MANAMA, 18 April 2004 — Top Bahraini officials said yesterday that Manama was committed to protecting human rights and raising awareness among officers and policemen of the rights of suspects and prisoners.
Forty officials from the Ministry of the Interior, National Security, the National Guard, the Public Prosecutor, and judges from the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) are taking part in the five-day workshop. The workshop has been organized in cooperation with the Bahrain Human Rights Society and the Arab Human Rights League in Tunisia.
The Ministry of Interior undersecretary, Maj. Gen. Sheikh Duaij ibn Khalifa Al-Khalifa opened the workshop which is under the auspices of Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammed ibn Khalifa Al-Khalifa.
The undersecretary for the Ministry of Justice Sheikh Khaled ibn Isa Al-Khalifa, who spoke to the press at the opening of the first “Training Course in Human Rights for Law Enforcement Officials in the Ministry of Interior,” said that Bahrain was committed to protecting human rights in line with international treaties and accords.
“The training course is of critical importance to keep officers prepared and up to standards when applying the law,” he said. “In many instances officers have to make a legal assessment of the situation and the workshop will help them do that.”
The head of the security and defense committee in Parliament, Deputy Khaled Bahzad, who attended the opening of the workshop said that it was part of a comprehensive plan by the Ministry of Interior to deal with suspects and inmates.
“There is a need to train the officers in this field and it is something that is required internationally as well as domestically,” he explained.
The director of legal affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Lt. Gen. Ali Fadal Al-Buainain, said that the aim of the five-day workshop was to improve the skills of those involved in law enforcement in respecting the rights and dignity of individuals. “There is a strong commitment to preserve and protect the human rights of individuals as guaranteed in the constitution,” he said. “Previous training courses have been successful in preparing officers in this field and the ministry is committed to continue training in this field.”
He added that the ministry had established a human rights committee and that there was a special department specifically to follow up on issues concerning human rights.
Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) Secretary-General Dr. Sabika Al-Najjar said that law enforcement officials had to walk a thin line between maintaining the peace and maintaining the rights of those arrested.
She also spoke of the close relationship between the BHRS and the Ministry of Interior, saying that the ministry keeps an “open line” with the society to address concerns.
Indian Commits Suicide
A 35-year-old Indian working in Bahrain committed suicide early yesterday, just hours before he was to travel back home.
Chotta Khan from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh jumped into the sewage drains of his company’s housing compound that accommodates 680 Asian workers. There was no apparent reason for the suicide, according to his colleagues.
