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The Mercedes driver, who will be chasing a
record eighth world title in a season that starts in the Gulf
kingdom on Sunday, detailed on Thursday efforts he had made to
inform himself.
The Briton said in December he had been moved by a letter from
the son of a jailed man facing the death penalty.
Hamilton had, however, been unable to meet officials at the time
after testing positive for COVID-19 and going into
self-isolation.
"It weighed quite heavily on me," he said of the letter. "It was
the first time I had received letters like that along my
travels.
"So I've taken time in the last few months to try and educate
myself because coming here all these years I wasn't aware of all
of the details, the human rights issues.
"I've spent time speaking to legal human rights experts, spent
time talking to human rights organisations like Amnesty, have
seen the UK ambassador here in Bahrain and I've spoken to
Bahrain officials also," he added.
Hamilton said his moves were private.
"I don't want to say too much, that may jeopardise any
progress...but I'm definitely committed to helping in any way I
can," he added.
Some 61 British parliamentarians and campaigners urged Formula
One on Wednesday to commission an independent inquiry into
alleged abuses linked to the Bahrain race.
Rights campaigners accuse the government of using positive
publicity from the country's most high-profile event to "sportswash".
The Bahrain government said it had "a zero-tolerance policy
towards mistreatment of any kind and has put in place
internationally recognised human rights safeguards".
It added in a statement that institutional and legal reforms had
been implemented along with the establishment of an independent
Ombudsman to "fully and independently investigate any allegation
of mistreatment".
"Where arrests take place and convictions are sought due to
clear breaches of the law, these rely on the process of an
independent court system which upholds the legal rights of all
individuals throughout," the government said.
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in his reply
to the open letter from campaigners that the sport took human
rights very seriously and had made its position clear to all
partners.
He added, however, that Formula One was "not a cross border
investigatory organisation" and was not able to undertake the
action requested.
Hamilton said it was not in his power to choose where to race
but it was right to speak out.
"I don't think we should be going to these countries and just
ignoring what is happening in those places and arriving, having
a great time and then leave," he said.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)
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