MANAMA (Middle East Eye) – Two Bahraini women allegedly tortured after protesting Formula One’s Grand Prix in the kingdom have filed a legal complaint against the company saying it has breached the human rights standards it pledged to follow.
Najah Yusuf, Hajer Mansoor and the UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird), which is also party to the complaint, contend that F1 failed to conduct human rights due diligence before Bahrain was awarded the longest contract in the company’s history in February.
Yusuf, who was allegedly imprisoned and tortured for three years following her social media criticism of F1, said in a statement that she was “heartbroken” by F1’s inaction.
“My life was changed forever by this race. To see my letters ignored by F1 is heartbreaking. I need their help in getting justice. It seems like they only care about profits,” Yusuf said.
Yusuf and the others say that, despite attempts by the Bahraini regime to use the event to “sportwash” the kingdom’s image, human rights abuses by authorities suppressing protests spike each year when the Grand Prix is held.
Formula 1 did not respond to MEE’s request for comment.
The complaint was lodged with the UK National Contact Point (UK NCP), which is part of the UK’s international trade department and handles allegations of British firms breaking guidelines of the intergovernmental Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In 2015, F1 established a human rights policy following similar legal action by Bahraini rights advocates. Current complainants say F1 is failing to implement that policy or respond to their correspondence.
Yusuf, a former civil servant and mother of four who lives in Bahrain, condemned F1 and the Bahraini government in a 2017 Facebook post, calling the Grand Prix “nothing more than a way for the al-Khalifa family to whitewash their criminal record and gross human rights violations,” referring to the island kingdom’s ruling royal family.
Yusuf says she was assaulted, tortured and imprisoned for three years following the post and only released by royal pardon in August 2019 after international pressure.