On 21 September at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council, Jawad Fairooz delivered an oral intervention on behalf of ADHRB at Bahrain’s 3rd Cycle UPR review. In his intervention, Fairooz discussed Bahrain’s refusal to implement its previous UPR recommendations as well as its consistent refusal to implement the 26 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) recommendations dating from 2012. He also noted that, since the BICI put out its recommendations, the Bahraini government has refused to implement them and embarked on a systematic and widespread campaign of repression, including torture and travel bans. Continue reading for the full text of his remarks, or click here for a PDF.
Mr. President,
IDO with ADHRB and Salam would like to draw your attention to the absence of meaningful implementation of UPR recommendations in Bahrain.
Many of these recommendations were a repetition of previous UPR and BICI recommendations, and this proves there have been no genuine efforts of the government to improve human rights situation in the country over the last 5 years.
During the period, Bahrain has rather transformed into a police state, full of torture, killing, travel ban, sectarian persecution, and targeting human rights defenders and political activists and their families. It witnessed an escalating record of execution, political arrests and citizenship revocations against dissidents and their family member, and forcible deportation. Duraz village has been under total siege more than a year, numerous activists are tortured, including Ebtisam al-Saegh, a number of political parties and civil associations are dissolved. These abuses come on the heels of intensified violence perpetrated by the broader security establishment, culminating in the deadly May 2017 raid on a peaceful demonstration in Duraz by killing 5 and detaining more than 300 and keeping Sheikh Isa Qasim under house arrest.
We therefore strongly urge the government of immediately to stop all forms of repression and political retaliation against human rights defenders and opposition figures, and make a genuine implementation of the UPR recommendations as well as the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) without any delay.
Thank you.
Photo credit: Moosa Mohammed
