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Human Rights Watch HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH “INTERFERE, RESTRICT, CONTROL” Restraints on Freedom of Association in Bahrain “Interfere, Restrict, Control” Restraints on Freedom of Association in Bahrain Copyright © 2013 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-0299 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org JUNE 2013 ISBN: 978-1-62313-0299 “Interfere, Restrict, Control” Restraints on Freedom of Association in Bahrain Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 7 I. Background ..................................................................................................................... 9 Civil Society in Bahrain ............................................................................................................ 9 II. Civil Society Organizations ............................................................................................ 11 Freedom of Association/Civil Society Repression .................................................................... 13 International .................................................................................................................... 13 Bahraini Law .................................................................................................................... 14 Registering and Supervising NGOs .......................................................................................... 17 Current Law ...................................................................................................................... 17 Draft Law .......................................................................................................................... 19 Recommended Standards ................................................................................................ 21 Case Studies .................................................................................................................... 22 Takeover and Dissolution of NGOs .......................................................................................... 27 Current Law ..................................................................................................................... 28 Draft Law ......................................................................................................................... 28 Recommended Standards ............................................................................................... 29 Case Studies .................................................................................................................... 30 NGO Funding .......................................................................................................................... 45 Current Law ...................................................................................................................... 45 Draft Law ......................................................................................................................... 46 Recommended Standards ............................................................................................... 46 III. Political Societies ........................................................................................................ 49 Legal Standards .................................................................................................................... 49 International ................................................................................................................... 49 Bahraini Law .................................................................................................................... 50 Restrictions on Political Societies ..................................................................................... 54 Restrictions on Peaceful Assembly ................................................................................... 54 Restrictions on Freedom of Expression ............................................................................. 57 National Dialogue of 2011 ....................................................................................................... 61 Disbanding the Islamic Action Society (Amal) .......................................................................... 61 IV. Trade Unions ............................................................................................................... 65 Legal Standards .................................................................................................................... 66 International ................................................................................................................... 66 Bahraini Law ................................................................................................................... 66 Restrictions on Trade Unions ............................................................................................ 67 Retribution after the 2011 Demonstrations ............................................................................. 69 The 2011 Amendment Affecting Trade Union Rights ................................................................. 71 V. Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 75 To the National Assembly and the Government of Bahrain ....................................................... 75 On the Draft Law on Civil Organizations and Institutions ................................................... 75 On Political Societies ....................................................................................................... 76 On Trade Unions .............................................................................................................. 77 On the United Nations Special Rapporteur ........................................................................ 77 To Member States of the United Nations Human Rights Council ............................................... 77 To the United States ............................................................................................................... 77 To the member states of the European Union .......................................................................... 78 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 80 Appendix: Letter from Human Rights Watch to Minister of Social Development Dr. Fatima Al- Balooshi, May 13, 2013 ..................................................................................................... 81 Summary Civic engagement and political activism have long played an important role in Bahrain, a Gulf nation 30 kilometers off the coast of Saudi Arabia that is home to some 1.2 million people. Since independence from Britain in 1971, social, cultural, and sports clubs, as well as civil and professional organizations, have been pivotal in shaping political debate. With political groups of any sort prohibited until 2001, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have often served as forums for discussing social, economic, and political issues. However, government actions and legislation have often undermined the ability of such groups to function. Despite a limited flowering of civil society since 2001, civic, political, and labor organizations have functioned with difficulty, with authorities harassing, arresting, and prosecuting their leaders and members. This has intensified in the wake of widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout much of the country in February and March 2011. In particular, the Ministry of Social Development has far exceeded international standards in its restrictive scope and “routinely exploited its oversight role to stymie the activities of NGOs and other civil society organizations.”1 Today, freedom of association is under even greater threat due in part to draft legislation that is even more restrictive than the current Law of Associations (No. 21/1989), which authorities use—in the words of one Bahraini activist—“to interfere, restrict, and attempt to control the activities of civic organizations.” This report examines restrictions on civil societies, political groups, and trade unions in Bahrain through three main lenses: current laws, the draft laws (where relevant),
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