Positive Example

To say that Bahrain’s human rights efforts are not positively reflected in international reports is not accurate, and perhaps not entirely true. The following model is an example in which Bahrain’s openness towards the international human rights community, as well as its human rights efforts, are reflected in a report by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We cite here one report as a case in point.

“During this reporting period, the government of Bahrain has taken positive steps to increase engagement with the UN and international NGOs, which demonstrates a level of transparency. We welcomed the visit by Amnesty International in March and the two-month technical visit by the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) in April; we hope Bahrain will agree to accept the full technical assistance package offered by OHCHR.

In September, the government of Bahrain presented an update on implementation of its UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. Whilst it is clear that progress has been made in a number of areas, there is still more to be done.

We welcomed some of the steps taken by Bahrain (e.g. on developing the NIHR), but encouraged the government to enhance its cooperation with OHCHR and UN officials and Special Rapporteurs, accepting the full OHCHR offer of technical assistance.”