Middle East News
Bahraini rights activists to launch reconciliation committee
By DPA
Jun 21, 2007, 10:19 GMT
Manama, Bahrain – Bahraini human rights and opposition political activists are planning to launch a national reconciliation committee as early as next week, two Bahraini human rights groups said on Thursday.
A Saturday workshop and consultative meeting of 11 human rights and political societies in Manama is to prepare the blueprint for the new non-governmental committee, while the formation of the committee is expected to be announced after a conference Tuesday, Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) Deputy Secretary General Abdullah al-Durazi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.
Middle East News
Bahraini rights activists to launch reconciliation committee
By DPA
Jun 21, 2007, 10:19 GMT
Manama, Bahrain – Bahraini human rights and opposition political activists are planning to launch a national reconciliation committee as early as next week, two Bahraini human rights groups said on Thursday.
A Saturday workshop and consultative meeting of 11 human rights and political societies in Manama is to prepare the blueprint for the new non-governmental committee, while the formation of the committee is expected to be announced after a conference Tuesday, Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) Deputy Secretary General Abdullah al-Durazi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.
The workshop is due to discuss the formation of a reconciliation and truth committee from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to press towards discussing unresolved dossiers.
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Vice President Nabeel Rajab confirmed he expected the committee to be formed after Tuesday’s conference.
The day of the announcement coincides with the international day of solidarity with the victims of torture, which the Bahraini government has allowed to be marked since 2001 following reforms by Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
A consultative meeting, attended by 35 rights and opposition activists, was held in March to discuss the formation of an NGO reconciliation pressure group.
The drafting committee for the meeting has so far outlined its aims for equity and reconciliation in Bahrain including goals, strategies and a time-frame.
A draft of the proposal obtained by dpa sees the uncovering of the truth and its documentation as the committee’s key objective.
The draft also calls for the compensation of victims and for the capture and punishment of those who were allegedly involved in carrying out the torture. It also demands legislative guarantees for such violations to end.
Eligible for compensation would be all those who sustained injuries or were subjected to torture, deportation or arbitrary arrests during periods of political unrest.
The committee would also help those who had been deprived of civil, political or economic rights during the unrest, or sustained damage to property, along those who sustained collective damage to their areas due to the use of excessive force and those subjected to sectarian discrimination.
Among those due to take part in Saturday’s meeting are local rights groups and opposition political groups.
The aim was to put a work plan to turn the page on the past and bring about national reconciliation, Rajab said, adding they hoped the reconciliation would cover the sporadic times of political unrest witnessed by the Gulf island during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Around 60 people will be invited to the Dialogue Seminar including governmental officials, members of parliament and civil society representatives.
So far, the deputy director of the Middle East and head of the Iraq programme at the International Centre for Transitional Justice and the deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch have said they would attend Saturday’s meeting.
Representatives of international right groups will also attend.
The representatives are expected to share their experiences on achieving reconciliation, particularly in the judicial sphere, through international mechanisms, national commissions and transitional Justice, said al-Durazi.
Following his rise to power in 1999 Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad suspended the state security act, freed political prisoners and allowed the return of exiles, mostly Shiites, before re-drafting a new constitution to allow the return of parliamentary life three decades after it was suspended.
The government has also in recent years undertaken massive economic reforms to strengthen the country’s position as a financial hub and to address the issue of growing unemployment.
On Wednesday, King Hamad told BHRS and the Bahrain Human Rights Watch that Bahrain’s human rights clock ‘will never turn back.’
‘We will not tolerate any injustices or violations of Bahrainis’ or expatriates’ rights,’ King Hamad was quoted saying.
© 2007 dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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