Washington: The US and Bahrain are working to reschedule a visit by a top US diplomat who was expelled from the kingdom earlier this year, an American official said on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had agreed with his Bahraini counterpart in July that they would find “a mutually agreeable time” for Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Tom Malinowski, to return to Manama.
“We’re continuing to work to reschedule the visit,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
In early July, Malinowski was told he was unwelcome in the country after meeting with members of the opposition and “should immediately leave the country, due to his interference in its internal affairs.”
Psaki said however that the State Department’s understanding was that Malinowski would now be allowed back into the kingdom. “That is the assumption, yes,” she said.
“We have consistently said the government of Bahrain must do more to meet its own commitments to reform, and certainly, rescheduling the visit is only a component of that.”
The US was also “concerned” about the weekend arrest of Mariam Al Khawaja after she flew into Bahrain to visit her jailed father, leading activist Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, Psaki said.
“Mariam’s arrest is another part of the Bahrain government’s attempt to shut out or silence critical human rights voices,” said Human Right First’s Brian Dooley.
“As we do with countries around the world, we urge the government of Bahrain to protect the universal rights of freedom of expression and assembly around the world,” Psaki said.
