Human Rights and Democracy Report 2017 - Bahrain

There continued to be a mixed picture on human rights in Bahrain in 2017.

The UK Government reiterated the need for the state to protect and defend universal human rights. Where we had concerns, we consistently raised them with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels, both in private and public.

The UK Government raised some cases of concern directly with the Government of Bahrain, including the two-year prison sentence handed down to Nabeel Rajab for allegedly disseminating false news, and the ongoing legal action against him.

We also raised our concerns over the suspension of the newspaper Al Wasat. We continue to encourage Bahrain to ensure that freedom of expression and freedom of speech are fully protected for all its citizens.

Deprivation of nationality, where this renders an individual stateless, remains a matter of great concern to the UK.

In 2017, Bahraini courts ordered the removal of Bahraini nationality from a number of individuals, the majority of whom were convicted of acts of terrorism. Bahrain is not a signatory to the 1954 and 1961 UN Conventions on Statelessness, and is not bound by their provisions.

We also remain concerned about the continued handing down of death sentences by Bahraini courts. In January, three people, convicted of killing two police officers in 2014, were executed – the first executions to be carried out since 2010. The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty and it is our long-standing policy to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances. We have reiterated this to the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels and they are fully aware of our position. The then Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, made representations to the Bahraini authorities about these cases and released a public statement on 15 January[25].

In 2017, the Government of Bahrain introduced constitutional and legislative amendments which allowed for the reintroduction of military courts to hold trials of civilians for specific security-related crimes. The Bahraini National Institute of Human Rights (NIHR) has monitored these trials, and the Government of Bahrain has stated publicly[26] that due process was observed in these cases, as required by the Bahraini Constitution.

The Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, co-chaired the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group in Manama in October, which focused on a number of areas, including the provision of UK expertise in support of Bahraini-led reform initiatives. This included UK capacity-building support to the Bahraini Council of Representatives, to strengthen its procedures and develop its role in ensuring accountability and transparency.

The UK also continued to support the development of human rights monitoring bodies in the country, which work to safeguard human rights, provide independent oversight of security personnel, monitor standards of detention, and investigate allegations of mistreatment. The NIHR, for instance, has taken steps to ensure that all Bahrainis can report alleged human rights violations and abuses, including through a new widely-advertised hotline. We welcome this development and encourage continued work in this area.

Bahrain underwent its third Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in 2017. The UK made a number of recommendations, which were accepted by the Government of Bahrain, which included continuing to make progress on its reform agenda, and implementing a national strategy to tackle the trafficking of women and girls and to ratify the 2014 ILO Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention. The UK will continue to work with Bahrain on these initiatives.

There was progress on certain human rights issues in 2017. The Bahraini parliament adopted new family law legislation designed to benefit women and children from all communities in Bahrain. It also passed new legislation on alternative sentencing, and has already started to implement provisions under this new legal framework.

Bahrain also took proactive action to tackle modern slavery, including by endorsing the 'Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking', issued by the Prime Minister, Theresa May.

Furthermore, Bahrain took positive steps in introducing a new Flexi-Permit employment system and new employment contracts which bring additional transparency to expatriate employment. This forms part of Bahrain's commitment to ensure a safe and equal workplace for all.

We also welcome Bahrain's commitment in 2017 to the We Protect Global Alliance to end child sexual exploitation online.

The UK will continue to support Bahraini-led reform in 2018 by providing a range of technical expertise aimed at promoting the rule of law and further developing human rights monitoring bodies. We believe that working with Bahrain offers the best opportunity to see the positive changes which the Government of Bahrain has committed to implementing.

[25] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/executions-in-bahrain