Pete Weatherby undertakes trial observations in Bahrain for Bar Human Rights Committee
06/08/2010
Pete Weatherby has recently returned from Bahrain where he observed a number of trials on behalf of the Bar Human Rights Committee. Pete presented his observations at a seminar held in the House of Lords yesterday.
The seminar, hosted by Lord Avebury, the Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group and Baroness Falkner of Margravine, was entitled "Bahrain: deterioration of human rights and public freedoms" and set out to review at the current Human rights situation in Bahrain including issues such as arbitrary detentions, allegations of torture, crackdown on activists and curtailment of public freedoms.
Pete Weatherby spent time in Bahrain in July 2010 on behalf of the UK Bar Human Rights Committee , where he observed a number of trials, including the conclusion of the Ma'ameer trial of ten defendants who were charged with the killing of a Pakistani national during a protest. Other delegates at the seminar included Tom Porteous, Director Human Rights Watch and various human rights defenders from Bahrain.
Regrettably, a few days after the seminar the Bahraini authorities launched a crackdown arresting 160 human rights activists, including two who had spoken at the seminar in the House of Lords. The detainees have been held without access to lawyers or their families and their whereabouts are unknown. The Bar Human Rights Committee has sent a letter requesting an explanation from the Bahraini authorities and asking for the detainees to be released or charged and given their basic rights. Bahraini written law is advanced and requires that detainees are given swift access to lawyers and treated with dignity. The practice appears to be very different with persistent reports of serious mistreatment of detainees.
Quick links
10/8/10 - Human Rights in Bahrain: One step forwards, many steps backwards (mathaba) - coverage of the 5th August 2010 seminar
