Front Line Press Release - 24 April 2006

During a recent visit to meet with human rights defenders in Bahrain, the Deputy Director of Front Line welcomed the candidacy of Bahrain for election to the new UN Human Rights Council.

Bahrain is a candidate for one of the 13 seats allocated to the region of Asia on the UN Human Rights Council. The council, which meets for the first time in June, replaces the discredited UN Human Rights Commission

Speaking from Manama, Andrew Anderson said that Bahrain’s candidacy "demonstrates a commitment to international human rights mechanisms and openness to scrutiny of Bahrain's human rights record, which must now also be reflected in measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders in Bahrain."