24th April 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

torture Juan Mendez said in a statement.

Bahrain snub irks UN rights envoy

The UN's envoy on torture voiced his "deep disappointment" Wednesday after Bahrain, rocked by renewed clashes between security forces and pro-democracy activists, postponed his planned visit. "This is the second time that my visit has been postponed, at very short notice," United Nations Special Rapporteur on

"It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss," he said. Mendez said he had received on April 22 a letter from the Gulf kingdom informing him that the ongoing national dialogue was taking longer than expected and that his visit could impact negatively on the proceedings. Read More trying to "avoid responsibility" for the postponement. The country's ofcial news agency said the trip was called off "until further notice", but Mr Mendez said it was "effectively a cancellation". The Gulf kingdom has been wracked by civil unrest for two years. Read More authorities", Mendez expressed his deep disappointment at the regime's decision. "This is the second time that my visit has been postponed at very short notice. It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future roadmap to discuss," he said. Read More

UN torture investigator says Bahrain blocks visit

The U.N.'s special investigator against torture says Bahrain is again blocking him from a planned visit to the country. Juan Mendez, who reports to the 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council, says the government's decision to postpone his visit planned for May 8-15

"is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss." Mendez said in a statement "this postponement could be perceived as if there is something to hide." He said that Bahrain's decision comes after a spike in anti-government protests and reports of torture of those held in prisons. Read More Bahraini government had effectively canceled the trip.

UN torture investigator 'deeply disappointed' with Bahrain

The UN special rapporteur on torture has expressed his "deep disappointment" over Bahrain's decision to indenitely postpone his visit to the county. Juan Mendez accused the Bahraini government of

U.N. Expert Says Bahrain Canceled Visit in Torture Inquiry

A United Nations expert who was due to visit Bahrain next month to look into reports that the authorities there have abused and tortured protesters in detention said on Wednesday that the

Bahrains decision does not enhance transparency with regard to the situation in the country, nor demonstrate a commitment to redress impunity regarding any violations, said the expert, Juan E. Mendez, in a statement released in Geneva. Read More This is the second time that my visit has been postponed, at very short notice. It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss, Mr. Mndez stressed. The Governments decision comes after yet another week of continued clashes between demonstrators and security forces and the release of several reports criticizing Bahrains failure to hold senior ofcials accountable for torture since 2011. Read More

UN Slams Bahrain's 'Unilateral Decision' to Cancel Rapporteur's Visit

The UN has slammed the Bahraini government over its decision to postpone the visit of special rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez. Stressing that it was a "unilateral decision by the

Bahrain / Human rights: Government effectively cancels UN Special Rapporteur on tortures visit
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E. Mndez, today expressed his deep disappointment with the decision taken by the Government of Bahrain to postpone his visit to the country, which was scheduled to take place from 8 to 15 May 2013.

Envoy wonders what Bahrain is hiding

It's understandable if it appears Bahrain has something to hide in its human rights record, U.N. special envoy on torture Juan Mendez said Wednesday. Mendez said he was disappointed that Bahrain postponed his scheduled May visit to the country to investigate the rights

situation there. The government said a national dialogue was taking longer than expected and his visit might undermine chances for reconciliation. "The government is facing many challenges in light of the on-going tensions in Bahrain," Mendez said in a statement. "I would have conducted my visit in the spirit of cooperation and expected the government to share that approach; regrettably, this does not appear to be the case." Read More Government of Bahrain to Honor its international commitments and allow him in to assess whether torture and ill-treatment are taking place in the country, after repeated postponements of planned visits. "This is the second time that my visit has been postponed, at very short notice. It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss," Mndez stressed in a news release. Read More

Bahrain Blocks UN Human Rights Investigator

UN Special Rapporteurs cant just helicopter into a country and conduct an investigation. Rather, they require some degree of cooperation from the host country to do their work. This could be as simple as issuing a visa, or the cooperation can be more robust.

Regardless, it is a kind of peer pressure that ultimately gives these investigators access to countries. Most governments even those with questionable human rights records want to at least appear to be prohuman rights and therefore are generally cooperative. Only truly rogue countries are completely obstinate indeed, being obstinate can be a manifestation of a governments rogueness. Read More In a statement issued in Geneva, headquarters ofce for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mendez said that the decision from Bahrain's authorities takes place after a week of clashes between protesters and security forces and amid criticism against the government for failing to bring to justice several ofcials accused of responsibility for acts of torture in 2011. Read More

Bahrain Asks UN Expert To Postpone Visit To Assess Torture And Illtreatment

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E. Mndez, has expressed his deep disappointment with the decision taken by the Bahraini Government to postpone his visit to the country, which was scheduled to take place from May 8 to 15. The independent UN expert on Wednesday urged the

Bahrain Cancels UN Rapporteur Visit Once Again

Bahrain's government rejected for a second time the visit to the country by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, conrmed today by the world body's own expert. Mendez was scheduled to visit from May 8 to 15, and the visit was canceled without another date being set, he said.

UN Torture Investigator Denied Visa To Bahrain

The U.N.s Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan Mndez, has been denied entry indenitely into the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, further delaying an ofcial visit rst scheduled for March 2012 to investigate whether reforms in the country have halted the governments alleged use of torture.

In a letter transmitted to Mndez earlier this week, the Bahraini government is reported to have said his trip would not be possible given the ongoing National Dialogue, an effort launched by King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa to quell domestic unrest afterthe country experienced widespread protests beginning in February 2011 as a part of the Arab Spring. Read More

Cancelled UN visit shows Bahrain 'not serious' about human rights

Bahrain is clearly "not serious" about implementing human rights reforms, Amnesty International said today after the Gulf kingdom cancelled a planned visit by the United Nations' torture expert for a second time.

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, said he was "deeply disappointed" after Bahrain postponed next month's visit, citing delays in "ongoing national dialogue". The Bahraini authorities also cancelled a visit by Juan Mendez in February 2012, claiming they were still undergoing major reforms". Read More

Bahrain slams US rights report

Bahrains foreign ministry has expressed dismay over the annual report issued by the State Department on the human rights situation in Bahrain. The report lacks objectivity and impartiality, and has overlooked Bahrains progress in protecting and promoting human rights, the ministry said in a statement.

The report did not shed light on the most signicant steps taken by the kingdom towards consolidating human rights achievements. It also undermined the independence of the judicial system and overlooked facts and gures mentioned by the unit tasked with the implementation of the recommendations set by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), the ministry said on Tuesday. Read More

Bahrain: US State Department's report on human rights is not objective

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry expressed its disapproval of the report issued by the US State Department on Friday April 19 2013 regarding human rights in Bahrain. It believes the report lacks objectivity and neutrality, and neglects the progress Bahrain has

made in protecting and promoting human rights, particularly in light of the historical relations between the two friendly countries. In a press statement released today, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said "the report did not shed light on the most prominent measures taken by Bahrain towards consolidating human rights constants and gains, which the country has worked hard on protecting. Read More Bahrains progress in maintaining and promoting human rights issues, especially in the context of the historical and multifaceted relations that combine the two countries. The report failed to shed light on the key steps taken by Bahrain towards strengthening the fundamentals and gains of human rights, which the Kingdom diligently worked to preserve, Read More

"Whether Ecclestone likes it or not, the F1 in Bahrain has been politicized"

The Bahrain Grand Prix, which ended yesterday, is fast becoming one of the most contentious sporting events in the world. Prodemocracy and human rights activists utilise the F1 as a platform to draw attention to the plight of many Bahrainis who have suffered severe human rights abuses at the hands of a government who have yet to demonstrate any tangible commitment to reform and accountability. For the government, the F1 is touted as an economic

boon, one that will unite Bahrain and, according to Bahrains very own Minister of Truth, send a message of peace and friendship to the world. Despite the usefulness of the F1 in drawing attention to state crime in Bahrain, activists such as Maryam al Khawaja of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights areunequivocal; the F1 should be cancelled because it a) results in an increase in human rights violations and b) attempts to whitewash human rights abuses by projecting a veneer of normalcy in Bahrain. Read More

Bahrain slams US report on human rights

Bahrain has rejected a report published on April 19 by US State department on human rights in the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed in a statement on Tuesday its dissatisfaction with the report. It highlighted that the report lacks objectivity and impartiality, and overlooks

INSIGHT: Bahrain Tensions, Gridlock Remain After F1 Race

This years Formula One race in Bahrain was again accompanied by extensive anti-government rallies around the capital, Manama. Although protesters were kept well away from the race itself, which is held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, the violence that accompanied the protests, and the accompanying crackdown, highlighted the paucity of political progress

since last year, when the international event returned to the country after being suspended during the 2011 unrest. Policing was tightened up in advance of the event, with an international human rights group, Human Rights Watch, drawing attention to a campaign of pre-emptive arrests in Shia villages, while local activists published photos of protesters wounded bybirdshot, and villages doused with tear gas, both to disperse (and deter) protests. Read More