Prince Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa’s invitation to the Olympics should be revoked and all Olympic privileges removed because of his links to the violent suppression of peaceful protests.

During the disturbances in Bahrain, Sheikh Nasser rang up a live broadcast on state TV and commenting on demonstrators said, “Anyone who called for the fall of the regime, may a wall fall on his head. Whether he is an athlete, socialite or politician — whatever he is — he will be held accountable . . . Bahrain is an island and there is nowhere to escape”.

Sheikh Nasser the chair of the Bahrain Olympic Committee has directly been involved in the targeting, imprisonment and torture of sportsmen and officials that dared to speak out against the regime. There are witness testimonies that implicate Sheikh Nasser as directly being involved in the torture.

IHRC calls upon the UK government to ban Sheikh Nasser from the country, and calls upon the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revoke his invitation because of his human rights abuses. The UK government must show its commitment to human rights.

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague and President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, have already been contacted by IHRC to address our grave concerns regarding the presence of Sheikh Nasser in the UK and at the Olympics.

Chair of IHRC, Massoud Shadjareh said “It seems like Britain is a safe haven for human rights violators who happen to be friends with the UK government.”

Notes to the Editor

1) Testimonies from torture victims directly implicate Sheikh Nasser

2) For interviews please email media@ihrc.orgor call 020 8904 4222

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