Human rights get top priority - Bahrain PM

The Bahraini government is committed to promote and preserve human rights, Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa told officials of the local human rights watch body.

Sheikh Khalifa met with Dr Sabeeka Al Najjar, President of the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), and Salman Kamaluddine, Vice President of the society on Tuesday.

The official news agency, BNA, quoted the premier as saying that human rights are a top priority in Bahrain, pointing out the country's achievements in human rights have won it global acclaim.

He affirmed the government's "resolve to abide by the universal human rights treaties and conventions endorsed and ratified by Bahrain," Kamaluddine told Gulf News yesterday.

"It was a very positive meeting in which we discussed the need for the amendment of the current laws and regulations in order to make them consistent with the country's international obligations within those conventions," Kamaluddine added.

He said a BHRS plan to train a number of security officials and state prosecutors on how to preserve the rights of citizens during detention or interrogation was discussed and the society has been promised a meeting with Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa to go over the details.

If the permission is granted, it will be a very progressive step that has never been done in the region, noted Kamaluddine. "We hope to talk to the minister (who attended Tuesday's meeting) about it next week."

The BHRS, established in July 2001, is currently in the process of preparing the first issue of an unprecedented annual report on the state of human rights in Bahrain that will cover the period from July last year to the end of June 2002.

"It will be a comprehensive and objective analysis of the achievements and shortfalls of human rights in Bahrain," said Kamaluddine, who expects the report will be out by September 15.