Bahrain Mirror: Five human rights organizations commemorated the fifth anniversary of the February 14 uprising amid a lack of political solution oppurtunities and said in a statement issued on February 12, 2016 that "the political situation in the past five years have not gotten any better since Bahraini authorities clamped down on 2011 protests".

"The government implemented only 5 out of 26 BICI recommendations," they added. The statement that was signed by Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, the European Center for Democracy and Human Rights, and the Justice and Human Rights Organization urged the Bahraini government to "immediately release all the arbitrarily arrested political prisoners and human rights defenders" and rejected violence.

Sayed Yousef Al-Mohafdha , the vice-president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said that "Bahrainis were optimistic with the first BICI report and saw that this step resembles the possible road map to put an end to oppression, discrimination and corruption. Thus, establishing an inquiry commission now is a constant reminder of what is possible to be achieved, justice and freedom, which the government deprives its people of."

For his part, Sayed Ahmed Al-Wadei, the deputy executive director of at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: "The government implemented measures that contradict with its claims; it abandoned truth and reconciliation for violence and intimidation. The security forces may not kill citizens in the streets as they have done in the past years, but that is because their practices of arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and torture became more brutal."

"The government has clearly shown its intention to intensify its oppressive measures that it uses to suppress democracy since five years ago rather than reform its policies. The government must immediately change its reckless behavior to avoid returning to the same unrest and instability," stressed Husain Abdulla, executive director at Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.

As for Hugh Ali, executive director of Justice Human Rights Organization, he said: "In light of these ongoing violations, the statements of the government, claiming reform are a conspiracy to improve the country's reputation. We call for joint efforts in order to provide Bahrainis with international guarantees so that they could be able to practice their legitimate rights in line with international treaties and conventions."

Arabic Issue