Bahrain Mirror: Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission called to attend a briefing on the human rights situation in Bahrain on the seventh anniversary of its pro-democracy uprising that erupted on February 14, 2011.

The commission will hold its seminar under the title "Bahrain Seven Years Later", on Friday 16, 2018, at 10:00 am in "Rayburn House". Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media will attend the briefing hosted by MPs James McGovern and Randy Hultgren.

The commission page (on US Congress website) said that seven years after the uprising

"the BICI recommendations have not been fully implemented, and some changes that had been achieved have been rolled back - in particular, in October 2017 Bahrain resumed the practice of trying civilians in military courts," describing the BICI recommendations as modest. It also said that these recommendation became a point of reference for constructive change.

The commission further stated that seven years later, the major opposition political parties have been outlawed, hundreds of people have been stripped of their citizenship, and a conflict that was originally political has become increasingly sectarian. Restrictions on arms transfers imposed by the Obama administration have been lifted by President Trump, as the Bahraini government has increasingly sought to link its internal opposition to Iran.

The website said that the panelists will provide a comprehensive update on the current human rights situation, the prospects for democratic reforms and the implications for security and stability in the region.  

Husain Abdulla, Executive Director at Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, activist Maryam Al-Khawaja, Sarah Margon, Washington Director at Human Rights Watch Dwight Bashir, Director of Policy and Research at U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will participate in the briefing.

Among the panelists is Andrew Miller, Deputy Director for Policy at Project on Middle East Democracy. Meanwhile, Brian Dooley, Senior Advisor at Human Rights First will be the moderator.

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