Lebanese Minister: Bahrain Not Eligible to Host “Arab Human Rights Court”

TEHRAN – Former Lebanese Minister Issam Noman recently commented an Arab League decision to set up an Arab Human Rights Court in Bahraini capital of Manama, noting that Bahrain is not friendly to human rights, according to FNA.

Noman said that Bahrain is not eligible to host the Arab Human Rights Court because the tiny Gulf island is dealing with a political uprising which roots revolve around issues related to freedom of speech and social justice.

He further pointed out, “The Arab League does not reflect the aspirations of the Arab peoples, but reflect the interests of the governments.”

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights in the Lebanese capital Beirut has criticized the Arab League’s decision to set up a pan-Arab human rights court in the Gulf state, the Islam Times reported.

At a press conference in Beirut the former minister added, “Will the statute of the Court outranked Member States’ constitutions and thus secure all citizens under the AL equal rights? Would Bahrainis be therefore entitled to seize the court should the regime impede on their rights?” 

He called on all Arab citizens not to allow their governments to turn them into tools.

Meantime, the President of the Forum, Yusuf Rabbih noted that Bahrain “is not eligible to host the Arab Court of Human Rights because its government has such a bad track record”.

Activists have described Bahrain as a “cemetery of human rights”. Although they don’t agree to Bahrain being the new court’s headquarters, they demand that the court stay independent of the Arab League so it could look like the International Criminal Court.

Antigovernment protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa rule.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the ersian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.

R.S