Bahrain Silencing Dissent: a Systematic Policy of On-Going Repression
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POSITION PAPER an a La Carte Implementation of the BICI's
POSITION PAPER An a la carte implementation of the BICI's recommendations and ongoing violations of human rights standards A. ONGOING LARGE-SCALE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS Excessive use of force against peaceful protesters In response to the BICI recommendation No 1722(c)1 , on 18 January 2012, the Minister of Interior approved a new Code of Conduct for Bahraini Police. This new Code was drafted in consultation with former Miami Police Chief John Timoney2. It adopts the “principles-based” approach, and sets out the broad duties of police officers in relation to various aspects of their work, including use of force, respect for human dignity, and maintaining the rule of law. Protests, small or large, continue to be violently repressed. Security forces continue to shoot excessive amounts of tear gas on a daily basis on residential areas as collective punishment. These attacks have caused several deaths by inhalation of the tear gas and miscarriages. Injuries suffered by protesters evidence the continued use of shotguns, tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets. Many non-protesting children under the age of 18 have been arrested, and many families say that their detained relatives are still being subjected to torture and ill- treatment. In January 2012 alone, 9 persons were reported dead. Since the release of the BICI report and at the time of writing this report, 18 civilians have died as a result of the excessive use of force by Bahraini security forces. Hundreds more have been reported injured. The repression in Bahrain has taken a serious turn over the last several weeks as security forces have extended its target group beyond protesters. -
Achieving Growth in a Challenging Environment
Achieving growth in a challenging environment ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Profile Established in 1957 as Bahrain’s first locally owned Bank, NBB has grown steadily to become the country’s leading provider of retail and commercial banking services. With a major share of the total domestic commercial banking market and the largest network of 25 branches and 61 ATMs, the Bank plays a key role in the local economy. At the same time, the Bank continues to diversify and develop capabilities to capture business opportunities in the Gulf region and international markets. Our branches in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh lead the way in this initiative. Publicly listed on the Bahrain Bourse, the Bank is owned 44.94% by private and institutional shareholders, mainly Bahrainis, 44.18% by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, which is 100% owned by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and 10.88% by Social Insurance organisation. Market driven and customer led, the Bank harnesses the latest technology to people skills, enabling its 585 employees to deliver highly professional services for retail and corporate customers. His Royal Highness His Royal Majesty His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman King Hamad bin Isa Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa Al Khalifa Al Khalifa Prime Minister King of The Kingdom of Bahrain Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister Contents Financial Summary 04 Board of Directors 08 Board of Directors’ Report 10 Statement of the Chief Executive Officer 12 Corporate Governance 14 Executive Management 24 Review -
Bahrain Country Report BTI 2012
BTI 2012 | Bahrain Country Report Status Index 1-10 5.89 # 56 of 128 Political Transformation 1-10 4.35 # 87 of 128 Economic Transformation 1-10 7.43 # 21 of 128 Management Index 1-10 4.18 # 91 of 128 scale: 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) score rank trend This report is part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) 2012. The BTI is a global assessment of transition processes in which the state of democracy and market economy as well as the quality of political management in 128 transformation and developing countries are evaluated. More on the BTI at http://www.bti-project.org Please cite as follows: Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2012 — Bahrain Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2012. © 2012 Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh BTI 2012 | Bahrain 2 Key Indicators Population mn. 1.3 HDI 0.806 GDP p.c. $ - Pop. growth1 % p.a. 7.6 HDI rank of 187 42 Gini Index - Life expectancy years 75 UN Education Index 0.747 Poverty3 % - Urban population % 88.6 Gender inequality2 0.288 Aid per capita $ - Sources: The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2011 | UNDP, Human Development Report 2011. Footnotes: (1) Average annual growth rate. (2) Gender Inequality Index (GII). (3) Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day. Executive Summary Bahrain’s democratic reform process has come to a standstill since 2009, which marked the 10th anniversary of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s accession to power. The positive developments in civil and political liberties observed with the start of the reform process in 2002 have in recent years been counteracted by repressive state tactics in which freedoms of expression and assembly have suffered most. -
Country Advice
Country Advice Bahrain Bahrain – BHR39737 – 14 February 2011 Protests – Treatment of Protesters – Treatment of Shias – Protests in Australia Returnees – 30 January 2012 1. Please provide details of the protest(s) which took place in Bahrain on 14 February 2011, including the exact location of protest activities, the time the protest activities started, the sequence of events, the time the protest activities had ended on the day, the nature of the protest activities, the number of the participants, the profile of the participants and the reaction of the authorities. The vast majority of protesters involved in the 2011 uprising in Bahrain were Shia Muslims calling for political reforms.1 According to several sources, the protest movement was led by educated and politically unaffiliated youth.2 Like their counterparts in other Arab countries, they used modern technology, including social media networks to call for demonstrations and publicise their demands.3 The demands raised during the protests enjoyed, at least initially, a large degree of popular support that crossed religious, sectarian and ethnic lines.4 On 29 June 2011 Bahrain‟s King Hamad issued a decree establishing the Bahrain Independent Commission of Investigation (BICI) which was mandated to investigate the events occurring in Bahrain in February and March 2011.5 The BICI was headed by M. Cherif Bassiouni and four other internationally recognised human rights experts.6 1 Amnesty International 2011, Briefing paper – Bahrain: A human rights crisis, 21 April, p.2 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE11/019/2011/en/40555429-a803-42da-a68d- -
Kingdom of Bahrain Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review
Kingdom of Bahrain Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 27th Session of the UPR Working Group Submitted 22 September 2016 Submission by Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO): Creation of parties and non-governmental organizations Freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration Excessive suppression of protests Freedom of opinion and expression BHRO : Bahrain Human Rights Observatory Mrs. Jalila Al-Salman Mobile: +97336595325 e-mail: [email protected] Background: This report, addressed to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session on Bahrain, covers the period from the end of the UPR in May 2012 up to the writing of this report in April 2016. The report is based on the Bahraini Constitution and the laws acted upon domestically. It is also founded on the United Nation’s Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as major conventions and treaties that Bahrain had endorsed in this field. The figures and statistics in this report depend on our observations of the violations committed. Bahrain’s enforcement of the 2012 Human Rights Council’s Recommendations: The United Nation’s Human Rights Council issued, in its second cycle in May 2012, 21 recommendations regarding the freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association. Albeit Bahrain had roughly agreed upon all the recommendations mentioned, nothing had actually changed except an enhancement in the level of suppression against protesters. The Humans Rights Council had advised to make space for a political opposition. However, the Bahraini authorities did not comply with these recommendations, and more so pressured political associations to dissolve The Islamic Action Society [also known as Amal Party] in 2012 and chased down al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and the National Democratic Action Society (Waad) until al-Wefaq was dissolved in June 2016. -
India-Bahrain Relations
India-Bahrain Relations India-Bahrain Relations India and Bahrain enjoy excellent bilateral relations characterized by cordial political, economic and cultural contacts. Our bilateral Trade and commercial exchanges go back to about 5,000 years ago tracing their origins to the period of Dilmun Civilization in Bahrain to the era of Indus valley civilization in India. Ancient Bahraini traders are believed to have carried out flourishing trade of Bahraini pearls with Indian spices from India. Presence of around 350,000 Indian nationals who comprise a third of Bahrain's total population of 1.4 million is an important anchor of our bilateral relations with Bahrain. Recent visits to India State visit of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa: At the invitation of the then Hon'ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain paid his first state visit to India from 18-20 February, 2014. HM the King was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, senior officials and business leaders. He was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 19 February, 2014. Hon'ble President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee hosted an official banquet in honour of HM the King which was preceded by official discussions. The other bilateral engagements included meeting with Hon'ble Vice-President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari and delegation-level bilateral discussions with Hon'ble Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. HM the King also received Hon'ble External Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Smt Sushma Swaraj. -
Sheikh Qassim, the Bahraini Shi'a, and Iran
k o No. 4 • July 2012 o l Between Reform and Revolution: Sheikh Qassim, t the Bahraini Shi’a, and Iran u O By Ali Alfoneh The political stability of the small island state of Bahrain—home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet—matters to the n United States. And Sheikh Qassim, who simultaneously leads the Bahraini Shi’a majority’s just struggle for a more r democratic society and acts as an agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran, matters to the future of Bahrain. A survey e of the history of Shi’a activism in Bahrain, including Sheikh Qassim’s political life, shows two tendencies: reform and t revolution. Regardless of Sheikh Qassim’s dual roles and the Shi’a protest movement’s periodic ties to the regime in Tehran, the United States should do its utmost to reconcile the rulers and the ruled in Bahrain by defending the s civil rights of the Bahraini Shi’a. This action would not only conform to the United States’ principle of promoting a democracy and human rights abroad, but also help stabilize Bahrain and the broader Persian Gulf region and under- mine the ability of the regime in Tehran to continue to exploit the sectarian conflict in Bahrain in a way that broadens E its sphere of influence and foments anti-Americanism. e Every Friday, the elderly Ayatollah Isa Ahmad The Sunni ruling elites of Bahrain, however, l Qassim al-Dirazi al-Bahrani, more commonly see Sheikh Qassim not as a reformer but as d known as Sheikh Qassim, climbs the stairs to the a zealous revolutionary serving the Islamic pulpit at the Imam al-Sadiq mosque in Diraz, d Bahrain, to deliver his sermon. -
Suddensuccession
SUDDEN SUCCESSION Examining the Impact of Abrupt Change in the Middle East SIMON HENDERSON KRISTIAN C. ULRICHSEN EDITORS MbZ and the Future Leadership of the United Arab Emirates IN PRACTICE, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, is already the political leader of the United Arab Emirates, even though the federation’s president, and Abu Dhabi’s leader, is his elder half-brother Sheikh Khalifa. This study examines leadership in the UAE and what might happen if, for whatever reason, Sheikh Muham- mad, widely known as MbZ, does not become either the ruler of Abu Dhabi or president of the UAE. THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY ■ POLICY NOTE 65 ■ JULY 2019 SUDDEN SUCCESSION: UAE RAS AL-KHAIMAH UMM AL-QUWAIN AJMAN SHARJAH DUBAI FUJAIRAH ABU DHABI ©1995 Central Intelligence Agency. Used by permission of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin. Formation of the UAE moniker that persisted until 1853, when Britain and regional sheikhs signed the Treaty of Maritime Peace The UAE was created in November 1971 as a fed- in Perpetuity and subsequent accords that handed eration of six emirates—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, responsibility for conduct of the region’s foreign rela- Fujairah, Ajman, and Umm al-Quwain. A seventh— tions to Britain. When about a century later, in 1968, Ras al-Khaimah—joined in February 1972 (see table Britain withdrew its presence from areas east of the 1). The UAE’s two founding leaders were Sheikh Suez Canal, it initially proposed a confederation that Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan (1918–2004), the ruler would include today’s UAE as well as Qatar and of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Mak- Bahrain, but these latter two entities opted for com- toum (1912–90), the ruler of Dubai. -
Bahrain: Reform Shelved, Repression Unleashed
Bahrain: reform shelved, repression unleashed amnesty international is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. first published in 2012 by amnesty international ltd peter Benenson house 1 easton street london WC1X 0dW united Kingdom © amnesty international 2012 index: mde 11/062/2012 english original language: english printed by amnesty international, international secretariat, united Kingdom all rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. for copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo : police try to restrain a suspected protester during clashes in the Bahraini capital, manama, 21 september 2012. © epa/maZen mahdi amnesty.org Bahrain 1 Reform shelved, repression unleashed BAHRAIN: REFORM SHELVED, REPRESSION UNLEASHED CONTENTS 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................2 2. Investigations into past torture and use of excessive force .............................................5 3. -
Weaponizing Tear Gas: Bahrain’S Unprecedented Use of Toxic Chemical Agents Against Civilians
Physicians for Human Rights Weaponizing Tear Gas: Bahrain’s Unprecedented Use of Toxic Chemical Agents Against Civilians August 2012 physiciansforhumanrights.org About Physicians for Human Rights Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) uses medicine and science to investigate and expose human rights violations. We work to prevent rights abuses by seeking justice and holding offenders accountable. Since 1986, PHR has conducted investigations in more than 40 countries, including on: 1987 — Use of toxic chemical agents in South Korea 1988 — Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Kurds 1988 — Use of toxic chemical agents in West Bank and the Gaza Strip 1989 — Use of chemical warfare agents in Soviet Georgia 1996 — Exhumation of mass graves in the Balkans 1996 — Critical forensic evidence of genocide in Rwanda 1999 — Drafting the UN-endorsed guidelines for documentation of torture 2004 — Documentation of the genocide in Darfur 2008 — US complicity of torture in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay 2010 — Human experimentation by CIA medical personnel on prisoners in violation of the Nuremberg Code 2011 — Violations of medical neutrality in times of armed conflict and civil unrest during the Arab Spring ... 2 Arrow Street | Suite 301 1156 15th Street, NW | Suite 1001 Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Washington, DC 20005 USA +1 617 301 4200 +1 202 728 5335 physiciansforhumanrights.org ©2012, Physicians for Human Rights. All rights reserved. ISBN: 1-879707-68-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945532 Cover photo: Bahraini anti-riot police fire tear gas grenades at peaceful and unarmed civilians protesters, including a Shi’a cleric, in June 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxauI5hdjqk. -
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs November 6, 2012 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov 95-1013 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy Summary The uprising that began in Bahrain on February 14, 2011, at the outbreak of the uprisings that swept several Middle Eastern leaders from power, began a political crisis that has defied resolution. The crisis since 2011 has been more intense than previous periods of unrest in Bahrain, and demonstrates that the grievances of the Shiite majority over the distribution of power and economic opportunities have not satisfied by reform efforts instituted since 1999. The bulk of the Shiite majority in Bahrain says it demands a constitutional monarchy in which an elected parliament produces the government, but many in the Sunni minority government of the Al Khalifa family believe the Shiites want outright rule. In March 2011, Bahrain’s government rejected U.S. advice by inviting direct security assistance from other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, declaring a state of emergency, forcefully suppressing demonstrations, and arresting dissident leaders and pro-opposition health care workers. Although the state of emergency ended on June 1, 2011, a “national dialogue” held in July 2011 reached consensus on only a few modest political reforms. Hopes for resolution were raised by a pivotal report by a government-appointed “Independent Commission of Inquiry” (BICI) on the unrest, released November 23, 2011, which was critical of the government’s actions against the unrest as well as the opposition’s dismissal of all of the government’s reform proposals. -
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs September 29, 2017 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov 95-1013 Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy Summary The uprising against Bahrain’s Al Khalifa ruling family that began on February 14, 2011, has diminished in intensity, but continued incarceration of dissident leaders, opposition boycotts of elections, and small demonstrations counter government assertions that Bahrain has “returned to normal.” The mostly Shiite opposition to the Sunni-minority-led regime has not achieved its goal of establishing a constitutional monarchy, but the unrest has compelled the ruling family to undertake modest reforms. The mainstream opposition uses peaceful forms of dissent, but small factions, possibly backed by Iran, have claimed responsibility for bombings and other attacks primarily against security officials. The Bahrain government’s use of repression against the dissent has presented a policy dilemma for the United States because Bahrain is a longtime ally that is pivotal to maintaining Persian Gulf security. The country has hosted the U.S. naval headquarters for the Gulf region since 1948; the United States and Bahrain have had a formal Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) since 1991; and Bahrain was designated by the United States as a “major non-NATO ally” in 2002. There are over 7,000 U.S. forces in Bahrain, mostly located at a naval headquarters site. Bahrain has relied on U.S.-made arms, but, because of the government’s use of force against protesters, the Obama Administration held up some new weapons sales to Bahrain and curtailed U.S.