By REBECCA TORR
Published: 8th April 2008
BAHRAIN’s human rights record came under global scrutiny yesterday. It was the first country in the world to have a special human rights report reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council under a new system.
The 20-page Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bahrain’s human rights record was discussed by the council at a meeting held in Geneva.
The meeting was attended by a high-profile Bahrain delegation, headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna, as well as various national and international human rights groups.
By REBECCA TORR
Published: 8th April 2008
BAHRAIN’s human rights record came under global scrutiny yesterday. It was the first country in the world to have a special human rights report reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council under a new system.
The 20-page Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bahrain’s human rights record was discussed by the council at a meeting held in Geneva.
The meeting was attended by a high-profile Bahrain delegation, headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna, as well as various national and international human rights groups.
The report was prepared by the Foreign Ministry in consultation with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and submitted to the council in February.
Bahrain human rights groups, however, had mixed feelings about the success of the review.
Government officials and human rights activists said that the meeting aired the good and the bad.
Mr Al Baharna said at the opening session that Bahrain was committed to respect human rights and relevant conventions.
He said that Bahrain was considered one of the pioneering countries in the UN’s efforts for reforms that resulted in the relaunch of the council.
He announced the government’s plan to hold a meeting with all organisations concerned with human rights in Bahrain to discuss the outcome of the council’s meeting.
He said the discussions would result in the formation of an action plan that will be implemented to further safeguard human rights.
The council’s president Dora Kostia and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour praised Bahrain’s report, which they said should be a model followed by other countries.
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) regional and international relations director Faisal Fulad and secretary-general Houda Nonoo, who attended the event, said that the UN meeting went well and hoped the review process would help to further human rights in Bahrain.
“We think it was well organised and appreciate how Bahrain put their strategy and report,” Mr Fulad told the GDN from Geneva.
“Thirty-six countries attended the session and made comments and asked questions on the report to Dr Al Baharna,” said Mr Fulad.
“Most countries asked about children and women’s rights.”
The BHRWS presented their shadow report on human rights following yesterday’s meeting because they were not aware of the November deadline.
Along with the shadow report the society also submitted two petitions, one called for child’s rights, which was signed by 350 people.
The other was a petition for a family law and domestic workers’ law, which collected 727 signatures.
The society’s shadow report focused on Press freedom, human trafficking, political and social freedom, discrimination, torture of prisoners, exploitation of expat workers and lack of rights for women and children.
It also calls for the creation of a Human Rights Commission independent of the government, a family law and a domestic workers’ law.
“We feel Bahrain has joined many conventions but the national law didn’t implement them,” he said. “There is until now no protection for expat workers regarding their safety, living standards, salary and no social justice.”
Mr Fulad said there were more than 55,000 housemaids in Bahrain that do not even come under the labour law, and while there was a trafficking law the tools to implement it are still not in place.
Minority groups such as Jews, Christians and Baha’is also need better rights, he said, adding there were more than 40 Jews, 4,500 Christians and 3,400 Baha’is in the country.
He said the Press law was old and against human rights and the BHRWS strongly supported a draft Press law put forward by the Shura Council a few months ago.
The now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) vice-president Nabeel Rajab, who also attended the event, thought the meeting was a failure.
“From an NGOs point of view it was a failure because the meeting was hijacked with comments from Arab countries that were just praising the government,” he told the GDN from Geneva.
“There were a couple of questions by the UK and US about expats, but not enough.
“We also didn’t get the opportunity to speak to a country representative of the council because they have changed the process and now we need approval from the government first, which we didn’t get.”
The centre is one of 12 national, regional and international human rights organisations to submit shadow reports on Bahrain’s human rights record to the UN in November.
The now-dissolved BCHR report looks at the recommendations made by human rights committees that have not been implemented in Bahrain.
An advanced, unedited version of the country’s Universal Periodic Review received by the GDN last month urges Bahrain to scrap its amnesty for officials allegedly involved in abuses before February 2001.
The council had praised Bahrain for stamping out such abuses, but criticises the “blanket amnesty” for previous alleged violations.
There should be no “immunity for officials who have perpetrated or acquiesced in torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, it said.
Final recommendations on the Bahrain UPR will be presented by the Human Rights Council tomorrow .
The Bahrain delegation at the Geneva meeting includes Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Aziz Hamza, Shura Council services committee member Sameera Rajab, Foreign Ministry Assistant Under-Secretary for Co-ordination and Follow-up Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa and Supreme Council for Women deputy chairwoman Dr Shaikha Mariam bint Hassan Al Khalifa.
Meanwhile Bahrain launched a National Action Plan for human rights last month.
To view the National Action Plan for human rights and for more information about the UPR visit: www.mofa.gov.bh. becky@gdn.com.bh
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� Gulf Daily News
