MANAMA (Dispatches) -- More than 30 human rights organizations condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Bahrain as a reward for repression, warning it would embolden Manama’s intensified crackdown on its Shia Muslim majority.
Their warning proved prescient, as Macron arrived in Manama Tuesday, was warmly received by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and departed for Doha with energy deals in hand, even as massive protests over the cost of living convulsed France at home.
In a joint letter delivered before the visit, 32 groups—including the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)—urged Macron not to sacrifice human rights for “lucrative Persian Gulf deals under the guise of regional security.” 
They warned that closer political and security cooperation would risk “emboldening the Bahraini authorities” in a crackdown they described as the most severe since the 2011 popular uprising, with the Al Khalifa regime long targeting its majority Shia population to crush demands for democratic reform.
“Bahrain must not be allowed to buy France’s silence,” said BIRD advocacy director Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei. “Those responsible for serious human rights abuses must face consequences, not rewards from France.”
The warnings went unheeded. Macron met King Hamad, oversaw the signing of agreements including a nuclear cooperation memorandum, and secured a commitment for 100,000 tons of extra diesel per month from Bahrain—part of 295,000 tons per month when combined with UAE and Saudi deliveries, just over 10 percent of French consumption. 
The energy push follows the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran blocked tanker traffic to adversaries in response to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the siege of Iranian southern ports.
According to rights groups, Bahrain has detained more than 700 people and stripped citizenship from 69 citizens—including 33 children, the youngest just 19 days old—since the war began, targeting perceived sympathy for Iran. 
The crackdown has fallen heaviest on the Shia community, which has borne decades of discrimination and repression at the hands of the Sunni ruling family.
FIDH advocacy director Antoine Madelin said the crisis “should remind President Macron that lasting energy security depends on respect for human rights and peace.” 
Bahraini activist Maryam al-Khawaja drew the contrast sharply: “At a time when students are protesting for better conditions in France, Macron is in Bahrain, where two EU prisoners of conscience are still imprisoned after 15 years.”