Front Line Press Release – 24 April 2006
During a recent visit to meet with human rights defenders in Bahrain, the Deputy Director of Front Line welcomed the candidacy of Bahrain for election to the new UN Human Rights Council.
Bahrain is a candidate for one of the 13 seats allocated to the region of Asia on the UN Human Rights Council. The council, which meets for the first time in June, replaces the discredited UN Human Rights Commission
Speaking from Manama, Andrew Anderson said that Bahrain’s candidacy “demonstrates a commitment to international human rights mechanisms and openness to scrutiny of Bahrain’s human rights record, which must now also be reflected in measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders in Bahrain.”
Front Line Press Release – 24 April 2006
During a recent visit to meet with human rights defenders in Bahrain, the Deputy Director of Front Line welcomed the candidacy of Bahrain for election to the new UN Human Rights Council.
Bahrain is a candidate for one of the 13 seats allocated to the region of Asia on the UN Human Rights Council. The council, which meets for the first time in June, replaces the discredited UN Human Rights Commission
Speaking from Manama, Andrew Anderson said that Bahrain’s candidacy “demonstrates a commitment to international human rights mechanisms and openness to scrutiny of Bahrain’s human rights record, which must now also be reflected in measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders in Bahrain.”
Front Line has been concerned by a pattern of attacks against human rights defenders in Bahrain, including the attempted Government closure of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, ill-treatment and torture of human rights defenders and the detention and prosecution of human rights defenders for exercising their legitimate rights.
In the 5 April letter submitting its candidacy for election to the UN Human Rights Council the Government proclaims: “Bahrain also has a large and vibrant community of non-governmental organizations, a number of which are concerned with human rights issues.” Ensuring that human rights defenders can operate freely in conformity with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders should indeed be part of the criteria to be evaluated during the election of the Council.
Front Line has called on the Bahraini authorities to:
- End efforts to close down the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and provide a proper legal framework for independent human rights organizations to operate freely in conformity with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
- Release all those human rights defenders who are detained for their non-violent and legitimate activities in defence of human rights including Mosa Abdali, Mohsen Alsalman, Hasan Abdelnabi all from the Unemployed Committee, Ganee Ahmed from the Committee of Hereditary Blood Diseases, and Hasan Alhadad an independent activist.
- Initiate independent investigations into the assault and torture of human rights activists including Mosa Abdali, Nabeel Rajab, Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja and Abdul-Raoof Abdullah Al Shaeab and into the judicial harassment against the woman human rights defender Ghada Yusuf Jamsheer, who has had 17 judicial cases against her over 17 years and bring those responsible to justice.