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Statement
Genève, le 14 septembre 2015
Mr.
President,
I have
the honour to make this statement on behalf of a group of 33 States. The
statement with the list of States will made available on the HRC Extranet.
We
recognize and welcome the positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain in
order to im- prove 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 Commis- sion, and the National Institute for Human Rights and its
reporting. We support the Government of Bahrain continuing to work to make
these institutions and the judiciary more impartial, transparent, independent
and effective. We also welcome the Government’s interim report to the 2nd UPR
cycle and its implementation of a number of recommendations including the
separation of juvenile detain- ees from adults. We note with satisfaction that
a technical visit of the OHCHR took place in the fall of 2014, that public
consultations between all stakeholders, including civil society, were conducted
dur- ing the visit, and that technical cooperation projects were discussed.
However,
the human rights situation in Bahrain remains an issue of serious concern to
us. We are concerned about reports of harassment and imprisonment of persons
exercising their rights to free- dom of opinion and expression and of peaceful
assembly and association, including human rights defenders about the lack of
sufficient guarantees of fair trial; by the detention of minors due to their
participation in demonstrations and urge the Government to look at alternatives
to detention. We are concerned that there is insufficient accountability for
these and other human rights violations. We are concerned by reports of
excessive use of force by the riot police forces. We condemn the targeting of
security forces personnel, including through the use of IEDs that have resulted
in the death of police- men, four in the last year. Lastly, we are concerned
about reports of torture and ill-treatment in deten- tion including reprisals
against victims reporting human rights abuses or violations as well as against
individuals cooperating with the UN.
We call
upon the Government to expedite the full implementation of the recommendations
of the BICI and the UPR, by undertaking further measures, in particular
amending or repealing legal provisions that are not in line with Bahrain’s
international human rights obligations and commitments, in particu- lar
regarding freedom of expression.
We call
upon the Government to agree to a visit to Bahrain by the Special Rapporteur on
Torture. We are encouraged by the recent announcement by the Bahraini Foreign
Minister regarding cooperation with the OHCHR and urge the Government to
formalize this agreement as soon as possible. We also call upon Bahrain to
further enhance its cooperation with the Human Rights Council, the Special pro-
cedures and the treaty bodies.
We urge
the Government to ensure the right to peaceful assembly and to continue to
issue clear in- structions to the security forces to refrain from using
excessive force against protesters, in accord- ance with international
standards, and ensure their effective implementation.
We also
urge the Government to release all persons imprisoned solely for exercising
their human rights.
Finally,
we invite the Government to revive the necessary conditions for the resumption
of an open and inclusive national dialogue.
Thank you
Mr. President.
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