Brussels, 07/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 5 December, human rights activists from Bahrain rang alarm bells at the rise in violence and growing violations of human rights, and they called on the EU to be firmer towards Bahrain's authorities. In an interview with EUROPE, Said Yousif Almuhafdah from the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and Ahmed Al-Haddad from the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights called on the EU to ban the export of tear gas from the EU, which is used in the repression of activists, and which the United Kingdom has apparently exported to Bahrain. They also called for a freeze on visas for those responsible for the repression, including the minister of justice and the interior. These measures “would make the government afraid”, they said, adding that simple statements are not enough, that the EU must be firmer and condemn the situation.
Gaëlle Dusepulchre from the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) has also called on the EU to put pressure on the Bahraini authorities and to call for the release of the director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Nabeel Rjab, who is due to find out on 11 December the final verdict of his trial for participation in peaceful demonstrations and his calls for unauthorised marches. The Bahraini activists also want European governments to push for a United Nations resolution on their country.
Stressing that the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) are not implemented by their country, they want the EU to push for a United Nations office to be set up in Bahrain, to check what is happening and to monitor the implementation of these recommendations. (CG/transl.fl)