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Ministry of Human Rights Continues Attempts to Take Over Civil Society Organizations and Cancel Bahrain Bar Society Elections

by Courtesy

Ministry of Human Rights Continues Attempts to Take Over Civil Society Organizations and Cancel Bahrain Bar Society Elections
December 18, 2011 – BCHR

Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern about the continued restrictions on the role of the civil society organizations and independent civil organizations, and the attempts to control them. Lately, the Ministry of Human Rights and Social development ruled that the current elected board of directors of the Bahrain Lawyers Society will no longer be in charge, and appointed the immediate past board of directors. This step appears to have been taken because the majority of the elected members are from the opposition.

On the 7th of December 2011, the Ministry of Human Rights and Social Development faxed a letter to the Bahrain Lawyers Society stating that “The immediate past Board of Directors is appointed back, while the current elected board is void”. The Society held its general assembly on the 26th of November 2011, and established a quorum with 86 lawyers out of 157 members entitled to vote, that is more than 53% of the members. The election was conducted under the supervision of Bahrain Human Rights Society, which confirmed the integrity of the elections. The Ministry of human rights failed to send a representative despite having been notified in advance, the immediate past president failed to attend as well. The elections were held after a delay of 6 months from the scheduled date because of the emergency state imposed in Bahrain. The elections resulted in selecting seven new members, with a majority from the opposition, and lawyers well-known for defending political prisoners, including some that have been taken to interrogation in the military prosecution during the emergency state because of their political stances. [1]

The new elected President Hameed Al-Mulla (The immediate past vice president) confirmed that the elections were held in accordance to the law, and that “the ministry is not legally entitled to cancel the authentic elections held by the society”.[2]

The Ministry of Human Rights is exploiting a law written in 1989 for the purpose of controlling the activities of the institutions of civil society, known as the law of Societies, to continue intervening in its management, and restrict its freedom. The law was repeatedly criticized by local and global organizations [3], because it violates the basic human rights in freedom of expression and assembly. This is the same law that the government used in 2004 to dissolve Bahrain Center of Human Rights, for standing up to the violations at that time. The center continued its work and its activities broadened inside and outside of Bahrain, and its reports became of higher importance to international bodies. …more