Habib Toumi

Durazi flanked by Stork on his right and Colangelo-Bryan - BHRS

Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) has distanced itself from a statement by its secretary general in which he said that some of the officers named and shamed as torturers in a report by Human Rights Watch were in fact innocent.

The report released on Monday in Manama quoted former detainees who said that they had been subjected to instances of physical and mental torture during their interrogations and gave names of some of the torturers. The New York-based watchdog mentioned the names in its report.

However, Abdullah Al Durazi, BHRS secretary general, who was flanked by Joe Stork, HRW deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa and Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a senior attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, at the launch and accompanied Stork during meetings, told the local media on Tuesday that some of the security people who were named in the report were not involved in acts of torture. continue reading…

Youth Radio logo

Bahrain will next week launch a radio station addressed mainly to young people, sources have said.

“The Youth Radio is scheduled to start on Sunday to coincide with the celebrations marking the anniversary of the National Action Charter and will feature programmes addressing issues mainly related to young people in Bahrain and the region,” the sources said.

The radio will use an existing frequency, 98.4 FM, and will be the first to be launched since Minister of Culture and Information Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al Khalifa was given the media portfolio in November 2008.

Bahrain broadcasts several specialized radios featuring music, religion and Indian programmes and re-broadcasts Western news stations.

The frequency refers to the result of the referendum on the National Action Charter, the document that heralded constitutional and political reforms in Bahrain launched by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa a short time after he became the country ruler.

MP Waleed Al Tabtabai

A Kuwaiti lawmaker has warned against allowing a national festival to degenerate to a display of immoral behaviour.

“Organisers of the February Nights Festival should pay close attention to some attitudes and behaviour that clash with our Islamic values and social traditions,” MP Waleed Al Tabtabai said. “We are concerned about the inappropriate clothes and the deep cleavages of some of the participants which have no room in our society,” the MP was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the Kuwaiti daily Al Wasat.

The MP said that the government had a moral obligation to keep the pledges it made to the parliament to apply strict regulations on all festivals and social events.

“I must however highlight the positive aspects of the annual festival, such as conferences and cultural and recreational events that have great benefits for Kuwaitis,” he said. continue reading…

King Fahad Causeway, Bahrain's main entry point

Bahrain has dropped the 72-hour visas given to all expatriates living in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries regardless of their occupations.

According to the new set of regulations, visas will also be issued at entry points to expatriates holding senior positions, such as bankers, managers, doctors and engineers, and their families. Representatives of trade companies, families and employees working for Gulf families and their dependents will also be given the visas at Bahrain’s entry points.

However, all other categories will have to obtain visas from Bahraini embassies before making the trip to Bahrain.

Up to the announcement of the rule changes, all expatriates who had valid GCC residence permits were given an on-arrival visa irrespective of their occupation. Expatriates who had professional category visas were given free entry, while those in the labour category had to pay BD 2 for the Bahraini visa. continue reading…