Queen’s invitations come under fire

HUMAN rights groups criticised the inclusion a number of the rulers and sovereigns attending the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee luncheon at Windsor Castle.

The regimes in the spotlight included Bahrain, Swaziland and Saudi Arabia. Buckingham Palace said the Foreign Office approved the invitations.

King Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain presides over a monarchy with an elected parliament and an independent judiciary. However, campaigners say the regime is guilty of human rights abuses.

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The invitation for King Mswati III is also proving controversial. Known as Ngweyama or The Lion, he was listed as the world’s 15th richest monarch in the Forbes list. Meanwhile many of his 1.2 million subjects live in poverty.

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is from Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy which has been accused of repression by Amnesty International, citing brutality towards protesters.

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