A Statement by Members of Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) about their Stance of Parliamentary and Municipal Elections 2010

13 October 2010

Members of Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) aasures that their society has nothing to do with the monitoring of the parliamentary and municipal elections scheduled on October 23, 2010. In relation to the statement issued on 12 October by the judges of the Supreme Committee for the general supervision on the safety of the elections and who introduced the name of BHRS within the four associations as the statement said “applied to participate” in what was called “Monitoring of the national elections,” BHRS members are not participating in 2010 elections monitoring.

13 October 2010

Members of Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) aasures that their society has nothing to do with the monitoring of the parliamentary and municipal elections scheduled on October 23, 2010. In relation to the statement issued on 12 October by the judges of the Supreme Committee for the general supervision on the safety of the elections and who introduced the name of BHRS within the four associations as the statement said “applied to participate” in what was called “Monitoring of the national elections,” BHRS members are not participating in 2010 elections monitoring.

With its current delicate situation, BHRS assures the public of its commitment to the fundamentals of human rights work it has done since its foundation until now would like to emphasize the following points to the public and representatives of the international human rights organizations and media.

1. BHRS,members had rejected in total the ministerial order No. 63 for 2010 issued by the Ministry of Social Development on 8 September sissolving the board of directors and the appointment of an emmployee from the ministry as an administrator, charged with preparing financial and management reporting and open membership. BHRS members emphazises the current board of directors is the legitemate elected boatd on the 27 th of March 2010.

2. BHRS members and elected board, considers the ministerial order is on contrary to the spirit and the essence and the content and the texts of charters of the International conventions of Human Rights and the work of human rights organizations, institutions working in the field of human rights and in violation of these covenants as a flagrant interference in the affairs and work of human rights CSOs which enjoy legal personality and independent ensured by international human rights covenants have the freedom to work independently and without any interference from any official body or others; so as to ensure the safety of its procedures taken by the defense of human rights and public freedoms.

3. members of BHRS reject altogether any reports issued in its name, whether legal or moral, financial or regulatory or parallel reports that were not issued by the elected board. The members reject any attempts to place BHRS name without its members knowledge, to monitor legislative and municipal elections scheduled to take place on 23 of October under control or any other elections for any of the institutions of civil society in the country.

The members refuse to monitor these elections, unless, it is under the leadership of its legitimate, elected BHRS board. BHRS also warns to put their names in any report related to elections monitoring. We urge the candidates and representatives of civil society organizations and international human rights organizations and officials for the management of the polling stations to deal with those observers who are caught up in surveillance operations on behalf of our society.
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BHRS stresses that it will remain faithful to the principles of human rights that have stood since the start of its work; and human rights embodied in the integrity and transparency, impartiality and independence in decision and action and defend the rights and public freedoms.

Members of Bahrain Human Rights Society