Bahraini award to UK envoy shows ‘our diplomats are up for grabs’, says peer
Summary
The British ambassador to Bahrain, Alastair Long, accepted an award called the Order of Bahrain from the Bahraini king. Critics say this breaks UK government rules that say diplomats should not accept foreign awards without permission, especially when the Bahrain government has a poor human rights record.Key Facts
- Ambassador Alastair Long received the Order of Bahrain from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
- UK rules say diplomats cannot accept foreign awards during or after their jobs without government permission.
- The Bahraini government did not request permission before giving the award.
- Similar awards were given to previous British ambassadors to Bahrain.
- Critics say accepting the award may suggest diplomats can be influenced by foreign governments.
- Concerns were raised about Bahrain’s human rights issues, such as revoking citizenship of some groups and the death of a detained activist, Sayed Mohamed Almosawi.
- Internal UK emails showed mixed advice about accepting similar awards, sometimes suggesting acceptance to avoid embarrassment.
- There have been past questions about UK officials’ connections to Bahrain, including a former UK minister advising a Bahrain-linked centre.
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