzerland.

The writer explained that Juan Carlos I and the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa have maintained a close relationship since the former King of Spain began his visits to Bahrain in 2010, coinciding with the outbreak of peaceful protests in the country calling for the establishment of democracy, which the Bahraini government faced with repression.

Since then - the writer adds - thousands of human rights activists have been arbitrarily arrested and subjected to repression simply for exercising their right to expression.

Meanwhile, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain submitted 3 requests to the Spanish government’s transparency portal, aimed at shedding light on human rights violations in Bahrain, and revealing the truth about the ongoing close relationship between Juan Carlos I and the King of Bahrain.

The official response came from Pablo Barbara Gomez, Deputy Director for Middle East Affairs at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Human rights violations

With regard to human rights violations, the Spanish official said that the issue is "one of the priorities of Spain's foreign policy," adding that "issues affecting the human rights situation are closely monitored, whether in Bahrain or in the rest of the world." But he made it clear that this should be done. Not inconsistent with full respect for the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states that have not signed these treaties.

Gomez recalled that Spain had expressed concern about the application of the death penalty in Bahrain between 2010 and 2017.

On May 24, the Spanish parliamentarian, Juan Baldoufi, raised the issue of the conditions of political prisoners in Bahrain and reports on human rights violations in the Kingdom, but the responses of the Spanish government were also "very broad," as the author says.

The author points out that Bahrain has acquired a record of human rights violations in recent years, which has been confirmed by various international organizations, such as Amnesty International, which in 2011 monitored flagrant violations against peaceful activists who were imprisoned in poor conditions and were denied health care and communication with their families.

Frequent visits

The author explained that Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain requested detailed information about the relationship between the former king Juan Carlos I and the King of Bahrain. She also inquired about bilateral meetings between the two countries, and whether they were held within the framework of the European Union and Cooperation Council meetings. Gulf and Arab League, or in the context of bilateral relations between the two countries.

In this context, Gomez confirmed that between 2019 and 2020 there were 7 meetings between the Spanish and Bahraini authorities.

According to the author, the Spanish government has not previously disclosed any information about these meetings in which the former king of Spain, who recently fled to the United Arab Emirates, participated.

In this regard, Hussein Abdullah, executive director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, told Diario 16, “It is regrettable to note that the corruption and bribery scandals in which the monarchs of Bahrain and Spain were involved are affecting the political system in Madrid, and Although Spain is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, it decided not to address the serious and repeated violations of human rights in Bahrain, which included torture, the death penalty for some political activists, rape and other sexual assaults on women human rights defenders, and other human rights violations. Committed by the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain. "

The writer added that the organization provided detailed information to the newspaper "Diario 16" about Juan Carlos I's close relationship with the Bahraini regime, including information on sums in the millions obtained by the former king of Spain over the past years.

According to the data revealed by the human rights organization, "the visits began in 2010, a few days before Arturo Vasana deposited an amount of 1.9 million dollars (1.7 million euros) in the Mirabod bank account in Switzerland, and then in 2014, where he spent some Time in the capital, Manama, and after only one year he returned again to attend the Formula 1 race, and between March and April 2016 he traveled again to Bahrain, and in 2017 he visited Bahrain twice, and only a year ago he returned to attend the Formula 1 Grand Prix. ".