Bahrain's judiciary independence highlighted

Cairo, Jan. 29(BNA): The Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabur Al-Doseri, affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the era of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has made many gains in the field of human rights in various national, regional and international forums. He added that the constitution and the laws of the Kingdom guarantee all rights and freedoms, including the right to litigation and the independence of the judiciary which emphasise the nature of democratic governance and provide all legal guarantees for fair trials that meet international standards. This came as the Assistant Foreign Minister headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the 15th session of the Arab League Human Rights Committee, held on January 28 and 29 this year, at the League of Arab States’ Headquarters in Cairo. The Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that the comprehensive development in the Kingdom is based on justice, gender equality and indiscrimination, which led Bahraini women to making great achievements in various social, economic, cultural and political fields. He added that the government of the Kingdom is following an advanced program to ensure that all citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoy decent living standards, highlighting the successful role of the unemployment insurance system in this regard since its establishment in 2007. The delegation of the Kingdom also discussed various topics and provided direct, transparent and objective responses to all the questions posed by the members of the Committee, which focused on the right to life, physical integrity and freedom from torture, as well as the independence the judiciary, among many others. The Assistant Secretary General and Head of Social Affairs sector at League of Arab state, Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, the Arab Parliament Speaker, Dr. Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami and the Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Legal Affairs at the GCC Council, Hamad bin Rashid Al-Marri, hailed the progress of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. They highlighted the Kingdom’s initiative to establish the Arab Court for Human Rights, noting the legislation introduced regarding domestic violence, unions, human trafficking and many others. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Arab Republic of Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States. Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, noted the success of the Kingdom of Bahrain in presenting and reviewing its first national report before the Arab Human Rights Committee, which comes as a result of the directives and support of His Majesty the King and the efforts of the Government in the field of human rights. He also valued the efforts of the Bahraini delegation participating in the session. Concluding the last session, the Assistant Foreign Minister appreciated the efforts of the members of the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain and valued the support of the Bahraini Ministries and bodies concerned which resulted in the success of the discussion. The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain was headed by the Assistant Foreign Minister, with the participation of Ambassador Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Brigadier General Muna Abdulrahim, Major Abdullah Al-Mutawa, First Lieutenant Nasser Al-Fadhala from the Ministry of Interior, Khulood Matar from the Ministry of Education, Fawzan Khalifa Bu-Farsan from the Ministry of Information Affairs, Ezzuldeen Khalid Al-Moaid from the Supreme Council for Women, Sultan Nasser Al-Suwaidi from the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission and Abdulrahman Al-Faris from the Ombudsman.