The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) participated in the celebration of Human Rights Day, held in Beirut on 10 December 2020, in partnership with the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), IFEX, Maharat Foundation, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and Media Association for Peace (MAP).
The event was moderated by Khalid Ibrahim, Executive Director of GCHR, who opened the seminar by saying, “This day is an opportunity for all of us to remember the victims of human rights violations as well as our colleagues who are still in prisons due to their serious, sincere and continuous work to uphold the values of freedom, justice, human dignity and create a prosperous future for all citizens without exception.”
The President of BCHR, Nedal Al-Salman said, “The most prominent punishment that violates human rights is the death penalty, because it strikes the most important human right, which is the right to life, and this punishment is still applied in Bahrain. Broadly, there is no response from the Bahraini government to international demands to abolish this penalty.”
During the days of the event, several training workshops were held on digital security and discussions on digital and technical challenges to freedom of expression, how to use UN mechanisms in the field of human rights and the credibility of human rights defenders, as well as the work of defenders in a hostile environment.
BCHR team in the Beirut office presented the center’s experience by monitoring and tracking violations, in addition to its relationship and communication with the United Nations, how to prepare reports and statements, and its daily work.
Moreover, Al-Salman presented her journey starting from the threats she faced in her work as a Human Rights Defender and a travel ban, in addition to her election as President of IFEX and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
The event concluded with distributing certificates for the attendees.