Bahrain says rights statement “unfair”

Manama: Bahrain has rejected a statement issued by a group of states at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, saying that it was not truthful and that it was out of context.

“The agenda item is reserved for an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner’s opening statement and his periodic report on human rights in the world, and neither made any reference to Bahrain,” Yousuf Abdul Karim Bucheeri, Bahrain’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations, said.

The ambassador said that Bahrain also rejected the joint statement “for sending contradictory messages that hamper productive international relations and fail to truly reflect human rights developments in Bahrain, while ignoring the information in the up-to-date demarches sent to the missions and embassies of the countries supporting the joint statement”.

The statement, signed by 33 states, said they welcomed “the positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain in order to improve the human rights situation”.

“In particular, we are encouraged by the establishment of the Ministry of the Interior Ombudsman and its reports, the Special Investigation Unit and its efforts to investigate and prosecute alleged violations by security officials, the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission, and the National Institute for Human Rights and its reporting,” the statement said.

However, the statement said that the human rights situation in Bahrain remained “an issue of serious concern to us”.

Bucheeri, in his reply, said that the countries supporting the statement should obtain their information from impartial and credible resources, through diplomatic channels instead of naming-and-shaming.

“These countries fail to understand the effects of such statements on the ground and how they can be misused to justify violence and terrorism, which have recently led to the deaths of five on-duty policemen,” Bucheeri added.

The ambassador said Bahrain was committed to the principles and application of human rights, despite the continuing attempts to disparage its efforts.

“Bahrain will not be discouraged in its endeavours to move ahead with its drive for the protection and promotion of human rights, and will not quell the momentum of Bahrain’s reforms and initiatives in all areas of development in the country.”