Human rights group asks FIFA to withdraw Salman from AFC elections
 

Bahrain human rights group asks FIFA to withdraw Salman from AFC elections

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By Mark Baber
April 25 - FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been urged by two human rights organisations to step in and prevent Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain (pictured) from running next week for President of the Asian Football Confederation and a position on FIFA's all-powerful executive committee. As the pressure mounts on the apparent front-runner in the May 2 ballot, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights have jointly written to Blatter calling on him to withdraw Salman's nomination because of his alleged involvement in human rights violations that have been well chronicled both by this website and others.

Blatter has no vote in the elections, or any right to stop AFC contenders campaigning. But he but does carry considerable sway – not least when it comes to cleaning up FIFA's corruption-tarnished executive committee.

In their letter, the two bodies urge FIFA to outlaw those "who use the sport as a tool for human rights violations and abuse."

Mohammed Al-Maskati, president of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and Maryam Al-Khawaja, acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the co-authors of the letter, also ask Blatter to "bear in mind the sublime principles of sport and fair play that respect basic human rights and to distance all violators of human rights from reaching prestigious sport positions in order to embellish their notorious image."

According to the letter, [http://byshr.org/?cat=91] "Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa is involved in human rights violations with the assistance of his office and consultants against players, administrators, referees and clubs who participated in the democracy protests in February 2011."

The letter lists the "most important acts of revenge carried out by Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa against groups that are affiliated with football," including:

"On 20 April 2011, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa chaired a periodic meeting for the Bahrain Football Association, where he emphasized that the Association has to implement the resolutions of the inquiry commission and to work on eliminating anyone who proves to have participated in the peaceful protests, whether administrators, referees, and the members of the running committees of the Bahrain Football Association."

As evidence of his involvement in the crack-down, the letter provides links to a report of the 20 April meeting, on the Bahraini Football Association's own site. The letter points out that the inquiry commission was set up by Sheikh Nasser, the King's son, "to interrogate and to interrogate and punish athletes that participated in the pro-democracy protests where Sheikh Nasser threatened to "drop a wall" on athletes, via Bahrain TV."

Pointing to the Bahraini Football Association's own website for proof the letter outlines the sanctions imposed by the Bahraini FA on clubs whose players were involved in the democracy protests including "Turning the "Shabab" and "Malkiya" clubs to the second degree football league, and fixing the "Sitra", "Tadhamun", "Etifaq" and "Etihad" clubs in the second degree football league, in addition to fining each club with a sum of approximately $8,000 USD, because of the absence of the amateur football players from the matches due to the deteriorating security situation against the protest participants."

The "Shabab", "Malkiya", "Sitra", "Tadhamun", "Etifaq", "Etihad"and "Ahli" clubs were fined "a sum of approximately $4,000 US, per club, per age group, that did not participate in the scheduled matches by the Association due to the deteriorating security situation against the protest participants."

Provided in the letter are further details of the persecution of football players, administrators and referees under Sheikh Salman's watch, including:

"After the announcement published by the Bahrain News Agency, the Bahraini Authorities published photos of the athletes and tried them on live TV. This campaign continued to summon athletes, raid their homes or even the training fields and arrest them as had happened to the two football players Alaa Hubail and Mohammed Hubail."

"The arrested (players, administrator and referees) were subjected to torture and abuse in prison by the National Security Apparatus."

"The Bahrain Authorities brought the detainees forth to a military trial after their arrest and the Court sentenced some of them, among them the National football player Mohammed Hubail, with two years in prison."

"The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) documented several cases where football players, coaches, referees and administrators were subjected to suspension or arrest and torture and even military trials."

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has in recent days issued statements claiming that "the BFA is being guided according to the highest possible governance standards of integrity and transparency - fully in line with the AFC and FIFA Statutes; and no action has been taken under my direction against any member of the football community."

To the letter from the Bahraini human rights activists is attached a list of 32 Bahraini players, trainers, administrators and referees who were sacked, suspended or imprisoned. The letter concludes by asking that the nomination of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa be withdrawn as "the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights believe that the world's most popular sports should respect human rights" and FIFA should "put an end to the practice of using the sport of football to polish a poor background in human rights, and who use the sport as a tool for human rights violations and abuse."

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