International Mission Report Condemns Continuing Human Rights Violations in Bahrain

A six member mission of international organziations sent to Bahrain last Novemeber “in order to gain an understanding of free expression and the status of human rights defenders” released a report today criticizing Bahraini authorities for failing to deliver on promises of reform. Since the publication of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report, a document which itself cites abuses against peaceful protesters, demonstrators have continued to protest on a daily basis. The Bahraini government “intent on maintaining the status quo” has continued to “punching individuals for voicing their opinion and protesting ongoing repression.”

The report Justice Denied in Bahrain: Freedom of Expression and Assembly Curtailed details violations of human rights by Bahraini authorities relative to the “handling” of ongoing demonstrations. The report stresses the need to consider the proportion of Bahraini’s relatively small population “jailed and killed” and maintains the integrity of the protesters asserting that their message has been “distorted” as the government and international community tend to focus on “sectarian interpretations and geopolitical issues”.  The report  details accounts of torture, imprisonment, and prosecution giving first-hand accounts of torture and imprisonment from lawyers, human rights defenders, writers, artists, journalists, government officials, and foreign diplomats.

The report concludes with 11 recommendations to the Bahraini government “based on the reading of the BICI report, as well as the assessment of the situation in Bahrain during the course of the mission.” The recommendations call for the “end of the harassment, imprisonment and prosecution of Bahraini citizens” and the rights to “free expression and legitimate human rights work”. The mission also insists that those responsible for human rights violations, including torture and killing, be held accountable for their actions.