Please join
for a briefing:
Human Rights in Bahrain:
Assessing Progress on the One-Year Anniversary
of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Report
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Room 2237, Rayburn House Office Building
Capitol Hill
In February 2011, thousands of Bahraini protestors took to the streets to call for political reforms, prompting Bahrain’s security forces to respond with excessive force, resulting in death to dozens of protestors and injury to thousands more. In the wake of international condemnation for its violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, the Government of Bahrain established the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) to investigate alleged abuses committed during the protests, and to recommend legal and policy changes to prevent a recurrence of those events. The BICI released its report on November 23, 2011, and the Government of Bahrain quickly pledged to fully implement the report’s 26 recommendations.
One year later, the Government of Bahrain has failed to fulfill its promises. Despite claims by the Government, few, if any, of the recommendations have been fully implemented and promises of reform remain largely unfulfilled. Although some positive steps have been taken, peaceful protesters continue to be attacked by police, activists continue to be arrested and detained, political prisoners remain imprisoned, and free speech and expression are restricted.
Panelists will discuss the current status of implementation of the BICI recommendations, the present human rights situation in Bahrain, and what more needs to be done. In conjunction with the briefing, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain will release its new publication, Failing Grade: A Report Card on the Status of BICI Implementation.
Moderator:
- Husain Abdulla, Director, Americans for Human Rights and Democracy in Bahrain
Panelists:
- Mohammad Al Tajer, Co-founder and President of BRAVO (Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization) and former prisoner of conscience
- Dr. Fatima Haji, Co-founder and Director of Training & Development at BRAVO (Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization) and one of 20 Bahraini physicians convicted for treating protesters
- Brian Dooley, Director, Human Rights Defenders Program, Human Rights First
- Richard Sollom, Deputy Director, Physicians for Human Rights
For more information, please email info@adhrb.org.
No RSVP required. This event is open to the public.
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Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) is a US-based non-profit organization that fosters
awareness of and support for democracy and human rights in Bahrain.
