Human Rights Updates

■ (21 November 2010): His Royal Highness the Prime Minister said that human rights are protected in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also expressed his pride of the country’s achievements and stressed that people of Bahrain will remain one united family.

■ (November 2010): the House of Representatives proposed to penalize anyone who is in a position of authority and practices racial segregation or ethnic, religious and political discrimination. The Government objected to this proposal because it believed that it was ambiguous and contained generalizations. The Government proposed an amended bill instead, which supports the punishment against those who practice discrimination based on the definitions stated in the International Convention of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1965, and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Crime of Apartheid and Punishment 1973.

■ (21 November 2010): The Supreme Counsel for Women supported the proposal by the Minister of Justice regarding provision of financial support by Government to the political societies, which support women during nominations and elections.

■ (23 November 2010): during the prize ceremony organized by the Foreign Press Association in London, the Ambassador of Bahrain Shiekh Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa said that press freedoms have flourished and developed both technically and professionally in Bahrain. This is largely due to the reform project, which achieved pioneering political and democratic accomplishments in the region, according to him.

■ (28 November 2010): headed by the the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Abdullah Abdul Latif, the  National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking discussed coordination with other official bodies. It also discussed the programs and strategies to eradicate the phenomena of human trafficking as well as promoting a media plan of the Committee.

■ (29 November 2010): the national strategy for the rights of persons with disability was launched. The Minister of Social Development stated that this strategy aims to “promote legal frameworks that are in line with the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, and in line with anti discrimination and equal opportunity principles”.