21 May 2012

GENEVA / BAHRAIN HUMAN RIGHTS

The majority of the 67 country-delegations who addressed the meeting on Bahrain in Geneva today expressed concern at continuing human rights abuses in Bahrain, citing failure to investigate and prosecute abuses, lack of accountability for acts of torture, excessive use of force by security authorities and the lack of freedom of expression. CH UNTV

Posted at: May 21, 2012 12:49 pm

Duration: 03.26

Available in: SD

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STORY: GENEVA / BAHRAIN HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 3.26
SOURCE: CH UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: 21 MAY 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior flags at the Palais des Nations

21 MAY 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Tilt down, FROM ceiling of HRC room to delegates
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salah Bin Al Mohamed Abdulrahman, Minister of State for Human Rights, Bahrain:
"The most important is that all people working in civil society enjoy full complete rights in accordance with our national legislation and our norms whose provisions apply to all of our citizens."
4. Cutaway, conference room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Casey Addis, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
"We remain concerned by failure of state institutions to effectively investigate and prosecute human rights abuses and to ensure accountability of officials at all levels of responsibility implicated in abuse torture or death of civilians during last years unrest."
6. Cutaway, Bahrain delegation
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Casey Addis, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
"We are also greatly concerned by the excessive use of force by the police and their increased use of teargas and birdshot ammunition."
8. Cutaway, Bahraini delegation at podium with ceiling
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salah Bin Al Mohamed Abdulrahman, Minister of State for Human Rights, Bahrain:
"I want to assure you that the police officers or the government never use indiscriminate power as was mentioned by some of the delegations. However, it is a fact that the security forces have to maintain security in the country. There are dozens of demonstrations that are not stopped because they are peaceful. However, if there is a demonstration that is no longer peaceful and violates the rights of the people, then security must be restored. It is not a matter of abuse of power."
Cut away: CU delegate listening 
10. SOUNDBITE (French) Ambassador Dante Martinelli, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations:  
"Switzerland is concerned at the high number of persons in detention whose only fault is to have exercised their right to freedom of expression.  As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Bahrain is bound to respect the right to freedom of expression."
11. Cutaway, delegates
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Ian Duddy, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:  
"The UK is deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations still occurring. We believe progress has been made in a number of areas but more must be done to address these issues.  In particular, the UK looks to the Bahraini authorities to ensure all convictions in military courts are urgently reviewed and that any prisoners still detained for exercising freedom of expression are released."
13. Cutaway, Bahraini delegation listening
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Steffan Smidt, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations:
"The Commission's report documented concrete cases of torture and ill-treatment of people held in custody, including the case of Danish citizen Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.  We are deeply concerned by the continued lack of accountability for such violations."
15. Cutaway, Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salah Bin Al Mohamed Abdulrahman, Minister of State for Human Rights, Bahrain:  
"Concerning torture, I assure you that our laws in Bahrain criminalize torture.  National legislation provides for very heavy sanctions to be handed down to anyone suspected of having carried out torture against a person.  No-one is above the law.  If it happens that cases of torture have been proven, people have been punished for them according to the national laws." 
17. Wide shot, delegates in room

STORYLINE:

The United Nations Human Rights Council Today (21 May) in Geneva met to review member states' human rights records, and the first country under the spotlight was Bahrain.

The majority of the 67 country-delegations who addressed the meeting expressed concern at the continuing human rights abuses in Bahrain, citing failure to investigate and prosecute abuses, lack of accountability for acts of torture, excessive use of force by security authorities and the lack of freedom of expression.

The 38-member Bahraini delegation was headed by the Minister of State for Human Rights, Salah Bin Ali Mohamed Abdulrahmin, who opened the meeting stating that all citizens in Bahrain "enjoy full complete rights in accordance with our national legislation".

The Minister added that Bahrain had shown "unshakeable resolve" in overcoming obstacles to the promotion of human rights and that the country had cooperated fully with all human rights mechanisms, since it last came up for review before the Council, 4 years' ago in April 2008.

United States, Ambassador Casey Addis, expressed concern at the "excessive use of force by police" during demonstrations in 2011 and condemned their increased use of teargas and birdshot ammunition.

The Bahraini Human Rights Minister responded to various allegations from the floor of police abuse of power by saying that neither the police nor the government ever "use indiscriminate power" and that peaceful demonstrations in the country go ahead undisturbed.  However, he added, if demonstrations became unruly and "violate the rights of the people, then security must be restored". Abdulrahmin denied allegations of abuse of power by the police.

Swiss Ambassador Dante Martinelli, called on Bahrain to respect the right to freedom of expression, expressing concern for the number of people detained for exercising their right.  And British Ambassador Ian Duddy reiterated the call for the immediate release of all those detained on the same grounds. He also called on Bahrain to review all convictions of civilians carried out in military courts.

Denmark's Ambassador Steffan Smidt said that the Council's Report listed "concrete cases of torture and ill-treatment of people held in custody, inlcuding the case of Danish citizen Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja".

Al-Khawaja, along with 13 other activists, remains imprisoned in Bahrain for exercising his right to demonstrate peacefully and Mr Smidt called for his immediate transfer to the Danish authorities for medical treatment.

Disputing allegations of torture, the Bahraini Minister said his country's laws criminalized torture across the board, imposing heavy sanctions for perpetrators.  "No-one is above the law", he said.

The adoption of the Report on Bahrain by the Council is scheduled for 25 May 2012.