Bahrain Mirror: The European Parliament issued (on June 13, 2018) a resolution condemning human rights violations in Bahrain and urging it to immediately release opposition detainees and prisoners of conscience, mainly the prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab.

The European Parliament showed a firm stance, which is considered the most important on the international level, since the increase of oppression against opposition in Bahrain two years ago.

It recounted the human rights and UN stances with respect to human rights violations in Bahrain, particularly the case of activist Nabeel Rajab.

The Parliament members urged the Bahraini government "for the immediate release of all those detained solely for their peaceful human rights and political activities and urged for an end to all acts of violence, harassment, intimidation, including at judicial level, and censorship of human rights defenders, political opponents, protesters, civil society actors and their relatives within and outside the country by the state authorities."

In their statement that called for ongoing international actions and interest in Bahrain issue, the Parliamentarians condemned the ongoing crackdown on fundamental democratic rights, notably freedom of expression, association and assembly, political pluralism, peaceful dissent and the rule of law in Bahrain.

They also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Nabeel Rajab, for any remaining charges against him to be dropped, and for the authorities to ensure that, pending his release, he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and has regular access to his family, lawyers of his choice and adequate healthcare.

Members of the European Union called on the Bahraini authorities to abide by their international obligations and commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and ensure a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders.

They deplored the poor prison conditions in the country and the use of torture by Bahraini security and prison personnel and urged the Bahraini authorities to refrain from all torture, cruel and degrading treatment of detainees.

The Parliamentarians strongly condemned the high number of death sentences passed in the country and called for an official moratorium on all executions.

They called on the authorities to amend the constitution to put an end to the use of military trials to try civilians and condemned the mass stripping of citizenship that is being used as a means of reprisal.

In addition, they called on the Bahraini authorities to immediately lift the travel ban against human rights defenders and insisted that the authorities guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities.

EU members encouraged the Government of Bahrain to aim for stability through reforms and inclusive reconciliation in an environment in which legitimate and peaceful political grievances can be expressed freely.

They urged the EU and its Member States to continue to make reference to Bahrain.

European Parliamentarians called on the Government of Bahrain to cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteurs and urged it to allow international NGOs and journalists freedom of access to Bahrain, regretting the reiterated refusal of Bahrain to receive an official delegation of its Subcommittee on Human Rights.

The members also regretted the fact that the EU Delegation's Chaillot Prize for the Promotion of Human Rights in the Gulf Cooperation Council Region was awarded in 2014 to the Bahrain National Institution for Human Rights, which has repeatedly justified the human rights violations undertaken by the Bahraini Government, including the imprisonment of Nabeel Rajab.

Parliamentarians expressed their regret that surveillance technologies used by the Bahraini authorities against their citizens are being exported by European companies to Bahrain.

Arabic Version