Ministry of Social Development Threatens Civil and Human Rights Societies with Legal and Administrative Action
Societies Law of 1989 Used Yet Again to Intimidate Societies
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Ref: 06091100
Ministry of Social Development Threatens Civil and Human Rights Societies with Legal and Administrative Action
Societies Law of 1989 Used Yet Again to Intimidate Societies
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Ref: 06091100
Sources from the Ministry of Social Development went on record to the Alayam Daily Newspaper, on the 5th of September, 2006 with threats of legal and judicial review of a number of civil Societies, amongst them the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and the Bahrain Child Society. The Ministry claims both Societies have failed to receive permits which enables them to function. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights’ request for a permit was previously refused by the Ministry, and so was the request made by the Bahrain Child Centre. The Societies law of 1989 prohibits minors under the age of 18 of organizing themselves or establishing a Society.
The Ministry claims that the Youth Society continues to participate and organize events both in Bahrain and outside. It stated that other societies are working without permits, and they will be addresses shortly, but the former had previously received an official warning and have chosen to continue their work. The Societies Law of 1989, the sources clarify, prohibit any society from commencing in any work without an official permit. On the other hand, members of the Youth Society deny receiving any previous warning, and have informed the BCHR that their participation in International Human Rights Conferences and Sessions outside Bahrain as well as their organizing of events internally is a fundamental part of their freedom of association and freedom of speech, protected by the International Declaration of Human Rights.
Significantly the Head of the Youth Society, Mr. Mohammed A-Masqati assisted in the organization of the first regional workshop on human rights in cooperation with the Yemeni Youth Development Centre in The Republic of Yemen, from the 26th to the 31st of August, the workshop was attended by youth from a number of Arab countries. The Society had also recently organized a workshop “Youth and the Challenge of Human Rights” from the 2nd to the 5th of July. The workshop aimed at training over 30 Saudi and Bahraini youth on Human Rights issues and hosted a number of Human Rights activists, amongst them Mr. Al-Khawaja, the President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.
On a related matter, the BCHR has learnt that the Women’s Petition Committee have also received a harsh verbal warning from individuals in the Ministry, threatening to drag the head of the Society Ms. Ghada Jamsheer to court again. Ms. Jamsheer has been in and out of court on matters relating to Womens Rights for the past years.
The BCHR calls for an end to these continuous threats against Civil and Human Rights Societies by the Ministry of Social Development, and yet again requests an immediate review of the Societies Law of 1989, which the BCHR was closed down in accordance to 3 years ago, after the arrest of the Centers President Mr. Abdul-hadi Al-khawaja. The Ministry had claimed that the Centre was working outside its jurisdiction therefore justifying its closure, and continues, up to date, to threaten the Centers members with legal prosecution due to their continued work. The Societies Law has been denounced and criticized by International Human Rights Organization more than once in the past, and the BCHR feels that a failure to put an end to this law might result in the closing down of additional Societies in the future.