Bahrain Mirror: 16 human rights organizations sent a letter to the member states in the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the developments in the human rights status in Bahrain ahead of the next session to be held in Geneva.

The HR groups addressed several topics, mainly "violating freedom of opinion, assembly and religion, violating the rights of the human rights defenders and political activists, practicing systematic torture, death penalty and stripping of nationalities."

They called for assigning a special rapporteur on Bahrain and establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the reported violations.

The organizations called on the member states to put "pressure on the Bahraini government to grant the special rapporteurs of peaceful assembly and torture the right to visit Bahrain as well as allow the independent human rights organizations' representatives to enter Bahrain without obstacles in order to study the human rights situation and push the government to unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience, mainly the political figures and prominent human rights defenders."

The further demanded the member states to push on the Bahraini government to reconsider the death sentences issued since the beginning of the uprising in 2011, urged the Bahraini authorities to stop all the politically motivated trials, drop the charges against the dissents and create a suitable ambiance for protecting human rights defenders, activists and NGOs.

The HR groups also pointed out that "the judiciary is dependent as judges are assigned by the ruling family to issue unjustified harsh sentences and punishments."

The signatories were: Bahrain Human Rights Observatory, Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, Bahrain Forum for Human Rights, Bahrain Human Rights Society, European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights, Human Rights Defenders, International Council Supporting Fair Trial and Human Rights, Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, the International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms, Aman center for human rights, Lualua Center for Human Rights, Gulf Civil Society Association Forum, Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, the Jordan Society for Human Rights, the Arab Commission for Human Rights and Al-Miezan Association For Human Rights Development.

Arabic Issue