Bahrain's new parliament approves government programme

On 3^rd Feb, Bahrain's new parliament, consisting almost entirely of supporters of the Sunni monarchy in the Shiite-majority kingdom, approved the government's political programme.

Prior to the recent elections, the influential Shiite opposition bloc Al-Wefaq had rejected extra powers granted to parliament in a 2012 constitutional amendment.

Under that amendment, the government must offer a new programme within 21 days if an initial programme is rejected by parliament. If rejected a second time, the government will be automatically replaced.

3^rd February was the first time parliament was allowed to vote on the programme. And given that the main opposition boycotted November parliamentary elections and is not represented, the outcome was inevitable. 37 out of 40 MPs voted in favour of the programme and three abstained.

Following this move, Bahrain has opened a criminal investigation of the country's main opposition group, the Interior Ministry said on 17^th Feb, accusing the al-Wefaq group of trying to undermine national security.

The Ministry of Interior said on its website that its General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security had referred al-Wefaq to the public prosecutor after it documented violations that represent "criminal offences" under Bahrain’s laws.

It said these violations, published on al-Wefaq's Twitter account and on its website, included "incitement to hatred against the ruling system and circulating false news to undermine civil peace and national security."

During the Tuesday 10 February parliamentary session, a handful of MPs tried to force the Head of Parliament, Ahmed al-Mulla to discuss accusations in the press accusing the Parliament’s General Secretariat of corruption. Al-Mulla refused to allow the issue to be discussed, saying that the matter would be addressed in due course and that it was unfair for Parliament to be diverted away from issues which benefitted the public.

These MPs continued to shout their objections, with the aim of disrupting the session and eventually staged a walkout. These MPs included Mohammed al-Ahmed, Ahmed Qarratah, Abdulhalim Murad, Dhiyab al-Noaimi and Nabil al-Balooshi – a mix of Islamists and those with a reputation for taking oppositionist stances.

In response, Head of Parliament Al-Mulla said that Parliament could not be subject to a particular political agenda, while stressing the importance of investigating the allegations and noting the right of the media to freely criticize the authorities. The Parliament’s General Secretariat office has meanwhile denied the media allegations.

MPs propose removing obstacles to questioning ministers: Five MPs have submitted a proposal for making it simpler for Parliament to summon ministers over issues of concern. MP Ali al-Atish pointed out that monitoring Government performance was one of Parliament’s most significant roles. The 2012 Constitutional Amendments give a minimum of five MPs the right to summon a minister for questioning. However, Al-Atish noted that the parliamentary code of practice complicated this process and went against the spirit of these Amendments.

The chairman of the European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights (EBOHR), Hussein Jawad was snatched from his home by masked police officers, he was taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate — an affiliate of the Ministry of Interior notorious for the torture of detainees who are in the process of being charged with a crime.

Jameel Kadhim, a former parliament member and president of al-Wefaq's consultative council, was sentenced to six months in jail and fined 500 dinars by a court in Manama on charges of making false allegations that undermined national elections.

72 citizenships were suspended on 31^st January. 20 of these were suspected members of ISIS but the remainder were human rights activists, journalists and bloggers. Initially all were lumped together under a charge of “failing to be loyal” but other charges were added later.

National Dialogue next?

Alice Samaan, Bahrain's Ambassador to the UK, has just sent the following message round by e-mail. We think it is encouraging. The question now is how the National Dialogue is to be restarted: 

On 3 February, 2015, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Council of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve the Government Action Plan (GAP) for the next four years (2015-2018). The vote, in which 37 of Bahrain’s 40 MPs voted in favour with the remainder abstaining, followed 27 days of study by a specialised parliamentary committee, and negotiations between Parliament and the Government. This is the first time in Bahrain’s history that Parliament has had the right to consider (and potentially reject) the GAP and, under the Constitution, had the GAP been rejected in three parliamentary votes, His Majesty the King would have either dismissed the Cabinet or dissolved Parliament and called new elections.

Following initial indications that Parliament was minded to reject the first GAP blueprint, the committee worked with the Government to address issues of concern, resulting in a number of modifications and amendments. While recognising the financial realities of the current international economic situation, the amended GAP sets out detailed and comprehensive proposals for the coming four years, including provision of additional healthcare facilities, recalculation of certain benefit eligibility rules, additional disability benefit, and enhanced early retirement options  for women.

The success of the negotiations around the GAP, and the detailed consideration of the initial proposals in light of issues raised by the public both directly and through social media, demonstrates the important and growing role of the elected chamber of Parliament as the democratic representative of the people of Bahrain, and underlines its ability to effect genuine change and progress in line with popular will.

Meanwhile, from 25-29 January, a technical delegation from Amnesty International visited Bahrain at the invitation of the Government. During their stay, the delegation held a range of meetings with senior officials from both Government and non-governmental bodies, including the Minister of Justice, the National Institution for Human Rights, the Public Prosecutor, the Special Investigations Unit and the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman.

It is hoped that the Amnesty International delegation’s visit will enable the organisation to better appreciate the dramatic steps that have been taken by Bahrain in recent years to ensure the effective protection of human rights, to fully and properly investigate any allegations, and to uphold proper accountability through the judicial system in any cases where abuses have occurred. Bahrain will not shirk from its responsibilities in this regard, and the steps outlined in previous updates, including the establishment of bodies such as the Prisoners’ and Detainees’ Rights Commission (PDRC), not to mention those agencies previously mentioned, underline our determination to act properly and effectively in the protection of human rights.

To this end, in late January, the MOI Ombudsman, the PDRC and members of other Government departments and agencies participated in a training course jointly organised with the International Committee of the Red Cross to raise awareness of the ICRC’s work and methods, to better understand the applicable international standards and best practice, and to develop a joint framework for Bahrain’s cooperation with the ICRC.

Finally, on the international front, Foreign Minister  HE Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa took part in the London meeting held on 22 January to coordinate the ongoing international response to ISIL, underlining the importance Bahrain attaches to effectively combating terrorism, to addressing sources of terrorist finance (including through the steps outlined in last year’s Manama Declaration), and to countering extremist ideologies. The Kingdom of Bahrain is determined to continue its close cooperation with the United Kingdom and other friends and allies to further advance our efforts in all these areas, and to keep both the region and the world safe from terrorist and extremist threats.

My Government hopes that Bahrain’s achievements, both in its ongoing political reform and development, and in effectively protecting human rights, will be properly recognised, particularly at a time when regional challenges are stronger than ever. As Iranian interference has become increasingly blatant, with official and semi-official sources releasing inaccurate and inflammatory statements designed to undermine Bahrain’s progress and to promote the interests of Iran and its proxies, my hope is that our friends will fully appreciate the progress we have made, and our determination to continue the process of reform and development to meet the needs and aspirations of Bahrain and all its people.

I look forward to keeping you updated of ongoing developments in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and would be happy to provide any further information that may be of assistance, or to address any questions you may have.