King Charles has been asked by exiles from Bahrain to rescind an honour he bestowed this week on the ruler of the Gulf kingdom. Charles was told in a letter by the exiles: “It is personally difficult for us to view this honour as anything other than a betrayal of victims who have suffered at the hands of King Hamad and his brutal regime.” Buckingham Palace had been accused of “burying” the news that Charles had bestowed the Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) on King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. It was the Gulf state’s official news agency that announced on Tuesday that Charles had made the award, which was covered on the front pages of Bahrain’s newspapers. However, Bahraini exiles in the UK and supporters have questioned why no mention was made of the award in Buckingham Palace’s own announcement that Charles had hosted Bahrain’s king at Windsor Castle. The awarding of the honour was announced by Buckingham Palace in a press release issued on Wednesday evening. The Bahraini government has in effect silenced political opposition, banned independent media and subjected internal opponents to brutal treatment including torture and denial of medical care, according to Human Rights Watch. One of the signatories to the letter to Charles was Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who was granted refugee status in the UK in 2012 and described himself in it as a “victim of King Hamad’s regime” and a survivor of torture. “We sincerely hope that the extent and gravity of our suffering is conveyed through this letter and provides sufficient reason for Your Majesty to urgently reconsider the decision and rescind the award to Bahrain’s king,” Charles was told in the letter. Bahraini newspapers have covered the award prominently on their front pages, including with pictures of Charles and King Hamad. Alastair Long, the British ambassador to Bahrain, said in a post on Instagram that Charles held a dinner in honour of King Hamad’s silver jubilee and “appreciated that King Hamad’s rule has been guided by concern and care for his people”. However, Brian Dooley, a senior adviser to the activist group Human Rights First, said: “It’s startling to see King Hamad being rewarded with social honours when his unelected government has been guilty of so many crimes, including the torture of human rights activists, for so many years. “He is not a figurehead, he is in charge of – and responsible for – his government’s actions. Why any self-respecting country would want to associate with him is baffling.” The UK has deep trade and defence ties to Bahrain, which gained independence from Britain in 1971 and has served as a base for British naval operations.