Bahrain, the Grand Prix, and Human Rights

Bahrain, the Grand Prix, and Human Rights

April 13, 2012

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has invited the following companies, teams and organizations to respond to human rights concerns raised by those calling for a boycott of the Bahrain Grand Prix.  This at a time when there are fears for the life of Bahraini prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on hunger strike.

Each response will be posted online on this page on Wednesday 18 April, and in the Centre’s free Weekly Update sent to over 14,000 opinion leaders and journalists worldwide. 

If any company or organization fails to respond, that will be indicated.

The invitations to respond were sent to: 

  • Mercedes/Daimler
  • Renault
  • Ferrari
  • Red Bull
  • McLaren
  • Cosworth
  • Caterham
  • McLaren-Mercedes
  • Force India-Mercedes
  • Lotus-Renault
  • Williams-Renault
  • Caterham-Renault
  • Red Bull Racing-Renault
  • Sauber-Ferrari
  • STR-Ferrari
  • Marussia-Cosworth
  • HRT-Cosworth
  • Formula One Group of Companies
  • JP Morgan (part-owner of Delta Topco, a Jersey–based company that owns Formula One Group)
  • CVC Capital Partners (part-owner of Delta Topco, a Jersey–based company that owns Formula One Group)
  • Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (the Formula One governing body)

About the Resource Centre

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is an independent non-profit organization that encourages companies to respect human rights.  Our website links to reports on the human rights impacts (positive & negative) of 5100 companies worldwide, and provides guidance tools to assist companies and others working in this field.  When human rights concerns are raised by civil society, we invite companies to respond, and we post each company’s response alongside the concerns.  The response rate is over 75%.

Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and President of Ireland, is Chair of the Centre’s International Advisory Network.  The Centre’s researchers are based in Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, South Africa, UK, Ukraine and USA.  For further details, see the “About us” section of our website.