Meeting

The Council of Commissioners of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) convened for its thirteenth regular meeting under the chairmanship of Eng. Ali Ahmed Alderazi, with participation from the members and the Secretary-General. At the outset, the Commissioners examined the institution's role in various national committees focused on human rights, following a Cabinet decision to grant the NIHR observer status. This reflects Bahrain's ongoing commitment to respect and enhance human rights and to continually develop its legal system through increased collaboration across governmental and civil institutions.

Ms. Rawda Al Aradi, Head of the Complaints, Monitoring, and Follow-Up Committee, provided a summary of the committee's work over the last quarter. She reported on the institution's handling of 104 cases, including 16 complaints, 82 legal assistances, and 6 monitoring activities. She noted that the institution engaged with 67 complainants, received 10 complaints via the toll-free hotline, 19 through mail and the website, and 3 through the NIHR Bahrain mobile app, with an additional 3 cases identified via social media. She highlighted that relevant authorities were contacted to address and resolve these cases.

Dr. Malallah Al-Hammadi, Head of the Detention and Facilities Visitation Committee, detailed the recent inspections carried out by his committee at various rehabilitation and reform centers. These visits were intended to ensure that these centers uphold the fundamental rights of inmates, especially in healthcare, social care, education, and foreign labor housing. The Council stressed the importance of ongoing field visits, both scheduled and unscheduled, to monitor human rights conditions at locations potentially implicated in human rights violations, as authorized by NIHR’s governing laws. The outcomes of these visits were discussed, and appropriate measures were coordinated with relevant entities.

Dr. Fawzia Al-Saleh, Head of the General Rights and Freedoms Committee, reviewed her committee’s recent efforts. The committee evaluated proposals for organizing events focused on promoting and embedding human rights values, and broadening the human rights culture in Bahrain for the latter half of the year. The meeting concluded with the Council approving the General Secretariat’s activity report for the first quarter of the year.