Beirut 10 May 2012 — From 24 to 27 April 2012, the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and the International Federation for Human Rights )FIDH( organized a visit of high level meetings in Brussels for a human rights delegation of three Gulf human rights defenders, headed by Maryam Al-Khawaja, head of the GCHR International Office. The delegation, composed of Mr. Abdul-Hameed Al-Shamsi (United Arab Emirates), Dr. Nada Dhaif (Bahrain), and Mr. Said Jadad (Oman) met with representatives of all the EU institutions, including the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Danish EU Presidency, the 27 EU Member States and the European Parliament.

 Abdul-Hameed Al-Shamsi briefed the Chair (Angela Niebler MEP) and Members of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula before their visit to the United Arab Emirates on 29 April-4 May 2012. The Delegation promised to discuss the case of the seven Emirates citizens who were imprisoned and deprived of their citizenship for advocating political reform.

Mr. Saeed Jadad also briefed members of the European Parliament and human rights bodies about the situation in Oman and requested that all the co-operation agreements with the European Union will be linked to human rights. He also spoke about the cultural marginalization of the people of the south (Dhofar) and called for more communication with the human rights defenders in Oman.

In a warmly welcomed intervention, twice applauded, Maryam Al-Khawaja testified at a hearing held by the European Parliament Sub-Commission on Human Rights and Justice in the Arab countries. She insisted on the urgent necessity for the EU to support declarations on the situation of human rights defenders in Bahrain with tangible action like asset freeze, visa bans, and an embargo on arm export to the country. Maryam A-Khawaja and MEPs also demanded that the Bahraini Ambassador has to give more information and not only the hollow words about the whereabouts of prominent Bahraini-Danish human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

In the margins of her intervention, Maryam Al-Khawaja met with Ana Gomes MEP (Socialist and Democrats Coordinator for Foreign Affairs), who would on 29 April 2012 be denied her entry to Bahrain in spite of having respected all the legal requirements and presented her diplomatic passport. Through her attempted visit, MEP Ana Gomes sought to establish contact with the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain information on the state of prominent Bahraini-Danish human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and visit his daughter Ms. Zainab Al-Khawaja currently in prison. Another visit to Bahrain by European Parliamentarians is foreseen during the second half of 2012.

Abdul-Hameed Al-Shamsi and Nada Dhaif briefed the 27 EU Member States in the working group on the Middle East about the human rights situation in their two countries   Bahrain, UAE and also Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The EU has recently announced its wish to step up human rights discussions with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The coming of the Gulf delegation to Brussels came in advance of the June EU-GCC Summit. 

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights is an independent centre and has been registered in Ireland. The Centre works to strengthen support for human rights defenders and independent journalists in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

For more information contact the Head of GCHR International Office Maryam Al-Khawaja at:

+4581757959