An error occurred while subscribing your email address. [145], According to Human Rights Watch,[29] in as of 2011 there were more than 458,000 guest workers in Bahrain, many of whom experience prolonged periods of withheld wages, passport confiscation, unsafe housing, excessive work hours and physical abuse. In a letter to Hamilton, they also praised his commitment to pursuing equality, anti-racism and human rights causes. [60], In April 2021, the death of a Bahraini prisoner at the Jau prison due to Covid-19 led to protests from angry inmates who feared their lives following the lack of medical facilities and treatment. 12 May 2021. There have been numerous, credible reports of violence, intimidation, inhumane A court had sentenced them to death on January 31, 2018, in a mass trial marred by allegations of torture and serious due process violations. In February 2011, the tensions between the Sunni ruling minority and the Shi'a majority spilled over into street protests which was violently suppressed by police forces, resulting in multiple civilian deaths. [27][29] Nabeel Rajab, then BCHR vice president, said: It is appalling that Bahrain is willing to rest on the benefits of these people’s hard work, and often their suffering, but that they refuse to live with them in equality and dignity. There was much concern about the lack of proper protection foreseen for foreign workers who make up 60 per cent of the workforce. "[88], On 25 November 2020, The Guardian reported that three political prisoners, who claimed to have been victims of human rights abuses in Bahrain, appealed Lewis Hamilton to use his position as F1’s champion to highlight the reality of their dilemma to the world. Found inside â Page 97Thus Mauritius, Bahrain and China strengthened the grounds for a délit d'opinion at the Commission on Human Rights, by basing their complaints and requests ... [7] It has been criticized for not disclosing the names of individual perpetrators of abuses and extending accountability only to those who actively carried out human rights violations. There were occasional reports of incidents between the Government and elements of the Shi'a majority population, who were often critical of the Sunni-controlled Government's rule. Witnessing human rights violations in Bahrain Brian Terrell Thank you for your interest in republishing this story. You will face the same destiny as the Egyptians in Iraq [after the end of the Iraq-Iran war]. The data provided by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and reviewed by the Guardian stated that at least 138 inmates at the prison had been infected with Covid-19 since March 22, 2021. Bahrain's National Institution for Human Rights said on April 18 it had visited the prison to investigate the incident and found that "what has been raised regarding [inmates] being beaten and . Found inside â Page 526Bahrain's human rights record regressed further in key areas in 2013 and the ... for serious human rights violations that have occurred since 2011, ... Found inside â Page 146mation on human rights violations . ... Bahrain , and the United Kingdom provide a good example of the double standards applied by some . Al Menbar Bloc president Dr Salah Abdulrahman complained that the covenant would allow citizens to change religions without any restrictions, noting "This means that Muslims could convert to another religion, something against the Islamic law, since those who do so should be beheaded," he said. [1], On June 2017, the National Democratic Action Society party (Wa'ad) was banned on terrorism charges. Physicians for Human Rights documented the unbridled attacks by the Bahraini security forces on the Bahraini medical institution, including arresting and detaining medical workers for providing care to . The Bahrain Press Association issued a semi-annual report documenting a series of violations against media freedoms in Bahrain. [7] It has been criticized for not disclosing the names of individual perpetrators of abuses and extending accountability only to those who actively carried out human rights violations. "[21], According to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, while the Shiites exceeds 70% of the population, "they occupy less than 18% of total top jobs in government establishments. Normally neither the government nor the security forces interfere with demonstrations – unless feeling threatened. On June 27, Bahrain amended its citizenship revocation laws, restricting the power to strip nationality to the cabinet. Authorities have banned all independent media from operating in the country, dissolved all opposition groups, and cracked down on . The decline of the level of press freedom has put Bahrain in the 142 out of 180 on the global press freedom rankings for 2016. Under Bahraini law, the king must ratify a death sentence before it can be carried out. The government has put six people to death since it ended a moratorium on executions in 2017. Two very disturbing developments in Bahrain over the past couple of days. [84], It was not until June 2006 that a second attempt was made to ratify the country's accession to the Covenant, meaning that Bahrain did not formally accede to the treaty until 20 September 2006.[85]. The Interior Ministry’s Ombudsman on August 23 claimed that the demands of the prisoners do not fall within the issues that the ombudsman is competent to consider. He also stated that "In Bahrain, the government continue to question, detain and arrest Shia clerics, community members and opposition politicians. Under the scheme begun in 2007, peace camps will be set up in various trouble spots where specialists will advise on using protest strategies that do not involve violence. A damning report on Bahrain's justice system was released by Human Rights Watch, detailing its selective application, broken promises and a further descent into savage violence by the security state in the three years since the country's own Arab Spring. [94][95] However, the Penal Code of 1976, still active today, has been widely criticized by local and international human rights bodies for granting the regime widespread powers to suppress dissent. Bahrain’s parliament proposed a full repeal of that article in 2016, but the cabinet rejected the proposal. Bahrain has not responded to requests from UN human rights experts to visit. [63], In July 2021, non-governmental organisation IFEX called upon the Bahraini government to immediately release prominent Bahraini human rights defender and academic Dr.Abduljalil AlSingace, who went on a hunger strike to protest against the degrading and punitive treatment he had been receiving from Jau Prison authorities. We are also concerned about the diminished response from states at the Human Rights Council since the . Found inside â Page 116In the case of Bahrain, while myriad human rights bodies have condemned Bahrain for its systematic violation of its citizen's human rights, the Security ... The allegations were revealed in September 2006, in a 240-page document produced by the Gulf Centre for Democratic Development, and authored by Dr Salah Al Bandar, an adviser to the Cabinet Affairs Ministry. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the decision, underlining the importance of committing to credibility in obtaining information, avoiding fallacies and unreliable sources, and preventing the politicization of human rights issues. The US maintains a major naval base in Bahrain. Many of the inmates are political prisoners arrested for opposition against the government or protests during the Arab Spring movement. Homosexuality is not illegal per se. Authorities also continued its policy in removing opponents their citizenship. [57] [58], Human rights groups reported on 9 April 2021 the detention of the family members of prominent political prisoners following their peaceful protests against the imprisonment of the prisoners, which included Mohammed AlDaqqaq and his inmate on death row, Mohammed Ramadhan. Human rights violations in Bahrain EDM (Early Day Motion) 123: tabled on 27 May 2021 . Earlier this year, the UN high commissioner for human rights accused Bahrain of being in "violation of international law" over its treatment of prisoners, some of whom are documented to be as . Many links throughout, which will lead you onto sources regarding statistics and more information. The NHRI was duly established by the King on 11 November 2009 through Royal Order No. Criminal sanctions against LGBT people in Bahrain tend to come from several very broadly written laws against perceived "immorality". International wire services, when they cover Bahrain, do so from Dubai or elsewhere outside the country. [22][25] According to Dr. Saeeid Shahabi, a London-based journalist,[26], On 28 April 2007, the lower house of Bahraini Parliament passed a law banning unmarried migrant workers from living in residential areas. In response to a recent report that was issued by the Bahrain government denying human rights abuse against four children in detention centers, Human Rights Watch has released a new statement urging Bahraini officials to stop denying the reports and to … The Court of Cassation upheld unjust sentences against prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab and opposition leader Shaikh Ali Salman. According to Shiite leaders interviewed by the reporter, work crews have often arrived "in the dead of night, accompanied by police and military escorts", to demolish the mosques, and in many cases, have hauled away the buildings' rubble before townspeople awake so as to leave no trace. He went on a hunger strike in August 2021 as he was being ill-treated by Bahraini authorities.[138]. The accused workers, who all worked at the Salminaya Medical Center, were given prison terms ranging from 5–15 years based on government claims that the medical workers had taken over the hospital and used it for antigovernment activity. [83], Bahrain is the only country in the Middle East to have sacked a senior government minister as a direct result of a human rights issue. Parliamentary and municipal elections take place every four years, since the restoration of elections in 2002, when women were also given the vote for the first time as part of reforms by King Hamad. Ameen Izzadeen "Bahrain: the butchery of democracy dream," 18 March, 32011, Daily Mirror, Ben Cohen, says "Bahrain is a society where inequality is ethnically rooted, and then buttressed by the denial of civic and political freedoms.". In December 2018, Bahrain amended its labor law to ban discrimination on the basis of sex, origin, language or creed, and sexual harassment in the workplace. The government effectively cancelled the visit of the special rapporteur on torture in 2013, which it had earlier approved. The government used women's rights as a decorative tool on the international level. While no serious steps are taken to help approve this law, although the government and its puppet National Assembly had no trouble in the last four years when it came to approving restrictive laws related to basic freedoms. Bahrain’s penal code criminalizes adultery and sexual relations outside marriage, a violation of the right to privacy, which disproportionately harms women and migrant women. On December 31, 2018, the Court of Cassation upheld a five-year sentence for Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, arising from his 2015 tweets alleging torture in Jaw Prison and criticizing Bahrain’s participation in the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Saeed Shahabi of the Bahrain Freedom Movement,[36][37] New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof,[38][39][40][41][42] Irshad Manji,[43] Shibil Siddiqi,[44] Ameen Izzadeen,[45] Ben Cohen,[46][47] Professor Staci Strobl,[48] Ali Akbar Salehi, the Foreign Minister of Iran. [71], In late April 2018, after the Bahraini monarch commuted the death sentences of four men who had been tried by Bahrain's military court, four Shia sheikhs released a statement saying that they hoped that such steps would be "extended to the rest of those sentenced [to death]." It is a bad start."[131]. "It would provide a serious boost to the growing world movement to ensure accountability for the worst violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The judicial process was marred by due process violations and allegations of ill-treatment and coerced confessions. Worsening Situation of Human Rights in Bahrain. He also has the power to commute it or grant a pardon. Authorities have failed to hold officials accountable for torture and ill-treatment, and oversight mechanisms are not independent of the government. On 23 May 2017, however, Bahraini security forces attack the sit-in. The laws regulating rallies and demonstrations predate the reforms; a bill for a new one has not yet been passed by parliament. In May 2019, the Interior Ministry declared that it will prosecute people who follow “inciting accounts” or share their posts on Twitter. There are 27 individuals currently on death row, of whom 25 are at imminent risk of execution. The human rights situation in Bahrain did not improve in 2020. Citizens may submit civil suits before a court seeking cessation of or damages for some types of human rights violations. However, in spite of the blunt and systematic violations, the international community has remained silent. During a meeting with King Hamad on January 11, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Bahrain for its strategic partnership with the United States, including counterterrorism. In 2004, when the security forces fired rubber bullets at a demonstration led by Shia religious leaders, King Hamad immediately fired the country's longstanding Interior Minister (and member of the royal family) Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. Found inside â Page 220Human Rights in the Muslim World : Socio - Political Conditions and Scriptural ... January 26 , 1990,2 P. , New Wave of Human Rights Violation in Bahrain ... Two other members of al-Wadaei’s family remain imprisoned. A bill prompted by women's rights activists in 2005 to introduce a unified personal status law to protect women's rights in marriage, divorce and other family matters was opposed in a series of large-scale demonstrations organised by an alliance of salafists and Shia Islamists including Al Wefaq and Asalah. The government admitted that the new law would not give domestic servants any employment rights, but contained measures that would protect them against abuse from employers. A new report from Bahrain Center for Human Rights reviews the country's national human rights bodies, and examines their effectiveness and independence in addressing human rights violations and ending the culture of impunity. Bahrain recently recognized Israel as part of the Abraham accords. Under the amendments, the king and the judiciary no longer have the power to unilaterally strip Bahrainis of their citizenship for national security or terrorism crimes. However, in Bahrain, there are several human rights violations that many may not be aware of. [62], A 22-year-old Bahraini, Mustafa AbdulKarim Khatam, was reported to be in a bad health condition, following torture inside Jau Prison. There are several generic human rights NGOs in Bahrain, and other NGOs working in related fields such as women's rights, child rights and migrant labour. In 2018, a report from The Guardian alleged the British government was funding the torture and executions of dissidents in Bahrain. [78], An estimated 1000 Bahrainis have been detained since the uprising and Bahraini and international human rights groups have documented hundreds of cases of torture and abuse of Shia detainees. [151] While the appointments were initially welcomed by Amnesty International, other NGOs including the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights questioned the credibility and independence of the new institution. On August 15, prisoners in the Jaw Prison and Dry Dock Detention Center began a hunger strike to protest conditions in detention, including placement in “isolation” cells where prisoners are held with individuals with whom they do not share a common language, culture, or religion. Euronews, "Bahrain: A Country Divided", 21 February 2011, Euronews. In response to the urgent need to deal responsibly with the issues of human rights and development of policies relating to the promotion, development and protection of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the importance of progress, advancement and preservation of human rights principles, Law No. [49][50][51], In 1996 the UK newspaper The Guardian stated that, "if Bahrain is to preserve its reputation as a financial and service center in the Gulf, then the government must begin to forge a new national consensus and end the apartheid against the Shi'ites". Bahrain had promised greater transparency in the wake of an international investigation into the human rights violations that occurred during the uprising, yet refused to allow Sollom, who carried a valid entry visa, to view the trial or even enter the country.[82]. The resolution also called on the new Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad, to use his powers to bring about political reform and respect for human rights and freedoms. Many human rights organisations, among them Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly condemned serious human rights violations by the Al-Khalifa dictatorship in Bahrain, where torture, arbitrary detention of citizens, rape, extrajudicial killings, execution of peaceful opponents and serious breaches in the human rights of women and political prisoners are, unfortunately . A lower court acquitted him of these charges, but on November 4, 2018, an appeals court overturned that decision and sentenced him to life in prison. [64], On 22 August 2021, The Independent revealed that the UK government has been using British taxpayers’ money to secretly fund a Bahraini government institution, known as the National Intelligence Agency Ombudsman. Yusuf was imprisoned and subjected to physical abuse and sexual assault after she criticized the Formula One races in Bahrain on social media in April 2017. You are are free republish it so long as you do the following: You have to credit us. Even when the union was recently registered, it was restricted by the law on societies. On July 13, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentences on Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moosa, despite unfair trials and credible evidence that their convictions were based on confessions coerced under torture. However, these top-down reforms have proven contentious, with calls for reform opposed by conservatives and the royal family. Bahrain released 1,486 prisoners in March due to the health risk posed by Covid-19, but the releases excluded opposition leaders, activists, journalists, and human rights defenders – many of whom are older and/or suffer from underlying medical conditions.