Method One world champion Lewis Hamilton has been a champion of a number of social, political and humanitarian causes in latest instances. Ever since he secured his seventh title last month, making him the joint-record holder with Michael Schumacher, the 35-year-old Briton has been receiving letters from Bahraini residents looking for his assist and affect.
Nevertheless, one explicit letter – from 11-year-old Ahmed Ramadhan asking him to assist save his father from a loss of life sentence – Hamilton claimed, “actually (hit) residence.”
LETTER OF HOPE
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), an advocacy group in London, mentioned that the letter, accompanied by a drawn image of Hamilton’s race automotive, mentioned: “Lewis, please save my father. Once I was drawing the automotive, I felt hope that it’d save my father’s life.”
“I actually hope Lewis Hamilton delivers my message so my dad can come again residence,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Ramadhan’s father Mohammed, a safety guard, was allegedly arrested in 2014 for the loss of life of a policeman, and subsequently sentenced to loss of life. Human rights teams, nevertheless, have claimed that confessions that led to the conviction had been compelled by way of torture.
READ | Why Formula One star Lewis Hamilton matters
Forward of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix final weekend, Hamilton addressed the letter at a press convention.
“I believe the saddest factor for me was that there’s a younger man on loss of life row and it’s not clear… when his son writes me a letter, that basically hits residence. All lives matter. I believe there’s undoubtedly work to be finished within the background,” he mentioned. “I undoubtedly received’t let it go unnoticed. Once I get a while now, I’ll undoubtedly attempt to communicate to these (folks) and see how I can positively affect that (race) weekend (in future).”
“An image is value a 1000 phrases”
AP: Included with the letters to @LewisHamilton was a photograph of 11-year-old Ahmed, who’s proudly holding up his drawing of Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 automotive.
He’s the son of Mohammed Ramadhan,who’s dealing with execution.https://t.co/NDMhxYrhCG#Bahrain pic.twitter.com/t70zrHPa3p
— Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei (@SAlwadaei) December 13, 2020
The Bahrain Grand Prix has been an everyday on the F1 circuit for the reason that first race in 2004. It’s additionally the nation’s largest sporting occasion.
COVID INTERRUPTS MEETING
Hamilton claimed that he had hoped to fulfill Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to handle the problem of social injustice prevalent within the kingdom. He had hoped to attend the assembly whereas within the Center-Japanese nation that hosted back-to-back Grand Prix on November 29 and December 6.
Nevertheless, Hamilton examined constructive for the coronavirus on the time, and was compelled to overlook the second race.
HAMILTON’S ACTIVISM
The Mercedes driver has been vocal in his help for the Black Lives Matter motion that gained steam in Might after the loss of life of African-American George Floyd by the hands of the police. In reality, Hamilton has additionally been essential of the F1’s obvious lack of responsiveness in the case of addressing human rights points, particularly in international locations the place races happen.
“We realise we’ve received to face and never ignore the human rights points within the international locations that we go to, not simply 20 years, 30 years from now, however now,” he had mentioned after securing his seventh world title after successful the Turkish Grand Prix in November.
In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton added: “Naturally, the human rights situation in so lots of the locations that we go to is a constant and a large drawback. We’re in all probability one of many solely ones that (go) to so many various international locations and I do assume as a sport we have to do extra.”
FORMULA ONE’S STANCE
In an announcement, the F1 claimed it had been vigilant concerning social injustice world wide.
“Now we have all the time been clear with all race promoters and Governments with which we deal worldwide that we take violence, abuse of human rights and repression very severely.”
Nevertheless, there have been fixed protests by activists forward of the annual Bahrain Grand Prix, looking for the race to be cancelled in gentle of the federal government’s alleged human rights violations.
BAHRAIN GOVERNMENT’S TAKE
Ever since Bahraini residents – each present and former political prisoners – began to enchantment to Hamilton to help their trigger, the federal government of the nation has claimed that it respects freedom of expression and the appropriate to protest.
“No individual is arrested or prosecuted for the peaceable expression of their opinion, and all individuals arrested (whatever the cost) profit from full due course of safeguards, together with the appropriate to illustration and the appropriate to honest trial earlier than Bahrain’s unbiased judiciary,” learn an announcement reported by The Guardian.
The assertion additionally addressed the declare about using torture in Ramadhan’s case.
“Additional, the claims of torture and/or retribution are categorically denied.”
