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Check Against Delivery
Organization: Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Item: Item 6 – UPR Outcomes – Bahrain
Date: 21 September 2017
Speaker: Paul Scambler
Oral Statement to the 36th Session of the UN Human Rights Council from Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC), NGO in special consultative status
UPR Outcomes – Bahrain
Mr. President,
During the 3rd UPR, many States again recommended that Bahrain comply with its international human rights law obligations to:
- release all human rights defenders imprisoned for peacefully exercising internationally protected rights;
- bring Bahraini criminal law and prosecutions into full compliance with international human rights law including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and
- cease reprisals against human rights defenders.
During its 2nd UPR, Bahrain accepted numerous similar recommendations to release human rights defenders and to allow expression, assembly and association rights. However, Bahrain has not yet implemented any of those recommendations. Such failure demonstrates disrespect for the UPR process and the States making recommendations, and also suggests Bahrain’s intention to continue to arbitrarily imprison and severely punish those promoting and protecting human rights through the peaceful and legitimate exercise of rights to expression, association and assembly.
LRWC asks Council to directly call on Bahrain to:
- release all arbitrarily imprisoned people, including Nabeel Rajab and Abdullah Al-Khawaja;
- bring its laws into full compliance with the UDHR; and
- allow UN Special Procedures mandate holders to visit Bahrain and conduct the investigations necessary to recommend reform and redress for victims of rights violations.
Thank you.
