HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL- Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review - Geneva, 7-18 April 2008

25 February 2008

Bahrain
This report is a summary of 12 stakeholders’ submissions1 to the universal periodic review. It follows the structure of the general guidelines adopted by the Human Rights Council. It does not contain any opinions, views or suggestions of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), nor any judgment or determination in relation to specific claims. Information included therein has been systematically referenced in endnotes and, to the extent possible, original text submitted has not been altered. Lack of information or focus on specific issues is due to the absence of submissions by stakeholders regarding these particular issues.
All submissions received are available on OHCHR website. The periodicity of the review for the first cycle being of four years, information reflected in this report mostly relates to events occurred after 1 January 2004.

Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter

The government is depriving a large number of people of their rights and opportunities and forcing their exodus to other GCC nations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says in a report.
The observation is based on shadow reports by 12 stakeholders, including Bahrain Haq Movement of Liberties and Democracy and a joint report by the Bahrain Human Rights Society and the defunct Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Date: 13 January 2008
Person(s): Mr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja
Target(s): Activists and rights defenders
Type(s) of violation(s): censorship, forbidden

By Geoffrey bew
Published: 20th December 2007

AN international organisation has backed calls for legal proceedings against a Bahrain human rights activist to be dropped. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights president Mohammed Al Maskati was summoned to the Lower Criminal Court earlier this month to answer charges of "activating an unregistered association before issuing the declaration of registration".

Overview on Main Human Rights Concerns in Bahrain
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
10 December 2007

Content:
• Political Background and Main Concerns
• Sectarian Discrimination: Main Source of Conflict, Violations and Unrest
• "Al Bander-Gate": Maintaining Sectarian Division and Penetrating NGO’s
• Failure of the National Assembly to Promote Human Rights - Restrictive Laws
• Women Rights and Female Migrant Domestic Workers
• Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_______________________________________________________________

ALERT - BAHRAIN

15 October 2007

Internet censorship continues as authorities block website of popular civic organization

SOURCE: Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Manama

(BCHR/IFEX) - BCHR has learned that the Bahraini authorities have taken
measures to block access by people in Bahrain to the website of the HAQ
movement ( http://www.haaq.org ).

The HAQ Movement for Liberties and Democracy is a popular civic

How Arab Regimes Defeated The Liberalization Challenge
Prof. Barry Rubin - 10/13/2007
This article examines democratization efforts in the Arab world and how governments neutralized, utilized, or adjusted to them. The reactions of Islamists and the liberal movements themselves are also examined. In general, the regimes were able to defeat the demands for reform by using a number of classical techniques and new adaptations.

In recent years, from within and without, Arab regimes have faced a democracy challenge. Originally, this arose from a domestic challenge by reform-minded groups that were frustrated by the shortcomings of their countries’ governments. It became increasingly clear that the numerous failures of Arab rulers over many years were not being addressed by changes. Arab states were increasingly falling further behind others in the world in terms of living standards, the level of rights, the treatment of women, responsiveness to rapid changes in the world, and other areas.[1]

Bahrain: 19 September 2007

20.07.2007 - 09:38 CET | By Dana Moss
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Al Sharkawi and Al Shaer, two democracy activists in Egypt who used the internet to coordinate activities, were detained for several weeks last year following their participation in a peaceful pro-reform protest. They were finally freed last July, but their plight highlights the dangers faced by bloggers across the Middle East.

Such events also underscore the growing importance of the blogosphere, the threat regimes sense emanating from online activism and the blogosphere's need for European support.

Bloggers have proved themselves vital in the political arena. In Egypt the Kifaya movement, an opposition group championing democratic governance, used blogs to provide publicity, mobilize and organize protests. Equally crucial is the role of online activism in pursuing those scandals which the state-owned media chooses to sideline. Bahraini bloggers exposed the arrest of human rights activists such as Abdulhadi al Khawaja of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Bahrain: The government targets NGOs
August 28th, 2007

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is highly concerned by the practices of Bahraini government against local NGOs. The government, represented by the Ministry of Development, launched a campaign against local NGOs registered according to Law 21/1989. Most of human rights organizations refer to this law as one of the obstacles hindering the work of local NGOs in Bahrain. In addition, the Ministry of Development launched another campaign against unregistered committees and NGOs that refused to be registered according to such a deficit law that hinders its social work.