Human Rights Group pushes for boycott of 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix – Formula 1 news
A human rights group has made a push for towards the boycott of holding a Grand Prix event in Bahrain later in the year.
The group has asked the teams and drivers to boycott because of the human rights violations in the country. Bahrain has been facing some turmoil over its civil stability as the country faces an uprising against the King. The riots were at peak in 2011 although
the local government downplayed the riots and said that everything was in order. The season opening Grand Prix for 2011 was however initially postponed and later cancelled due to the increasing tensions.
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had brushed aside any tensions and suggested that the Grand Prix will go ahead as planned but from increased pressure from the media and human rights groups, he decided to send an independent commission to take account
of the situation.
The commission cleared the Grand Prix to go ahead as planned, but it was after the local government advised against the event that Ecclestone decided to call it off.
Since the Bahrain GP organisers have maintained that there is not issue in holding the even in 2012 and Ecclestone remains adamant that the race will go ahead as planned. He even cited that issues like these happen all over the globe if Formula 1 had to
take all the incidents of the globe into consideration before holding a Grand Prix. There will not be any races held in the world then expressed the F1 boss.
Now Nabeel Rajab vice president for Bahrain Center for Human Rights has advised the teams to make a decision themselves.
“We will do a campaign for drivers and teams to boycott,” said Rajab. “The government wants Formula 1 to tell the outside world that everything is back to normal ... Formula 1, if they come, is helping the government to say [it is normal]. We would prefer
it if it didn't take part. I am sure the drivers and teams respect human rights.”
The situation is becoming very similar to the events of last year and it remains to be seen how things shape up.
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