Bahrain Document: Activists Appeal to BBC and Sky Not to Broadcast Grand Prix
Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 16:31
A cartoon by Carlos Latuff is converted into a mural in Barbar village
With pressure mounting on Formula One to pull out of the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, activists are beginning to target the organisations around the race. Earlier today, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and other Bahrain activists wrote a letter to the BBC and Sky --- who hold the broadcasting rights for the race --- calling on them not to broadcast the events on moral grounds. Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Ala'a Shehabi said of the campaign:
Formula One is all about advertising, marketing, it's more about the commercial side than the actual sport itself.
So we know that in broadcasting, you're encouraging all of the commercial interests in the sport which puts finance over human rights. That is what the major moral issue is here. If we can target the broadcasters, we can at least cut some of the possibility of profits made from advertising, at least.
The full text of the letter:
April 12 2012
Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC
Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive, Sky
We are writing to ask you to consider canceling your planned televised coverage of the Formula One race in Bahrain on moral grounds and in consideration of the thousands of victims of state atrocities over the past year. On this small island, 85 people have been killed by security forces, and there are around 600 political prisoners. The majority of the people will not be watching or enjoying the race. In fact they will see it as a provocation.