Bahrain Mirror: Maria Khoury, Chairperson of National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), said that her father came to Bahrain in 1950. Khoury's statements irritated a number of human rights activists who asked about the way her family was naturalized, noting that she chairs a senior government post that whitewashes Bahrain's image and defends it in the international forums when it comes to human rights affairs.

Lawyer Ibrahim Serhan raised a question to Khoury via Twitter saying "what was the legal way in which you were granted the Bahraini nationality? In which year? And pursuant to which law? Do you still have your previous nationality? Or do you have dual nationalities?"

However, Khoury avoided answering the question and said that the secret of their naturalization remained with her deceased father. She went on to say that she acquired the citizenship because she was born to a Bahraini father at that time, adding that her mother's grandfather came to Bahrain in 1914 and took the nationality in 1916.

Bahrain faces severe criticism after revoking the citizenships of indigenous people. Meanwhile, it illegally grants the citizenship to a large number of foreigners aiming at changing the country's demography, according to the opposition.

It is to mention that the National Institution for Human Rights chaired by Khoury is a government institution whose board of directors members are assigned by royal decree. Its mission is to defend Bahrain's human rights file in international forums. Human Right Watch and international organizations accuses the NIHR of being biased.

Arabic Version