Embassy news

November 22nd 2012: Lecture of “Arab Spring” & Kingdom of Bahrain Reforms” at Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Dr. Khalil Hassan, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Japan gave a lecture on the topics concerning the “Arab Spring” & Kingdom of Bahrain Reforms at the invitation of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Provoked by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia which broke out at the end of 2010, the “Arab Spring” spread across the Arab world, and reached Bahrain. In February 2011, protests occurred, led by the Shi’ite population, demanding more political freedom, greater respect for human rights and democratically-elected cabinet government, resulting in clashes between demonstrators and security forces causing fatalities. With the demonstrations escalating, the government of Bahrain deployed troops, and on March 14, at its request, soldiers from Saudi Arabia and police forces from the UAE were dispatched to the country under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council. A three-month state of emergency was declared and the situation gradually settled. Dr. Khalil Bin Ebrahim Hassan, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain gave a lecture outlining the state of the Kingdom, its relations with neighboring countries, the latest information on the situation inside the Kingdom of Bahrain, the progress of King Hamad’s reforms, and the role of diplomacy at the time of civil unrest.