(Geneva) – The Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations Dr. Yousif Abdul Kareem Bucheri has rejected the UNHRC Commissioner’s statement about the Kingdom, saying that it did not reflect the reality and facts on the ground.
Bahrain’s laws guarantee human rights and there are national safeguards established in accordance with the highest international standards that have achieved numerous successes and the allegations about the increasing limitations imposed on civil society and political action are not true, he said.
“The full practice of political and civic rights along with the community’s free practice of legislative, press and media activities within the framework of the royal reform scheme of His Majesty the King are but some of the many tangible proofs,” Bucheri said at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 27 – March 24.
The ambassador added that the allegations regarding a ban on travel and dissolution of a society are not correct, explaining that the society was dissolved upon adjudication in light of the many grave violations it committed, targeting the principle of rule of law, supporting terrorism and camouflaging violence.
He said, no travel ban has been imposed for human rights activism, and that bans were issued upon the orders of the general prosecution pending investigations in incidents punishable by law.
“As far as the Bahrain civil society is concerned, societies enjoy the right to freedom of peaceful expression, assembly, formation of associations and demonstrations is safeguarded in national legislation on condition they remain disciplined and observant of the rule of law and human rights and provided that they do not swerve to violence or be exploited to assault people and private and public property.”
The ambassador said he was surprised to hear the High Commissioner expressing concern over what he called “increasing violations of human rights in the kingdom”, saying that what is strange is that he does not rely in his claims on any tangible facts.
“It would have been better for him to confront the Kingdom of Bahrain with such allegations and give proofs so that he could be given accurate answers and thus avoid talking negatively about the kingdom from this stand and stop belittling our human rights achievements.”
In this context, the Permanent Representative affirmed that claims of human rights violations and oppression are mere groundless allegations because the democratic constitutional system of the Kingdom with its legislative and judicial institutions along with the concerned government agencies and their practices on the ground speak for themselves and stand as evidence on Human rights safeguards.
He added that the kingdom of Bahrain was looking forward to continue its cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, avail of the interactive dialogue and coordinate with stakeholders to support human rights and the rule of law and equality as common goals.
