Bahrain: Authorities must stop their massive human rights violations

Despite the tireless efforts made by human rights organisations inside and outside Bahrain, in addition to international mechanisms, including the United Nations, Bahraini authorities continue to commit gross violations of human rights, foremost of which is the ongoing mistreatment of human rights defenders and other activists in prison, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, and Naji Fateel. They should be immediately freed because they have been sentenced to prison in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Reliable information received by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) confirmed that the Bahraini government is seeking to appoint and fund a human rights advisor to work in the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the capital, Manama.

While we welcome this approach of the Government of Bahrain, we demand that this advisor enjoy a full mandate that allows the advisor to fully monitor the human rights situation in the country, and that this person be given the right to independently communicate, cooperate and coordinate with all civil society organisations. In addition, the advisor must have the ability to visit prisons and detention centres to see the conditions of prisoners, in particular human rights defenders and other activists.

We take this opportunity to call on the UN Resident Coordinator in Bahrain to open up and cooperate with civil society organisations in order to improve the state of civic space and protect public freedoms, foremost among which are the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful demonstration, and freedom of association and affiliation.