James Reinl, United Nations Correspondent
Last Updated: June 10. 2008 10:11PM UAE / June 10. 2008 6:11PM GMT
The skyline of Manama, Bahrain. The Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain was endorsed on Monday by the UN’s civil liberties watchdog, despite continued allegations from groups within the country that the government tolerates abuses against women, migrant workers and activists. Philip Cheung / The National
James Reinl, United Nations Correspondent
Last Updated: June 10. 2008 10:11PM UAE / June 10. 2008 6:11PM GMT
The skyline of Manama, Bahrain. The Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain was endorsed on Monday by the UN’s civil liberties watchdog, despite continued allegations from groups within the country that the government tolerates abuses against women, migrant workers and activists. Philip Cheung / The National
UNITED NATIONS // Bahrain made human rights history this week, becoming the first country to appear before the UN’s Human Rights Council and have its national report approved by the 47-member body.
The Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain was endorsed on Monday by the UN’s civil liberties watchdog, despite continued allegations from groups within the country that the government tolerates abuses against women, migrant workers and activists.
While other Gulf and Muslim countries lauded the council’s inaugural review of Bahrain, some campaigners criticised the UN body for being too weak and blind to the alleged rights abuses taking place in Bahrain.
During Monday’s meeting in Geneva, Nizar Albaharna, Bahrain’s minister of state for foreign affairs, trumpeted his government’s successes, and said officials had conducted a “transparent and participatory process involving all national stakeholders”.
Mr Albaharna pledged to tackle rights abuses in Bahrain by encouraging civil organisations, reinforcing judicial protection and promoting “freedom of speech, expression, assembly and association, equality and non-discrimination”.
Policies would “enhance the protection of vulnerable groups in Bahrain, such as foreign workers, women, children and human rights defenders”, the minister told delegates in Geneva’s Palais des Nations.
Bahrain was the first country to appear before the council as part of a review process in April, a new system by which all UN members are probed for rights violations every four years.
Proceedings in Geneva were closely monitored by officials in Abu Dhabi, who are set to file their own report about human rights in the UAE next month, in preparation for a three-hour grilling before the council in December.
Manama officials consulted non-governmental organisations and human rights groups before devising a strategy to improve the rights of women and migrants, while amending press laws and abolishing censorship and the jailing of journalists, Mr Albaharna said.
Their efforts were endorsed last month when Bahrain was elected to sit on the Human Rights Council for three years after securing 142 votes in the UN’s General Assembly in New York.
Bahrain was congratulated on having its review endorsed by delegations from fellow Muslim governments, including Algeria, Tunisia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group.
But Bahrain’s human rights organisations remained deeply critical of the island nation’s record. Wajeeha al Baharna of the Bahrain Women Association slammed the government for denying citizenship to the children of Bahraini women who marry foreign men.
The offspring lose rights to “land ownership, education, health care and employment”, said Ms Baharna, adding that a law being drafted by the government did not address the disparity.
“This inequality not only denies women their basic rights as citizens, it also denies children their basic rights as human beings,” Ms Baharna told delegates. “The number of children from Bahraini mothers who have no nationality is increasing, in turn increasing the pain and suffering of mothers and their children.”
Adbud Hadi al Khawaja of Front Line – the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, said the government was undemocratic and was trying to shut down human rights groups.
More than 20 rights campaigners had been “violently” arrested during raids on their homes, while others were subjected to “harassment, defamation” and torture – one such arrest resulting in the death of an activist, he said.
During the meeting, delegates from Egypt and Pakistan tried to block human rights campaigners from addressing the commission, but delegates from Canada and Switzerland spoke on the activists’ behalf, saying the objectors were being “overly restrictive” and “muzzling” an open forum.
Mr Khawaja, the Bahraini civil liberties campaigner, eventually walked out of the meeting in protest after claiming that his organisation had not been given enough opportunity to express outrage over government violations.
Paula Schriefer, director of advocacy for Freedom House, a US-based pressure group, said the commission’s endorsement of the Bahrain report highlighted weaknesses in the periodic review system.
“The whole process is very weak and watered down,” Ms Schriefer said. “I’m quite concerned that the UPR reports are going to be used by countries like Bahrain, and governments with even worse human rights records”, to claim they had been given a clean bill of health.
The reports were too short to present a serious evaluation of each nation’s record, Ms Schriefer said, and the fact that countries are evaluated by other council members, rather than a panel of human rights experts, means reviewers are “too easy” on those being probed.
Rights groups initially lauded the universal review process as a chance for the council to live up to its aim – but many now criticise the reviews as not having sharp enough teeth to criticise violators.
The Geneva-based council has faced allegations of bias from all sides since taking over from the discredited UN Human Rights Commission almost two years ago.
The council’s membership includes three countries – China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia – whose governments have been criticised as among the world’s most oppressive.
African and Asian states have pushed for the removal of several of the council’s special investigators, arguing they unfairly target developing countries.
The United States, Canada and Israel, meanwhile, have criticised the body’s repeated singling out of the Jewish state over its military action against Palestinians and during the 2006 war in Lebanon.
The United States has decided to limit its involvement with the council due to its “pathetic” record, a state department spokesman said on Friday.
jreinl@thenational.ae
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080610/FOREIGN/145556847/1011/NEWS&Profile=1011
