Statement on the Royal Commission

Statement on the Royal Commission
01/08/2011

London: 30th July, 2011 – The Royal Commission appointed by the King of Bahrain has begun its work in Bahrain with a press conference regarding the aim of its mission. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is committed to supporting the work of the Commission and calls on the government of Bahrain to show its commitment to improving human rights in Bahrain by releasing political prisoners and engage with the opposition.

BCHR President Nabeel Rajab met with members of the Commission for one hour earlier this week and reiterated the commitment of BCHR to helping the work of the Commission as an important step toward achieving justice for the victims of human rights abuses and a springboard to political reform.

BCHR has learned that the Commission is awaiting the arrival of some members of an independent investigative team who will be helping the Commission with the everyday tasks of collecting submissions and testimony from those who have suffered abuses during the recent crisis. It is very important, for purposes of transparency and credibility, that the identity and credentials of this team be publicised in order to prove their independence from any political affiliation.

On July 28th, the Bahraini security forces raided an apartment occupied by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Bahrain[1], taking medicine and arresting MSF staff. BCHR calls on the Bahraini government to stop harassing and arresting activists, NGO staff and opposition supporters immediately. This completely undermines the work of the Commission and shows that the government is not serious about abiding by standards of good governance or creating a more open and accountable political climate in Bahrain.

Recommendations:

1) The Commission should be given as much time as it needs to investigate all the claims of human rights violations brought before them.

2) BCHR concurs with FIDH, that “the investigation should also cover the current situation and in particular the continuing mass arrests of human rights activists and political opponents”[2]

3) The Commission’s work should be transparent and independent, and they should make a statement about their investigative team’s background in order to ensure that it is trusted by victims and members of the opposition.

4) The government of Bahrain should release the MSF staff it arrested and immediately cease harassment of NGOs, journalists and opposition politicians in order to ensure a safe and open climate in which the Commission can conduct its investigation.

If the Commission is allowed to do its job unhindered, BCHR is optimistic that it will encourage the government and security forces to reform the way they treat political opponents and move towards a political reconciliation which will create peace in Bahrain. …source