Concerns Raised Over Authoritarian Regimes' Links To Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration
The event’s brochure thanked Bahrain, Azerbaijan, and Oman for their “support”.
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Concerns have been raised over the "support" given to the Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration by Bahrain, Oman and Azerbaijan, three countries that have been criticised over their human rights records.
The souvenir programme for the event – which featured hundreds of horses as part of the annual Royal Windsor Horse show and culminated on Sunday in the grounds of Windsor Castle – includes an acknowledgement page in which King Hamad of Bahrain, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, and the Republic of Azerbaijan are all thanked for their "generous" support.
Both the Royal Cavalry of the Sultanate of Oman and a team of Azerbaijani Dancers performed at the show, while a spokesperson for the event confirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain had been "an enthusiastic partner of Endurance [a competition] at Royal Windsor Horse Show and sponsor of the Grand Prix for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy."
He would not confirm or deny whether Oman and Azerbaijan gave any additional financial support.
Amnesty International UK's head of policy and government affairs Allan Hogarth said: "It looks as if the Royal Windsor Horse Show has been added to a portfolio of high-profile events that authoritarian countries will use as a vehicle for their PR efforts."
Campaigners say that in Bahrain, over 100 people have been killed and thousands arrested since the Arab Spring, with reports of prisoners being tortured in prison. In Oman, there have been mass arrests of pro-reform activists and restrictions on freedom of expression, according to Amnesty International. The charity also says that in Azerbaijan, there has been persecution of journalists and widespread torture of prisoners.
When BuzzFeed News contacted Buckingham Palace for comment on the regimes' links to the birthday celebration, we were directed to HPower, a privately-owned events management company based just a few yards away from Windsor Castle, which organised the event. The company boasts an impressive portfolio of events, including The London International Horse Show, the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, and the 60th Anniversary Commemoration of World War Two.
A spokesperson for the event said: "The focus for HMQ90 Ltd, the organisers of Her Majesty's 90th Birthday Celebration, was on staging an inspiring and entertaining Birthday Celebration worthy of its name. This could not have been done without the support received from a number of major international companies, including Principle Partner Jaguar Land Rover, and many other household names. As well as these high profile brands, we are grateful to all the individuals and equestrian federations from around the world who supported the event.
"Our thanks also goes out to the Kingdom of Bahrain, who has been an enthusiastic partner of Endurance at Royal Windsor Horse Show and sponsor of the Grand Prix for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy. During Her Majesty's 90th Birthday Celebration, the Royal Cavalry of the Sultanate of Oman wowed the nightly sell-out crowd with a colourful equestrian performance, and the Azerbaijani Dancers and Karabakh Horses and Riders gave a display of daredevil riding and dancing which had the audience on the edge of their seats."