Rights activist banned from leaving Bahrain for possessing info on regime abuse
Bahraini authorities have prevented a senior human rights activist from traveling to Switzerland to attend a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) meeting.
Nedhal al-Salman, the women and children rights officer at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), was to attend the UNHCR’s 33rd session in the Swiss city of Geneva, where the Council is headquartered, but was prevented from leaving the Arab country, reports said on Tuesday.
Salman is known for openly criticizing the ruling regime in Manama. The BCHR, too, has refused to remain silent concerning rights violations on the tiny Persian Gulf island.
Manama has so far prevented 30 rights activists — Salman included — from leaving the country to attend the UNHCR event.
In a separate development, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah addressed a joint news conference with Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit in the Bahraini capital, where he claimed Manama had cooperated with the UNHCR very much.
He, however, sharply criticized the UN for “politicizing” the affairs relating to the country, saying Manama would continue handling matters as it would see fit.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has, in the past, communicated serious concern regarding Manama’s move to prevent rights activists from leaving the country.
Last Monday, Enas Oun, who is the head of the Monitoring and Documentation Department at the BCHR, was stopped at the Bahrain International Airport as she was on her way to a human rights workshop in Tunisia.
The Manama regime has been cracking down harshly on anti-regime protesters, who have been staging numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis since February 14, 2011 to call on the Al Khalifah regime to relinquish power.
Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — themselves repressive Arab regimes — were deployed to the country in March that year to assist the Manama government in its crackdown on peaceful and pro-democracy rallies.
Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured or arrested in Manama’s crackdown on the anti-regime activists.
Qatar: Reports about withdrawal from Gaza mediation, Hamas exit from Doha ‘inaccurate’
FM strongly condemns meddlesome EU-GCC statement against Iran
US approves $2.25 billion in new arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE
Pentagon official says ‘shocked’ by Yemen’s firepower, arsenal
IAEA chief tours two key Iranian nuclear facilities
Larijani asserts Iran’s support for resistance, says conveyed Leader’s message to Lebanon
VIDEO | Beirut’s southern suburbs targeted in 'heavy' Israeli strikes
Haaretz: Over 10,000 Israelis have migrated to Canada this year
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Official: Iran to respond ‘decisively’ to any threat to its nuclear program
Nearly 70 Mossad-linked terrorists killed or captured in southeast Iran
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
