The first human rights centre in the Gulf will shortly be inaugurated in Bahrain after a successful meeting on Monday 13 May between Bahrain’s King, Sheikh Hamad, and the group of human rights activists leading the project. The Bahrain Human Rights Centre, as the new institute is to be named, received Sheikh Hamad’s formal go ahead during his meeting with the three co-founder members, Dr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Hasan Mousa, and Nabeel Rajab. Following the meeting, Mr Hasan Mousa said, “Now that we have been received by His Majesty, we should be able to have the centre operation very, very soon”.

Bahrain already has an independent human rights group, the Bahrain Human Rights Society, the Human Rights Committee, and the new Bahrain Human Rights Centre will compliment the work of these bodies. The Centre will be the first institution of its kind in the Gulf and will specialise in conducting research, providing training in human rights related issues and maintaining an archive of documents related to human rights. The Centre will have its own offices, staff and website, with documents available on-line. 

It will provide training in human rights for different sectors of the community, with courses run for members of the security forces, the judiciary, high school teachers and clergymen. The courses will not only teach the practicalities of human rights but also the values that inform the principles. In this regard, it was considered particularly important to reach out to high school teachers – who will be responsible for the education of the next generation of Bahrainis – and religious leaders who can use their influence on their congregations. 

Indeed, the importance of religious leaders was reflected in the success of candidates backed by religious parties in May’s local elections (see Bahrain Brief May 2002). Ensuring that religious leaders are fully involved in the creation of a human rights culture is therefore vitally important in safeguarding the reform process.

The Centre will promote not only political and civil rights and the development of civil society, but will also include economic, social and cultural rights in its brief. It will promote awareness of these rights as part of its role in human rights education and raising awareness.

According to co-founder Mr Hasan Mousa the first projects the Centre plans to address are the issues of women’s rights and the rights of the child. Bahrain recently ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Centre will look at their implementation. According to Mr Mousa: “Our aim is to co-operate with authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the implementation of these Conventions”. In examining the implementation of the Conventions, the Centre will if necessary propose changes to domestic legislation

The Human Rights Centre will be supported by an advisory panel and a board of trustees, each of which has a diverse membership, including leading members of international human rights bodies such as the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch. The board of trustees is comprised of Advocacy Director for the Middle East at the British branch of Human Rights Watch, Dr Hania Mufti; Assistants to the United Natons High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr Ameen Madani (from Sudan), Dr Ghanem Al-Najjar (from Kuwait) and Kareem Jazrawee (from Algeria); the chairman of the UAE Bar Association, Dr Mohammed Abdulla Al-Rukken; deputy president of the Yemeni Society for Human Rights, Dr Mohammed Abdul Malik Al Mutawakel; Kuwaiti member of Parliament Abdul Mohsen Jamal; Bahrain's National Democratic Action Society board member, Ali Rabia, and Bahraini human rights advocate and lawyer, Ahmed Al-Shamlan. 

The board of advisors is comprised of lawyer and Supreme Council for Women member Jalila Al-Sayed, Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research chairman, Dr Ali Fakhro, paediatrician and Director of the Ministry of Health’s Committee for Child Protection, Dr Fadeela Al Mahroos, Bahrain Young Ladies Society member, Maryam Al-Ru'wai, lawyers Abdulla Hashim and Ahmed Al-Thukair, Bahrain University lecturer Dr Jassim Husain, cleric and writer Sayed Dhia Al-Mousawy, economic researcher and civil rights advocate, Dr Abdulaziz Abul, trade union activist and former Shura Council member, Faisal Fulad, artists and human rights activist Adil Al-Abassi, human right activist Sayed Jafar Al Alawi, journalist Ghasan Al Shehabi, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry board member Dr Nazar Al-Baharna and Sudanese representative of the Arab Organisation of Human Rights Nazar Abdul-Qader.

Having such a high profile advisers and trustees is not only testament to the support for the Bahrain Human Rights Centre’s aims, but also provides evidence of its independence, which is essential if it is to fulfil its mission. Although no specific date has yet been set for the launch of the Centre, planning for the inauguration has now begun. Further details of the Centre’s launch with be included in forthcoming issues of the Bahrain Brief.

Amnesty International Annual Report 2002 

In May 2002, Amnesty International published its Annual Report on human rights across the world for 2001. The Annual Report found that during the year “major steps were taken to promote and protect human rights in Bahrain.” It went on to say that in Bahrain “All political prisoners and detainees were released and the State Security Court and state security legislation were abolished. Bahraini nationals abroad were allowed to return without conditions.”

The report also highlighted Bahrain’s decision to resolve the status of stateless persons living in the country, the setting up of an independent human rights group – the Bahrain Human Rights Society – the establishment of political societies as a step towards the formation of political parties and the visits by the UN Group on Arbitrary Detention and Amnesty International itself.