New human rights group established
Bahrain has given the green light to a new human rights group, making it the fourth local rights watchdog.
The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Observatory said it would seek to promote genuine human rights at a time when activists tend to move according to a political, and not a rights, agenda.
“The existing rights groups are either with the opposition or with the government and seem to see only one side of the picture,” a member founder said. “Our group will work on covering rights consciousness away from politics. Most of the founders are young people, highly motivated and with a strong achievement-oriented drive,” the founder said, quoted by Al Bilad daily.
The society said it would boost its objectives through holding conferences, forums, exhibitions, presentations, reports, workshops and cultural, social and media activities.
Under Bahrain’s laws, the group has no right to engage in political activism or in business transactions. It cannot team up with another group or club outside Bahrain without the approval of the social development ministry.
Bahrain Human Rights Society, which last month celebrated its 10th anniversary, was the first rights watchdog to be set up in Bahrain following a spate of political or constitutional reforms. It made history by becoming the first society to inspect a prison and produce a related report. However, the society has been hit by allegations of mismanagement that stalled its work until a compromise was eventually reached with the ministry.
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights was founded in 2002, but dissolved in 2004 after it waded into controversy.
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, where religious and social minorities have assumed leadership roles, was established in November 2004.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/new-human-rights-group-established-1.818700
