Formula One drivers urged to speak up for human rights in Bahrain | Human Rights News
Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers are being urged by human rights groups to speak out against human rights abuses in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton and his fellow Formula 1 drivers have been urged by human rights groups to speak out against human rights abuses and show solidarity with a Bahrain-based human rights activist ahead of the motorsport season’s opening race in the Gulfland.
In a letter to Hamilton and other F1 drivers ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) asked for their help to raise awareness of prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is facing life imprisonment was jailed after taking part in anti-government protests in Bahrain in 2011.
“This is now that the FIA [Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile] wants to seize power over how drivers can express themselves through the 2023 changes to the FIA’s International Sporting Code and threatens to sanction any driver who fails to take a neutral stance on personal, political or religious matters,” ECDHR said in a statement on Wednesday .
The letter relates to a recent standoff between the Motor Sport Racing Association and its drivers after it updated its rules to prevent “political, religious or personal” statements from being made without prior authorisation.
The FIA immediately received backlash from drivers, most notably Hamilton, who vowed to continue speaking out on issues close to his heart.
“I think we’ve come a long way. I think we’ve seen a lot of progress but there’s more to do and we’re still going into places that are still having issues and I know there’s work going on in those places too and those things may take some time last,” he told Sky News in an interview.
“I will continue to be myself and continue to fight for things that are close to my heart. I wouldn’t let anyone stop me.”
Sporting code
The FIA updated the Sporting Code last December, requiring drivers to obtain prior written authorization to make or show “political, religious and personal expressions or comments”.
Following the backlash, the FIA said drivers would only be allowed to make political statements in “extraordinary” circumstances and within “their own space” and outside of a race, via their social media channels or during an interview.
You will still face penalties if you break the law while driving.
In its letter to Hamilton, ECDHR called on the seven-time F1 champion to raise awareness of the al-Khawaja case and “send messages of solidarity with those suffering at the hands of the Bahraini authorities”.
“We hope that your openness to being informed about the human rights situation in the countries where you compete will inspire others to follow your example because, as you rightly pointed out, ‘one person’ can only be a certain one Making a difference and there is a “need for collective support” to make a difference,” the letter said.
The letter comes a day after human rights campaigners in the UK also urged drivers to take the sport out of a “moral vacuum” by speaking out at the opening race in Bahrain and the subsequent race in Saudi Arabia.
“There are two paths F1 can take now. One is a path that is a moral vacuum where leaders and administrators seem to be going,” said Paul Scriven, a member of the UK House of Lords, at a press conference organized by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy ( BIRD).
“There’s another route that some riders seem to be taking… who understand that they can use their platform and their sport not just for sport’s sake, but for good and for change, and that they understand human rights abuses in the country where they drive, can’t ignore In.”
Hamilton has previously used his profile to address rights violations and racial injustice around the world.