Sixty British parliamentarians joined protesters on Wednesday in urging Formula One to commission an independent inquiry into the human rights impact of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Rights groups said in an open letter to chief executive Stefano Domenicali that they also called for him to “seek compensation for the victims of abuse directly related to your actions in Bahrain. “
Signatories included the Human Rights Guard and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).
The Gulf kingdom is hosting the season opening race, the biggest and most popular sporting event of the year in Bahrain on Sunday.
The 2011 Bahrain race was postponed due to civil unrest and the grand prix regularly draws criticism from rights activists who accuse the government of using its advanced publicity to make sport in the situation.
Seven times Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton said in December last year that after Bahrain held two races, he was moved by a letter from the son of a man who opposed the death penalty.
The British reassured campaigners that he would not allow human rights issues to go unnoticed.
A Formula One spokesman said he and the governing FIA believed that the sport could be “a force for good” in bringing different cultures together.
“We have always been clear with all racial promoters and Governments with whom we deal with the world that we are taking the very form of violence, human rights abuses and suffocation, “he said.
“Our human rights policy is very clear and states that Formula One companies are committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights in their work around the world.
“Where possible we will monitor and review activities in host countries that are directly relevant to organizing an event and behind the scenes we have meaningful discussions with all guests about our values and the standards we expect. “
A spokesman for the Bahraini government told the Guardian newspaper that the kingdom had “implemented internationally recognized human rights protections.”