Bahrain seminar

The pictures are of yesterday's seminar in Bahrain in the Moses Room. On my right is Hassan Mushaime, Leader of the Haq Movement, and on my left, the Director of a new US organisation to promote democracy and human rights in Bahrain.

One of our speakers, Mohammad al-Maskati, was unable to attend because the British consulate in Manama were told by the FCO not to issue him with a visa at the last minute, after much prevarication. I couldn't get a straight answer when I inquired about the problem, either from the consulate or from the FCO, and I will have to nake further attempts to find out what the problem was after Christmas. Irs bad enough that the Bahraini regime does its best to intimidate activists into silence at home and abroad, and we shouldn't appear to be collaborating with them.