New court to hear rights case

Gulf Daily News – Vol XXVIII NO. 23 – Tuesday 12 April 2005

AN appeal against the closure of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is being switched to another court. The High Civil Appeal Court yesterday adjourned the case until April 19, for it to be transferred to the Administrative Court. BCHR lawyer Abdulla Al Shamlawi said that the case had been wrongly put before the appeal court due to a clerical error by court officials.

He said the appeal was launched after the High Civil Court threw out their previous case in January.

It ruled that the BCHR had no legal argument against the then Labour and Social Affairs Ministry, which closed it on September 28 for allegedly breaching the 1989 Societies Law.

Gulf Daily News – Vol XXVIII NO. 23 – Tuesday 12 April 2005

AN appeal against the closure of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is being switched to another court. The High Civil Appeal Court yesterday adjourned the case until April 19, for it to be transferred to the Administrative Court. BCHR lawyer Abdulla Al Shamlawi said that the case had been wrongly put before the appeal court due to a clerical error by court officials.

He said the appeal was launched after the High Civil Court threw out their previous case in January.

It ruled that the BCHR had no legal argument against the then Labour and Social Affairs Ministry, which closed it on September 28 for allegedly breaching the 1989 Societies Law.
The closure followed a seminar on poverty organised by BCHR, at Oruba Club, Juffair.Government lawyer Masooma Abdul Rasool did not attend the court hearing yesterday.

Advocate Mary Wareham, of the Washington-based Human Rights Watch, attended as an observer. “We are following the case very closely and are concerned that it be resolved positively and quickly,” she said.